MSE News: Smaller energy suppliers are taking to the streets to drum up sales

Legacy_user · 20 March 2017 at 2:31PM

Energy cold-calling is being sparked back into life by smaller providers who increasingly send staff to knock on doors...

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'Smaller energy suppliers are taking to the streets to drum up sales - beware switching on your doorstep'

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ChaunceyGardiner · 20 March 2017 at 3:55PM

I had a guy from Utilita at my door a while back, claiming that every other supplier charged a premium for using prepayment meter emergency credit. These people just can't help themselves.

robin58 · 20 March 2017 at 5:38PM

Many years ago I got shafted by a supplier representative in the days of the bad practise.

Had 30 days grace to cancel contract. I did just that. First I knew it had gone wrong was when my then supplier sent a letter saying sorry you are leaving.

Turned out there was 2 contracts submitted to the other company for the same person, me. They had cancelled one but not the other. Bet the guy who signed me up originally still got his commission.

After that experience anyone who says to me you must sign now on the doorstep to get the best deal, gets shown the front gate.

teddysmum · 20 March 2017 at 5:45PM

robin58 wrote: »

Many years ago I got shafted by a supplier representative in the days of the bad practise.

Had 30 days grace to cancel contract. I did just that. First I knew it had gone wrong was when my then supplier sent a letter saying sorry you are leaving.

Turned out there was 2 contracts submitted to the other company for the same person, me. They had cancelled one but not the other. Bet the guy who signed me up originally still got his commission.

After that experience anyone who says to me you must sign now on the doorstep to get the best deal, gets shown the front gate.

I never take any product or service from someone who approaches me (door,internet,phone or in the street). They are on commission and what is necessary to make a living.

worried_jim · 20 March 2017 at 5:59PM

A friend from North Yorks got a job doing this in Glasgow, by the end of his first day he was putting on a Scottish accent.

footyguy · 20 March 2017 at 10:49PM

I remember my great grandfather telling me how, in the past, the way many people bought insurance was to await 'the man from the Pru' to come acalling.

So I fail to see how Ovo can classify door to door selling, arguably the oldest selling technique, is "innovative"

Ovo, if you want customers, then go back to your initial marketing techniques you used when you launched in the UK i.e. cut costs to the bone (so that means not paying expensive commission) and offer competitive prices.

We used you for a year shortly after you launched because you did offer competive prices. Sadly, in the years since then (iirc you launched in about 2010) you have never come close to offering us a competive price, hence why we have not used you.

We also tend to avoid those suppliers that indulge in unsolicited marketing of any type (phone, text, email door to door, etc), so you may wish to think again about your "innovative" marketing techniques.

Edit:
In regards to Money Expert (Limited) saying "Everyone [who takes part in face to face sales] wears a high vis Money Expert-branded jacket.", one should wonder why they have adopted this new stance in realtion to energy sales.

They say they "make it clear that we're Money Expert and we're nothing to do with anyone else"
I would suggest that MoneySavingExpert is a far more familar brand and the opportunity for consusion between the two is significant (and there are examples on this site, and probably others, of people being so confused).

Why, if they do not wish to cause any confusion, do they not use the name of their energy comparison site, SimplySwitch? There would be no chance at all of then confusing them with Martin Lewis would there? :cool:

[Deleted User] · 21 March 2017 at 2:04AM

I had someone from money saving expert.com (or something similiar) call at my doorstep. She had a tablet with a utility price search engine on it. I told her I'd just changed supplier. I remember at one point this young lady (who clearly knew little about MSE here) saying she'd looked at my meter (its in a locked cupboard), got my readings for a whole year (I've only had the meter for 6 months) and I could save X amount with a small energy company. I then told her that 1) I'd only had the meter for a few months (it started at 0 so no way she had readings for a year, let alone the fact it was behind a locked cupboard) 2) the company she said gave a lower cost I'd never heard of, must be a small supplier and I expected smaller companies to have problems buying energy at low prices with rising costs, hence one smaller supplier going into administration recently. Not something I'd want to have to worry about.

She didn't ask me any questions about my useage at all. Must have just ckicked a key and a mysterious cost came up based on nothing.

I don't think she knew enough to even be fazed by what I said. Brain definitely not engaged. By this time I had about four sales reps standing around, listening. I closed the door at that point rather disgusted by their lies. But I did worry if their 'speel' would convince other people, I live on a 'sink estate' and a lot of people wouldn't be as knowledgeable as I am.

Found the whole thing quite annoying.

boatman · 23 March 2017 at 1:39PM

I've have a couple of people coming round asking if i'd seen my energy report. Asking if i had switched recently, it was portrayed as a kind of government initiative to make sure people weren't over paying saying I can't swap your supplier, not sure who they worked for.

katejo · 23 March 2017 at 4:54PM

footyguy wrote: »

I remember my great grandfather telling me how, in the past, the way many people bought insurance was to await 'the man from the Pru' to come acalling.

:

In the 70's the man from the Pru came regularly to us. I don't remember whether my parents actually bought the policy in this way but he certainly came to collect regular installments.

Personally now I would never buy from a door to door salesman of any type at all simply because they are working for commission and put customers under pressure to buy. In a similar way, i will never ever donate to a charity via a chugger.

lisa110rry · 23 March 2017 at 5:02PM

robin58 wrote: »

Many years ago I got shafted by a supplier representative in the days of the bad practise.

Had 30 days grace to cancel contract. I did just that. First I knew it had gone wrong was when my then supplier sent a letter saying sorry you are leaving.

Turned out there was 2 contracts submitted to the other company for the same person, me. They had cancelled one but not the other. Bet the guy who signed me up originally still got his commission.

After that experience anyone who says to me you must sign now on the doorstep to get the best deal, gets shown the front gate.

Yes, a similar thing happened to us in around 2000 - it took me years to straighten everything out!

MSE News: Smaller energy suppliers are taking to the streets to drum up sales

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