Utility Warehouse - any good?

jimexbox

If an individual wishes to join UW, fine. Go right ahead with your eyes open and knowing exactly what you have to do to approach the cheapest DD online tariffs from one of the traditional utility companies. Because you have to use the pre-payment card to get anywhere near the best tariffs on offer.

Again if you can surpass the cheapest deals, fantastic, I salute your perseverance. Myself I managed to cut my gas usage by 35% and electricity usage by 12% simply by changing long standing wasteful habits, and buying a jumper. Far easier than shaping my spending habits to realise a discount on my bill.

1carminestocky

jimexbox wrote: »

If an individual wishes to join UW, fine. Go right ahead with your eyes open and knowing exactly what you have to do to approach the cheapest DD online tariffs from one of the traditional utility companies. Because you have to use the pre-payment card to get anywhere near the best tariffs on offer.

Again if you can surpass the cheapest deals, fantastic, I salute your perseverance. Myself I managed to cut my gas usage by 35% and electricity usage by 12% simply by changing long standing wasteful habits, and buying a jumper. Far easier than shaping my spending habits to realise a discount on my bill.

Good points, but surely changing your spending habits is akin to changing one's heating/cooking habits? Both, I would imagine, require some changes to your lifestyle. In fact, it *could* be argued that if you can realise a similar saving by simply changing which shop you bought your groceries/petrol at and leave your house as warm as it was before, this would surely be the more 'comfortable' route . Or, better still, do both and see a huge decrease in your bill

Of course, there must be millions (and I actually do mean millions if you look at the household names included in the 5% scheme) who's only change would be buying their stuff on the UW card as opposed to their debit card. Still not saying they would necessarily go for it but it does make UW a more than viable alternative to the seemingly disliked (by the general public) Big 6...

jimexbox

You have to change your spending habits to suit the discount, not necessarily whats the cheapest. I buy my fruit n' veg from my local market who are substantially cheaper than local supermarkets. In the summer I buy from a local farm, who make the market look expensive. When I buy fuel, again I buy from the cheapest, which on my route to work is as much as 7p a litre (diesel).

My point is I can do all this and find a very competitive online DD tarrif which UW cannot match. Plus as Sky now do, when you offer multiple 'value added' packages which encompass not only gas and electric, but home phone/mobile and broadband, folk are far less likely to switch. Retention is the name of the game, and when so many of your home services are tied up with one providor, the 'cant be arsed' or 'retention factor' becomes a persuasive reason to stay put. Excellent news for the likes of UW and Sky, less so for the consumer.

1carminestocky

Genuinely great work, jimexbox! :beer: Plus, in your case, if you switched I believe you would get 'done over' on your final bill so probably best to stay put, anyway.

NigeWick

Energyman wrote: »

Does this still happen now?

Probably with people who never educate themselves on the most up to date and best ways to gather customers, whatever industry they are associated with. People do not like being "sold" and offering information to let them make their own decision is a lot less stressful.

Maz

Telecom + (Utility Warehouse Discount Club) voted 'Best Company of the Year' by the Financial Times!

Link here -http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0fa80214-0f70-11de-ba10-0000779fd2ac.html

Hope the links works, not very good at techie stuff.

Before anyone jumps on it, the article quotes 4,000 distributors. Maybe that means 4,000 active distributors as not all distributors actually do anything.

NigeWick

Energyman wrote: »

1carminestocky wrote: »

I think the majority of the problem comes from the hype surrounding the company and its structure.

Part of it is the number of "evangelists" who will not accept that their chosen company can have faults. Part of it is the raised expectations that some people encourage their downline with and part of it is the lack of understanding about the business model. Fifty years ago franchises were seen as the spawn of the devil. They are now accepted and the latest recipient of scorn is multi level marketing.

1carminestocky

Woooahh....I never said that, Nigel :eek:

NigeWick

Cardew wrote: »

Is it so difficult to admit that UW prices for gas and electricity are amongst the highest available?

Is it so difficult to admit that by using the pre payment card one can pay less for electricity and gas than with any other provider?

1carminestocky

Maz wrote: »

Telecom + (Utility Warehouse Discount Club) voted 'Best Company of the Year' by the Financial Times!

Link here -http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0fa80214-0f70-11de-ba10-0000779fd2ac.html

Hope the links works, not very good at techie stuff.

Before anyone jumps on it, the article quotes 4,000 distributors. Maybe that means 4,000 active distributors as not all distributors actually do anything.

I had a feeling my earlier link was far too subtle

Company of the Year: Telecom Plus
By Ross Tieman

Published: March 13 2009 02:00 | Last updated: March 13 2009 02:00

By any measure, a FTSE 250 business that is doubling revenues annually is remarkable; to be doing so in the utility sector, by definition mature, is all the more astonishing, writes Ross Tieman .

Cont....