Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

Meeper

Quentin wrote: »

UW reps will not discuss any "important matters".

Not so.

eg You (and Keggs) repeatedly tell us we are guaranteed the cheapest deal if we sign up with UW.

You are guaranteed to save money by switching your telephone & broadband bundle, mobile and standard energy from your previous supplier, or you get double the difference back.

It is pointed out this is just not true (and indeed were it so, we would all want to join up). Keggs response is to tell us this forum is boring so he won't post ever again (which is like a mantra from him), and you just ignore the correction (that you have mislead with your claim).

Can you provide proof that the statement I have just made above is untrue? Can you give any evidence at all that UW does not live up to it's guarantee on this case?

UW gas and electricity prices are expensive. Their telephony and bb is not the cheapest.

We have covered this. You are guaranteed to save money by switching your telephone & broadband bundle, mobile and standard energy from your previous supplier, or you get double the difference back. There is no evidence to the contrary, despite your protestations. Provide something tangible.

In fact, UW's so called incentive (get 10% of your very expensive energy bill back after 12 months) is only for gullible newcomers who agree to stay at least 12 months, so although not bound by a contract they are penalised if they want to leave (maybe after realising how expensive this so called "cheapest" UK energy really is) by not getting their 10% back!

If something guaranteed that I would save money by switching my telephone & broadband bundle, mobile and standard energy from my previous supplier, or I get double the difference back, I would have no problem sticking around for 12 months, as I would be onto a winner either way. The extra 10% is a nice bonus. Unless of course you have proof that the guarantee is worthless? By proof I mean something other than "I say it's worthless, so it must be"?

MillicentBystander

HappyMJ wrote: »

You have asked for a better deal on a like for like basis where none exists. No other provider has a cash back card. No other provider has a "no minimum term" contract even though UW will only do the price promise after 12 months and there is a disconnection fee. You have also claimed it's "free connection" yet when I look at the site a potential charge of £69.99 could apply yet on BT it is free when a line and broadband is taken.

Surely that's the whole point - no-one offers what UW offers as regards phone/BB and the price you can potentially get it for. You seem to think that's a negative, I say it's a positive, surely? And it's available to all, right now. I've been asking for a link to both you and Cardew's BT deal at the price you pay for ages now so new customers could take them up on it but none seems to be forthcoming. Why is that? Doesn't a link exist?

Quentin

Meeper wrote: »

The guarantee in place is that if you are not saving money based on your previous supplier (subject to being on standard tariff) you will be reimbursed with double the difference.

This is not true.

1) You cannot get back "double the difference" unless you take out at least 4 services and keep them for at least a year.

2) You must come from a supplier that is cheaper than UW! Why would anyone want to switch from a cheaper supplier to a more expensive one.

3) To get an energy refund, you have to comply with their ts + cs for their 10% back after 12 months. These seem designed to stop you getting the money eg. you have to supply meter readings within a very tight time frame (10 days) on 3 occasions. Hard luck if you away on holiday/hospital etc.

4) You have to join the UW club and pay their monthly charges on top of everything else, though these aren't included when calculating the "price promise"

Quentin

Meeper wrote: »

You are guaranteed to save money by switching your telephone & broadband bundle, mobile and standard energy from your previous supplier, or you get double the difference back.

You cannot save money if one of the conditions is you have to come from a cheaper supplier in the first place!

And you cannot claim unless your previous tariff was a "standard" one!

MillicentBystander

Quentin wrote: »

You cannot save money if one of the conditions is you have to come from a cheaper supplier in the first place!

And you cannot claim unless your previous tariff was a "standard" one!

75% of UK households are on standard rate. Which means that the guarantee is applicable to 75% of the market. A LOT of households - almost 19 million, says my calculator.

Meeper

Quentin wrote: »

This is not true.

Yes, it is true.

1) You cannot get back "double the difference" unless you take out at least 4 services and keep them for at least a year.

This is a term of this offer, yes. T&C's apply to every offer from every company.

2) You must come from a supplier that is cheaper than UW! Why would anyone want to switch from a cheaper supplier to a more expensive one.

It isn't more expensive when there is a guarantee to be cheaper or you get back double the difference. If something costs 80p in one place and £1 in another, but the second place has a "Double the Difference" guarantee, I'd buy it for £1 then get 40p back via the guarantee.

3) To get an energy refund, you have to comply with their ts + cs for their 10% back after 12 months.

Oh no!

These seem designed to stop you getting the money eg. you have to supply meter readings within a very tight time frame (10 days) on 3 occasions. Hard luck if you away on holiday/hospital etc.

No, they are designed for accuracy to ensure that the correct amounts are being paid, thus the correct amounts are refunded. It's those pesky T&C's again! If you think it's onerous to have to provide 3 meter readings a year to get 10% of your cost refunded, that's your problem.

4) You have to join the UW club and pay their monthly charges on top of everything else, though these aren't included when calculating the "price promise"

Quite correct, but you aren't discussing any of the other member benefits either, so you're only giving part of the story, which happens to be the negative part. Why not say what people get for that membership fee?

Cardew

Meeper wrote: »

Yet this is what Cardew was doing a few pages back - talking about BT's services and such when it had elements that UW did not offer so it was not a fair comparison.

You made a great play earlier about seeking 'value'.

So please explain how UW's phone/broadband package represents better value than BT's package.

You steadfastly refuse to admit, or discuss, the indisputable fact that UW's gas and electricity is hugely expensive.

You make claims in posts about Standard Tariffs and when shown that you are, without question, incorrect, you just ignore the truth and revert to type.

Some UW salesmen know the facts about UW prices and others patently do not.

Into which category do you fall? Everything seems to indicate the latter?

Cardew

Meeper wrote: »

It isn't more expensive when there is a guarantee to be cheaper or you get back double the difference. If something costs 80p in one place and £1 in another, but the second place has a "Double the Difference" guarantee, I'd buy it for £1 then get 40p back via the guarantee.

Continuing on from the question I posed at the end of my last post, have you ANY idea of just what the 'double the difference' guarantee involves? i.e. the small print that makes it useless.

https://www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/files/terms_and_conditions/Double_the_Difference_Price_Promise_ts_and_cs.pdf

Almost every time you operate the keyboard you confirm you are in the latter category of UW salesmen.(forgive the gender)

MillicentBystander

Cardew wrote: »

You made a great play earlier about seeking 'value'.

So please explain how UW's phone/broadband package represents better value than BT's package.

You steadfastly refuse to admit, or discuss, the indisputable fact that UW's gas and electricity is hugely expensive.

You make claims in posts about Standard Tariffs and when shown that you are, without question, incorrect, you just ignore the truth and revert to type.

Some UW salesmen know the facts about UW prices and others patently do not.

Into which category do you fall? Everything seems to indicate the latter?

B*gger, pressed thanks instead of quote. have that one on me (you need them more ). You talk like this but STILL refuse to respond to my post 2284. How bizarre. How Cardew. Value for money? It's taken me about 6 months of prodding for you to finally even acknowledge the existence of UWs market leading SIM only deals, for instance...

The bottom line is this: any household that regularly spends £500/mth at Sainsburys* on groceries/petrol or £500/mth on groceries at Asda* (this is ignoring the potential expenditure on all the other retailers in the UW cashback card scheme, some of which pay 7% cash back) could get this deal**:

Line Rental
Free Connection
No mimimum term contract
Up to 24mb broadband
40GB monthly download allowance
Guaranteed UK-based call centre
24/7 inclusive landline/0870 calls and to 10 top International destinations (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Spain, USA)


...for approx £16.60/mth INCLUDING VAT . That's an everyday price available to all who do as I alluded to in my opening paragraph and take the cash back card. It's not just available to those who have been customers for at least 18 months and know about the 'secret' number for retentions, having to threaten to leave, pay £120 up front and commit to another 12 months (and put up with the frankly awful foreign call centres) etc etc. Now, as one correspondent in this thread keeps banging on about, this is a money saving site soooooo......isn't this the deal to end all deals?? Anyone who can beat it, let's have the details, please. On a like for like basis.


* There must actually be millions of households who do this!

HappyMJ

Meeper wrote: »

Yet this is what Cardew was doing a few pages back - talking about BT's services and such when it had elements that UW did not offer so it was not a fair comparison. If you want to compare everyone's individual features, it's perfectly acceptable to include the CB Card, surely?
Of course you can. UW does offer almost everything that BT offers. UW has caller number display. UW has MySecurePC package offering firewall anti virus and parental protection. UW has a voicemail service. UW has a wireless router. UW has an internet phone line with an additional number. UW doesn't have free BT openzone access but we'll let that go as a freebie as it's mostly free anyway.

Indeed. Another massive UW benefit.
Massive...OK. I'd just call it a benefit.

Having a disconnection fee is not the same as having a tie-in on your contract, as well you know. Don't try to confuse the issue and make it look as though there is a tie-in when there is not.

Under what circumstances does the £69.99 apply, and under what circumstances do BT offer the same for free? It's all about those dastardly T&C's again, aren't they a drag?

You represent UW you should know when the £69.99 applies.

Can you install a new line for me?

Yes, although installation charges will apply. We can connect you to a BT line for £99.99, or to an LLU line for £69.99. Line rental per month is £10.75, and all installations are subject to a minimum contract term (of either 12 or 24 months).

You can spread the cost of your line installation over 24 months. Please contact us for details.

On BT if a new line is needed it's free when both landline and internet is taken for 18 months. Normally £130. If only landline is taken it's discounted to £30. 10 calls need to made per month otherwise a charge of £5.15 per month will apply.