Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

bendtoy_2

They are to Customer Service what the Titantic was to Winter Cruises.!!!

lisyloo

I have recently had a bad experience with their customer services.
I changed my electricity supply from them in December due to them not being comptetive anymore.
I took a reading a day early (I think I was away from home on the day).

My new electricity company have accepted my reading.

Telecom Plus/ Utility warehouse, keep adding on an extra day because the reading was done one day out.
Now I don't care what number they use but both parties MUST agree to use the same reading otherwise I end up paying twice.

I asked TPlus to refund me which they did, only to find the next month they had added on the charge again, so I have again asked them to refund.

It's only a samll amount, but I don't want to be overcharged.
Their hours of openieng are a little restricitve, this was something I was prepared to put up with when their prices were cheap, but recently they are no so competitve.

NigeWick

lisyloo wrote:

Their hours of openieng are a little restricitve

Have you tried contacting the Distributor who signed you up? I tell my customers to let me know if they don't get satisfaction from customer services. Distributors can sometimes get quicker results after a problem has been identified.

Nigel.

bendtoy_2

NigeWick wrote:

Have you tried contacting the Distributor who signed you up? I tell my customers to let me know if they don't get satisfaction from customer services. Distributors can sometimes get quicker results after a problem has been identified.

Nigel.

Why should they have to do that? Surely the whole point of Customer Services is that they are their to give help and advice .

NigeWick

bendtoy wrote:

Why should they have to do that? Surely the whole point of Customer Services is that they are their to give help and advice .

But, as with any company's service, mistakes can be made. Contacting their Distributor gives a second bite at the cherry to the customer. As a Distributor, I want to keep getting paid for my customers. I am therefore anxious that they be kept happy. All reasonable people will accept that any large company may have the occasional hiccup. And, as long as they get satisfaction at the end of the day will remain loyal.

The way I see it, good customer service means looking after people even if they want to shift their allegiance. All business involves some sort of relationship between provider and customer. Far better to have a good relationship, as that may be "the difference" when prices are close.

Nigel.

lisyloo

Have you tried contacting the Distributor who signed you up?

Hi Nigel,

I signed up several years ago via a website.
I never spoke to anyone in person.
How would I now find out who my distributor is?

BTW - I am switching away as Utility warehouse are now not the cheapest after 2 rises so far this years (and an extra increase for those with independent pipelines).

But I would still be interested in how I find out how I would find out who my distributor is.

NigeWick

lisyloo wrote:

I signed up several years ago via a website.
I never spoke to anyone in person.
How would I now find out who my distributor is?

I doubt you have got one then and expect the company takes extra profit that would normally be paid to a Distributor. But, have a look at your agreement. On the right hand side, just above the direct debit instruction is a little section "Service introduced by." That is where the surname and ID number will be. If there is one there, you can phone customer services and ask them to get the Distributor to contact you.

Nigel.

bendtoy_2

NigeWick wrote:

The way I see it, good customer service means looking after people even if they want to shift their allegiance. All business involves some sort of relationship between provider and customer. Far better to have a good relationship, as that may be "the difference" when prices are close.

Nigel.

Yes of course good customer service should apply across the board whatever the stage the customer is at in the cycle.But it should be lead by the Company from the top down.T-Plus dont seem to have grasped this simple concept yet.

burford

I signed up with them through a distributor who was door knocking.They gave me all the usual old cost saving flannel,so i thought i would give them a go.
I then discovered things were not as good as the distributor painted,and had no end of trouble with their bordering on the incompetent customer services department,who need a good kick up the ?

I didnt bother to contact distributor i just wanted out.

lisyloo

But, have a look at your agreement. On the right hand side, just above the direct debit instruction is a little section "Service introduced by."

I don't think I still have that.
But nevertheless for the sake of £1.78 I don't want to be running around making lots of phone calls to different parties.
I can see upsides to the distributor model but also downsides too.
For customer service I want to have a one-stop shop and not go round the houses (which can sometimes may things more complicated).
It would be nice to think that distributors have some influence but I am a little cycnical as to how much influence they have over preventing billing errors.

From my point of view initially it was worth putting up with limited opening hours and the membership fee etc. for cheap prices, but now the prices are not so cheap I don't want to put up with the extra hassle.