Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

keggs

1carminestocky wrote: »

This is what gets me about energy companies and their myriad of tariffs designed to confuse. I've had my 'sorry you're leaving' letter from Scottish Power. In it are all these super duper tariffs I'm sure the majority of their customers wouldn't know anything about even if the bit them on the derriere.

Let's say I was one of those punters who had been on their standard rate for donkeys years before I 'saw the light' and switched away. Why didn't they tell me about these much cheaper tariffs whilst I WAS a customer and obviously paying over the odds? It's all very very dodgy IMO.

But, of course, this is the company that Quentin often 'pushes' in his Quidco-exclusive cash back threads

Not joining again but felt a couple of things needed to be said just to reinforce. Just to remind Quentin of what I said - I would make comment if I felt I need to. Othersise I won't discuss. So I have no intention of replying to you Quentin if you choose to denigrate me again. Your recent posts show that you are getting more and more desperate to regain any credibilty. Avenger's post has destroyed once and for all any credibility you did have. Like another of the AUWF your posts are now just full of rubbish.

Anyway just wanted to say:

1. I was contacted recently by a local businesswoman (Quentin note - I was contacted - I didn't harrass, bully, tell lies just to meet up with her). She had just come out of her contract with a well known company. Her energy had tripled. When she contacted them they offered a small drop. Joining UW could have saved over £600 per year. She obviously told the Big 6 company who all of a sudden offered her something better provided she sign another 18 month contract. She apologised to me for messing me about which is fine. I wish her well. But isn't it strange that all of a sudden when threatened with losing a loyal customer (she'd been with them 10 years) they can better what was by any stretch of the imagination an enormous saving for just a small hairdressers (men's barbers in fact). And people here accuse UW and their IDs of underhand tactics.

2. My son's friend has just joined an energy company as a saleman before he goes off to Uni in October. He was sent out almost immediately door knocking. Apparently he was so frightened the first time he couldn't speak! He went yesterday for a day's all expences training I believe. How much training do you need just to sell energy. What tricks will he be taught. The training that UW gives is not about traditional selling - it's about simply talking to people and RECOMMENDING TO SOMEONE ELSE something that the ID uses. In case you hadn't noticed the word I used here was RECOMMEND. In just the same way I would recommend something to my friend, neighbour and anyone else who wants the information. That's the big difference. Yes, it is about talking to friends and family. So what? I take that the AUWF don't have anything to do with their family or if they do don't talk about anything or even recommend anything. Of course we get paid for recommendations. So what. I've paid people I know for doing jobs. Someone cleared my gutters last wee. He did a good job so I will RECOMMEND him.

The training UW gives is there to help - not turn people into super dooper sales people. And to suggest otherwise shows how little people here understand or should I say want understand. As Nigewick has said people choose what suits their circumstances. If his or mine or Carmine's or anyone recommends something to someone else and they feel it benefits them then there is no problem. It's their choice. People don't really have a choice with a BIg 6 salesman. My friend's job is simply - go out and use as much tactics as you can get away with to sign up a customer. Unless you you don't get paid. Contrast that with UW. Joining is voluntary. They can choose to recommend the services or not. If they decide to do so (if they don't why join in the first place) then they have to go on training.

Steve
UW customer & business partner and proud of it

Quentin

keggs wrote: »

Not joining again but felt a couple of things needed to be said just to reinforce. Just to remind Quentin of what I said - I would make comment if I felt I need to.

Thanks for the reminder, but why you giving me a special reminder?

Your posts are peppered with your assertions that you won't be back, but happily you do keep coming back and reinforcing the issues for us with your contributions.

eg:

keggs wrote:

To save embarrassing myself or the utility warehouse itself any more I won't continue using this forum.

keggs wrote:

I have decided not to get involved in this forum anymore (and I intend to keep that promise to myself)

SwanJon

vinnyph wrote: »

With respect are you not just making an unguided attack without knowing the facts. Surmising as to how UW operates is not a credible basis for a valid attack. You don't even know what the training is like.

What like you later in your same post. Vinny, you never really had a lot of credibility (for me anyway), and you're losing what little you had.

vinnyph wrote: »

To get the £200 signing fee back someone needs 12 customers over 90 days. that's less than one customer a week. They don't have to achieve that either.

No, they don't have to achive that, only if they want their money back. Personally, I don't have £200 to donate to UW.

vinnyph wrote: »

They do it at the same time as a normal job.
A door to door energy salesman .. 234 customers in 90 days.

So, IDs have a full time job, sleep, eat, travel to and from work, maybe children and other commitments, and need to get 1 sale in amongst all this and you've decided that full time energy salesmen need 18 a week and how many days they work, (source please?), but don't have another full time job. I honestly don't see much difference.

vinnyph wrote: »

being trained by their supervisor who started the week before

Honestly, you want to start this, remembering you are in MLM?

keggs wrote: »

1. I was contacted recently by a local businesswoman

Keggs, you are not helping yourself, or UW. We're not talking about business tariffs here. Bait and switch?

keggs

What are you implying Swanjon by that last comment? This site is all about tariffs here so we are ledcto believe. Are business people suddenly excluded.

In any case my comment wasn't about business tariffs. I used that as an example of what your glorious Big 6 actually do so as not to lose a customer. As Carmine pointed out if these great companies can offer what they do offer when confronted with a situation like losing a customer then why couldn't they have done it well before now. They don't because they are duping people. People like you aregue that UW prices are high. They may be for some. They are not for others. It's up to the individual to decide. They have a choice. They know exactly what they will get from UW. If they don't like it - fine. No pressure. ALL members of the club and that's what we offer get treated exactly the same. No bait as you seem to imply. Don't tell me that you can'tr negotiate with your unsuspecting prospects because I won't believe it. What's the point of a day's all expense paid training if it isn't to sign people up using whatever tactics you can.

As you have never ever been on any UW training your own credibility is on the line never mind atatcking Vinnyps.

Steve UW Distributor and Happy Customer (note Quentin - HAPPY CUSTOMER in case you don't understand English)

Steve

vinnyph

SwanJon wrote: »

What like you later in your same post. Vinny, you never really had a lot of credibility (for me anyway), and you're losing what little you had.

No, they don't have to achive that, only if they want their money back. Personally, I don't have £200 to donate to UW.


So, IDs have a full time job, sleep, eat, travel to and from work, maybe children and other commitments, and need to get 1 sale in amongst all this and you've decided that full time energy salesmen need 18 a week and how many days they work, (source please?), but don't have another full time job. I honestly don't see much difference.


Honestly, you want to start this, remembering you are in MLM?

Keggs, you are not helping yourself, or UW. We're not talking about business tariffs here. Bait and switch?

Even if they didn't get 12 in 90 days to get the £200 bonus, the person can still earn it back over time with the other forms of income. 1 customer a month is all they need to make it worthwhile. It's a few year plan afterall. But its up to the person themselves as to how quickly they want to make money. I certainly put no pressure on distributors but help them to go as far as they want to go. Personally when I first started I got an average of 25 a month for the first 6 months at the same time as a normal job all based from referral from friends so it can be done.

Those sales targets of 3 a day are with direct marketing company arcedia direct ltd that does scottish power. It copies the direct marketing company cobra in its methods and structure. Have you ever actually been involved with the sales side of british gas swanjon. Someone I know who worked for British Gas as a door to door salesman until he had enough told me that he used to get 2 a day but was under constant pressure to get more by his manager. Speaking to people who are at arcedia direct, most do not achieve the 3 a day figures and leave within a few weeks. There are a few who stay for a few months but not many. They continuously recruit new people. The few who make the grade end up as a manager. Who would want to go knocking doors for years anyway.

I get the feeling you don't like my answer. I am surprised. You surmise how UW operate and ask questions leading to what your theory is. When the answer comes back you don't like it when its not in agreement with what you think it is. Are you going to suggest now I don't know what I am talking about.

SwanJon

keggs wrote: »

In any case my comment wasn't about business tariffs.

Not helping yourself at all keggs:

keggs wrote: »

an enormous saving for just a small hairdressers (men's barbers in fact).

I assume this men's barbers is a business, so it must have been about business tariffs.

keggs wrote: »

Don't tell me that you can'tr negotiate with your unsuspecting prospects because I won't believe it.

Domestitc tariffs are non-negotiable (at least with BG - any UW ID willing to back Keggs up on this?). There may be different tariffs (Low, medium high user for example), but you cannot negotiate outside these. I know that this is not the case with businesses, but don't know the details as I don't deal with them. Now, I'm sure you dind't sign a SME up as a domestic suply coz that would be naughty, and you don't do things like that...

keggs wrote: »

What's the point of a day's all expense paid training if it isn't to sign people up using whatever tactics you can.

I predict you are going to regret saying that...

Bait and switch - normally used to describe the process of offering for sale something that looks good, but when the customer enquires that one isn't available, but here is a similar offer (usually not as good). I've used this phrase to describe 'misunderstanding' a point to win an argument, I know it doesn't quite match, but I'm hoping it'll catch on.

Perelandra

Does anyone know if the JS cashback card records your purchases information ongoing for marketing/shopping patterns analysis? I don't like using 'Nectar' type cards for this reason, but not sure whether the UW offering does this? If not then I guess it would make sense for me to get one... lol...

1carminestocky

Genuinely have no idea, Perelandra, but considering it's looking like saving me approx 35% on my combined annual gas/electric/phone/bb/calls bill this year I'll risk it (I use Tesco clubcard as well so I wouldn't be surprised if some inquisitive marketeer knows my inside leg measurement by now)

SwanJon

Thanks for clarifying vinny - I just had no idea where you'd plucked 3 sales a day from. There are far too many made up numbers and 'facts' thrown around here, nice to see a source for once.
While you were lucky enough to average 6 sales a week part time, I'm sure there are plenty of full time sales agents who arelucky enough to exceed their targets too.
Still don't fancy the idea of donating £200 to UW though, even if I can 'earn it back later' - not really as I'd earn that money even if UW gave me my £200 back.
I've never personally worked in that kind of sales, but have had dealings with some of them. AFAIAA pretty much all, if not all, of these agents are now directly employed by BG (but happy to be proven wrong), to allow BG greater control over the quality - and the sales agent does not complete the contract with the customer, this is done by an unincentivised thrid party.

keggs

SwanJon wrote: »

Not helping yourself at all keggs:

I assume this men's barbers is a business, so it must have been about business tariffs.


Domestitc tariffs are non-negotiable (at least with BG - any UW ID willing to back Keggs up on this?). There may be different tariffs (Low, medium high user for example), but you cannot negotiate outside these. I know that this is not the case with businesses, but don't know the details as I don't deal with them. Now, I'm sure you dind't sign a SME up as a domestic suply coz that would be naughty, and you don't do things like that...

I predict you are going to regret saying that...

Bait and switch - normally used to describe the process of offering for sale something that looks good, but when the customer enquires that one isn't available, but here is a similar offer (usually not as good). I've used this phrase to describe 'misunderstanding' a point to win an argument, I know it doesn't quite match, but I'm hoping it'll catch on.

You obviously haven't read the post properly.