Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

Cardew

Meeper wrote: »

I'm confused. You asked me repeatedly to state what package I was on with UW in the presumed hope of being able to catch me out with something. So, I stated it previously, and not a comment in sight. What was the purpose of your asking?

Please don't be confused!

I asked the price of the package with any extras.

The purpose being to make a comparison with BT's package.

HappyMJ posted this:

UW charges £1.50 a month for online billing and £2.50 a month for paper billing and accidental death cover. So even if I took the 40GB internet package with UW it's £20+£2.50 for paper billing and membership+£2 for an internet phone line+£2 for a wireless router rental+£1.50 for caller number display+£1.50 for call minder+£1.50 for choose to refuse....Total cost £31 per month.

Is that accurate, or do you disagree on those charges?

Meeper

I do not disagree with those charges. That havign been said, I have, in my UW time, only come across one person who wanted any of the additional services listed by HappyMJ for £1.50 each, or the internet phone line for £2 per month. I would rather go with (for the 40GB version): £20 + £1.50 online membership + £0.00 for a fixed router, total cost £21.50 per month.

MillicentBystander

Cardew wrote: »

Please don't be confused!

I asked the price of the package with any extras.

The purpose being to make a comparison with BT's package.

HappyMJ posted this:



Is that accurate, or do you disagree on those charges?

Talking of confusion, I'm assuming you have seen the BT website? :eek: So, a new customer wanting to sign up to your exact BT package - how much? I think I get it to £42/mth (soon to rise again next month?) but their broadband package pages are so confusing. But, of course, that is for an 18 month minimum contract and no inclusive international calls (another £5/mth plus?)? the price of the caling features wef 3/12/11 look quite scary

Calling features

The subscription for our Calling Features will go up to £3.15 a month. The subscription for packs of 2-4 Calling Features will change to £6.30 a month and the subscription for packs of 5 or more Calling Features to £8.40 a month. Choose to Refuse will go to £3.55 a month and Anonymous Call Reject will go to £4.30 a month. Please see the table below for changes to pay per use features.

PS Broadband Option 2 (your BB option?) is going to be £22.50/mth wef 3/12/11. That's just for broadband, right? Phone line rental and calling features have to be added to that, yes? Funnily enough, that's how much UW phone line/BB costs INCLUDING paper billing and club fee. Oh, and £10,000 accidental death cover.

Cardew

Meeper wrote: »

I do not disagree with those charges. That havign been said, I have, in my UW time, only come across one person who wanted any of the additional services listed by HappyMJ for £1.50 each, or the internet phone line for £2 per month. I would rather go with (for the 40GB version): £20 + £1.50 online membership + £0.00 for a fixed router, total cost £21.50 per month.

Thank you.

So we have the same 40GB internet connection.

On the UW phone as I understand it you have to take several other UW services to get free anytime phone calls or pay £7.75 a month.

I have the anytime calls, which is all numbers including 0870 and 0845 numbers 24/7. UW don't include 0845 numbers. That costs £4.70 a month(but increases to £4.90 next month)

I pay the line rental of £120 a year in advance - £10 a month.

Additionally I have in my package:

Caller ID.

Voice mail.

I can have two further features from outbound call barring, call forwarding and anonymous call rejection.

200 free texts

Full McAfee security suite(firewall/anti virus etc) This for my Desktop PC and the 3 laptops in the house. (I can't see what type of security package is with UW and for how many computers)

The latest wireless router

free second landline number - this gives VOIP calls

Unlimited Wi Fi access for myself and family at 3 million ‘hot spots’ in UK and 400,000 abroad.

Free Technical support (UW have an 0844 telephone number)

Digital Vault – 5GB

For that total package I pay £27.70 per month(£10 line rental + £4.70 All calls 24/7 + £13 Broadband) That is for a 12 month contract wef today and the only increase will be 20p a month next month.

That is much in line with HappyMJ who posted above that he pays £23.30 for the same package, except he has evening and weekend calls and I have 24/7 calls.

Readers can make up their mind as to which is the better value package.

1. UW without many extras at £21.50,(£29.25 for 'more calls anytime' or take other UW services)

2. The £23.30 or £27.70 BT package detailed above.

I rest my case!

MillicentBystander

Cardew wrote: »

Thank you.

So we have the same 40GB internet connection.

On the UW phone as I understand it you have to take several other UW services to get free anytime phone calls or pay £7.75 a month.

I have the anytime calls, which is all numbers including 0870 and 0845 numbers 24/7. UW don't include 0845 numbers. That costs £4.70 a month(but increases to £4.90 next month)

I pay the line rental of £120 a year in advance - £10 a month.

Additionally I have in my package:

Caller ID.

Voice mail.

I can have two further features from outbound call barring, call forwarding and anonymous call rejection.

200 free texts

Full McAfee security suite(firewall/anti virus etc) This for my Desktop PC and the 3 laptops in the house. (I can't see what type of security package is with UW and for how many computers)

The latest wireless router

free second landline number - this gives VOIP calls

Unlimited Wi Fi access for myself and family at 3 million ‘hot spots’ in UK and 400,000 abroad.

Free Technical support (UW have an 0844 telephone number)

Digital Vault – 5GB

For that total package I pay £27.70 per month(£10 line rental + £4.70 All calls 24/7 + £13 Broadband)

That is much in line with HappyMJ who posted above that he pays £23.30 for the same package, except he has evening and weekend calls and I have 24/7 calls.

Readers can make up their mind as to which is the better value package.

1. UW without many extras at £21.50,(£29.25 for 'more calls anytime' or take other UW services)

2. The £23.30 or £27.70 BT package detailed above.

I rest my case!

Great. You got a link to this? Just so anyone wishing to join BT can go for it. TIA! The £13/mth BB on the BT website only gives 10gb download allowance per month, you see. Didn't you say you were on Broadband Option 2? Yes, you did.

Cardew

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Talking of confusion, I'm assuming you have seen the BT website?

Indeed I have also read it!

You seem to have missed this in the packages:

Inclusive calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers
Option to add 3 free call features after you've ordered, including BT 1571 voicemail, plus up to 5 others

MillicentBystander

Cardew wrote: »

Indeed I have also read it!

You seem to have missed this in the packages:

Huh? And how about a response to my most recent question? Post 2256, you can't really miss it, it was the last post before that puzzling response from you. TIA!

Cardew

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Great. You got a link to this? Just so anyone wishing to join BT can go for it. TIA! The £13/mth BB on the BT website only gives 10gb download allowance per month, you see. Didn't you say you were on Broadband Option 2? Yes, you did.

Do you not read, or rather read and understand?

Both HappyMJ and I are on Broadband Option 2.(40GB) Which we get for £13 a month.

It was carefully explained to you, by both of us, that when you reach the end of a contract you can ring retentions an negotiate a reduction.

= Cardew. Existing customers who are approaching the end of their contract, can ring the retentions section of BT and negotiate a discount. I don’t know one of my discerning friends(who naturally use BT;)) who doesn’t do this as a matter of course.

If they didn’t offer a good discount you could leave BT and return as a new customer and claim the discounts shown in the link.

= HappyMJ
The loyalty discount drops off after 12 months at which point you ring again and get another 12 months discount if you wish otherwise it's a month to month contract. The discount is mentioned on the forums here quite regularly.

MillicentBystander

Cardew wrote: »

Do you not read, or rather read and understand?

Both HappyMJ and I are on Broadband Option 2.(40GB) Which we get for £13 a month.

It was carefully explained to you, by both of us, that when you reach the end of a contract you can ring retentions an negotiate a reduction.

Aaah, I see. So, let me just get this right in my noggin. For BT customers to compete with the UW price they have to first sign up for 18 months at full price (your particular deal would be £36.90/mth and £41.60/mth with intl. option. as per the very nice lady I've just chatted with on the BT site. And going up next month). So, you bide your time paying £41.60/mth for 18 months, you then get wind of a 'special' number you've seen online (on this site, specifically, it's not advertised) to ring when you come to the end of the initial 18 month min contract. You duly ring this 'special' number (is it listed on the BT site??) and threaten to cancel. The call centre worker (UK based?) consults his script and says 'Please don't leave, we have a great offer. All you need to do is pay us £120 NOW and agree to be tied into a further 12 month contract and we will give you a good deal'.

Am I getting this so far?

Seriously, aren't you even slightly embarrassed here?

PS and all this and you STILL pay £10/mth more than me and I get 500 mobile mins and U/L texts, £10,000 free accidental death cover, paper bills and free calls to a guaranteed UK-based call centre. We'll let you off with the Intl option as my calls are evenings/weekends and not 24/7. Madness. But funny all the same.

PPS Correction: almost £12/mth more.

Cardew

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Aaah, I see. So, let me just get this right in my noggin. For BT customers to compete with the UW price they have to first sign up for 18 months at full price (your particular deal would be £36.90/mth and £41.60/mth with intl. option. as per the very nice lady I've just chatted with on the BT site. And going up next month). So, you bide your time paying £41.60/mth for 18 months, you then get wind of a 'special' number you've seen online (on this site, specifically, it's not advertised) to ring when you come to the end of the initial 18 month min contract. You duly ring this 'special' number (is it listed on the BT site??) and threaten to cancel. The call centre worker (UK based?) consults his script and says 'Please don't leave, we have a great offer. All you need to do is pay us £120 NOW and agree to be tied into a further 12 month contract and we will give you a good deal'.

Am I getting this so far?

Seriously, aren't you even slightly embarrassed here?

PS and all this and you STILL pay £10/mth more than me and I get 500 mobile mins and U/L texts, £10,000 free accidental death cover, paper bills and free calls to a guaranteed UK-based call centre. We'll let you off with the Intl option as my calls are evenings/weekends and not 24/7. Madness. But funny all the same.

PPS Correction: almost £12/mth more.

No you are not 'getting this so far' not by a long way.

I am going to try once more and then give up, as you are obviously below par.

The £10 monthly line rental(£120 pa) which includes evening and weekend calls is available to all BT phone customers. You don’t even have to have BT Broadband. – Look up Phones on the BT website.

So if you are a new customer and have the Option 2 Broadband package you can still get the £10 a month rental. You pay the £18 a month for Broadband and £4.70 monthly if you want anytime 24/7 calls. So that is £32.70 less whatever cash inducements they offer for first time customers. This is £31.50 off Broadband and £14.10 off anytime calls; a total of £45.60. This over 18 months reduces the overall cost to £30.17 not the £36.90 you claim.

So just to go over your errors in the last couple of posts and re-cap for you:

1. In a package you can choose three calling features for which there is no charge.

2. Both HappyMJ and myself are on Option 2 which is the 40GB option. At the end of each contract we negotiate a discount – this has been mentioned several times on MSE and other places on the Web.

3. Anyone can get the £10 a month rental by paying in advance – they don’t have to wait 18 months as you state.

4. A newcomer pays £30.17p not £36.90 as you calculate. If he hasn’t discovered on MSE how to ring retentions at the end of the contract, then he should just start again and pay £30.17p.

If you take Meeper's very basic package it would cost £29.25(£21.50 + £7.75) for the unlimited phone package - unless you take other services from UW; and it would be madness to pay hundreds of pounds extra for gas and electricity just to save the £7.75

Just one further point - the UW website terms and conditions states all their prices are subject to VAT - so can someone please clarify if their Phone/Broadband charges are excluding VAT i.e. should we add 20% to those UW prices - the BT prices include VAT.

I thought you might be a little more gracious in ‘defeat’.