There’s a lot more to life and it’s more complex- but some of the best advice I ever received was: “people treat you the way you tell them to.” Sadly, when dealing with issues on a large scale like this- “you” are lumped in with a group, so each person in the group is treated the way the group tends to go. Companies operate for profit reward, and when it comes to consumerism and money, most people and companies are content to exist in abusive and exploitive relationships. Loyalty means very little when it is for hire, and as is evidenced by the contracts often required or the higher rates for those refusing contracts- companies are well aware most customers would leave in a heart beat for a sweeter deal.
Usually the deciding factor that locked an “average” consumer into a service agreement is price, often a price incentive. Because of deregulation and the costs of doing business- the large leaders in a segment know that you have limited choices, and those other companies are more or less exactly the same as them. Companies like Exxon or Att or Nestle, Fox, or Disney are often widely disliked and known to do down right horrible things. But they are still profit powerhouses that even those who hate them will directly or indirectly do business with rather than do without their products.
The hate towards Disney for its iron fist or profit mongering, literally letting people die and covering it up, sweat shops, treatment of employees etc- won’t stop most people from watching a movie like End Game etc. No matter how outraged people get over Spider man or hacks or anything else- there is PlayStation to be played and their bottom line is unlikely to suffer for it so long as there are game exclusives or people prefer their console and services over Xbox.
So of course companies don’t tend to reward loyalty. Why would they reward people for doing something they already would do either way? When you can literally kill people and have your products fly off shelves- what incentive do you have to try and reward customers who are that loyal? They already buy your stuff. Giving them money costs you money. You want new- even if temporary customers who will boost profit. They might leave, bounce to a few competitors, end up back with you for exclusives or for your next deal when the competition is just as bad as you but now not as cheap. But the customer that stays even when you spot in their faces- you know you can do almost anything to them and they’ll stick around.
That’s how the game is played and that’s how most consumers play it. That’s the model that’s made these mega companies rich and continues to do so. We almost all cry outrage and vent that if that’s how they treat their customers they won’t be around for much longer... but that doesn’t seem to be the case. And if they do fold? The warehouse person and the receptionist and the lower level employees suffer- the share holders with major stakes will pull out or end up with huge tax breaks and the people who cooked up the business plan, the executives, will land at another big company in a cushy spot because they ran a major profitable household name company and have valuable experience. So the “bad guys” keep winning and that’s the lesson they learn. Everything will be fine and you’ll make more money.
So yeah- there just isn’t any profit motivation to reward loyal customers in many consumer businesses. You aren’t going to go out and buy more product from them just because they gave you a discount on your service. Well- not product that you would t buy anyway at full price. They make better money selling you less stuff for more money than more stuff for less money. They still get your money. If you want them to stop the crap- stop giving them money. But that means either using a smaller company that likely has higher prices, less options and service, less coverage, limited areas etc, and more compatibility and other issues, or living without. And most people would rather eat scraps thrown on the floor from a table with fine food than sit at a table with poorer fare.
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