Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

jimexbox

NigeWick wrote: »

Post your actual gas and electricity usage, current supplier and tariff. Remember?

Do you believe I'm fabricating my own energy usage?

jimexbox

Rael wrote: »

I often wonder why UW products are shoehorned into a forum called Gas & Electricty on here when they're really a Telecoms company first and foremost, and have several other services that aren't suitable to talk about in a G & E Forum. In fact, if there were a section called Multi-Service, there wouldn't be too many other companies in it apart from UW.

Maybe because it a gas and electricity forum. Which as I've proved beyond doubt, UW are massivly more expensive than those evil big 6.

Have you alienated any friends/family yet Rael?

Cardew

Perelandra wrote: »

Hi Carmine,

I think the only way we'd be able to tell if you could get a better deal elsewhere than you've posted would be to also understand how much your telephone useage is:

As I posted in an earlier thread-

Taking phone and broadband from UW is a good MS idea, since these are sufficient to qualify for the big savings on the cashback card, and these services are priced competitively versus other suppliers.

Adding gas and electric to your services list has a downside in that these services on their own are more expensive than from other suppliers. However, there is a clear (financial) benefit, in that taking these in addition to the telephone and broadband qualifies you for free telephone calls.

If the telephone call saving is greater than the utilities tariff differential, then UW is the cheapest option for you- if the saving is less than the differential, then even with free calls it's better to take telephone and BB from UW, btu gas and electric from a different supplier.

So it all comes down to how much of a telephone saving you'll make- but you need to know that, in order to judge whether you have the best deal or not. From what you've said, I suspect that your telephone useage is very high in which case I'd be surprised if anyone could find you a better deal. For the average user (apparently) the saving is £120 p.a. (which for some is less than the saving they'd make if they switched to a different gas/elec provider. £220 for a new customer due to the £100 discount after the first 12 months).

Have you calculated how much you'd have to pay/the number of calls made if you weren't getting the calls free? (EDIT: Based on the UW price for those calls if you didn't get them for free, since the assumption is you'd have your phone/BB from UW anyway) /EDIT. If so, we can then take a stab at finding a better deal as we'd have all the info we needed then (although I suspect there won't be a better deal for you).

Pere

It is pertinent to point out that our friend used to state on this forum that his electricity consumption was 6,500kWh per annum.

However since he became a 'friend of UW' he has dropped his electricity consumption to 4,800kWh per year as, given the very high prices of UW gas and electricity, it makes any figures for comparison purposes more favourable.

Even so on his conveniently reduced consumption he is paying £246 pa more for his gas and electricity than he would with EDF.

NigeWick

SwanJon wrote: »

I can't remember your energy details. Are you including the 'cash'back you receive and counting it all against 2 of your 4 services?

I had specific companies quoted to me as the cheapest. I posted my figures using the pre payment card and showed that I paid Utility Warehouse about £4.50 less per month than with the quoted suppliers. That was before a 2% price decrease from Utility Warehouse. Subsequently Quentin told me to go with the cheaper companies and use a cashback card. He has been asked on numerous occasions to provide a link to it so that everybody could benefit. He has not done so. As it happens, I am now spending more at Sainsbugs and the 5% of my spend there off my utilities really makes Utility Warehouse and even better deal for me. Yes I counted it against the two services but it is still a good deal for four as the monthly membership fee would be less per service and the broadband/landline deal added to gas and electricity means that I get 24/7 free phone calls to geographic numbers and 0845 ones too.

I readily accept that Utility Warehouse may not be for a lot of people because often the pre payment card is needed to make it work and there isn't a Sainsbury store convenient enough. However, if it works for Carmine, others and myself, it can work for loads more. I keep saying that each individual needs to take stock of their own wants when thinking about money saving and what they are prepared to put up with to get their own best deal. Utility Warehouse suits the way I run my life and I am therefore happy with them. I presume that you are not and that is your decision and I would defend your right to make it. What gets up my nose is people in this forum trying to tell others how to live their lives.

NigeWick

jimexbox wrote: »

Do you believe I'm fabricating my own energy usage?

You have not told us what your actual energy use is yet, so how can they be fabricated? What I am asking for is your gas and electricity usage, current supplier and tariff. Unless you provide them, we will not be able to accurately calculate your savings.

NigeWick

jimexbox wrote: »

Which as I've proved beyond doubt, UW are massivly more expensive than those evil big 6.

No you haven't. It is a fact that I pay less for my gas and electricity to Utility Warehouse than I would to any other supplier.

NigeWick

Cardew wrote: »

It is pertinent to point out that

It is a fact that I pay Utility Warehouse less for my gas and electricity than I would to any other company.

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

SwanJon

Nige, you are getting repetetive.

Jim has suggested (and others, including me have agreed) that you would receive the same 'cash'back regardless of how many services you had with UW.
As such, choosing to count all the 'cash'back against 2 of your 4 services is missing the point.
The only thing you would lose if you changed your gas and electricity to another supplier would be the 24/7 calls. You would still recive the 'cash'back and if this was more than your phone/broadband/membership fee/calls you would get the much touted Negative Bill.

So unless you are saying that the cost of your calls would be more than the difference between UW's gas & electricity prices (note prices) I believe you are mistaken.
You seem insistant on Jim providing his consumption - would you be so kind as to provide yours, along with your region? (as above I can't remember yours)

NigeWick

SwanJon wrote: »

Jim has suggested (and others, including me have agreed) that you would receive the same 'cash'back regardless of how many services you had with UW.

Very true and the amount of money I get off my bill I get makes it worth my while to be with the company. SWMBO makes phone calls during the day and it is therefore beneficial to have the 24/7 free calls by having four services. Having said that, I get home from work at about 16:00 and use the phone too. When the challenge was made, I was asked to just use gas and electricity as an example, I presume so that the monthly membership fee would put the cost up. I included all relevant fees for the card too. Since then, the G & E prices dropped about 2%. Because of the amount of "cashback" I get, Utility Warehouse really is my best overall deal.

NigeWick

Nearly forgot.

SwanJon wrote: »

Nige, you are getting repetetive.

Only to Match Quentin, Jimexbox and Cardew's efforts.