Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

NigeWick

Plushchris wrote: »

So why do so many of them come on here posing as inquisitive customers spamming the forum with links to their websites?

Because they do not know any better. I suppose it's a bit like when one ticks the "agree" box on a new piece of software being installed without actually reading all of the five pages of "small print." I was as guilty as most but was soon told by members what the protocol is.

I am an Independent Distributor with Utility Warehouse and the views I express may not be shared by the company.

Cardew

It has been 250 posts and 10 pages since I posted the provable information below:

For any newcomer to this thread - especially if you want to find information about UW gas and electricity prices - you should be aware that UW have just about the highest gas and electricity prices in UK.

Don't just take my word for it - check on any of the comparison websites recommended by Martin. Or check the comparison website on the 'Which' website.

From an earlier post. These are the costs for someone with an average UK consumption of 20,500kWh gas and 3,300kWh electricty living in the East Midlands.

If you wish to pay quarterly, the cheapest dual fuel would be £1060.

UW's cheapest tariff is their high user which will cost £1299 i.e. £239 more expensive.


Should you wish to pay by DD the difference a is £234. The cheapest being £949 and UW at £1183

So by DD, UW is 24.6% more expensive.

1carminestocky

Cardew wrote: »

It has been 250 posts and 10 pages since I posted the provable information below:

For any newcomer to this thread - especially if you want to find information about UW gas and electricity prices - you should be aware that UW have just about the highest gas and electricity prices in UK.

Don't just take my word for it - check on any of the comparison websites recommended by Martin. Or check the comparison website on the 'Which' website.

From an earlier post. These are the costs for someone with an average UK consumption of 20,500kWh gas and 3,300kWh electricty living in the East Midlands.

If you wish to pay quarterly, the cheapest dual fuel would be £1060.

UW's cheapest tariff is their high user which will cost £1299 i.e. £239 more expensive.


Should you wish to pay by DD the difference a is £234. The cheapest being £949 and UW at £1183

So by DD, UW is 24.6% more expensive.

Of course, 'theory' is one thing and actually what happens is another. I am an actual customer of UW, I am a very savvy money saver and was attracted by the various initiatives UW provide in order to give you the opportunity to pay much less for your gas and electric than with any other company. Consequently, I now pay the same tariff rate as Cardew. Nothing amazingly newsworth in that, I sense you thinking. Only problem for Cardew is he's been paying his British Gas FIXED RATE tariff for over 4 years and I have been paying UWs tariff for just 2 months. In that 4+ years gas and electricity prices have risen upwards of 70%. So, the question Cardew keeps ignoring (actually, it's just ONE of the awkward questions he keeps ignoring) is; How can this be?

Here's my deal, as an actual custumer. If anyone can beat it be my guest:

Gas 15000
Electric 4800
Phone Line Rental
Up to 24 mb broadband
Unlimited monthly download allowance
Inclusive 24/7 calls to 01, 02, 03, 0845/0870 and 10 popular Intl destinations.
Free calls to UWs CS/tech support line/cashback card top-up line etc etc.
12 paper bills per year.
Option to provide monthly meter readings and pay for exact usage.
Membership discount directory.
Pre-paid cashback card that grants 5% discount off the UW commensurate with spending at designated stores.
Option to refer like-minded individuals and eran a further discount off the bill (we have 2 referral so far so 4% further discount)
NO min. term contracts on ANY of the services I take (subject to £50 release fee on phone/BB should we leave within 12 months).
One monthly bill with ALL the services I take included on it.
Guaranteed UK-based call centre who answer very quickly (we've never waited more than a few seconds to speak to actual human being. astonishing.)
One DD.

I'm sure I've left summat out but hey ho.

Now, the charges. Total annual charge for all the above is £1447.

So far, my monthly discount from use of the cashback card has averaged £36 per month (£432 per year gross, I remember getting a lot of guffawing when I suggested a projected annaul discount of £450). Considering this will rise exponentially around December time, I think my original projection of £450 per year discount will prove conservative. I'm upping my projection to £500. Deduct the £17 annual expense of 'running' the card and we are looking at £483 net. Of course we now will also be receiving 4% discount on the starting price for referring 2 friends to UW.

£1447 - approx £55 referral discount - cashback discount £483 = £909 per year - £76/mth if you choose to pay by budget plan.


Please don't forget this figure is for gas, electric, phone line, up to 24mb unlimited broadband and ALL calls!

We don't envisage any surprises in the form of call charges as just about all eventualities are included (we had NO extra charges this month for calls!)

Of course, someone with exactly the same usage/spending habits as me in the same region etc etc joining now would actually pay £809 over the next 12 months.

Please don't forget this figure is for gas, electric, phone line, up to 24mb unlimited broadband and ALL calls!


Of course, UW is not for everyone but in the right circumstances it's an actual no-brainer.

But have a go at beating it if you can.

NigeWick

Cardew wrote: »

It has been 250 posts and 10 pages since I posted the provable information below:

For any newcomer to this thread - especially if you want to find information about UW gas and electricity prices - you should be aware that UW have just about the highest gas and electricity prices in UK.

Don't just take my word for it - check on any of the comparison websites recommended by Martin. Or check the comparison website on the 'Which' website.

From an earlier post. These are the costs for someone with an average UK consumption of 20,500kWh gas and 3,300kWh electricty living in the East Midlands.

If you wish to pay quarterly, the cheapest dual fuel would be £1060.

UW's cheapest tariff is their high user which will cost £1299 i.e. £239 more expensive.


Should you wish to pay by DD the difference a is £234. The cheapest being £949 and UW at £1183

So by DD, UW is 24.6% more expensive.

It is a fact that pay Utility Warehouse less for my gas and electricty than I would to any other supplier. If their prices are so high, how do I manage it?

NigeWick

Plushchris wrote: »

It also says "always declare any interest" something which some UW IDs still do not do.

I asked TPTB and was told that the declaration only need be made every day or so on the one thread. Sometimes this thread will add pages in a day, so I try and make sure that I declare myself as an Independent Distributor with Utility Warehouse on every page.

espresso

AvengerSeawolf wrote: »

Hi espresso

What is your interest in UW please?

I was interested to see what broadband speed UW customers actually achieve but since posting the question here only one customer posted their speed test result.

SwanJon

janninew wrote: »

I was wondering this to Steve and raised the issue yesterday, but for some reason it was ignored! BT and BG must have far more people with a vested interest than UW, so why didn't BG come out on top of the which survey?

Sorry to reply so late. The main reason would be that around 10% of UW customers are ID's. For BG (for example) to reach a simliar poroprtion with its employees it would need to employ over 1 million people in the UK. As such a survey (especially a survey where the respondants are not in proportion to customer numbers) is more able to be skewed by UW financial beneficiaries (i get shouted at if i say employees) than by BG employees. Note that I am not syaing htat this has happened, just that it could)

keggs wrote: »

UW can't sack us because we don't work for them.

No, nut they can cancel your contract as a subcontractor - which is pretty much the same thing.

1carminestocky wrote: »

I actually pay the same tariff rate now (i.e. 2009) that Cardew has been paying since 2005.

I've not bothered to check, but I doubt that is true. The tariff rate is the p/kWh. I woudl be suprised if UW were offering the same p/kWh as BG are on their PP2010 plan form 2005.

1carminestocky wrote: »

I'm having real trouble finding this UW-beating cashback card Quentin has been banging on about FOR 9 MONTHS.

Q hasn't actually - you have. Would you like to post a link to the last time Q mentioned it?

Carmine made a big song and dance about putting me on ignore (seemingly becasue I called him on his distraction tactics).
If he doesn't respond would some one quote me for him?

Cardew

I actually pay the same tariff rate now (i.e. 2009) that Cardew has been paying since 2005.

SwanJon wrote: »

I've not bothered to check, but I doubt that is true. The tariff rate is the p/kWh. I woudl be suprised if UW were offering the same p/kWh as BG are on their PP2010 plan form 2005.

Well I bothered to check!!

I pay with BG(in Midlands)UW prices are in red.

BG - Electricity 7.157p/kWh (first 225kWh per qtr @ 11.907p/kWh)
UW -Electricity 11.157p/kWh - (+ 17.26p per day = £63 per year.)

BG - Gas 2.113p/kWh (first 1143kWh per quarter @ 3.032p/kWh)
UW -Gas 3.427p/kWH (+ 12.08p per day = £44.10 per year)

Prices for payment by DD and include VAT. I also get discounts for dual fuel and paperless billing taken off.

No discounts with UW and you pay £21.12 UW club membership.

When I check on any of the Comparison websites(including Which!) for my consumption if I were to get my gas and electricity from UW it would cost £812 more than I pay with BG.

1carminestocky

Cardew wrote: »

Well I bothered to check!!

I pay with BG(in Midlands)UW prices are in red.

BG - Electricity 7.157p/kWh (first 225kWh per qtr @ 11.907p/kWh)
UW -Electricity 11.157p/kWh - (+ 17.26p per day = £63 per year.)

BG - Gas 2.113p/kWh (first 1143kWh per quarter @ 3.032p/kWh)
UW -Gas 3.427p/kWH (+ 12.08p per day = £44.10 per year)

Prices for payment by DD and include VAT. I also get discounts for dual fuel and paperless billing taken off.

No discounts with UW and you pay £21.12 UW club membership.

When I check on any of the Comparison websites(including Which!) for my consumption if I were to get my gas and electricity from UW it would cost £812 more than I pay with BG.

And if I was to be paying your tariff, BG Price Protection April 2010, I would be paying well over £100 per year more than I do with UW. Plus I would have been paying this rate (fixed) for over 4 years. I have been paying UW just 2 months. Remind me again, by what %tage have gas and electric prices risen since you signed up to that Fixed deal in 2005? If I had joined UW today, I would have been paying well over £200 more on your tariff than I would with UW. How can this be so? We all know why, I hope....:p

Cardew

Tariff rate - Tariff rate. Got it!!!