Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

1carminestocky

SwanJon wrote: »

Came on this evening and though not mmuch had been happening as the pages hadn't gone up much. Then I noticed this

Also a rather impressive 'thanked in more posts than made' scenario:
vinnyph
MoneySaving Newbie
Join Date: Mar 2009
Post Count: 17
Thanked 21 Times in 18 Posts

Anyway, the SwanJon pendulum swings..

Looks like we are circling the drain still

• UW are more expensive than most other energy tariffs (pending updates on switching sites - 50ish out of 60)
• Making UW cheaper than many (all?) energy tariffs is totally reliant on using the cashback card
• Other cashback cards are available, just not linked to an energy supplier
• So it comes down to how you want to run it - one bill for all, including the cashback card, or different (possibly online) bills for different services, and the cashback card

Anyone from either side disagree with the above?

I have asked several times for details of these 'other' cashback cards that replicate UW's and none forthcoming so far. I *believe* the card Quentin is alluding to makes you buy vouchers on its card to use in-store? Maybe the fact it's primarily slanted at pregnant women has made him (or is Quentin actually a she?? :eek: ) rather reluctant to give more than pefunctory details. :rotfl:

Maybe it's like him never giving details of his energy supplier as he's boxed himself into a corner with his comments on UW and the ASA etc etc and is genuinely frightened to have his 'choice' picked over in the same way. I'm not a psychiatrist so can't really give any more reasons for his actions on here. Perhaps even more importantly, I also did ask if anyone was actually practicing this method, i.e. using a cashback card to save 5% on their shopping whilst at the same time paying the absolute cheapest price for their gas and electric. Silence.

We also have one poster sneeringly giving out money saving 'advice' in this thread who happily admits to paying circa £15 per month more for his phone line/BB/calls package than I would pay for my very similar (in some ways far superior) UW package included in my facts and figures so care really should be taken taking money saving advice on here, lol. Incidentally, that's £180 MORE per year just on phone/BB. Signing up to the very cheapest online tariff wouldn't save me that amount!! Beggars belief, really. There's really only one person on here coming up with real costed scenarios including facts and figures from what I can see. Which, to me, says it all, really....

jimexbox

1carminestocky wrote: »

Each to their own but I generally like to be armed with the real facts before making allegations (even implied ones). Makes life much less embarrassing....

For one so fastidious on pulling other on their mistakes, may I point out I accused no one of anything, or even implied anything. I said part of the martini presentation 'resembled' a pyramid scheme, I then asked for other to comment on this. Is this not a forum where folk actually do this. Or is the UW thread somehow special?

Why should I feel embarrassed? You really should read my posts before passing judgement on someone who you have never met, and are basing an opinion on a post you never really read correctly.

The incentive scheme ran by UW may well be legal, no problem there. Though personally Im a little old school, you know when you get paid for the work you do, not off the backs of others. So ethically I do have issues, but Im sure there are plenty UW distributor with different ethics than myself.

1carminestocky

jimexbox wrote: »

For one so fastidious on pulling other on their mistakes, may I point out I accused no one of anything, or even implied anything. I said part of the martini presentation 'resembled' a pyramid scheme, I then asked for other to comment on this. Is this not a forum where folk actually do this. Or is the UW thread somehow special?

Why should I feel embarrassed? You really should read my posts before passing judgement on someone who you have never met, and are basing an opinion on a post you never really read correctly.

The incentive scheme ran by UW may well be legal, no problem there. Though personally Im a little old school, you know when you get paid for the work you do, not off the backs of others. So ethically I do have issues, but Im sure there are plenty UW distributor with different ethics than myself.

With respect, jimexbox, if you don't know what a pyramid scheme actually IS (as evidenced by your 'definition' last night when I challenged you) then how can you accuse any scheme of even 'resembling' one? It doesn't really make any sense whatsoever. It's like me saying someone I know resembles someone I've never met or seen in a photo etc.

And I'm assuming the person who owns your place of employment is very much 'making money off your back', or why would he/she employ you? If you feel that strongly about your old school values, surely you should hand your notice in and work for a worker's co-operative? Or maybe you do?

Quentin

Choc wrote: »

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

You seem to be trying to tell us that the worthless "guarantee" requires some sort of compliance??

Questions raised over how the "guarantee" works, how do you claim against it and what you mean by guaranteeing to compete have gone ignored by all the reps who come here for months/years.

Now (thanks to your HO director) we know it is nothing but a "cynical sales tool".

Have a look at him going on about it here:

http://www.networkerplus.co.uk/videos/triple-value-guarantee-wayne-coupland.html

Why continue to insult our intelligence by saying the guarantee requires "compliance".

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Choc, when you say "They do actually state....." (rather than "We do actually state"), you seem to be distancing yourself.

Uw reps break the rules by not declaring their interest when posting, and as you don't now declare any interest in your post, have you handed back your DVDs, martini presentation training manuals etc and left them?

jimexbox

1carminestocky wrote: »

With respect, jimexbox, if you don't know what a pyramid scheme actually IS (as evidenced by your 'definition' last night when I challenged you) then how can you accuse any scheme of even 'resembling' one? It doesn't really make any sense whatsoever. It's like me saying someone I know resembles someone I've never met or seen in a photo etc.

And I'm assuming the person who owns your place of employment is very much 'making money off your back', or why would he/she employ you? If you feel that strongly about your old school values, surely you should hand your notice in and work for a worker's co-operative? Or maybe you do?

Cambridge dictionary...

accuse
verb [T]
to say that someone has done something morally wrong, illegal or unkind

resemble
verb [T]
to look like or be like someone or something

Notice the two different words have two different meanings.

Yes, I am employed and I get payed for the work I do. Im sell my knowledge and labour to the highest bidder, the employer who pays the most. I do not get paid extra for the work of folk I recruit or whom Im in charge of.

ColinAllCars

1. Makes you wonder how Quentin is accessing this material.

"NetworkerPlus is for the benefit of Utility Warehouse Independent Distributors. All content within this site is subject to copyright - access to which is only available to registered members."

and why does he break the site rules by publishing links which lead to a distributors site.

2. Should any hints of poll rigging or Pyramid Selling by some members be allowed either ,as the original post in this long thread does say.

"iii. There are to be no abusive comments, accusations of fraud."


UW Distributor.

Cardew

Well for the last couple of weeks we have been told that UW will be reducing their prices today.

I have not seen any triumphant announcements anywhere - including this thread - of percentage price reductions for gas and electricity.

Earlier I posted this:

I put in the usual 3.300kWh/20,500kWh for gas/electricity in my area.

It came up with 60 tariffs.

UW were in 52nd, 53rd and 58th position out of the 60.

There was 1 big 6 tariff slightly more expensive than UW in 55th position, BG Zero carbon.

Well I have just done the same exercise and - wait for it - UW are now 50th, 51st and 58th out of 60 tariffs. So their best tariff has jumped up 2 places from 52nd to 50th with a reduction of approx 2%.

So come along UW reps, have you an announcement of percentage reductions by UW to make? Not too embarrassing is it?

Or have you been given instructions from Head office in how to present the 'massive' price cuts?

P.S.
According to the comparison website UW's cheapest tariff is still more than BG Standard tariff.

Cardew

Mike_by_the_Sea wrote: »

3, As regards aspects which will be used to "whip" us distributors, like the Gas and Electricity quotes, they were relevant at the time the presentation was originally available and are now out of date. As is the wording of the TVG which had to change once T+ transferred the responsibility for gas and electricity to NPower after having made substantial losses on those products when they did offer to be cheaper than the "big 6" direct debit comparisons.

I hope that helps

Mike

Mike,
Thanks for this, nice to get a straightforward answer.

However(and there had to be one;) ) it is an admission that UW do not compete on price, and when you tried you made a loss.

I don't suppose you are prepared to give an overall percentage figure for UW's price cuts?

May I ask a question please, have you been instructed/advised not to give this information in terms of percentage reduction?

A contact told me it was indeed 2%.

1carminestocky

Just been thinking about this - wouldn't it be great if the switching sites could show the annual figure based on the projected spend on the UW cashback card. AFAIK none of the 'other' energy suppliers give such a potentially lucrative added value to their tariffs. I note that the switching sites frequently make reference to 'additional' advantages of signing with a supplier, for instance clubcard points, Argos vouchers, nectar points, the chance to get vouchers if you reduce your previous year's bill by a certain amount blah blah blah. Why no mention of the one thing that has the potential to make UW THE CHEAPEST BY FAR? Could it be due to them receiving NO COMMISSION??

If they were to do this, for me, UW would be approx £270 per year cheaper than any other tariff (including online). Now if just paper tariffs were to be compared, UW would come out top again, and this time be approx £330 cheaper. Makes you think, doesn't it? The anti-mob on here just shouldn't consider themselves money savers in the true sense of the word..should they? Because they are paying FAR TOO MUCH for their utilities.

jimexbox

ColinAllCars wrote: »

1. Makes you wonder how Quentin is accessing this material.

"NetworkerPlus is for the benefit of Utility Warehouse Independent Distributors. All content within this site is subject to copyright - access to which is only available to registered members."

and why does he break the site rules by publishing links which lead to a distributors site.

2. Should any hints of poll rigging or Pyramid Selling by some members be allowed either ,as the original post in this long thread does say.

"iii. There are to be no abusive comments, accusations of fraud."


UW Distributor.

I think we've established that UW do not operate a pyramid selling scheme, what they do operate is a 'trading scheme', whereby a UW distributor who recruites another distributor, is entitled to a percentage of their income in perpetuity. Obviously this is used as an incentive to recruit more UW distributors. This may go some way to explain why there are so many, 26,000+ I believe.