Negotiating With Starhub - A Successful Case Study

I have been using Starhub services for quite a bit of time now and it has not always been smooth-sailing. There have been times when the reception totally disappeared and I had to wait for an hour or so to get it back - I believe this was the time they were migrating from 2G to 3G. Then, there are times when my internet connection goes ridiculously slow (more often) and/or totally dies (a handful of occasions). Usually, this throws my schedule haywire - my work is highly dependent on internet connectivity, especially when the customer support can only offer me a cryptic "it may take anything from a few hours to a day" followed by "our technicians are looking into it now".

I have taken all this in my stride because - to quote the now (in)famous words, "what to do. it has happened". The only service from Starhub that was not affected in all these years was the CableTV - and then it happened.

I am a fairly avid soccer fan. I watch the major competitions and reasonably follow the major leagues (English, Spanish, Italian, German). Naturally, for the World Cup in 2006, I took up the offer to pay an additional S$10.70 to receive the coverage by Starhub. Similarly, for the Euro 2008, I intended to take up the offer as well.

However, unlike 2006, this year I did not receive a mailer to inform me to sign up for the S$10.70 promotion. And by the time I got around to visiting the Starhub website to check, I realised that the promotional period (early bird thing) had ended, and I would only be able to enjoy the coverage at double the cost - S$21.40. With prices everywhere going up, I saw no reason to pay double for the privilege of watching Euro 2008.

Nevertheless, I wanted to find out what Starhub could do for me - a loyal customer who has a credit balance (ie. Starhub will have to return me money if I terminate) in his account to the tune of about S$500. Thus, I dropped them a feedback query through their website as follows.

I was awaiting the letter from Starhub offering the EURO 2008 coverage at $10.70 (as for the World Cup in 2006) but did not receive any notification. I have just realised that the special price offer expired on 12 May 2008 and it would now cost me double the amount to take up the coverage. If Starhub is inclined to offer me, a loyal customer of several years who has a CREDIT balance of over $500 in his broadband account with it, the preferential rate of $10.70, then I will be keen to take up the EURO 2008 coverage package, otherwise I will forego the opportunity to watch the competition, thank you. - 22/05/2008 2:06:37 PM

I didn't think much of it and felt that it was pretty much a case of either wanting to indulge me or not, and so was slightly annoyed with the unfeeling 'standard' response I received 24 hours later.

Thank you for your e-mail of 22 May 2008. We regret to inform you that the early bird offer for the Season pass has ended on 12 May 2008. We wish to inform you that you can sign up for STARHUB UEFA EURO 2008™ Season Pass at $21.40 now and stand a chance to win a HubStation daily. This promotional contest will end on 31 May 2008. If you have any questions on our services, please e-mail us at this address or fax in to +65 6725 1603. Best regards, Wong Boon Chai, Customer Affairs. - May 23, 2008 2:10 PM

As if I did not know this already. I thought it was quite clear that I acknowledged the fact of the matter and the question was would Starhub be willing to bend over backwards (a bit) for me, a loyal customer. Such replies certainly deserve a sarcastic response, so I shot one back the moment I read the reply.

Thank you for your reply. In my initial query to you, I acknowledged that I am fully aware of the expiry of the early bird promotion on 12 May 2008. It was wonderful of you to notify me this notwithstanding. Please confirm if a mailer was sent out to me, which was what I was looking out for to begin with. As my contention is that I was not duly informed of the promotion, I am not prepared to pay $21.40 (or, in other words, double) now for the opportunity to watch Euro 2008.

If I am counted as one of the valued customers of Starhub, then some arrangement should be made to recognise this 'value'. After all, we are talking about an amount of $10+ which to a large company like Starhub is surely an insignificant price to placate a loyal customer of several years - customer since 2000, Hub Club member, and, a total of 4 mobile lines, one fixed line, CableTV & Broadband for my residential address.

If no effort is taken on the part of Starhub, then I will take it that this is how it views its customers and consider switching to a competitor at the next available opportunity. I am disappointed that Starhub does not value its customers and will let my friends and family know as such, thank you. - 23/05/2008 4:14:18 PM

Of course, in most cases, such a response would invite hostility but, in this case, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from another Officer, Lim Song Yee, within 15 minutes of sending the email, to inform me that after further review, Starhub would give me the promotional rate of S$10.70 after all. I was quite happy to take up the offer which was confirmed in writing not moments later via email.

Thank you for your e-mail of 23 May 2008. We refer to our telephone conversation earlier. We wish to inform you that we have made an exception and added the STARHUB UEFA EURO Season Pass to your subscription as you have requested. The early bird charge of $10.70 (w/GST) will be shown in your next invoice. You will receive the acknowledgement letter with the channel details at your service address. If you have any questions on our services, please e-mail us at this address or fax in to +65 6725 1603. Best regards, Lim Song Yee, Customer Affairs. - May 23, 2008 4:40 PM

At the end of it, a happy resolution was reached (like Pedra Banca but without the drama?) and I applaud Starhub for getting it right. However, the point of the matter may be that individual officers within the same organisation may react very differently to situations and where the first officer offered a very unsatisfactory response, the second officer managed to get the job done extremely well within a mere half hour. Accordingly, I ended the correspondence with Starhub with some kind words.

Thank you indeed for the pleasant surprise of your call. I am not sure how and why Mr Wong (the initial officer who emailed me) could not exercise the initiative and decisive action that you so clearly displayed in the first place, but nevertheless, I appreciate your prompt resolution of the matter in a mere half hour from my reply. Sincerely, I do feel appreciated as a customer and Starhub can certainly look forward to my patronage for years to come. Accordingly, if you require a testimonial with regard to this incident for any internal or corporate purpose at all, feel free to request for one from me - I will be more than happy to provide you with the same.

In the meanwhile, I would like to go on record as saying that it is staff such as you, Mr Lim Song Yee, that can bring an organisation like Starhub further forward. Thank you for the experience and I now look forward to relating this positive occurrence to others - and to watch Euro 2008 as well! - 23/05/2008 5:06:54 PM

I guess the purpose of relating this incident is for some of you to be inspired to push ahead with demands, complaints and seeking resolutions in spite of not much success; and also to help others determine if Starhub's service and support is reasonable enough - good luck and good night.

image source: trexi.com.sg

Glasnost Project Suggests BitTorrent Blocking By Starhub

The Glasnost Project which is a study by some German researchers on broadband networks released a preliminary report on 15th May 2008 of the findings with regard to the manipulation of BitTorrent traffic. The report was based on the 8,000 people from all around the world who have participated thus far, of which 70 'brave souls' were from Singapore.

The results were nothing surprising with 9 ISPs from USA practising blocking behaviour of BitTorrent traffic. However, what is very surprising is that our dear Starhub is the biggest culprit outside of the US who blocks BitTorrent traffic. Out of the 70 users from Singapore who participated in the test, 45 were using a Starhub connection with 26 of them being blocked. The rest of the Singapore-based users' traffic provided by 5 other ISPs was not blocked.

Overall, in comparison to the whole world, Comcast of USA was found to have blocked 491 out of 788 connections (62.3%), Cox of the USA was found to have blocked 82 out of 151 connections (54.3%) and Starhub was found to have blocked 26 out of 45 connections (57.8%). That means Starhub is quite possibly the second or third 'worst' ISP in the world to use as far as BitTorrent file transfer is concerned.

image source: P2Pnet
(reproduced from original source)

Essentially, these findings do fit nicely with anecdotal evidence from various Starhub users who often complain that their BitTorrent downloads are not as fast as when compared to users of other ISPs who are downloading the same file at the same time.

What surprises me though is that the local media do not seem to have picked up on this in the last week with no reports to be found on the local scene. Inversely, the results have been reported and/or discussed in renowned international media outlets such as The New York Times and The Inquirer. I think this is a relatively important issue (some have called this a scandal, in fact) that should be discussed openly with some (if not a full) explanation provided. If Starhub is indeed blocking BitTorrent activity, then what other interferences could there be in our online experience, I wonder.

Granted I could just pose this question to Starhub directly, but as any Starhub customer will tell you - the prices may be comparatively cheaper as far as their services go but when you pay relative peanuts, you get relative monkeys - their customer service is absolute rubbish most of the time.

Hence, I would rather post here for all to see and think for themselves whilst waiting for the momentum to (hopefully) build up before Starhub finally answers publicly. Well, isn't that how our corporations like to handle things anyway - right after the shit hits the fan?

Footnote: Temasek Holdings has a 56.97% 'deemed interest' in Starhub.

FA Cup Final

I just watched the second half of the English FA Cup Final between Cardiff City and Portsmouth and couldn't help but think Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool could have easily demolished either finalist based on today's performance. A painfully soft goal to win a Final, the game sometimes seemed like a 'reserves final' (Glenn Johnson - ex-Chelsea and Sylvain Distin - ex-Man City) or even a Veteran's category (Hasselbaink, Kanu, Campbell, Fowler) final.

I watched the game as a neutral observer until I realised David James was in goal for Portsmouth - after which I instantly became a Cardiff supporter for the night. The underdogs seemed overwhelmed by the significance of the game but I believe they could have snatched it if not for the silly goal and/or they had believed in themselves a bit more.

However, one player that clearly caught my eye was this guy whom I thought was a semi-retired veteran (due to his grey hair) - Kevin McNaughton. A Scottish player, he was cool & smooth in his play, and his first touch is quite incredible. Not to mention, his defensive play is astute, wise and decisive. With his gangly frame, his style quite reminded me of the great Ryan Giggs. Of course, it didn't help that this right-back seemed to be struggling with fatigue and a pulled muscle late into the game - which added to the impression that he was an ageing player.

Surprise, surprise, the guy is just 25 going on 26 this year and should be reaching the peak of his career. The reason that I am highlighting McNaughton is because I am confident that he will be snapped up by a Premier League club for next season. You see, over the years, I have been able to correctly 'spot' such talents and I want to use this as a documented example.

In the first soccer match that I ever watched for myself, I was impressed by Mark Hughes as he played for Man United - and scored twice (one with an overhead kick). Years later, I spotted Darren Anderton during an FA Cup game (this was before he joined Tottenham) and felt he would be snapped up. I also felt Louis Saha should have been in the Man United squad a good season before he joined from Fulham.

So let us see what the results of this 'experiment' will be and hopefully, I will not be falling flat on my face - could very well be another Robbie Savage ("...started his playing career as a trainee at Manchester United, but was released..." & "...holding the dubious distinction of being awarded the most yellow cards in his career of any Premiership player in the league's history...").



Update:
Looks like an indication of my 'talent-spotting' might be the fact that the player appeared in the picture published on the ST on Sunday as part of the match report on the FA Cup Final.