Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

Decado23

Quentin wrote: »

They do pay cashback to anyone signing up to uw.

They pay cashback to anyone signing up via their cashback offer page. They appear to offer the same level of cashback regardless of which supplier(s) you switch to. From this we can choose to infer that energylinx have negotiated identical commision deals for all tariffs from all suppliers, or they have calculated an average amount they can offer, regardless of who you actually switch to.

Incidently, if you don't switch via the www.energylinx.co.uk/cashback/ but go directly to www.energylinx.co.uk do you still get the cashback? I doubt it.

It seems to me the funding for cashback for switching to companies that don't pay the comparison site can be easily covered by commisions earned elsewhere.

Quentin

Decado23 wrote: »

I'm sure I've read posts by you in the past implying (if not claiming outright) that UW distributor's are untrustworthy. Yet you quote a distributor in support of your claims when it suits you?

You asked where the reference to energylinx came from and I told you.

Now you say I quoted the source (uw rep vinnyph) because it suited me?

The claims about Energylinx were only introduced into the thread by vinnyph, no-one else.

Many uw reps have come here and tried to con us by posing as satisfied customers without declaring their interest, and others have posted false claims about your services and prices, so if that makes them untrustworthy, so be it.

If you want to see some more uw reps conning people they are merely satisfied customers, have a read through the reviews on uw here:

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews-all-76232.html

If you have any problems separating the customers from the reps come back for some pointers!

Decado23

Cardew wrote: »

Decado23,
I am a little puzzled over a couple of points.

You refer to UW’s ‘intention not to pay commission to comparison sites’ however according to Quentin(and he is pretty thorough) this is not a published policy???

Presumably the only reason for that policy, and that of not advertising in main stream media, is that it is not cost effective? By that I mean that UW have no ethical stance against comparison websites or indeed any form of advertising. It is simply that their business model finds recruiting by using 25,000 distributors a better option.

I can't give an official statement of policy on behalf of the company (telecom plus plc) but as far as I'm aware, advertising campaigns are a bit of a gamble - you don't know how effective an advert will be until you've already paid for it. With referal (or network) marketing the company only pays for customers after they sign up and is therefore better able to control their spending (per customer) on customer gathering activities (ie comission and bonuses paid to distributors). If they were to engage in expensive widespread advertising, which proved ineffective, it is inevitable that exisiting customers would end up paying for the mistake somewhere down the line.

Cardew wrote: »

Could it be that if it became widely known that cashback can be obtained for transfer to UW, then it would undermine the efforts of distributors to recruit and cause dissention in the ranks?

I suspect that many of the friends and family recruited by a distributor, would be dismayed to find that they could have received cashback for switching to U.W. and that using their friend/relative has denied them that money.

I believe the cashback offer is made by energylinx, if I call up any of the big 6 (or visit their websites) and start arranging to transfer, will they pop up a message saying "hang on, you can get £17 back if you go throught this other site...?
Do door to door sales people for big six companies knock on your door, tell you how much better they are then give you a link to the energylinx cashback offer?
Not that that justifies it, but it is hardly the resposibility of one company to promote another company's special offers to the detriment of their own business (assuming they are even aware of the special offer in the first place).

Quentin

Decado23 wrote: »

They pay cashback to anyone signing up via their cashback offer page. They appear to offer the same level of cashback regardless of which supplier(s) you switch to. From this we can choose to infer that energylinx have negotiated identical commision deals for all tariffs from all suppliers, or they have calculated an average amount they can offer, regardless of who you actually switch to......................

It seems to me the funding for cashback for switching to companies that don't pay the comparison site can be easily covered by commisions earned elsewhere.

No they don't pay cashback from all suppliers.

If they don't get any commission from the supplier, then they don't let you sign up via their website. (As already posted!)

eg You cannot sign up or get cashback from ebico.

Cardew

I am sure I have read somewhere that it is against UW's policy to Spam??

vinnyph's RatingsValue for money10/10Overall value10/10 vinnyph's recommendation
Good Points


Its the cheapest I can find for all the services I have with them. Yes, I have all of them.
All the services are simply in one place, no need to continue to shop around and move company to always get the best prices anymore.
Company has diversified into many other areas as well so can always be profitable and so cheapest.
Fully UK Owned.
Excellent Customer Service.
Been voted Fastest Growing Company in Europe
No Advertising Costs or Sales People Costs
Customers found by referral from existing customers like myself
Been Voted Best Buy many times in the press.
Bad Points

difficult to think of any Bad points
General Comments

I have been using Telecom Plus ( The Utility Warehouse ) for over 3 years and would whole heartedly recommend them. I have not had any problems whatsoever and have saved over £2,500 during that time.

Telecom Plus (Utility Warehouse) provides all your utilities in one place and on just one bill with just one bill payment per month. This includes Home Phone with completely free calls to friends, Home Phone Line Rental, Mobile Phone with completely free call to friends, Cheapest unlimited ADSL Broadband, Guaranteed Cheapest Gas and Cheapest Electric. It finds the lowest trade prices for all my services and passes them onto me at wholesale prices. Most services are the cheapest I can find in the UK at any one time. The prices are updated to make sure they give the best value. Because I have all my services with them I get £50 Cash Back at the end of the year on top of being the cheapest overall anyway.

It can continue to always provide the best value because there is no advertising and no sales people. This is unlike existing monopoly providers that spend millions on advertising the cost of which ends up being passed directly onto existing customers in higher prices. Instead it relies on referral from existing customers to their friends and family. Who then like myself have started using all the services and recommended it to all their friends. Because it is all in one place it is more cost effective and so the savings continue to be passed to all existing customers, not just special deals for new customers like other companies. In fact it has been doing so well using this simple method that it has been voted overall as Europe's Fastest Growing company over the past 4 years by European Business Magazine. Last Year it was voted the 3rd fastest growing company in the UK by The Independent on Sunday. It is also very profitable and so can again continue to pass on the savings. The only way you hear about it is either through the many excellent reviews in national publications like the Financial Times The Which, The Independent on Sunday etc or through existing customers who recommend to their friends.

The customer service is excellent. It is provided from the UK unlike other companies I have used before and the customer service staff are expertly trained to also provide support for all your utilities and in one place.

It is also fully UK owned as well. Most other companies are foreign owned in the utilities market even ones you would think were British.

I would seriously consider using Telecom Plus ( The Utility Warehouse ) since because of the way the company is structured it can continue to always give the best value. It is the ONLY Company in the UK or Europe for that matter that provides a fully integrated bill for all your services. I certainly would not consider going elsewhere even if a flashy advert came on TV or a Salesperson knocked on my door. Why pay more...

I would heartedly recommend having a look at their website. It is very simple to use just like the company itself.

Any further comment required?

1carminestocky

Meanwhile, back to real life. Decado23/vinnyph, how does the pay as you go deal work for gas and electric? Do you effectively get charged for exactly what you have used but one month in arrears? I realise this involves inputting my meter readings online every month, something I would be more than hapy to do. TIA!

Rachie004

vinnyph wrote: »

Right, sorry to take a bit of time to speak to you. Obviously I am not customer support and so have no access to find out what has happened. However, I apologise if something has gone wrong.

Usually it is paid back through the bill at the end of month as a credit on the bill. The billing run is completed by about the 12th of the month so if you contacted after that day in regards to refund it would normally be put onto the next month bill.

Hi, thanks for this! Took me a while to spot it amongst the girlie hair pulling
All the issues I've had got resolved at the beginning of this month (around the 9th I would think) and I'm having all monies I've paid to Utility Warehouse for my gas supply refunded to me. The lady I spoke to, for which I hope will be the final time, said that I'd missed the boat for March but it should be sorted for April.

What happened was: I wanted to move my gas and electric over to Utility Warehouse, electric went over fine but I've had never ending problems with my gas supply!

Basically what happened was that there was a big mix up in the meter point reference numbers (builders fault) so I had Number 2s label on my meter so Utility Warehouse took over the wrong supply. This became apparent very quickly and I found that my meter point reference number was on someone elses meter, gave UW the correct meter point reference number - they then took over the correct supply and then gave it back again (this only became apparent last month) leaving me with the 'wrong supply' still. Amidst all this I was being 'billed' for the wrong supply and the correct one (before it was handed back), with notes on my bills telling me I had an outstanding balance (for a supply that wasn't mine).

Meanwhile E-On keep writing to me telling me that I have a 'high bill' and I then had to call them to tell them where to go because my supplier is Utility Warehouse - except it wasn't. I feel like I've been failed time and time again by Utility Warehouse, I know it wasn't there fault to begin with but to get it wrong SO many times when I had to call up EVERY month and then be assured everytime that 'its all sorted'. E-on were still supplying my gas and I've requested them to take over my electricity supply again too. I would actually rather pay more (although they promise that I'm making a saving) than have anything to do with Utility Warehouse

Decado23

1carminestocky wrote: »

Meanwhile, back to real life. Decado23/vinnyph, how does the pay as you go deal work for gas and electric? Do you effectively get charged for exactly what you have used but one month in arrears? I realise this involves inputting my meter readings online every month, something I would be more than hapy to do. TIA!

I could be wrong but I'd assume it would work the same as the 'budget plan' except you'd be billed for the exact amount used each month, according to either the estimated reading or the actual reading from the last day of the previous month (if available) instead of being billed an estimated average for the year. Bills usually arrive around the middle of the following month.

Decado23

Quentin wrote: »

No they don't pay cashback from all suppliers.

If they don't get any commission from the supplier, then they don't let you sign up via their website. (As already posted!)

eg You cannot sign up or get cashback from ebico.

Strangely all I can see about supplies with a 'review' link rather than a 'continue' link is that online transfers are disabled at the request of the supplier. No mention of refusal to pay commision preventing the transfer.

Perhaps it would have been more correct for me to say you get a flat rate of cashback, regardless of which supplier you switch to, providing that supplier is available for online transfers via the energylinx site. Still, the question remains - do all the relevent suppliers have identical arrangements with energylinx with regards to the amount of commision paid for transfers, or is it more likely that energylinx have calculated the average amount of commision they will earn, and have set the cashback at a level they believe will still be profitable for them. If we consider the second option more likely (which I do) then it allows for some suppliers paying less commission, or even none.

Decado23

Cardew wrote: »

Whenever criticism is made of the company, UW employees resort to personal attacks rather than answer the points raised.

Firstly, from what I gather the post you quoted when you posted this was by an independent distributor, not a UW employee. If you choose to consider that to be the same thing, then please show me where I have made a personal attack or correct that blatant generalisation.