I was listening to a news segment on the radio a few weeks ago and picked up a new expression I hadn’t heard before.

The term ‘sticky customers’ refers to those people who are under contract for either a mobile phone, broadband, electricity or any sort of energy supplier and remain loyal to their named company.

The gist of the story was that, despite much cheaper alternatives being available, around 60% of people in the UK are slow to change from existing contracts. I can understand this, since most of these large businesses ensure that ‘straightforward and easy to negotiate’ dealings are little short of a bureaucratic nightmare.

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Broadband

We have been paying £87 per month for our telephone and broadband services for some time now and, despite my wife reminding me now and then (daily) that we needed to renegotiate, I never quite managed to find the time or inclination.

In truth, I prefer to pretend that everyone I deal with is a decent sort with a heart of corn into the bargain (I realise that some people may consider this attitude to be both naïve and gullible).

Then, back in June, she ran out of patience and phoned BT. The outcome was a reduced payment of £47 per month and we got rid of the landline since it was only fielding calls from people who couldn’t pronounce my name but wanted to know how I was feeling.

However, the higher payments continued to be withdrawn and after a few months we were nearly £300 in credit. So, this time I set half the morning aside and spent a productive, if frustrating, hour on the phone and got the problem straightened out. They agreed to pay the £300 back to us directly, then resume £47 payments forthwith on a monthly basis.

Untenable

The point here is that folk like me (and presumably thousands of others) can easily be taken for a ride, and only object when things reach an untenable stage.

We will now get our money back and hopefully will pay the agreed amount per month, but does the financial ‘mistake’ ever occur the other way round? A less-trusting (or more cynical) person than me might argue that these errors by large companies are absolutely deliberate.

Veterinary

Closer to home, my trust in human nature received a shock about a year ago when I discovered, almost by accident, that I was paying far more for my veterinary drugs than I needed to.

Again, I had assumed that, because of the unique relationship between vets and farming clients, coupled to the friendly style of those interactions, no price negotiation would be necessary.

As someone who never questioned the price of anything, and paid each invoice within a few days, I was horrified to find out that the reward for a bit of good old-fashioned decency and integrity was to get screwed on price.

Boy, that was one eye opener for me. But that’s not all.

Fleeced

If the previous encounters weren’t bad enough, I got absolutely fleeced back at lambing time.

This one is a real gem, and I was stitched up like a kipper by a proper professional ‘salesman’ (I’m almost too embarrassed to confess to this one).

A large van drove into the yard, blew the horn, and an affable bloke bounced out. A natural salesman, he didn’t take time to draw breath, persuaded me to step up into the van, and I fell under the magical spell of his sales patter.

In truth, I was having a successful day at that point and was in far too good a mood – vulnerable you might say.

He used a well-worn technique, and I fell for it like a tonne of bricks. Pointing at a set of drill bits, he said they were the biggest pile of rubbish imaginable, and no way would he sell me such useless pieces. However, tucked away were these unbelievably high-quality cobalt drill bits and he only had one set left. Normally selling for £300, he was prepared to break his heart and sell them for £170.

Mr Green and Gullible nearly broke his arm to complete the deal and both men parted company swearing everlasting friendship and goodwill to all concerned. It was only as I was contentedly munching on my lunchtime sandwiches that I checked the price of drill bits on the internet and nearly choked when I found out they could be bought for about £80.

Intact

Despite those three differing experiences, my faith in human nature remains intact. I’d rather go through life thinking the best of people than adopting a more cynical attitude to my financial dealings.

I recently bought a Belclare ram from a local breeder, then 20 Mule hoggets from another, and in both instances bought the stock before asking the price. Both men were straight and fair and charged a sensible price that leaves a much more pleasant taste in the mouth.