Utility Warehouse???

fanackerpants

Hi, I'm new here - I wonder if any of you can help?

Has anyone heard of Utility Warehouse? I've moved into a flat and they seem to supply my electricity. My landlady said she set up the account when she lived here and then tood them I would be the account holder when she moved out and I moved in. I phoned them up and the guy on the phone said it's a club where you pay a membership and they guarantee to be the cheapest provider but I don't like the idea of paying money to save money so I want to switch to another provider, preferably one I've heard of. The problem is that comparison websites that want me to choose my current provider from a drop-down list don't seem to have heard of Utility Warehouse either and even a Google search dowsn't bring much up...

Can someone suggest how I can establish whether a rival provider would be cheaper and how to switch?

Thanks

Plushchris

All of the comparison sites list Utility Warehouse, can you let us know which ones you used that didnt feature them?

fanackerpants

I think it was Uswitch, I tried a few months ago when I first moved in - I'll give it another go

fanackerpants

No it doesn't list Utility Warehouse

newbie1980

fanackerpants wrote: »

No it doesn't list Utility Warehouse

possibly telecom plus

they are one of the cheapest paper billing but may not be the cheapest when inc the internet
dave

Cardew

Martin has decreed that UW will only be discussed in the one designated thread.

As a matter of interest they are on the USwitch site - listed as Telecom Plus.

You will have to look way down the list as they are very expensive for gas and electricity.

penrhyn

You need to click on show all results to get down to the UW rates.

thor

Are they really that expensive? How can they survive? I understand how the established companies can get away with high rates due to customer apathy for switching but a new company entering the market would surely need to come in with a bang to build up a customer base and this won't happen unless they are cheaper. Or perhaps they are not new and have just changed their name.

Cardew

thor wrote: »

Are they really that expensive? How can they survive? I understand how the established companies can get away with high rates due to customer apathy for switching but a new company entering the market would surely need to come in with a bang to build up a customer base and this won't happen unless they are cheaper. Or perhaps they are not new and have just changed their name.

They have approx 30,000 salesmen(for a base of 300,000 customers). These Independent Distributors pay £200 for the privilege of selling UW services. They are encouraged to sell to friends and family. They have a complex system of incentives for their salesmen involving recruiting other customers and salesmen – not unlike a pyramid scheme in structure – but not pyramid selling which is of course illegal.

Apart from Gas and Electricity they sell phone, broadband and mobile phone services.

Their gas and electricity prices are without doubt extremely expensive, often over 20% more than the major players.

Their phone and broadband package is competitive, but not the cheapest.

Their mobile phones are not competitive.

You pay a monthly fee to join the UW club.

The more services you take, you get inclusive calls – including to international destinations.

The jewel in their crown is a ‘cash-back’ card. With this card you pay cash up-front and can get a 5% rebate off your bills when shopping at a range of shops; Sainsburys and Argos being perhaps the most important.

Mike_by_the_Sea

thor wrote: »

Are they really that expensive? How can they survive? I understand how the established companies can get away with high rates due to customer apathy for switching but a new company entering the market would surely need to come in with a bang to build up a customer base and this won't happen unless they are cheaper. Or perhaps they are not new and have just changed their name.

Hi Thor / fanackerpants

Cardew has broadly summarised the Utility Warehouse offering in his post. Just to answer the name question, Utility Warehouse is a company under the umbrella of Telecom Plus PLC. Switching sites use one or other of the two names.

Mike

PS I am a UW ID

1carminestocky

Cardew has basically summarised it from a non-customer POV so I thought I would summarise it from a customer POV. I was previously a serial cashback switcher (i.e. I switched utility companies approx 4 times a year to get cashback), it was at one time fairly lucrative. In other words, I'm a committed money saver. Unfortunately with the introduction of exit fees across the board it's a much harder struggle these days so I looked to try and get the best possible deal elsewhere. After researching Utility Warehouse (UW) I decided that I could very much make it pay by utilising their cashback card and taking the 4 services (gas, electric, phone, broadband and 24/7 inclusive calls, a package which is competitive without the cashback card anyway). Their gas and electric prices don't compete with any of the 'special offer' internet only deals that appear to be popping up almost daily but they aren't an online energy supplier - they send you 12 paper bills per year!

Utilising the cashback card and buying the stuff i would normally buy on my debit card but instead paying for them on my UW cashback card, i am currently averaging a £40 discount on each monthly bill (this will rise as we get nearer Xmas and in fact my cashback this month will be £60+ reducing my monthly bill for all 4 services to approx £40!). If your spending habits are anything like ours there really isn't a cheaper provider. And that's not even taking into account the fantastic levels of customer service I have received since joining approx 3 months ago. A matter of literally seconds before you are speaking to a REAL human being whose first language is English and who can sort out your problem him/herself whether it's regarding gas, electric, phone, broadband etc.

Annually, including the discount from the cashback card and the referral discount (currently 6% for referring 3 friends who are experiencing similar savings to me) I will pay UW approx £900 (if I had joined yesterday the amount would have been £100 less, i.e. £800!) for:

Gas 15000kwhs
Electric 4800kws
Phone line rental
Unlimited download up to 24mb broadband
Inclusive calls 24/7 to 01,02, 03, 0845/0870 and 10 international destinations). There will be over 300 of these made this month.
Free calls to UWs customer service/broadband helpline etc. If I have to ring UW it won't cost me owt.
12 paper bills delivered by post (if the postie isn't on strike, of course!)
NO MINIMUM CONTRACTS ON ANY OF THESE SERVICES (subject to £50 fee if you leave the phone/bb within 12 months)

I've checked everywhere, for us it's a deal that can't be beaten. UW isn't for everyone but in the right circumstances is a no-brainer.