What makes you feel more like a member or a customer?

amy_b_d

Each and every one of us is a giffgaff member. Here in the giffgaff office, we have never used the term "customer". In fact, we have a bike horn in every meeting room in case the word is accidentally spoken.

If you've ever filled out the giffgaff daily survey, you'll find a question in there asking the following:

Thinking about your own relationship with giffgaff, to what extent do you consider yourself to be a customer or a member?

1 (Customer) 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Member)

Recently, when I asked the same question in a survey I sent to a group of members who visited the runbyyou site, 57% said they felt like a member. But the bigger question here is; Why do you feel like a member or a customer?

To help me solve this mystery, thinking about where you sit on the above scale, can you write a paragraph giving the reasons why you chose that number and why you feel like a member or a customer. And lastly, what does it mean to you being a member.

(P.S. I've copied this thread in General Discussion and in Welcome and Join to get a variety of different responses. Feel free to reply to any thread.)

ujo55

Hi @amy_b_d

To me the big question is why giffgaff insist on referring to us as members and not customers, and what difference giffgaff perceive in this distinction.

To me it is largely semantics.

Those who subscribe to the service are by definition customers and remain customers so long as they continue to subscribe.

To refer to people as members suggests we are members of a club and as such must be invited to join by the management and indeed can have their membership terminated by the club management.

So I guess you can say those who participate on these forums are in a membership situation, those who don't are customers.

But there should be no difference in the way either group are valued and treated., and for that reason it is not a question that concerns me greatly.

giffgaffprepper

simple answer

a member of the gg community / a customer to gg mobile network

and never the twain shall meet :O

natty_noo

I'm just a customer, i'm paying for a service which giffgaff provide.

A member is someone that feels included in all aspects of the 'club', and/or 'membership', but i don't, far from it. In fact, one particular incident nearly made me take my custom elsewhere, i'm still considering it actually.

So yes, definitely a customer.

blackfive460

A customer is someone who pays for goods or services so, for giffgaff to be a viable business it needs paying customers.and that's what we are, well, most of us anyway though I dare say that there are a good number with accounts who no longer, or never have had, an active SIM.

The honest view is that we are customers; having access to this forum doesn't change that and don't forget that having a forum for customer support is far from unique, indeed there were similar customer driven support forums long before giffgaff was even a twinkle in Gav Thompson's eye.

While I understand the thinking behind calling customers, members it has never appealed to me, I'd rather take the honest approach, I'm a customer of a business.

I suppose you could say that, over and above any services that I purchase, while I'm a supporter of giffgaff in some small way through my activity here, I'm not a member and most certainly giffgaff is not in any way, shape or form run by me.

So as far as I'm concerned, I'm a customer.

Mind you, if I'm nothing but a customer, why am I still posting here 7 years on?

Beats the heck out of me...

frenchielove

I am a customer @amy_b_d I pay for a service and giffgaff provide it, simple.

woodyuk

And the same again from me, I'm a customer who chooses to use giffgaff as a service provider just the same as my broadband or energy suppliers for instance.

giffgaff may try to dress us up a members but I think the majority of us understand exactly what we are.We're the people that buy the credit and goodybags etc every month that keep giffgaff afloat and we're also the ones responsible for all those nice staff salaries going in the bank every month so we're paying customers,nothing more,nothing less.

foolish

I'm a customer who can be a bit of a member, like this.

endorphin

I too am a customer of giffgaff as I pay for its mobile services from which payments giffgaff derive a profit (mainly) for its owners. This cannot be any other way unless giffgaff becomes a co-op.

However I do see myself as a member of the community wherein for most part I can participate as a fully signed up equal. This participation is tempered by the above relationship.

davidevans0000

I consider myself as a member of the giffgaff forum but a customer regarding the goodybags etc.

shabbas

Hi @amy_b_d

I select number 7(member) not a customer.

The reason is that since i have joined giffgaff i feel i am running my own business where i am completely in control and my aim is to make the network succeed.

Managing my own account, joining in discussions, sharing new ideas to be implemented, encouraging other users, problem solving are all the tactics used to run a successful business by its team members;and i feel part of this team as its exactly what i do with giffgaff.

tradertall

I feel more like a member as I receive more payback than my goodybag cost.

Also because I try to help giffgaff by generating ideas on the forum and labs, etc.

rong42

Why does giffgaff feel that it has to be a binary choice? I would describe myself as both a customer and a member. I might use one word or the other, depending on context. So for example, on the forum I would probably use the word member, but if talking to someone in the pub about phones, I would say customer.

I am a customer in that I pay for a service. I am a member in that I engage with and am part of a community. That said, I don't believe that being a member of giffgaff gives much in the way of influence, ultimately whatever the members want, decisions about how giffgaff operates have to be made by staff as it is a business. The whole 'run by you' thing is a nice tagline, and I do believe that giffgaff listens to its members (at least that small proportion who take an interest and engage on the forum) but there is a limit.

I have a dual-sim phone, and I use giffgaff and 3. To be honest, I use 3 as my main mobile provider, and I remain on giffgaff mainly because of payback and a few of my family and friends are on giffgaff (enabling free calls and texts). I would never describe myself as a member of 3, but as a customer. But I wouldn't feel comfortable just using member to describe my relationship with giffgaff - even though, factoring in payback, overall giffgaff pays me, rather than the other way round

moominpappa

From giffgaff's point of view rather than us customers, isn't the term "member" just some corporate BS term designed to sound fluffy and caring? 😉

As much as I think that it's nice to be a member of this community, I still feel that this is more of a community term than anything else, so there's no getting away from the fact that paying for and using a service means that we are customers.

k89bpa

Only ever a customer, (potential/current/returning).

The reason is simple, well the main one anyway, this is a forum where the majority of people are very obviously here and participating because they are bribed to do so. The result is the appearance of community without the most important parts of community.

That by itself stopped me wanting to accept the label of "member", which implies belonging, in favour of "user", (of the service/forum), or simply "customer".

It's not helped by the marketing and branding, which I personally find equally as off-putting and another mark in the "cons" column when I assess whether I wanna "belong".

Once upon a time I used to boast about using giffgaff services and I didn't mind being associated with the brand back then, the image was much less embarrassing in as much as people thought it was a network run by geeks for geeks.

That's not what people think anymore, and although I'm gonna keep hoping on and off the network for the foreseeable future as long as the packages and network service stay at the same kinda level, I'll keep quiet about who I'm using, (I've actually told people that my giffgaff number is my O2 number to avoid the association - technically it's not a lie as you are basically O2/Telefonica role-playing).

If I ever did feel like a "member" at any point then it will have been down to clientele at the time and it will have happened organically and most likely without any interference from those on the payroll.

I realize the above is extremely harsh, but I'm presuming that you wanted truthful answers not fluff so have answered accordingly.

desire1200

Being on gif gaff altogether means we are both and have control of both...everybody participating feels like a member of the giffgaff community

giffgaff20147

@amy_b_d

Well certainly a member but I would add after illness of my hubby and contacting giffgaff I became a person ,

one who was shown compason and offered help from many educators ,

think how you want but you are not just a number or a customer that’s for sure

Mary

persco

I would say I am on 5 and leaning more towards member considering my activity with giffgaff in the community and social media is higher than the calls, texts and data I use on giffgaff (at least in time spent on here and on my phone using giffgaff services)

Like others have said, I also classify myself as customer when it comes to my phone services. I pay for a package and get a particular range of services so that makes me a customer. But my participation in the community and social media makes me a member in my opinion. So question is a bit ambiguous.

untz

@amy_b_d I would say I feel about 2 or 3 on the scale. Primarily I would say I feel like a customer as I am paying for a service. I do recognise that giffgaff is different because of pay back. I only get a modest amount mainly because I don't participate very much in the community. I do enjoy being part of the community though.

rky11

bit of both I suppose