Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

keggs

1carminestocky wrote: »

I'm assuming you are with Virgin Media? If so, please don't embarrass yourself by trying to tell me how to save money, lol.

From what you've read? Brilliant research. Well, get on your reading glasses and get me a cheaper deal than this:

Gas 15000 per year
Leccy 4800 per year
Up to 24mb broadband
Free Netgear wireless modem and wifi USB adapter
Umlimited downloads
100% UK-based call centre (crucially based in same building as head honchos let alone same country!)
Phone Line Rental
Inclusive 24/7 calls to 01, 02, 03, 0845, 0870 and 10 Intl. destinations.
Silver membership
£10,000 accidental death insurance
Free calls to UW CS, BB helpline, cash back card top-up line etc
12 monthly PAPER bills
Option to pay for exactly what I use each month (monthly in arrears) thereby no need for debit/credit balances on my account.
Prospero exclusive membership benefits
UW pre-paid cash back card (gives discount on UW bill, more of this later)

Taking into account the (conservatively calculated) projected cash back for using the UW card I get all this for a net £1,000 per year.

Over to you.:p

Don't forget an extra discount if you tell your friends. Better still join as an ID. But these are added extras.

AvengerSeawolf

Still no reply - oh well, I'll be back in touch on 7th September - I wonder if much will have changed?

Keggs - I'm off to spend a week in Wales and then 4 weeks in France, thanks for asking.

See you at MAD Day? I'm Yorkshire-based so will be in Southport on the Saturday.

Adios amigos! Play fair now...:beer:

keggs

AvengerSeawolf wrote: »

Still no reply - oh well, I'll be back in touch on 7th September - I wonder if much will have changed?

Keggs - I'm off to spend a week in Wales and then 4 weeks in France, thanks for asking.

See you at MAD Day? I'm Yorkshire-based so will be in Southport on the Saturday.

Adios amigos! Play fair now...:beer:

Hi Avenger

No doubt Quentin will pop up now he knows you won't be around for a while. |That way he avoids answering your awkward questions.

Have a good holiday.

Yes, I am going to MAD at Southport. I'm based in a village a few miles outside of Liverpool. If you are coming on the motorway you will probably pass through my junction (7) on the M62 on the way to the M57.

Hope to see you there.

Best wishes
Steve

SwanJon

keggs wrote: »

The problem for you I fear is your misundertstanding that people who join UW are business partners of UW and not employees. You can't compel a business partner to do something they aren't willing to do...The word is partnership between the HO and its IDs in much the same way as it is with any franchise.

While you can't force someone to do something they are not willing to do, you can make it a condition of the contract (like they are doing now). Either attend the training or don't be an ID, as the meerkat says 'simples'.
So your argument doesn't wash.
Also, from what I can tell, IDs are not franchisees -they are maybe somewhere between sub-contractors and salesmen - whose roles are to generate contracts, and maybe perform some low level customer service. The vast majority of the running of accounts is dealt with by UW, unlike a franchise.
Glad you agree that compulsory training should have been there from the start.

vinnyph wrote: »

I have to say swanjon. You say that was a remarkably coherent post on my part. I am a highly educated individual with a number of degree's. I know my stuff about UW as in a number of other subjects. I think it's that you have only just realised that.

By coherent I meant that I could understand what you were trying to say without having to read it a few times. (PS, one degree, a number of degrees. Apostrophes indicate a contraction or posessive)

vinnyph wrote: »

The new distributor has to read through and understand the guidelines and then send a separate declaration of such to the company before any application forms can be processed.

But as a fellow ID has admitted, many would 'scan over the document'. And other posters have backed up this point of view.
It is easy to scan something and forget it. Harder to forget a decent training session.
Definately the way forward, but further confidence would come if someone confirmed that any operating IDs that had not voluntarily attended training would be prevented from making further sales until they had.

keggs

Your Quote: While you can't force someone to do something they are not willing to do, you can make it a condition of the contract (like they are doing now). Either attend the training or don't be an ID, as the meerkat says 'simples'.
So your argument doesn't wash.
Glad you agree that compulsory training should have been there from the start.

Hi SwanjonI'm not disagreeing here. Historically, there was no need for any official training. When the training was introduced no one was compelled to do it as it wasn't considered necessary. Rather it was accpeted as something that was desirable as people who did go on it were generally more successful. My own feelings though is that for new people coming into the business it should have been part of the contract then with older business partners being included over time.

However this is all in the past now. Training is now part of the contract and quite right too. Network marketing is now much more professional albeit still sticking with the basic principles of what it is about, ie ordinary people simply recommending something to others that they use themselves. That contrasts sharply with traditional sales approaches where sales people have to sell their company's products irrespective of whether they believe in them or not. Network Marketers while not compelled to use the products or services the NM company provides must believe in what they are 'selling' otherwise they lack any credibility.Training simply formalises this and makes it more professional.

Hope that helps
Steve

keggs

Your Quote: Definately the way forward, but further confidence would come if someone confirmed that any operating IDs that had not voluntarily attended training would be prevented from making further sales until they had.

I also think you are right here. If I remember rightly I think that is what is happening. Active ID do repeat basic training - I've been on it several times over the years simply because things do change and it is useful to keep up to date.

I think inactive IDs will have to go back on training if they wish to restart again. I'll have to have a look at the new regs. If I can't see it Ill try and find out. I have inactive IDs in my team so I should imagine that they will have to go on training again if they decide to start again.

Steve

vinnyph

SwanJon wrote: »

While you can't force someone to do something they are not willing to do, you can make it a condition of the contract (like they are doing now). Either attend the training or don't be an ID, as the meerkat says 'simples'.
So your argument doesn't wash.
Glad you agree that compulsory training should have been there from the start.


By coherent I meant that I could understand what you were trying to say without having to read it a few times. (PS, one degree, a number of degrees. Apostrophes indicate a contraction or posessive)


But as a fellow ID has admitted, many would 'scan over the document'. And other posters have backed up this point of view.
It is easy to scan something and forget it. Harder to forget a decent training session.
Definately the way forward, but further confidence would come if someone confirmed that any operating IDs that had not voluntarily attended training would be prevented from making further sales until they had.

I think I have clarified enough for you swanjon in order to get your opinion on something. Let me ask you a question for a change.

Just wondering how you feel about the practices that the direct marketing companies use. The fact that most door to door sales people have only been doing it for a few weeks before they leave and under lots of pressure to get many sales per day. Surely that is an area that needs to be addressed within the industry. They have one day training and then supervised by someone who have maybe a few weeks experience. That is the truth of the situation because I know a number of people who have done it before and currently. The Energy Sure regulations have not been stopping the miss selling by the big 6.

Gerrard_8_lfc

I dont even need to quote.

Keggs you imply BG pay comission that is more than UW...

Monthly payments is it ? you lot get on people's payments ?

SwanJon

vinnyph wrote: »

Just wondering how you feel about the practices that the direct marketing companies use. The fact that most door to door sales people have only been doing it for a few weeks before they leave and under lots of pressure to get many sales per day. Surely that is an area that needs to be addressed within the industry. They have one day training and then supervised by someone who have maybe a few weeks experience. That is the truth of the situation because I know a number of people who have done it before and currently. The Energy Sure regulations have not been stopping the miss selling by the big 6.

You maintain that every other energy salesman outside UW is under 22 with one day's training, supervised by someone with a few week's experience. I'm not going to say it doesn't happen, but I'd be suprised if that was the norm. As such my feelings on that side of it are ambivelant.

I think the days of the door-knockers are numbered - switching sites have put control in the hands of the customer. The proportion of new contracts from door to door have reduced significantly over the last 5 or so years. They'll need to do more than sell to make customers want to let them into their homes - we'll have to see what happens.

And yes, there is some mis-selling that stil goes on after the introduction of EnergySure - but I'm sure that following compulsory CoE trainign we'll still have IDs spamming these and other boards - some people just don't take a telling. It is how the companies then deal with it - for example what happens to a spammer on here that goes against UW's guidelines?

1carminestocky

I suppose the same question could be asked of a Big 6 door knocker who has been proven to mis-sell? You only have to look at the example of SE on Watchdog - caught with their Y-fronts down in 2005, blamed it on the contracting out of the door knocking to an outside agency, brought them all in-house. And caught with their Y-fronts round their ankles again in 2008. When was Energysure accreditation introduced?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2008/11/dishonest_doorstep_tactics_dis.html

BTW, I'm not trying to defend the spamming on here (I've always hated spamming no matter what the company). But I personally find the mis-selling of utilities at the door to elderly, vulnerable old folk much more disgusting. The spammers on here normally get very short shrift from the regulars thereby informing potentially vulnerable readers of what's happening. The elderly targeted by the door knockers have no such guardian angels. That's why i have always believed the reaction of some on here to UW is entirely disproportionate to the actual problem.