Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

1carminestocky

vinnyph wrote: »

1. no i didnt. But you are making accusations against my name.

2. yes referral marketing is more cost effective. you are making accusations without knowing anything about what you are saying and then accusing me of something without even knowing if I am right or wrong. have you actually even looked into it.

3. you make accusations against 16000 people without any proof

It seems I just proved you wrong mate. That was easy.

SwanJon works for British Gas, BTW.

Plushchris

1carminestocky wrote: »

Yeah, it's all good . Even though it's no longer available so not really a fair comparison, in my Yorkshire region, on my usage, and projected use of cashback card, my net annual price would be £1061 with the SP tariff and £1012 with UW (but, of course, there's an as yet unnanounced price reduction to come off, very probably on my huge leccy usage, so maybe £960 per year?). £8+ a month cheaper. 12 monthly paper bills, fully itemised. Option of recommending others for the same deal as me and getting even more deducted from my bill. All I'm doing there is paying for my shopping on the cashback card instead of my debit card (and, incidentally, saving a projected 25% on my shopping by using Sainsburys instead of my usual supermarket/s, all fully documented, btw). Not for everybody, I grant you, but compelling all the same. And I'm still entirely unsure why the rabid objection from some on here (not you, BTW). This IS a money saving site after all where some people have been known to go to extraordinary lengths to save a few bob.

I shop so little in supermarkets now I would be surprised if my spend is as much as £150 in a month in any supermarket so 5% of that would only be about £90 a year which would still mean UW being around £100 a year more expensive for me.

Dont really care about getting paper bills and as I said, I woudnt change homephone and broadband to them as I feel I get a better deal where I am now (thats the Post Office if you wanted to know)

Seriously, if UW were ever to become even slightly competitive with the others then I might consider it. I just dont like all the rubbish that it spouted on here by their distributors like the guarentee to be competitive (they arent, at least not for me, so what does that guarentee offer me?)

1carminestocky

What vinnyph is saying about internet tariffs is very hard to argue against. Probablty the very worst example of this dodgy practice is SwanJon's company, British Gas. They introuduced their Click online tariff in March 2006, fast forward 36 months and we are now on Websaver2, having gone through SIX (count 'em) incarnations of the Click tariffs. Why? Here's the daming evidence as provided by our biggest enrgy supplier:

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy/click-energy-prices.html

1carminestocky

Plushchris wrote: »

I shop so little in supermarkets now I would be surprised if my spend is as much as £150 in a month in any supermarket so 5% of that would only be about £90 a year which would still mean UW being around £100 a year more expensive for me.

Dont really care about getting paper bills and as I said, I woudnt change homephone and broadband to them as I feel I get a better deal where I am now (thats the Post Office if you wanted to know)

Seriously, if UW were ever to become even slightly competitive with the others then I might consider it. I just dont like all the rubbish that it spouted on here by their distributors like the guarentee to be competitive (they arent, at least not for me, so what does that guarentee offer me?)

Like I said, it's not for you but that doesn't in any way mean it's not for others. And as I have demonstrated, if you are pepared to go with the flow, it can not only compete on price but come out way on top. It's a viable alternative to the Big 6 and, for me, that's important.

Incidentally, AFACT the Post office would be no good for me as I make a lot of calls in the day and I don't believe they have a 24/7 price plan? Plus their daytime call charges are highly uncompetitive (and 12 month min contract on the BB element of the phone/bb deal?). I've looked at it. The free weekend calls to mobiles, whilst a brilliant idea, is of no use to us because we have a combined household mobile call allowance of 4400 mins/texts per month at the moment :eek: . But, again, it's certainly an interesting alternative to BT...

Plushchris

vinnyph wrote: »

your gas usage is for a ofgem standard user profile and your electricity is some where in between a low user and a standard user.

the site has not been updated with the U.W.D.C. latest prices yet, so it is isn't accurate, it just shows the old prices. The new ones will be from April 1st.

All the other companies have supplied their prices as from 1st of April, why hasnt UW?

vinnyph wrote: »

Anyway how long will those internet only special deals actually last in reality. A few months and then the prices go up to much higher rates. A short term special offer. The saving is based on a year on the price comparison site but the special offer will usually last much shorter than that. The prices will change again in a few months so how can it be used to judge an annual saving.

The rest of the customers in that company then subsidise the special rate that person gets for a few months. So the majority of people end up paying more for their energy even though they have been loyal and stayed with the company. That doesn't sound very fair to me really. Does it to you.

My internet tariff was fixed for three years from January last year and by my calculations I have saved MUCH MORE than the comparison site quoted me by going onto that tariff.

Internet tariffs dont go up to much higher rates, where did you get that from? Your sales patter?

They may not go down by as much or be replaced by cheaper tariff, but they very rarely go up.

Take a look at the other thread on here about Npower SOL tariffs ( http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1580595 )

That guy was told SOL14 would save him a fortune on SOL10 but I had a look pretending I was on that tariff and with a varity of usage details and could only get a very small saving (if any)

SwanJon

vinnyph wrote: »

1. no i didnt. But you are making accusations against my name.

OK, must have misread something. Hang on I'll check.

vinnyph wrote: »

It seems like they have gone home now 1carminestocky, I take it they work for one of the big 6 companies and get paid to put incorrect info up on the internet and to slander a companies reputation because they are here everyday it seems.

Nope, still looks like an accusation to me.

vinnyph wrote: »

2. yes referral marketing is more cost effective. you are making accusations without knowing anything about what you are saying and then accusing me of something without even knowing if I am right or wrong. have you actually even looked into it.

You said

vinnyph wrote: »

I have simply told the truth about how the U.W.D.C. business works and shown that it is more cost effective than the methods used by the other companies

I pointed out that you had not 'shown' anything, but had set your case out. I'm happy to go further and say that your case was made of supposition and guesswork. To show me, all you need to do is show me what these are based on - for example one supplier's advertising budget per customer compared to UW's referral fees/advertising per customer would be a good place to start

vinnyph wrote: »

3. you make accusations against 16000 people without any proof

Did I?

SwanJon wrote: »

As UWDC has 16000 distributors who each market themsleves and the company in their own way it could probably be argued that there is one distributor out there that matches some of the comments. It could also be argued that there are some distributors out there that deliberately or not misrepresent the company for their own financial gain.

Nope, at most I accused 'one' and then 'some'. Based on the shortlived spammers that come one here I'm happy to take my chances that my numbers are on the conservative side.

vinnyph wrote: »

It seems I just proved you wrong mate. That was easy.

See how easy it is to get confused when you don't pay attention?

1carminestocky wrote: »

SwanJon works for British Gas, BTW.

Thanks for pointing that out. Not particularly relevant, but it is in my sig (you really have to want to see it though).

I did warn you I was a pedant.

Plushchris

1carminestocky wrote: »

Incidentally, AFACT the Post office would be no good for me as I make a lot of calls in the day and I don't believe they have a 24/7 price plan? Plus their daytime call charges are highly uncompetitive (and 12 month min contract on the BB element of the phone/bb deal?). I've looked at it. The free weekend calls to mobiles, whilst a brilliant idea, is of no use to us because we have a combined household mobile call allowance of 4400 mins/texts per month at the moment :eek: . But, again, it's certainly an interesting alternative to BT...

Exactly, its different strokes for different folks

24/7 call are no use to me as we are hardly ever at home during the day, as are international calls (dont ever remember calling abroad from a landline, thats what broadband is for)
Free weekend calls to mobiles is the big thing for us and the broadband speed is good (about 5mb - not bad for where we live and a lot faster than our old Tiscali service) and I do like the unlimited downloads!

Another thing is the "1 single bill" aspect of UW, While it may be a sales point for some it would put me off, I'm pretty much comfortable financially at the moment (or as comfortable as I can be) but there has been times in the past where I've had to juggle bills in order to get through, if the whole lot was loaded onto one bill you would be stuffed if you couldnt afford it one month.

dacouch

This forum is so funny, as an outsider it has put me off ever entertaining UW and by the sounds of it the distributers are not someone I would want to meet at a party.

I have heard that https://www.flatearthsociety.co.uk have just gone into MLM and are charging £200 for the privilege, there must be some takers on here...

Feel free to poo poo me because it does not bother me.

P.S Keep up the great work, I love reading this forum when I get bored

SwanJon

Oh, when you run out of constructive arguments make stuff up. Hmmm.
Look at my posts, you'll see I'm all for the best deal for each individual, but also recognise that this will be different for different people.
You also show that you've not been paying attention again. Carmine has already said that the tariff after Click 6 was Websaver1, not click7.
I accept that the Clicks were aimed at getting to the top of the comparison charts, but that didn't make them a bad deal for those on it. And yes, they became less competitive with each price move, but nothing stopped you changing tariff or supplier.
The websavers are different (for some better, for some worse). They have cancellation fees, but are set up as tracker tariffs, so will move in the same way the standard tariff moves, and at the same time.
I work for British Gas (it's not mine, not matter what Carmine says, although I could do with the money), but all that means is that I have an insider's view, in the same way you have an insider's view on UW.
However, no matter who my employer is I'm still the same person, and sometimes the pedant in me comes out.
Just be thankful I'm not correcting punctuation & grammar.

1carminestocky

SwanJon wrote: »

Oh, when you run out of constructive arguments make stuff up. Hmmm.
Look at my posts, you'll see I'm all for the best deal for each individual, but also recognise that this will be different for different people.
You also show that you've not been paying attention again. Carmine has already said that the tariff after Click 6 was Websaver1, not click7.
I accept that the Clicks were aimed at getting to the top of the comparison charts, but that didn't make them a bad deal for those on it. And yes, they became less competitive with each price move, but nothing stopped you changing tariff or supplier.
The websavers are different (for some better, for some worse). They have cancellation fees, but are set up as tracker tariffs, so will move in the same way the standard tariff moves, and at the same time.
I work for British Gas (it's not mine, not matter what Carmine says, although I could do with the money), but all that means is that I have an insider's view, in the same way you have an insider's view on UW.
However, no matter who my employer is I'm still the same person, and sometimes the pedant in me comes out.
Just be thankful I'm not correcting punctuation & grammar.

How many of your punters are STILL paying Click 1 prices, SJ? And, whilst you are in the mood for sticking up for the company that provides you with your livelihood, what justification is there for the constant superceding of the online tariffs (apart from a need to rip-off your existing loyal online customers in order to fund the latest charge to the top of the switching site)?. For instance, where do you think Click 5 would come on my usage in the switching sites now if it was still available? Above or below UW?