They seem to appear and vanish in IE9 (but only ever visible with IE8 compatability turned of)

http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/media/vanishing_plusnet...

Short 600KB burst video of page refreshing, and Broadband Only tab vanishing.

IE9 running in compatability mode on the page http://www.plus.net/home-broadband/

Will email them.

Edited by MrSaffron (Thu 09-May-13 09:34:59)

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

It could be that they're performing split testing, trying to see which website structure performs best.

Bingo!

It's not a problem, it's not an issue specific to customers' local environment and it's not an accident. Neither is it anything new (although it's perhaps a tad more drastic than what we've done in the past).

We regularly run 'split tests' where visitors to our site will see different versions compared to others. These tests run for a limited time only, and help us ascertain what impact proposed changes to the site may have on sign-up rates etc.

Regardless of the version of the site you're presented with you can still choose broadband only by entering the order journey and then customising your broadband package during the sign-up journey.

Hope that helps explain things (and saves anyone else trying to troubleshoot the cause of the 'problem')

Rgds,

It's an extremely idiotic trial that makes it impossible to access broadband packages that do not require line rental!

It may be intentional, and it may increase bundled signups in the short-term. In the long-term it would reduce the number of signups as it is a huge selling point on these forums that the prospect's landline can be with whichever CP they prefer.

I grant you that the profit margin may improve if line rental becomes compulsory for new customers, but that doesn't necessarily mean total profit would.

As survival is also a numbers game these days, higher margin but with lower net profit and lower numbers doesn't sound wise to me.

If this is really a split testing, then its not very split on Chrome as always appears.

Firefox no sign of the tab, Chrome always there, and in IE there is the video showing that when doing a page refresh you see the tab for around a second.

Sorry to say it looks very like a move to make Broadband Only packages a lot less visible. Particularly when you click on a like that is about viewing the packages available, and no sign of the broadband only ones.

Also makes linking to your BB only deals rather haphazard from this forum...

As you are deliberately withholding facts from the website, re broadband-only, for some presumably nefarious reason possibly as suggested in my previous post, what should we conclude about the "Good, Honest" broadband from Yorkshire?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

It may be intentional, and it may increase bundled signups in the short-term. In the long-term it would reduce the number of signups as it is a huge selling point on these forums that the prospect's landline can be with whichever CP they prefer.

You're getting well ahead of yourself. We /don't know/ if it will increase bundled sign-ups. Neither do we know if it would decrease overall volumes in the long term. That's the whole point of split testing in the first place.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I grant you that the profit margin may improve if line rental becomes compulsory for new customers, but that doesn't necessarily mean total profit would.

And you may well be right. The results from the split testing will hopefully give us a good indication.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Sorry to say it looks very like a move to make Broadband Only packages a lot less visible. Particularly when you click on a like that is about viewing the packages available, and no sign of the broadband only ones.

No doubt part of the testing /is/ to determine how the site will attract sales with the broadband only packages made less visible. Needless to say, we appreciate the feedback and our Marketing/Aquisition folk are well aware of this thread.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Also makes linking to your BB only deals rather haphazard from this forum...

Does this not work for everybody?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

As you are deliberately withholding facts from the website, re broadband-only, for some presumably nefarious reason possibly as suggested in my previous post, what should we conclude about the "Good, Honest" broadband from Yorkshire?

As previously mentioned, broadband only is still available. Granted, it may be difficult to find with some versions of the site but there's nothing stopping somebody calling our Sales Team to discuss their individual requirements. Oh, and before anybody asks, no we haven't 'split' the Sales department

Rgds,

In reply to a post by bpullen:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

As you are deliberately withholding facts from the website, re broadband-only, for some presumably nefarious reason possibly as suggested in my previous post, what should we conclude about the "Good, Honest" broadband from Yorkshire?

As previously mentioned, broadband only is still available. Granted, it may be difficult to find with some versions of the site but there's nothing stopping somebody calling our Sales Team to discuss their individual requirements. Oh, and before anybody asks, no we haven't 'split' the Sales department

Rgds,

So not good or honest, then.

Edited by Oliver341 (Thu 09-May-13 11:54:21)

In reply to a post by bpullen:

Does this not work for everybody?

Yes, but utterly irrelevant if the page is not accessible from the website. To suggest otherwise is, to put it kindly, disingenuous of you.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

As you are deliberately withholding facts from the website, re broadband-only, for some presumably nefarious reason possibly as suggested in my previous post, what should we conclude about the "Good, Honest" broadband from Yorkshire?

As previously mentioned, broadband only is still available. Granted, it may be difficult to find with some versions of the site but there's nothing stopping somebody calling our Sales Team to discuss their individual requirements. Oh, and before anybody asks, no we haven't 'split' the Sales department

Not "difficult". Impossible. At the very best, if my earlier route works, (which seems unlikely as it didn't for Oliver), almost impossible.

As for "there's nothing stopping ...." Plain drivel.

The bad publicity generated already in itself threatens a match-turning own goal.