Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

xxSaffronxx

espresso wrote: »

Try clicking here

Ok here is the result:

Uptime: 8 days, 23:47:26

DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 594 / 691

Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 204.98 / 936.45

Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 11.8 / 14.2

Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 36.6 / 64.0

SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 13.0 / 5.9

System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----

Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / GSPN

Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0

Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0

Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0

Loss of Link (Remote): -

Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 10,358 / 7

FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0

CRC Errors (Up/Down): 7,022 / 16,378

HEC Errors (Up/Down): 1,101 / 12,355

penrhyn

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 594 / 691

Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 204.98 / 936.45

Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 11.8 / 14.2

Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 36.6 / 64.0

SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 13.0 / 5.9

OK. With your 64db line the best speed that's theoretically possible is between 2 and 3 Mbps.
Your router is doing the best it can as its synchronising to the broadband signal at 5.9 db.

Could you try repeating the test using the test socket as shown previously?

Also perform a quiet line test:- ( I've pasted this in)
Once you have your telephone connected to the BT test socket dial 17070. You will reach BT's line test facility.
Choose option 2 from the menu presented - "Quiet Line Test".
If your telephone has the option, put it on mute. You should hear nothing through the handset.
If you do hear any line noise, crackling, buzzing, popping or humming, note the time when you conducted the test.

hybrid

Hi all

I moved to a new property in August 2012, with no previous gas/electric accounts. The property had previously been supplied by Utility Warehouse, but, as I was moving in new, and have heard horror stories from Utility warehouse, I decided to phone nPower straight away.

I gave nPower the meter reading correct as of date I moved in. They told me it would take six to ten weeks to migrate, but we set up a direct debit asap.

During this period, the previous occupant was still receiving Utility Warehouse letters, which I forwarded to the landlord. Don't know what was in them, but their logo was on the front.

Four weeks ago, I received a letter saying we had been migrated and nPower was now my supplier. I have paid them three months direct debits. However, two weeks ago, Utility Warehouse sent me a letter saying that as the previous tennant was a Utility Warehouse customer, I am automatically a Utility Warehouse customer (they must have got my name from the landlord). The letter stated that as I have been using electricity, I either need to pay them for what I have used before they will let me migrate to another supplier, OR they want me to pay £100 up front before I can set up a direct debit. I ignored the letter because I was an nPower customer.

They have since sent threatening letters saying they could terminate our supply unless we pay. What should I do??? have they got any rights? Should I call nPower?

Thanks in advance

jalexa

hybrid wrote: »

I ignored the letter because I was an nPower customer.

They have since sent threatening letters saying they could terminate our supply unless we pay. What should I do??? have they got any rights? Should I call nPower?

The only thing which can be said with certainty is that from the day you moved in until a switch is completed you are a Utility Warehouse customer.

Whether a transfer has been completed needs to be established.

*If* NPower has correctly processed the switch - and UW failed to object - *probably* you are now an NPower customer but you will owe UW for energy consumed from entry until the transfer date. You need to speak to both parties and agree a way forward.

Don't be afraid to use the complaint's procedure in response to what you believe is unjustified threatening behavior.

hybrid

Ah....!!!!!!

I will talk to Utility Warehouse and npower then

Thanks for helpful and prompt feedback

oldfrankybaby

I'm a new forum member and I am just about to embark on a similar journey to recover my overpayment from Utility Warehouse. I will be staring a new thread as my situation will be different. My E 7 meter is fine but the teleswitch as not been switching the E7 circuit over, (there is a tiny red switch I now see on the radio teleswitch that remains ON) so therfore my E7 storage heaters have been taking up juice at random day and night. I always used to pay bills on a budget basis and that has camoflaged the problem and not shown the difference between winter / summer use - I srongly advise anyone to read the meter every month and pay what they use! - I have been with 4 suppliers - Seeboard for ages (we have lived in theis house for 40 years) then Sainsburys, then Scottish Power, finally UW. Been with UW since May 2010. My meter was actually changed to digital in 2001 .
I now believe that my bills have for a long while been inflated by this 'random rate' storge heater consumption. Over the last 10 years they averaged £1800 p.a. and thats when power was cheaper!. I have been trying to get them down - hence switching, and I also use solar water heating , wood burning appliances that also heat my water / cooking etc.
By NOT using the heaters my monthly consumption since May 2012 - Nov 2012 has reduced to average £50 per month from over £150.
The UW guy is here now changing the teleswitch which IS faulty - my next step is to try and recover some money from UW.

Ady87

I left my last property on 27th October.

I informed UW of my leaving the premises a few days prior to this and gave them my forwarding address. My letting agency sent Utility Warehouse my final meter reading. We then got a final bill a week or two later for £56. Job done.

I had forgotten to pay this in all honesty, it was on a list of things to do. I got home today to a letter (different to the address i initially gave them and got my final bill sent to...) that is asking for £100 and claims this is £6 on top of what was previously asked for, for paying late. It also refers to this going on my next monthly bill. This makes no sense and looks like they have added an extra month on top.

I can't get through to them during working hours because i work every one god sends and i literally can't get in touch with them by phone. Their out of hours set up is terrible. I have just sent them an e-mail. Will this suffice or is there a representative on here?

oldfrankybaby

I'm a new forum member and I am just about to embark on a journey to recover overpayment to Utility Warehouse, and hopefully previous suppliers. For years I have been trying figure out why my electircity bills were so high; and about 4 weeks ago I discovered that though the meter itself worked fine and switched between Hi tariff and Low at the right times, the teleswitch as not been switching the E7 circuit over. There was a tiny red switch hardly visible from my line of sight on the radio teleswitch that remained ON all the time. The result was that my E7 storage heaters (7 of them!) have been taking up juice at random day and night (compatible with their thermostat settings) - which in practice means for 17/24 hours I'm paying the high tariff.
I always used to pay bills on a budget basis and that has camoflaged the problem and not shown the difference between winter / summer use - I srongly advise anyone to read their meter every month and pay what they use! -
I have been with 4 suppliers - Seeboard for ages (we have lived in this house for 40 years) then Sainsburys, then Scottish Power, finally UW. Been with UW since May 2010. My meter was actually changed to digital in 2001 .
I now believe that my bills have for a long while been inflated by this 'random rate' storge heater consumption. Over the last 10 years they averaged £1800 p.a. (checkng back through bank a/cs) and thats when power was cheaper!.
I have been trying to get them down - hence switching, and I also use solar water heating -ok in summer , wood burning appliances (Rayburn) that also heat my water / cooking mostly in winter etc.
Recently, I've been experimenting by NOT using the storage heaters after this summer and kept I've them off in desperation to identify what was going on. Eurika - my monthly electricity consumption since May 2012 - Dec 2012 has reduced to average £50 per month from over £150 -the crazy thing is that with all my efforts to find a solution, I did not twig about the circuit switch until 4 weeks ago!.
The UW engineer chap called today and fitted an integral meter / switch-over box ( and was very helpfu!l ) he has confirmed that my meter had worked fine but the E7 circuit had been live 24 hours a day. I now will have power to the heaters only at the low tarrif
I'm on to UW about some sort of refund but how can I calculate it? and what about previous suppiers who say they have not got records of my a/c anymore?
Sorry a long post - but its a long story to explain.

Wolf3

i think depending on when the E7 timeswitch stopped working your energy supplier might be able to check the EAC (estimated annual consumption) sent between the data collector and supplier every 3 months or so. Therefore they could deem a correct Day/night split for your meter before the timeswitch broke and rebill the account accordingly.
This might be a little more convoluted if you have changed supplier 4 times and the timeswitch broke a number of years ago.

oldfrankybaby

Thanks Wolf3 - I'm now monitoring usage and will compare against the total split Hi / low since I joined UW. unfortunately I can't go back further (or can I?)-
I got no info back from Scottish Power / Sainsburys etc) How do I do that ?- SP say my a/c is closed.

Meter readings from start-up with UW (June 2010) until I switched the storge heaters off (May 2012) show I have used 20,596 units at Hi rate (av. 13per unit =£2,677) and 8008 at low rate (av 4p/unit =£320).
In the very first 24hrs of proper power switch to my heaters (now on from v cold) my power use was only 8u at Hi rate and 58u at Low rate! This is fine and the house is warm!
But when I was with SP and Sainsbury for +/- 2 yrs each my bills were close on £2,000pa!