Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

MillicentBystander

welcome to MSE. If you are looking at taking all the services then it may also be a good idea to have a look at the new long term fixed deal available exclusively to double gold customers This is by far the cheapest fixed deal of its length on the market (it must be good because Cardew has pointedly ignored its existence lol). The big selling point here is it covers you for the next 4 winters. Only one other fixed deal also covers you for the next 4 winters, from Sainsburys Energy but that is far more expensive and also (unlike the UW fixed deal) has exit fees attached.

I currently take phone line, broadband and SIM only mobile plus the cash back card from UW and find them excellent to deal with and the services very reliable. The guaranteed UK based customer service is a big plus point imo/ime.One bill and one DD no matter how many services you take is also a big plus point.

Missy712

Thank you for your reply MillicentBystander...very helpful.

MillicentBystander wrote: »

welcome to MSE. If you are looking at taking all the services then it may also be a good idea to have a look at the new long term fixed deal available exclusively to double gold customers]
Mmmn....I'm always sceptical about fixed long term contracts, simply because anything in my circumstances could change through the years. I mean... supposing UW increase the tariffs of the other 3 products...I'm then locked into the 5 bundle deal as a result of the cheaper fixed utility tariff! Would prefer to walk when it no longer suits my needs tbh.


Yeah I intend to take SIM only mobile too on a second phone for my son. I like the idea of the cash back card as I'm used to using Topcashback website so see the value in how the concept works and like the idea that it credits your 'bills' - thus creating savings where it matters most.


So do you set up a direct debit to pay the one bill, then separately top up the prepaid card to use for spending or do you have to set up a d/debit for that too? Just trying to get my head around how to juggle it. I have an American Express card with offers rewards/vouchers for spending and an MBNA card which offers rewards in terms of cashback on my credit card at the end of the year, however I think switching to the UW cashback card brings me the benefits where I need them most...off my utility bill! So from my perspective, think it makes sense for me.


Will try it and see how I get on....I'm hoping I've not much to loose and can always walk away if not working to my advantage. There doesn't appear to be any penalties associated with it. Am I right??


Good to sound things out loud. I think I get it in theory, just need to see if it works in practice...:cool:


Thanks for your time those who responded xx

Quentin

Missy712 wrote: »

..hence me wondering if there were any current 'happy' users (not distributors) out there......

Beware UW distributors/spokesmen/UW Shareholders etc coming here in support of UW but not declaring their interest.

If you have read through a few pages then you will have seen they are not too hard to spot!

Worth noting that as this is a money saving website, were the UW to be the great money saving proposition it claims to be, then you would see a long queue of us trying to sign up!

They are clever with their advertising, and most of their claims get diluted when you see the ts + cs.

eg If they claim to be 2.5% cheaper than the competition, read what they are comparing against. (ie they don't compare against the competitors cheapest tariffs, just their cheapest "variable" tariffs - not the online tariffs!).

Were they truly cheaper than the rest, they would head the charts when you do comparisons via the comparison websites, and we wouldn't have to ever do comparisons again!

MillicentBystander

Well done, Missy712, you have very quickly attracted/survived MSE's resident duo of obsessed anti UW posters, Quentin and Walter/Cardew, so the rest is plain sailing. Significantly not one of them has taken me to task on the Fixed to April 2018 deal. Please note not one of them has ever been a UW customer either (although bizarrely even though he claims never to have been a UW distributor, Quentin does have access to a distributor-only site/forum). Please also note that Quentin was until recently a customer of BT and he and many people on here had a torrid time trying to escape penalty free when they put up their prices recently, actually having to resort to complaining to the CEO's office (one of the perils of posters who make out they are savvy agreeing to 18 month long telecoms contracts!). Cardew remains a BT customer. Always take care when taking advice from these 2 lol.

With regards to the cash back card, importantly imo, it isn't a credit card with all the potential perils they offer to the unsuspecting. You simply load it with cash (from a debit card or by DD, your choice) and then can only spend the money you have loaded. No debts, no fear of fraudsters emptying your credit balance etc. If you spend regularly in the shops included it can be a very good way of reducing your bill. £1/mth charge for having the card (the fee of £9.99 for getting the card is refunded as long as you register it within 14 days) and 35p per top up.

With regards to your bill, yes, no matter how many services you take they are all included on one bill and taken by one DD, which some people find more convenient for budgeting purposes (my son being one of these people! He previously had 4 seperate DDs coming out for his utilities/phone/BB/mobile etc and now has the one.)

There used to be a monthly club fee of up to £2.50 (?) but this has been scrapped and replaced by Bill Protector, which is easily cancelled. You can opt for monthly paper bills if you wish plus also have the option of giving meter reads at the end of each month and be charged for exact useage so no debits/credits on your gas and electricity account. AFAIA no other energy supplier does this, certainly not as standard.

Missy712

Not sure how you get the blue quote box... aaargh! Thanks for your reply Quentin...definitely food for thought!

Quentin wrote: »

Worth noting that as this is a money saving website, were the UW to be the great money saving proposition it claims to be, then you would see a long queue of us trying to sign up!]

...I know I thought that, hence me bringing it to the forum I guess to sound out my doubts. I did feel that if it was that good, then people would be shouting out about it here. It's just that the guy who came to see me sounded pretty genuine about the savings he's made. Even brought his last 12mth UW statements...so I could see that savings came mainly via his cashback earned which brought his bill down cheaper. I guess that was the key vehicle to paying less.

[eg If they claim to be 2.5% cheaper than the competition, read what they are comparing against. (ie they don't compare against the competitors cheapest tariffs, just their cheapest "variable" tariffs - not the online tariffs!).]
I will look into this more. I put in my annual kwh usage over the last 12mth and compared against the online energy tariff that's just ended with my british gas (bearing in mind I would have had dual fuel discounts etc), there was a £70 variance (i.e. UW was slightly more), however they offer the double back guarantee at the end of the 12 months - so I'm guessing this is where I can ensure I haven't lost out.

As single entities, I can see they are not cheaper than the rest, but I think if bundled and used wisely i.e. obtaining the cashbck discounts to your advantage there appears to be savings to be made through shifting your spending habits. I'll give it a try and promise to report back - good, bad or indifferent! :cool:


Cheers though for your words of caution. Much appreciated xx

BP1987

I am a new UW customer inherited from the previous tenant of my new property and i've had nothing but trouble.
I've sent them my meter readings twice and i'm still receiving an estimated bill.
It took about 4 or 5 phone calls and a number of emails to set up my account.
I have received a Final Demand letter stating that my £200 deposit is overdue, this is a £200 deposit which i have NEVER been asked to pay previously, I've not spoken to one competent member of staff in any dealings i have had with them.
I will be soon changing my supplier as on price comparison sites they are not even close the cheapest.

Quentin

Missy712 wrote: »

...... I put in my annual kwh usage over the last 12mth and compared against the online energy tariff that's just ended with my british gas (bearing in mind I would have had dual fuel discounts etc), there was a £70 variance (i.e. UW was slightly more), however they offer the double back guarantee at the end of the 12 months - so I'm guessing this is where I can ensure I haven't lost out......

Had you been with UW for the last 12 months, you would now see how worthless their "guarantee" is.

Your claim for a £140 rebate as they were £70 more expensive than BG would be refused as you were comparing the UW tariff against your fixed BG tariff.

The "guarantee" ts and cs make sure you never win, though the reps will tell you it's "guaranteed to be cheaper" (in your case, you would have had to have the BG variable tariff previously to be able to claim on the guarantee!)

MillicentBystander

No discussion of the up to £200 UW will pay you if you need to break any existing telecoms/mobile contract to come to them as long as you sign up as a Gold Talk or Double Gold customer? Any other company offer this?

Uw certainly aren't perfect but what company is? Is BT perfect, for instance? I'm suspecting Quentin is happy he is pretending to have me on ignore when such questions are asked...:D

Cardew

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Well done, Missy712, you have very quickly attracted/survived MSE's resident duo of obsessed anti UW posters, Quentin and Walter/Cardew, so the rest is plain sailing. .

At least we post under the same name on MSE!

You might want to read post #468.

This was the response of the Moderator on MoneySupermarket

Due to persistent attempts by Utility Warehouse distributors to tout for business on this community forum - contravening the moneysupermarket.com Community Standards and Terms of Service - this post has now been locked. Touting for business, advertising and marketing tactics will not be tolerated by this community.
May I respectfully suggest you look for more original means to advertise your business, while checking out the following:
1. moneysupermarket.com Community Standards.
2. moneysupermarket.com Community Terms of Service.
3. Unfair Trading Regulations - Please pay particular attention to 'Section 5: Misleading actions'.
Many thanks for your kind co-operation...

Exactly the same Modus operandi has been used countless times on MSE. Posters posing as potential customers asking what we thought of UW and listing(like Missy 712) all the claims that at first glance seem excellent.

Such questions are often answered by those with a vested interest in UW.

Without intervention - and clarification;) by a few stalwarts, this thread, would just become an advertising platform for those with a vested interest in UW and there are about 30,000 UW salesmen.

The most illogical line taken recently is that you can't really comment on UW unless you have been a customer. So Stephen Hawkins the eminent astrophysicist shouldn't be listened to because he has never been in space?

Missy712

BP1987 wrote: »

I am a new UW customer inherited from the previous tenant of my new property and i've had nothing but trouble].


Sorry to hear that BP but thank you for sharing. I will take that experience into consideration. The chap who came to see me who is a distributor 'assures' me that he would deal with issues that should arise on my behalf as he has direct contact to the distributors service centre. I don't take being messed around lightly and have warned him of this! I know.... I guess this is where I look gullible...but I have looked at it from all angles, as I don't like to rush into things lightly, hence me trying the forum for feedback on my approach!


I'll give UW a try mi thinks and see how I get on within first 3 months. I guess if ever there was a time it would be now as I am not locked in with any of my other contracts...so can take full advantage of this 'double gold' 5 bundle deal. Otherwise I wouldn't give it the time of day.


Going to do some more reading of the T&C as Quentin pointed out. However, in the meantime, any more comments more than welcome as they are really helping to shape my thoughts.:(


Cheers xx