Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

Plushchris

1carminestocky wrote: »

Check again tomorrow.

I will!

When did BG put their prices down?

1carminestocky

Plushchris wrote: »

I will!

When did BG put their prices down?

19/2/09...

Plushchris

1carminestocky wrote: »

19/2/09...

So how can the people that have been on UW since then claim on the guarentee that says they will be cheaper than BG's standard prices?

1carminestocky

Plushchris wrote: »

So how can the people that have been on UW since then claim on the guarentee that says they will be cheaper than BG's standard prices?

Not a distributor so don't know the ins and outs of it but I do know UW tend to be the last supplier to change their tariffs. Of course, this time it looks bad because prices are on their way down but the last few years trends have been very much upwards. Works both ways, I suppose....

Cardew

Plushchris wrote: »

So how can the people that have been on UW since then claim on the guarentee that says they will be cheaper than BG's standard prices?

They have a disclaimer on the UW website that says that Guarantee doesn't apply all the time - see post #1724.

Plushchris

I wonder how long it will be until I get a reply from a UW rep as to what the term "Standard tariff" refers to?

And what are companies "Cheapest" standard tariffs, when as far as I was aware, the big 6 only had one standard tariff each?

vinnyph

Cardew wrote: »

No I most certainly am not telling him what he needs. I would be absolutely delighted if he becomes a UW customer and hopefully a distributer - he would be a most valuable colleague for some of the posters in this thread.

If Penryn's figures are correct that his gas and electricity alone would cost £196 pa more by getting them from UW rather than EDF, he would make that saving off his annual outlay.

Therefore by getting phone and broadband from UW he still will have his card and the discount from spending £6000 in Sainsburys etc.

So he is already £196 a year better off.

Now should he be able to get either phone or broadband cheaper than UW there will be still further savings to be made off his annual savings and he will still have his beloved card.

Carmine, I simply can't resist the temptation! I am going to take you off my ignore list so I can read your response.

Please try to just respond to that point above and no personal attacks. We really can be friends you know;)

Yorkshire region 6000 elec, 15000 gas at new prices would be £1248 with UW, the old rates would give £1295

There are other savings by taking the package though. broadcall and gas and electricity would be 4 services so by taking 4 service get free calls 24/7 not just at weekend. That's worth £5 a month or more or £60 a year, an extra discount. So the amount paid not including cashback card would be £1248 - £60 = £1188. So would only have to save £88 with the cashback card if edf online 6 is £1099 as the site suggests.

However I noticed that edf online 4 is £76 more than edf online 6 so the saving would be reduced over time as what happens with all the on-line deals. The company hopes people don't notice that. Still have to keep swapping company. The saving is not there every year. Next year edf online 6 will be more than edf online 7. So it seems that next year that edf online 6 tariff saving will be lessened. So next year if you take the case with edf online 4, if someone had swapped to edf online 4 last year then the saving on the bill would be only £12 this year. A lot less than the price comparison site takes into account with the other discounts as well. edf online 6 will change just as all the other online rates before it.

This is the comparison without taking the cashback card into account. Its easy to save £12 on the cashback card. With £6000 spend on cashback card someone can save an extra £284 a year.

Even taking edf online 6 into account you only have to save £88 a year on cashback card. That's pretty easy.

You do get a quality of service and the ability to speak to an experienced customer support team based in this country as well without having to resort to communication by email or online. 24mbps broadband/40gbps with 24/7 free geographic calls thrown in as well, together with free calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers. There are other benefits as well. Depends if you want a high quality service from a single company for overall good value or a service that's questionable because you have to keep swapping companies and communicate online for good value. That's up to people to decide.

The online deals get people to change but don't tell the whole story. It's a headline rate. You get a good rate for a few months but then you have to keep swapping. If people choose to use the cashback card in normal usage its possible to beat the online deals overall even in the first year anyway.

Whichever way someone looks at it UW provide a quality service at a good value price. Its a company worth staying with. edf seem to have a better track record for service than most of the other companies though. They are a foreign owned company though. Do we really want our energy companies owned elsewhere. It means we have less control over what will happen to our prices and companies it the future.

I am taking the whole package into consideration, but thats exactly what people do. I don't have any energy only customers at present. I have one customer who has energy and mobile with UW. Thats only because he has been locked into contract with virgin on his television/ cable broadband/telephone package until may. He pays £54 a month for. He thinks their service is poort. He wants to take the whole package with UW and use freeview for his tv. He already has the cashback card as well.

Edit
There are some people who do a lot of daytime calling who would stand to benefit more from 24/7 free geographic calls. I have based the £5 for anytime free calls saving on for instance sky where they charge an extra £5 for that. Talktalk would be £17 + £4 + £4 to get free calls with 24mbps because you need 2 top ups, thats £25. Just by taking 4 services you get the free calls with UW, that's where the £60 saving comes from.

Cardew

Plushchris wrote: »

I wonder how long it will be until I get a reply from a UW rep as to what the term "Standard tariff" refers to?

And what are companies "Cheapest" standard tariffs, when as far as I was aware, the big 6 only had one standard tariff each?

Indeed,

Even worse is this quote

Gas and Electricity

You’ll be amazed at how much you could save compared with the cheapest direct debit tariffs available from our competitors.

see post#1781

Choc

They do actually state that they will be the last to increase or decrease prices to comply with the triple price promise.

1carminestocky

vinnyph wrote: »

Y

orkshire region 6000 elec, 15000 gas at new prices would be £1248 with UW, the old rates would give £1295

Interesting, thanks for that, vinnyph. So now the cashback spend requirement to match that 'best buy' online price reduces to £3,350 from £4250 (taking into account card fees). £64.42 per week. Hmmm.

A question: If there were two companies offering gas and electric at the same price and one was a internet-only, paperless billing tariff and the other one sent you 12 monthly paper bills (whilst also allowing you to check your account online)...which would you choose?