Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

HappyMJ

MillicentBystander wrote: »

But the UW Fixed Until August 2014 deal on average consumption (16,500 and 3,300) is seemingly the cheapest deal of that length on the market in your area. And that's including the £1.50/mth club fee and NO cancellation fees Granted, you have to take 4 services to qualify for that extra year but if you could get up to 20mb BB, 40gb monthly d/l allowance, phone line rental, no min. contract commitment, 24/7 inclusive 01, 02, 03, 0870 AND International calls, guaranteed UK call centre, one inclusive 1 minute call to a competition/mucky 09xxx phone line , chance of unlimited cash back etc etc for £20.99/mth why would anyone not want to?

Isn't that what I said EDF being pennies cheaper on average usage and getting cheaper per unit when more is used. UW is the cheapest long term fixed rate only for low users (and up to but not quite including average) but not too low as Npower becomes the cheapest with it's £105 annual cashback.

Put high user into the UKPower website and it comes back as

ScottishPower fixed price 2015 £1,639
EDF price protection 2014 £1,655
UW Fixed rate 2014 £1,701

Not very good....

Meeper

Not very good? £62 difference over the year isn't very good? We have been lambasted on this forum for months (years?) for being massively over-priced and wildly outside the norm. Now you show us 3rd on your research and only £62 difference over the year, and that isn't very good?

I give up.

MillicentBystander

HappyMJ wrote: »

Isn't that what I said EDF being pennies cheaper on average usage and getting cheaper per unit when more is used. UW is the cheapest long term fixed rate only for low users (and up to but not quite including average) but not too low as Npower becomes the cheapest with it's £105 annual cashback.

Put high user into the UKPower website and it comes back as

ScottishPower fixed price 2015 £1,639
EDF price protection 2014 £1,655
UW Fixed rate 2014 £1,701

Not very good....

But you claimed it's just 'for low users but not too low users' and I pointed out to you that the UW fixed deal is the cheapest/joint cheapest for AVERAGE users in your area as well (16500, 3300). That isn't LOW users. LOW users would be 11000 gas and 2100 electric, according to Ebico (and Ofgem?) and then we would get this result, which shows it is easily the cheapest fix of anything like that length on the market in your area. In fact, it's less than £7/mth more than EDFs cheapest fixed deal and that runs for 19 months less than the UW one! So, in your area, based on the low and average consumption figures, it is the cheapest/joint cheapest on the market in your area.

HappyMJ

Meeper wrote: »

Not very good? £62 difference over the year isn't very good? We have been lambasted on this forum for months (years?) for being massively over-priced and wildly outside the norm. Now you show us 3rd on your research and only £62 difference over the year, and that isn't very good?

I give up.

I'm talking 3 year fixed rates only. There are only 3 tariffs. It being a new tariff which no one wishes to mention. UW's normal rates are too expensive.

HappyMJ

MillicentBystander wrote: »

But you claimed it's just 'for low users but not too low users' and I pointed out to you that the UW fixed deal is the cheapest/joint cheapest for AVERAGE users in your area as well (16500, 3300). That isn't LOW users. LOW users would be 11000 gas and 2100 electric, according to Ebico (and Ofgem?) and then we would get this result, which shows it is easily the cheapest fix of anything like that length on the market in your area. In fact, it's less than £7/mth more than EDFs cheapest fixed deal and that runs for 19 months less than the UW one! So, in your area, based on the low and average consumption figures, it is the cheapest/joint cheapest on the market in your area.

Now you are confusing me EDF fixed rate is the cheapest for average users. The £75 cash back credited after 30 days means it's £25 a year cheaper than UW. UW has the cheapest 3 year fixed rate for low users. I'm not denying that.

MillicentBystander

HappyMJ wrote: »

Now you are confusing me EDF fixed rate is the cheapest for average users. The £75 cash back credited after 30 days means it's £25 a year cheaper than UW. UW has the cheapest 3 year fixed rate for low users. I'm not denying that.

Agreed. But you don't get any free calls with the EDF deal. And the £75 cash back just basically covers the exit fee they charge if you leave before 30/6/12 (OK, you'll have £5 in your pocket!). UWs deal has no exit fee at any time, seemingly. As per usual, it's a minefield out there. :eek:

MillicentBystander

Maybe these new tariffs are an attempt to put what they promised in the last set of results into action?

We do not expect this higher gross margin to be sustained, as we intend to use it in order to make our customer proposition even more competitive.

This, coupled with the recent BG bombshell announcement regarding no more loss leader tariffs, which I suspect may be followed by the other 5, could make for interesting times ahead in this thread

b747400flyer

As a new UW customer I just need verification on one question. regardless of whether their per kWh rates are cheap(er) or not, I'm just wondering how the discount is supposed to work. All my recent spending on my cash back card to "try and lower my energy bill" has achieved is to have my direct debit payment lowered by the same amount, i.e. £38 discounts amassed on my cash back card by using it for purchases, has lowered my direct debit amount by £38. In my mind this not the same as lowering the energy bill by £38, simply putting £38 less into the account to pay for the energy bill? If you took this to the extreme, the more i spend on my "cash back card", the lower my monthly direct debits, and the less funds to actually pay my actual energy usage, or am i missing the point somewhere. Plus, on closer inspection of my bill, it seems i am paying VAT on my full direct debit amount as opposed too paying Vat on what energy i have actually used?

Meeper

b747400flyer wrote: »

All my recent spending on my cash back card to "try and lower my energy bill" has achieved is to have my direct debit payment lowered by the same amount, i.e. £38 discounts amassed on my cash back card by using it for purchases, has lowered my direct debit amount by £38.

Indeed.

In my mind this not the same as lowering the energy bill by £38, simply putting £38 less into the account to pay for the energy bill?

Not quite. If all it did was to reduce the direct debit, then you would find yourself getting further into a debit balance. For example, if you had a bill that was £100 for all services then you generate £38 of cashback so you pay £62, the cashback is deemed to have "paid" the remaining £38, so your £100 is settled in full. You are not getting into any negative balances.

If you took this to the extreme, the more i spend on my "cash back card", the lower my monthly direct debits, and the less funds to actually pay my actual energy usage, or am i missing the point somewhere.

Afraid you are slightly missing the point, yes. Hopefully my above explanation makes sense.

Plus, on closer inspection of my bill, it seems i am paying VAT on my full direct debit amount as opposed too paying Vat on what energy i have actually used?

If you are on a budget plan (paying the same amount per month, every month), then you will pay that amount +VAT every month. So, if you are paying £50 +VAT for electricity you will continue to pay £50 +VAT for electricity every month when you get your bill. There is no detriment to you if you only use £35 +VAT worth of electricity as this will even itself out over the year (in theory). So, if you pay £50 +VAT for 5 months but only use £35 +VAT of electricity, you will have paid £262.50 in total but only used the equivalent of £183.75. You will therefore be in credit to the tune of £78.75, or £75 +VAT. You can then use this credit to pay your next couple of bills, reduce your budget plan amount, or whatever. Either way, your pay the correct amount of VAT in the end as it evens itself out.

Meeper
--UW Distributor

HappyMJ

Meeper,

Edit: Meeper's vat rate....never mind fixed now.... deleting post.