Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

lisyloo

after checking Martin's site (unless ofcourse i am overlooking the obvious) can find no mention of it.

Well you haven't looked very hard then because they are quite contentious.
Try the serach facility (and links provided).
I will try to summarise.

A few years ago they used to be quite cheap because they don't have the bills of big companies as they are run through a network of distributors.
They made claims that they were THE cheapest which got a lot of people's backs up because they were not the cheapest in EVERY area of the country for EVERY level of consumption.
The ASA have rules against them many times.
As a small company they had some issues when they were growing with customer service.
A while ago they were taken over by someone (Npwer I think) and have since been a lot less competitive.
They have some weird terms and conditions like a club memebership fee each month.
They give one bill and can be advantageous if you want to get lots of services from them as this is what they encourage and reward.

But for more infor you need to read the various threads.

I would also suggest you take a look at a company called EBICO.
They are a non profit making company that works on christian principles.
They seem to be competitve for a lot of people which I suspect is partly down to the fact that theya ren't run for profit.

NigeWick

STEVET wrote:

At lunchtime today i answered our front door to a man asking questions about our gas and electric supply. He knew that we left british gas about three years ago and ended our conversation satisfied that we seemed to be on the ball with regard to finding the cheapest supplier. However, he tipped me off about this great comparison site called 'utility warehouse'.

I am a Distributor with Telecom Plus/Utility Warehouse and I would not know how somebody would know that you left British Gas three years ago. Also, I would never call the company's web site a "comparison" one. I am also surprised that TPTB here have left the link.

As with virtually all companies, some people have had bad experiences and they are quite (rightly in my view) upset when they get poor service or do not benefit from the low prices they have been led to believe they will get. I have been with the company nearly six years now and have been happy with the service I have received compared to my previous supplier which was British Gas. No doubt somebody else will say that British Gas is wonderful.

My advice is to do some research and make your own mind up as to which company (or companies) will be best for what you personally want.

Nigel.

RossMill

I am thinking about using utilities warehouse to get my Gas and Electricity. And possibly to get my home phone and broadband to, broadband including all uk calls free and line rental is £27.99.

Does anyone know much about them - is it worth using them?

lisyloo

Loads of commentary available if you search the site.
Most of it negative I'm afraid.

Have you tried Ebico for gas? (and maybe electricity).
They are a non-profit making christian organisation and a lot of people have found then to be cheaper.
They are very cheap for gas.
Often they are cheaper for electricity unless you are a high user.

NigeWick

RossMill wrote:

is it worth using them?

I am a Distributor for them and believe that the decision is your choice. You need to check prices and see if the package of four services works out better value for you personally as you will be getting geographic phone calls in that deal. Don't forget though, that you will be paying the £1.76 membership fee every month on top of the cost of services. Where I live I am getting a reasonable deal by taking all the services. Others here will tell you that the prices can be beaten by mixing and matching. Prices do vary according to where you live.

As a customer, I have always had good service from the company but several here have had cause to complain, and, quite rightly not been happy. Large companies almost never get it right all of the time and we always hear about their drawbacks rather than when they have done a good job.

Nigel.

Quentin

With all respect, Nigel, are you saying the UW is a large company?

How are you measuring it, and what against?

The energyhelpline says this about it:

Utility Warehouse are a small relatively new supplier. They provide a basic service and are marketed via a network marketing model of sales agents who get a cut of your bill and encourage you to sell on Utility Warehouse to your friends for commission. Their tariffs are fairly complex....

hurrah

NigeWick wrote:

several here have had cause to complain.

Hardly several Nigel !

NigeWick

Quentin wrote:

are you saying the UW is a large company?

With the number of customers they have, yes I believe so.

Nigel.

Quentin

Well we consumers can really only go on what independent government bodies have to say on this matter of size.

But every cloud has a silver lining!

As far as utility warehouse's size (or lack of it) is concerned, it appears they are so small that the government's gas and electricity watchdog (energywatch) considers them too small for them to report on the complaints they receive about them!!

From the energyhelpline again (regarding utility warehouse):

.................their standard of service is something of an unknown quantity (energywatch reports do not contain figures on their complaint levels, etc as they are a small supplier).

NigeWick

Quentin wrote:

every cloud has a silver lining!

:beer: I'll drink to that!

Nigel.