Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

1carminestocky

Is it really sensible for a British Gas employee to be suggesting, on a public forum, a rival energy company are 'at it'? And can you categorically state that the HomeCare product you derive commission from selling to the public is the cheapest of its type on the market?

Gerrard_8_lfc

1carminestocky wrote: »

can you categorically state that the HomeCare product you derive commission from selling to the public is the cheapest of its type on the market?

It really depends what you are looking for e.g. unlimited call outs parts and labour.

1carminestocky wrote: »

Is it really sensible for a British Gas employee to be suggesting, on a public forum a rival energy company are 'at it'?

I work for British Gas my thoughts and view are not shared with the company.

1carminestocky

Gerrard_8_lfc wrote: »

It really depends what you are looking for e.g. unlimited call outs parts and labour.

:rolleyes:Hmmm...not really a straight answer, is it? Not easy, is it? Say I rang up and asked for a quote for a product you KNEW was cheaper elsewhere - would you direct me there?

I work for British Gas my thoughts and view are not shared with the company.

Perhaps you should place this disclaimer in your sig? For your protection as much as anyone's.

Gerrard_8_lfc

1carminestocky wrote: »

:rolleyes:Hmmm...not really a straight answer, is it? Not easy, is it? Say I rang up and asked for a quote for a product you KNEW was cheaper elsewhere - would you direct me there?

Honestly it would depend on what you were looking for Insurance will Always be cheaper that Care.

So when you compare a product it varys on terms and condidtion e.g. If you said to me I want cover I can fall back on and use anytime the best quote for a full homecare package.

If you wanted something a little cheaper you would be offered homecare flexi which offers a cheaper monthly cover with a fixed excess but the same T&Cs as the full package

The point you want to know if you were looking for emergency cover I would advise that at the current moment we dont offer anything in that price range.

Emergency cover being the cheapest option with most companys.

:beer: Hope that helps carmine :rolleyes:

1carminestocky

Gerrard_8_lfc wrote: »

Honestly it would depend on what you were looking for Insurance will Always be cheaper that Care.

So when you compare a product it varys on terms and condidtion e.g. If you said to me I want cover I can fall back on and use anytime the best quote for a full homecare package.

If you wanted something a little cheaper you would be offered homecare flexi which offers a cheaper monthly cover with a fixed excess but the same T&Cs as the full package

The point you want to know if you were looking for emergency cover I would advise that at the current moment we dont offer anything in that price range.

Emergency cover being the cheapest option with most companys.

:beer: Hope that helps carmine :rolleyes:

Are you saying if a punter rang and asked about your boiler insurance cover you would advise them that it's not competitive? And do you believe British Gas Homecare prices are generally very good value for money? In fact, the cheapest of their kind on the market?

What I'm really getting is I'm suggesting you make your living from selling very expensive products. Not actually my definition, I have 2 'independent' reviews - one from our very own Cardew and the other from the slightly more well-known Which?

Russe11

I'm bottom of a sales/marketing organisation, i'm fully aware of it being a pyramid structure. Everyone makes money of the back of the leads I create, this is explained to me though.

NigeWick

Russe11 wrote: »

I'm only talking about being a "distributor", why do the distributors never have any negatives?

What do the distributors do when they get a disatisfied "customer" they referred?

The two largest negatives are that one has to work to earn a decent wage (just like a regular job) and it can take a while to get to that point. Some people take rejection as personal sleight, when it is usually just the goods or services that are not required. This makes them feel bad and many quit because of it. Also, one has to pay for promotional material and that is renewed fairly frequently as prices go up and down, and, new ideas (like the pre payment card) are brought in. £200 to start a business is not a lot, but, it seems that most people think a business can be started for nothing or borrow start up costs from a bank.

If ask my customers to contact me if they do not get results from customer services. So far I have only had a couple and by sending messages to the company, I was able to get them sorted to their satisfaction. We get paid a small percentage of their usage for as long as customers stay with the company. Therefore it is just plain common sense to make sure they are happy.

I am an Independent Distributor with Utility Warehouse and any opinions expressed here are my own and may not be shared by the company.

NigeWick

Cardew wrote: »

UW's success is founded of some 26,000 UW distributers selling gas and electricity to friends and family at uncompetitive rates.

If that were actually true, there would not be as many customers. Also, it has been shown that some people can save money by getting their utilities from Utility Warehouse.

NigeWick

Gerrard_8_lfc wrote: »

You know yourself UW for Gas and Elec is very uncompetitive unless.... You take every service they offer.

Incorrect. I could pay less just for my electricity and gas because I use the pre payment card.

As a British Gas person, can you explain why you have many different tariffs, like standard, future energy, zero carbon, web saver 2, web saver 3 or whatever?

chrisclipson

Russe11 wrote: »

I'm bottom of a sales/marketing organisation, i'm fully aware of it being a pyramid structure. Everyone makes money of the back of the leads I create, this is explained to me though.

That's not the sort of pyramid that UW appears to be - your sort of pyramid is just the usual one where the people who do all the work get the least reward - that's called capitalism!

On UW's marketing material to potential 'distributors' (by which they mean salespeople, except that you have to pay them for the privilege) is printed a disclaimer which points out that it is illegal to charge money to join a service on the basis that the joinee will make a profit by getting others to join. Now that to me, as a disinterested observer who has been approached by a 'friend' to join UW, is exactly what UW are doing. It's the same pyramid selling scheme as Amway, which sailed so close to the wind it had to go to court to argue its legality.

And if you have the energy to read this whole thread, it's easy to see who the UW salesmen are - they're the ones using the type of classic paranoid language that religions use when they are under attack, as they are trained to do; their whole sales pitch is about 'believing in the company' and trying to make out that the people who fall for it are actually cleverer than the rest of us.