Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

ColinAllCars

Cardew wrote: »

It is a reader's survey - not a report!



Some years ago the BBC ran 'Man of the Year' competitions. At the height of his unpopularity Arthur Scargill the miner's leader was voted man of the Year because all the Miner's lodges ran a campaign to get him elected.

25,000 UW distributors and their families have a vested interest in seeing UW perform well so, like yourself, they can boast about this meaningless vote like the Which survey.

You did notice that the Times did point out how much more expensive UW was - yet it came out well on price - a farce.

1. I didnt say it was a report did i.

2. I was not boasting merely quoting a fact.

3. No i didnt notice the Times article when i posted, i read it elsewhere.

4. Can you give us a source for your quote starting "It is obvious "


UW Distributor.

Cardew

vinnyph wrote: »

If I could just distract your attention to MSE post number 1566, the aforementioned
How to Avoid a Deformation of Character Claim

Presumably you mean 'defamation'?

Plushchris

vinnyph wrote: »

Another thing I found is that if you input one company as your present company and then find the 'best deal' the price comparison site suggests. That's great. Now try inputting that best deal as your present company with all the same usage and the site suggests a different company. How can this be. Both companies cannot be cheaper than each other but the price comparison site suggests this. Very odd quirk. Therefore can the price comparisons really be trusted for accuracy.

This is just not true.

Proove it

Plushchris

Ok, seeing as Vinny says UW look at usage for gas & electric seperately let me do the same..

For Seeboard region

Gas - Average usage of 20500Kwh a year

Standard tariffs that are cheaper than UW according to energyhelpline are


Southern Electric - Yearly spend of £735
E-on - £760
Scottish Power - £770
British gas - £774
EDF - £776
Npower - £791

UW "High user" tariff (their cheapest) £812

Now Electric

Seeboard region - 3300kwh a year

Scottish Power - £394
British Gas - £404
E-on - £409
Southern Electric - £411

UW - "Standard User" - £415

Npower - £426
EDF - £426

So UW were more expensive than the whole lot of the "Big 6" for gas and cheaper than two of the "Big 6" for Electric

Looking seperately the £22 a year club fee is taken into account on each comparison (as it should be if you were only taking one fuel) but even if you were with E-on for gas and Scottish Power for Electric they would still work out cheaper if you knock off the second £22

Plushchris

vinnyph wrote: »

Have you just proved it yourself. You need to try on a few price comparison sites. You can't have tried because you only had a few minutes and it takes a while to do. The reason it comes up with a different answer is that the current company price is worked out for a case without any extra discounts, and the new company is worked out for the case with discounts. It makes it seem like even more of a saving. Swap the companies and if the two are near each other the price will seem better with the new company. It just seems that there are two many tricks like this that I notice on the price comparison sites.
.

Same comparison as earlier,

Average usage with BG and EDF (regional supplier) gave me E-on Fixonline tariff as best deal if I put the same usage and put myself down as being on E-on Fixonline tariff then it says that is top of the list with no change, all other tariffs in red, saying they will cost more (this is on Energyhelpline, not tried the other sites yet)

Plushchris

Not sure how you are doing your maths there for a physicist or an engineer..

Doing it manually works out at 20500 x 0.03687 = £755.83

Plus the standing charge of 9.67p per day x 365 = £35.29

£755.83 + £35.29 = £791.12

So thats the same price as Npower and STILL more expensive than the other 5 even if you dont include the fee

So are you saying the prices are wrong on Energyhelpline? If so can you post the accurate prices?

1carminestocky

Is there to be a price decrease on gas, vinnyph? I was assuming they'd follow npower by just reducing their leccy charges. Interesting.

Plushchris

vinnyph wrote: »

The gas price will change from april 1st. New price is 3.341 exc vat and standing charge £2.80. so (3.341*20500=) £684.905 + (£2.80*12=) £33.60 =718.505 exc vat *1.05 (add vat at 5%)= £754.43.

The other companies price changes have been already updated on the price comparison sites so its only fair to update ours as well. Again its proof that the price comparison companies are not so diligent in updating UW prices. It doesn't really matter though because UW don't use price comparison sites.

Somebody better tell whoever is in charge of the UW website as their quote still says £791.12

Can you provide a link to the new prices?

1carminestocky

Plushchris wrote: »

Somebody better tell whoever is in charge of the UW website as their quote still says £791.12

Can you provide a link to the new prices?

The new prices are definitely not on their site, PC. The tariff rates I have quoted in my 'challenge' are the *current* (pre-decrease) rates. They don't change, apparently, until 1/4/09 so why would they quote them now? I'm suspecting vinnyph, being a distributor, will have received his new marketing literature?

Cardew

vinnyph wrote: »

The on-line only deals are just that, deals. Take BG click for instance since 2006 it has changed from click1, click2, click3, click4, click5, click6, websaver1, next is websaver2. Why is there not one BG click on-line deal. Check the rates and you will see that the superseded click versions will be much higher priced than the current version. Its because they are only temporary deals to entice people. It will not tell them that though on the price comparison site and lead people to believe they will always get that price. Once the company has them the price isn't as good a few months later. Doesn't seem so fair now does it.

OK so I have checked the rates:

The usual 3,300kWh electric, 20,500kWh gas - payment by DD

Firstly UW will cost £1,223.59

So let us consider people who went on to a BG internet tariff and stayed there and see what they would be paying now.

BG Click 1 = £1,139.84

BG Click 2 = £1,103.86

BG Click 3 = £1,103.86

BG Click 4 = £1,070.55

BG Click 5 = £1,095.32

BG Click 6 = £1,035.53

Websaver1 = £1,038.33

Websaver2 = £1,047.81


So you are completely incorrect when you state that "you will see that the superseded click versions will be much higher priced than the current version."

In fact 2 of the tariffs are actually cheaper than the current Websaver2 and all the others are less than £100 more expensive.

If you consider less than £100 to be "much more expensive" then UW being £175.78p more expensive than BG is 'even more expensive!!!!

The important point to note is that anyone who took any of the 'deals'(as you put it) and remained on that 'deal' will still be paying considerably less than UW.

Any sensible comments?