Utility Warehouse - any good?

1carminestocky

Cardew wrote: »

Most unusual to gave gas and only use 25% of the UK average AND Economy 7.

Well on Gas you pay 18.7% more than you would with Ebico.

On Economy 7 I have already said UW are quite competitive so on your Electricity you 'only' pay about 36% more than BG Web Saver.

I have used the figures from Energyhelpline. When I did the comparison manually I made UW even less competitive. i.e. I made the UW costs higher.

1) I have already shown above that the BT phone/internet package is far better than UW for roughly the same price.
2) The 24meg is acedemic as you can only get what your line allows, and most people can't approach 8meg. (UK average is about 3meg)
True my package is only 15Gb if I wanted Unlimited it would cost another £5 but 15Gb is ample for most people I suspect and it you exceedeed that on the odd month the charges are not high - I have never been charged.

3) Other people can comment better than I on mobile/phone/internet but from the posts on the telecoms section on MSE they don't rate UW either.

1) :rotfl: Have you????? I must have missed it.

2) Up to 24mb suggests the potential to be 3 times the speed of up to 8mb. Of course, very few people will achieve the maximum but if the maximum is 24mb then it can be assumed the maximum potentially with UW is 3 times that of BTs offering. Amazing the research you do on UW minutiae but gloss over your beloved BT's minutiae :rolleyes: Here's what BT say about their charges for additional gbs:

If you exceed your allowance for two consecutive months on BT Total Broadband Options 1 or 2, you will be charged 58p per GB (Gigabyte), starting from the second month (rounded to the nearest GB) . :eek:

25 x £0.58 = £14.50 extra per month. Almost 3160 per year, taking into account you won't be charged in the first month.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=25794

If 15GB is ample 'for most people' I'm assuming 'most people' haven't got kids who like to stream video etc. 15GB, for instance, even if you did no other surfing during the month, equates to just 37.5 hrs/month of viewing iplayer, for instance. Like I said before, for all but the very occasional singleton surfer, it's a puny allowance.

3) What's this? Humility? :eek:

I've no idea why you are continuing with the BT vs UW broadband/phone argument because you are clearly showing yourself up here. That's what having a huge ego gets you, I suppose.

Bigun28

I did a lot of research about UW recently after one of their sales reps approached me quoting some 'fantastic' savings and the fact that Which 'highly recommended' them.

For me, when I just looked at the individual services (ie. just the gas, or just the telephone etc) the savings do sound grand and that was a factor that the agent was heavily quoting. But you need to look at the whole package. You have the membership fee to consider. The agent also takes a commission cut from the deal. And in order to achieve their quoted savings, you need to shop in certain shops only etc.

In everyway, I managed to undercut the UW deals on offer and they seem to want to target people who perhaps have a standard deal with British Gas and the standard phone package with BT etc - then the savings will be big.

Currently I use a variety of sources for my utilities which prove to be the cheapest for my area and needs. I use 5 different phone companies for calls, one company for gas and electric on line, a broadband/TV package deal and I shop where I want to shop in a variety of different supermarkets.

It all comes down to your personal needs and what is available in your area.

1carminestocky

Randal wrote: »

I did a lot of research about UW recently after one of their sales reps approached me quoting some 'fantastic' savings and the fact that Which 'highly recommended' them.

For me, when I just looked at the individual services (ie. just the gas, or just the telephone etc) the savings do sound grand and that was a factor that the agent was heavily quoting. But you need to look at the whole package. You have the membership fee to consider. The agent also takes a commission cut from the deal. And in order to achieve their quoted savings, you need to shop in certain shops only etc.

In everyway, I managed to undercut the UW deals on offer and they seem to want to target people who perhaps have a standard deal with British Gas and the standard phone package with BT etc - then the savings will be big.

Currently I use a variety of sources for my utilities which prove to be the cheapest for my area and needs. I use 5 different phone companies for calls, one company for gas and electric on line, a broadband/TV package deal and I shop where I want to shop in a variety of different supermarkets.

It all comes down to your personal needs and what is available in your area.

5 different phone companies?? :eek: :eek: I accept totally what you are saying here, UW is definitely not for you. But, seriously, what percntage of the population would do what you do to save money? And would you be prepared to do this for your friends for free? When you consider there is very probably the biggest majority of the population STILL paying their energy comapny's standard tariff and have been doing for years, you have to assume the people like yourself aren't good at sharing their money saving knowledge around...

Cardew

Cardew wrote: »

Most unusual to gave gas and only use 25% of the UK average AND Economy 7.

Well on Gas you pay 18.7% more than you would with Ebico.

On Economy 7 I have already said UW are quite competitive so on your Electricity you 'only' pay about 36% more than BG Web Saver.

I have used the figures from Energyhelpline. When I did the comparison manually I made UW even less competitive. i.e. I made the UW costs higher.

I have already shown above that the BT phone/internet package is far better than UW for roughly the same price.
The 24meg is acedemic as you can only get what your line allows, and most people can't approach 8meg. (UK average is about 3meg)
True my package is only 15Gb if I wanted Unlimited it would cost another £5 but 15Gb is ample for most people I suspect and it you exceedeed that on the odd month the charges are not high - I have never been charged.

Other people can comment better than I on mobile/phone/internet but from the posts on the telecoms section on MSE they don't rate UW either.

I thought a little more clarification of my BT phone/internet package might be in order as I made a mistake.
I said that I would need to pay an extra £5 a month for unlimited downloading instead of the 15meg in my package. Actually it is £3.92 a month. I have clarified that I can get the increased package for that £3.92.

So for any UW reps perhaps they can comment on which of these facilities are available on their package and the cost.

line rental,

all geographic calls free 24/7,

all 0870 & 0845 numbers free 24/7

200 free texts a month,

call minder - listen from your home phone, remotely/on-line

caller display

call barring

Wireless Broadband hub with unlimited downloading monthly, Up to 8meg (my line is only capable of 3.3meg)

free comprehensive security package, - firewall etc

A second(internet) phone line with a separate telephone number(calls to many countries abroad 1.25p/min and all evening/weekend domestic calls free),

Unlimited free internet access on BT Openzone for a laptop/phone(for all my family) at thousands of Hot spots in UK and abroad(VON)

5 Gb free online storage with BT Digital Vault.

Broadband vision(pay as you go)

6? Email addresses

Personal website

Share online photo albums, enjoy unlimited photo storage,

Freephone help line.

This package will cost me £35 a month(including VAT). In fact with discounts for signing an 18 month contract I got 3 months reduced rental for both phone and broadband £20 on each which effectively reduces the price below £32 a month.

It is pertinent that to get this package I do not have to pay the £hundreds a year for gas and electricity that UW charge. Or pay their club membership fee.

The phone/wireless internet package on UW is £24.99. I understand that if you get gas and electricity(and pay £hundreds extra) you get unlimited 24/7 phone calls included.

I find it very difficult to decipher UW charges so can any UW rep(or Quentin;) ) please comment and say if the items in red are available with UW and the additional cost.

1carminestocky

So it's £35 a month now, you say? Not as previously claimed, 'about £32'? I think we need a link to this super duper package (I certainly can't find it for the price you say it is on BTs site). Obviously I've asked you for this before but I keep forgetting you are currently pretending to ignore my posts. Not suggesting you are telling porkies, of course, just need a link.

PS This should have been your first bullet point:

18 months contract.

End of argument.

jhp

Cardew.

How can the calls to 01/02/03, 0845/0870 be free you pay for them in your bundle?

1carminestocky

One of the (many) reasons why long, legally binding broadband contracts should be avoided at all costs:

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/postlist.php?Board=bt

So, you sign on the dotted line and experience rubbish speeds/traffic management/throttling (even though BT apparently claim it doesn't happen). What happens next? Say you've put up with it for 6 months (on Cardew's super duper package) and can't stand it any longer. You ring BT and ask to leave.

'Fine, sir. That will be £420 you owe us.'

PS For Cardew to get unlimited brodband/free 24/7 calls package would cost £39.58/mth. Plus, of course, if he actually wanted a paper bill (like UW send) that would be another £1.23. Total cost £40.81/month!!

Cardew

jhp wrote: »

Cardew.

How can the calls to 01/02/03, 0845/0870 be free you pay for them in your bundle?

Yes agreed you pay for them in your bundle;(nothing is 'free' perhaps 'included' would be a better choice of word!) but I gave a price of £35 for the bundle(not including the 3 months discounts)

However the point I was making is that we are comparing the BT bundle with the UW bundle and the 0870/0845 numbers are included with BT but you pay for them with UW.

KimYeovil

A 4 sided paper bill costs about 1.8p if you have a laser printer or 11p if you have an inkjet with branded cartridges.

And, Jhp, how can anything costs anything when they all are talking about bundled packages?

I see post 71 still hasn't been replied to (and we have been informed there is now no laptop. So that's nearly fifteen quid extra each and every month Carmine wants to pay for one bill and no contract. And most ISPs only charge 40-£50 to end a contract early.)

I retract by 'bog standard' suggestion, I made a mistake. £44 per month for broadband, line and calls is, in fact, expensive.

Cardew

KimYeovil wrote: »

I retract by 'bog standard' suggestion, I made a mistake. £44 per month for broadband, line and calls is, in fact, expensive.

Plus of course we have had no response from a UW rep about all the items in red in Post 125 - 200 texts, unlimited wi-fi minutes in hot spots, etc etc.