Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

NigeWick

Gerrard_8_lfc wrote: »

the gas and electricity is uncompetitive but to get the best deal you need all services which can save people money.

I have previously shown that by my use of the pre payment card I can pay less for just my gas and electricity than with any other company. That was before a 2%ish reduction in those same prices. Some people can actually find Utility Warehouse to be the best deal in their own circumstances without the pre payment card.

I take all their services apart from a freephone number and they are best value for me. If they can work out best for me, then I am sure they can be the cheapest for others too.

Carmine demonstrated that Utility Warehouse are best for him in his circumstances at this time. I am sure that if he finds a better deal, he will swap.

Cardew admits that by judicious use of the pre payment card it is possible to save money. He just objects to the way the services are sold. Having said that, new distributors are now required to receive training before they are allowed to offer the services to the public. Quentin keeps trying to tell me how to live my life and can not accept that I am happy as I am, shopping at Sainsbury's, Argos & etc, and, saving money because of my personal habits. He too whinges about the sales methods employed by some distributors, I presume forgetting that virtually all sales staff in any line of business receive training in persuasion and sales techniques.

I readily accept that Utility Warehouse is not for everybody, but, the company can work out best value for many. Some people here refuse to accept personal choice of others as an option.

As an aside, any idea what percentage of British Gas customers are on your company's highest tariffs?


I am an independent distributor with Utility Warehouse and any views expressed here are my own and may not be shared by the company.

NigeWick

jimexbox wrote: »

Any discount that you may in future accrue with you discount card is totally dependent on usage, how can a switching site factor in a future possible discount?

The same way they use "average use" to come up with their comparisons now.

1carminestocky

jimexbox wrote: »

Any discount that you may in future accrue with you discount card is totally dependent on usage, how can a switching site factor in a future possible discount? MSE recommend energyhelpline, as far as I can tell give a very reputable site, which is as fair as any other. Like it or not UW who simply resell another companies product, therefore adding another layer that skims off a profit, who offer some the most expensive tariffs, up there with 'green' woolly jumper feel better tariffs.

The switching sites lists IMO far less 'important' incentives like Tesco clubcard points (one tariff pays 1 Tesco point per £2 spent. Woopdeedoo :rolleyes:), others list old person's thermometers :rolleyes: etc). With regard to npower and Atlantic they show the price you will EVENTUALLY have paid as long as you stay with them for at least 12 months and don't miss one payment etc!! Very presumptious. Fact is, if you take up the G&E with UW then it qualifies you for a very very competitive phone line/BB/calls package. Not one mention of that. And, well, why not at least a mention for the cashback card? For households like ours it's the one massive part of the equation that makes them unbeatable. So why no mention? Could it be due to them receiving no financial incentive to do so? Of course it is.

jimexbox

NigeWick wrote: »

The same way they use "average use" to come up with their comparisons now.

Ive always entered actual consumption, which should give you accurate results. Anyone who uses an average consumption to predict their bill is an idiot.

1carminestocky

NigeWick wrote: »

I have previously shown that by my use of the pre payment card I can pay less for just my gas and electricity than with any other company. That was before a 2%ish reduction in those same prices. Some people can actually find Utility Warehouse to be the best deal in their own circumstances without the pre payment card.

I take all their services apart from a freephone number and they are best value for me. If they can work out best for me, then I am sure they can be the cheapest for others too.

Carmine demonstrated that Utility Warehouse are best for him in his circumstances at this time. I am sure that if he finds a better deal, he will swap.

Cardew admits that by judicious use of the pre payment card it is possible to save money. He just objects to the way the services are sold. Having said that, new distributors are now required to receive training before they are allowed to offer the services to the public. Quentin keeps trying to tell me how to live my life and can not accept that I am happy as I am, shopping at Sainsbury's, Argos & etc, and, saving money because of my personal habits. He too whinges about the sales methods employed by some distributors, I presume forgetting that virtually all sales staff in any line of business receive training in persuasion and sales techniques.

I readily accept that Utility Warehouse is not for everybody, but, the company can work out best value for many. Some people here refuse to accept personal choice of others as an option.

As an aside, any idea what percentage of British Gas customers are on your company's highest tariffs?


I am an independent distributor with Utility Warehouse and any views expressed here are my own and may not be shared by the company.

Funnily enough, Cardew could actually join the 100 or so negative bill-receivers if he signed up for UW for his little-used annexe and used the cash back card.

1carminestocky

jimexbox wrote: »

Ive always entered actual consumption, which should give you accurate results. Anyone who uses an average consumption to predict their bill is an idiot.

But average use is always the thing that the Big 6 base their 'headline savings' figures on (in the small print).

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/

Switch suppliers and save £109 on gas and electricity prices with WebSaver 3

I would imagine EDF may have summat to say about that particular claim.

NigeWick

1carminestocky wrote: »

Funnily enough, Cardew could actually join the 100 or so negative bill-receivers if he signed up for UW for his little-used annexe and used the cash back card.

Nah. He stated he shops at Harrods and they are not with the card at this time.

Quentin

NigeWick wrote: »

He too whinges about the sales methods employed by some distributors.....

The "sales methods" complained about include telling lies, evidenced by the videos and scripts we have seen that are used by reps, not to mention selecting where to park your car and pretending the owners of the cars next to you need rewarding (with a uw sales mesage) for parking considerately. Or pretending to be lost and thanking strangers for giving you directions by giving then uw sales info.

And not to mention phoning your friends and pretending to have a problem at work that they can help you out with some practice, when all you really want to do is sign them up for multiple utilities ("cos that's what the top distributors do"):

http://www.networkerplus.co.uk/videos/practice-appointment-shannon-griffin.html

SwanJon

NigeWick wrote: »

Having said that, new distributors are now required to receive training before they are allowed to offer the services to the public. ...He too whinges about the sales methods employed by some distributors, I presume forgetting that virtually all sales staff in any line of business receive training in persuasion and sales techniques.

Nige, how recent is this training? No-one responded way back when I asked what training or accreditation IDs received, and recently we have come across this 'new' training.
Is there anything planned to sweeep up all the untrained/unaccredited IDs?
Why was UW happy to have untrained/unaccredited IDs selling its products?
I recognise that all suppliers have bad apples in their sales teams as pointed out by vinny, but to assume that Joe Bloggs will be able to stick within the guideleines with no training seems... naïve.

vinnyph

Quentin, I think if you took time to actually calculate the UW prices based on what the customer pays rather than simply making accusations against UW then you would see that the price comparison site quotes involving UW are not accurate.

They do not take into account the profiling onto low, standard and high user tariff for gas and electricity separately but instead combine gas and electricity onto a low, standard and high user dual fuel tariff. UW finds the best profile separately for gas and electricity. A high gas, low electricity user would be miss quoted as a standard duel fuel user on the price comparison sites.

They also count the membership fee twice.

In the past the prices quoted by the price comparison sites for UW have been proved to be completely inaccurate and that has been proven on the Advertising Standards Agency site. The video you mention pertains to that time. Since the complaints the sites have been giving more accurate prices but the quotes they give profile people onto the wrong tariff because it combines the gas and electricity together and count the membership fee twice as mentioned above.

As carmine also mentions the price comparison sites do not include the discounts by taking the UW package and also the cashback card. So in effect it isn't a good and fair comparison. Seeing as the vast majority of people take the package instead of just energy like the big 6 only provide.

Now your post shows your continued steadfast refusal to accept this. You also do not accept that people are quite happy with UW and realise they get the best deal for them especially in the long term.

It seems your argument against UW is based on selective information. You infer something without taking the whole picture into account or even basing it on truth as a way to try to lure people away from UW with vitreous assaults. Still not seen anything proven by one of your attacks yet you still portray it as fact. You go at it with bias and then try to desperately find something to support your bias.