Utilities warehouse any good??

gerad_way

I have just discovered the Utilities Warehouse web site. It claims to be cheaper for all your utilities etc etc etc.
Has anyone used it or does anyone have any info as to whether it is worth considering????

Quentin

If they are claiming that, then their claims are false.

That is nothing new for them as they have adjudications against them for misleading advertising from the ASA.

Do a search on MSE to find lots of feedback on them.

1carminestocky

To be fair, Quentin, you aren't always right when it comes to UW. I am currently looking at the opportunity again with a view to joining and was googling them yesterday when I came across a previous thread on here from a year ago in which you were slagging off Investors Chronicle for tipping their shares at £2 as they had gone down to £1.81 shortly afterwards. The shares closed at £3.25 yesterday, if only every share investment could be so 'unsuccessful', lol. I personally think the company have a lot going for them, certainly from an investment point of view. Whether I decide to join as a distributor is another matter, of course.

Quentin

This is an open forum, where we are all warned to take caution when acting on any posts. I would never claim to be "always right"!

To put your comment in perspective, the comment you refer to was made in September last year - a uw rep brought up the Investors Chronicle recommendation as some sort of justification for uw's unethical behaviour regarding misleading advertising etc.

I correctly pointed out the shares had dropped in price by 10% since the June recommendation in the IC.

In any case, what relevance does the share price have to the question posed in this thread, and what is wrong with the post I have made in answer to that question?

Plushchris

In answer to the thread title...

NO

1carminestocky

Quentin wrote: »

This is an open forum, where we are all warned to take caution when acting on any posts. I would never claim to be "always right"!

To put your comment in perspective, the comment you refer to was made in September last year - a uw rep brought up the Investors Chronicle recommendation as some sort of justification for uw's unethical behaviour regarding misleading advertising etc.

I correctly pointed out the shares had dropped in price by 10% since the June recommendation in the IC.

In any case, what relevance does the share price have to the question posed in this thread, and what is wrong with the post I have made in answer to that question?

The ASA and energy companies are not exactly strangers in the night, Quentin. In other words, UW being caught out by the ASA is not a reason to single them out as the exclusive bad apple. You do seem to have a bee in your bonnet when it comes to this company. Surely there are other energy companies equally deserving of your wrath?


Npower:
http://inbalance.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/asas-ruling-on-npowers-wembley-ad-questions-all-green-electricity-packages/

British Gas:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/30/asa.advertising1?gusrc=rss&feed=media

E.on:
http://www.eon-uk.com/about/2851.aspx

Scottish Power:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=36649

etc etc

Plushchris

1carminestocky wrote: »

The ASA and energy companies are not exactly strangers in the night, Quentin. In other words, UW being caught out by the ASA is not a reason to single them out as the exclusive bad apple. You do seem to have a bee in your bonnet when it comes to this company. Surely there are other energy companies equally deserving of your wrath?


Npower:
http://inbalance.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/asas-ruling-on-npowers-wembley-ad-questions-all-green-electricity-packages/

British Gas:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/30/asa.advertising1?gusrc=rss&feed=media

E.on:
http://www.eon-uk.com/about/2851.aspx

Scottish Power:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=36649

etc etc

I dont think anyone here would say ANY of the energy companies are angels, its the Utility Warehouse way of selling I dont approve of.

They rely on their distributors selling to family and friends like they are doing them a favour when in reality, they arent.

weegie.geek

1carminestocky wrote: »

In other words, UW being caught out by the ASA is not a reason to single them out as the exclusive bad apple.

The OP didn't ask about any other companies, only UW.

It might've been more balanced for Quentin to say that they're just as bad as the others, but the question that was asked got answered.

He was also right in stating that if they say they're cheaper for everything they're lying. If that were true nobody'd use other companies. They might be cheaper for people with certain usage patterns, in certain areas, but IF they've come out and said that they are cheaper for everyone, full stop, they're lying.

People seem very polarised when it comes to UW. Love them or hate them, no middle ground.

They were near the top of the list, but not at the top of the list, when I was looking to see who my mum should change to earlier this week.

Quentin

1carminestocky wrote: »

Surely there are other energy companies equally deserving of your wrath?

There is no wrath.

The op in this thread thread posed a question specific regarding uw, which I have answered. Were the uw's claims mentioned in fact true, don't you think this money saving site would be shouting about them, so we could all benefit?

Suggesting that uw are fine apart from being caught out for misleading/false claims in their advertising is far from the truth.

If you want to read about problems people have encountered with uw, read through the main uw thread to begin with:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=387161

1carminestocky

'Cheapest' energy company is a misnomer, anyway. If UW said that they are clearly wrrong because NO energy company can say that without qualification. For instance, we are led to believe on here by some that Ebico is the place to go for gas in particular. Certainly it's great for my dad as he's a very low user so that's what I got him to change to. My gas usage makes Ebico more expensive then UW. Of course, there are also many online deals that are *probably* *at this moment in time* better than UW. There are, I would suspect, millions of people who wouldn't be at all interested in 'online deals'...even those people who are on the net!

The deals seem to change almost weekly and it takes money saving obsessives like us on here to keep up. This is a very busy site of like-minded individuals but I would bet my mortgage that the people on here are 'out of kilter' with the thinking of the vast majority of the UK public. Most of them really can't be arsed to do ANY research into saving money. Evidence? God knows how many years after phone de-regulation and BT STILL commands the vast majority of the market....even though they are clearly not the cheapest! I would imagine similarly British Gas. Face it, the people on here are 'unusual' in the sense that we go the extra mile to save money.

1carminestocky

Quentin wrote: »

There is no wrath.

The op in this thread thread posed a question specific regarding uw, which I have answered. Were the uw's claims mentioned in fact true, don't you think this money saving site would be shouting about them, so we could all benefit?

Suggesting that uw are fine apart from being caught out for misleading/false claims in their advertising is far from the truth.

If you want to read about problems people have encountered with uw, read through the main uw thread to begin with:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=387161

But there you go again, Quentin! You seem to be suggesting that UW having dissatisfied customers is in some way exclusive to them. You only have to look at the thread titles on this page to realise that EVERY energy company has disgruntled customers....and lots of them. Please recommend me an energy company that has always behaved totally ethically and has cheap prices. Ebico? Anyone else? TIA.