utility warehouse

[sharingexperience]

Hello,

 

Just wanted to post my experience up here. I joined the utility warehouse not only as a customer but as a distributor, as I thought they offered great products, service etc.

 

Not only were they incredibly rude and dismissive on many occasions when I called them to ask questions about being a distributor (I got the phone hung up on me once as well!) - but now that I have cancelled all my domestic services from them - for 2 properties - they are continuing to take payments and my new supplier, british gas, has said that they are not giving them the info they need to commence switching over the utilities.

 

I cancelled in Mid December. I just had a full price DD go out of my bank to utility warehouse.

 

This is unacceptable, Im sure you will agree.

 

Just posting it here so hopefully people will realise what the utility warehouse are up to.

 

Best wishes.

[Piggybilling]

-Just wondered if you have any updates?

 

As A domestic customer for Gas & Electric, You should be able to change supplier every 31 days(In theroy)

 

*I joined U.W August 22nd 2009 as A Distributor and Customer,

And things are going great:)

 

-And who do you use now?

[sharingexperience]

Sure, they gave British Gas the details they needed eventually.

 

I didn't mention in my last post though, that randomly, without ever coming to my property, they decided that I had a prepaid electricity meter, even thought they continued to bill me my direct debit that could only be set up for a regular meter. I called them and said what on EARTH made you randomly think that?

 

I honestly can't remember what they said because it was so weird and out of the blue, but I just remember that I got a bill for the whole amount of a whole long period, for about 260 pounds, as well as the direct debits going out, and it took ages to sort it out with them and they said that I needed to be in for a whole day for them to send someone round to verify that I didn't have a prepaid meter, even though they had set me up when I joined them with a regular meter... I mean really!! REALLY?? Can a company be that incompetent??

 

And I don't know if you've realised yet, but the comparison calculator on their website to 'prove' their savings is grossly inaccurate, even their trainers told me not to use it as prices changes so often, so there is basically no way to prove for sure that they ARE cheaper, and more often than not, they weren't. In fact in the short time I was a distributor for them I probably proved more times to people that they were better off sticking with their current suppliers than changed to UW!!

 

And the final thing too is that I asked where they got their energy from and whether they were getting it from any 'green' sources. I was given a reply to the effect of 'who cares where it comes from, don't answer that' and they also said, that ALL companies get some % for their energy from green sources and some % from other sources....the difference is most other companies will tell you what % and also how much they are investing THEMSELVES in it.

 

So it's your karma, I hope its successful for you. Its certainly a good business model, I just found in practice they are NOT cheaper, their customer service is NOT great, and the thing with the meter is just the most ridiculous thing, wasting their time, my time, just silly.

 

Best wishes

[Piggybilling]

Thanks for your response.

 

I myself have worked for many different Utility and Telcom companys.

And i've had a lot of training.

I agree it must be very hard for new people to get started with any Energy & Utility Sales companies.

And members of the public tend to be much more stressful ,Than business customers to sell to:(

 

I used to sell contracts for good energyRenewable energy supplier Good Energy provides green energy across the UK.

The prices where higher, But they were a very fair company compared to some of the more cut-throat brown energy suppliers.

And if anyone goes with them now, I won't make a penny!

I'll just feel good.

 

British Gas has some good deals on energy saving light bulbs too.

Got 5 for 20p at local Supermarket(British Gas offer)

And there Bolier cover is probably worth a look too.

 

I would say that U.W are your standard Brown energy supplier at the moment.

But i'll be looking to get the Green options in as soon as possible.

 

Best Regards,

 

Paul

[Manita63]

Hi like most of you Im having trouble with Utility warehouse for my gas and electric and changing over to british gas but oh boy the rudness of Utility and people who can not speak english inccorrect information given like i was not told when i canceled my direct debit to them that i would not be able to go back to direct debit for a year which i should of been when think of stopping it.... plus they hit me with a bill of ove £300 of which part of this was registered as an estemate and when i challenged them i was told to "F**k off you stupid cow" god its been a nightmare for 3yrs and now reading some of the things on here i sorry but im glad to hear its not just me. You cant check if they are the cheapest as no other company compares with them to me Utiliy warehouse are just a great big [problem] and should be stayed as far away as posible.... id never reccomend them to anyone.

[Piggybilling]

3 years sounds like a long time to have problems with Elcetric & Gas.

You can change supplier roughly every 31 days, If you wanted to.

 

Just take you pick, There's quite a few!

[Manita63]

Oh I have but like many other have found out Utility Warehouse refuse to hand over info that the other company needs. This is not my first time in trying to get away from them. I have explained all the problems I have had with Utility Warehouse and they are very much aware of this problem.

[Manita63]

I am now going with British Gas who have been very helpful....

[shining Light]

I know many people who have joined UW and been very happy and have not had any problems, I know of many customers who have left UW without problems. Sometimes problems do occur and sometimes they are not handled correctly.

 

I know many people who have joined British Gas and been very happy and have not had any problems, I know of many customers who have left B.G. without problems. Sometimes problems do occur and sometimes they are not handled correctly.

 

many people who have joined Scottish Power and been very happy and have not had any problems, I know of many customers who have left Scotiish Power without problems. Sometimes problems do occur and sometimes they are not handled correctly.

 

Can you see where this is going?

 

No company is perfect and despite training you will at times find a "muppet" in every company. Look through the many threads on here, I lost count of the number of complaints regarding BG, SP, Eon, Virgin, Talk Talk, Sky etc etc.

 

Oh, and regarding the "Green" fuel, I read a very interesting article about a year ago (in the Telegraph or The times I think) and it would seem the word "[problem]" could certainly apply here.

[Piggybilling]

Well there's not enough Green Energy to meet the Demand.

 

And the UK is supposed to be going back to nuclear power!

[baldwelder]

Can you see where this is going?

 

No company is perfect and despite training you will at times find a "muppet" in every company. Look through the many threads on here, I lost count of the number of complaints regarding BG, SP, Eon, Virgin, Talk Talk, Sky etc etc.

 

but how many `muppets` have told someone to "F**ck off you stupid cow"?

 

I think some companies are more imperfect than others.

[shining Light]

"but how many `muppets` have told someone to "F**ck off you stupid cow"?

 

I think some companies are more imperfect than others."

Personally I have never had anyone at Customer svces say anything remotely rude and neither have any of my customers I have spoken to, quite the oppisite in fact.

 

If a CSA at the UW did say this then why not put in a complaint, calls are recorded and if they still have it (if it wasn't too long ago and you know the date) I am sure the Management would want to know and would certainly take action against the individual concerned. None of us want a "bad apple" working in a "core dept" (sorry couldn't resist that one).

 

Fortunately, most of the experiences I hear are "good experiences" although people rarely come onto forums like this and tell others about them, and I can say that a high number of new customers come by way of a recommendation from an existing "happy customer."

[Grambo]

Utility Warehouse supplies my gas, electricity, broadband, landline and mobile and has done for the last two years.

 

I am delighted with the package I receive. Much cheaper than any previous supplier and no problems to report whatsoever.

 

Scottish Power, British Gas and Telecom became too expensive after the cheap intro deals expired!!!

 

The word '[problem]' does not apply to Utility Warehouse. I have always found them to be polite and the service to be second to none.

 

Complainers should just pay their bills instead of dodging away to other utility suppliers.

 

Remember!!! nobody anywhere gets paid to listen to verbal abuse !!!

[shining Light]

Well said Grambo. I seriously believe there are some who just love complaining. I even asked one complainer to contact me to see if I could help them resolve the problem they claimed to have had....I never did get a response

 

Personally, I find it very hard to believe a CSA at the UW would tell a customer to f*** o** because our CSA are better trained now and they know the calls are recorded. It would be a sure fire way of losing their job!

 

Generally (there may be the odd exception) the only reason a customer would have a problem leaving UW or any other company for that matter is because they owe them money. I have had customers leave the UW for whatever reason and not one of them had a problem doing so.

 

As Forrest Gump said, S**t happens, but often than not the customer can resolve the problem if they go about it the right way.

[Lleiniog]

i HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. NOT ONLY THAT BUT EVEN AS A DISTRIBUTOR I WAS CHARGED NEARLY £800 A MONTH FOR A YEAR AS THEY CLAIMED I HAD NOT PAID FOR ALL THE ELECTRICITY I USED. AGAIN LAST YEAR WHEN I STUPIDLY THOUGHT I WOULD TRY THEM AGAIN AS THEY APPEARED TO BE CHEAPER THEY DID NOT USE THE FIGURES HANDED TO THEM BY MY PREVIOUS SUPPLIER (SWALEC) BUT DOUBLE CHARGED ME AND IT TOOK SIX MONTHS TO GET A REFUND. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN USING THEM IS ALL I CAN SAY.

[shining Light]

"AGAIN LAST YEAR WHEN I STUPIDLY THOUGHT I WOULD TRY THEM AGAIN AS THEY APPEARED TO BE CHEAPER THEY DID NOT USE THE FIGURES HANDED TO THEM BY MY PREVIOUS SUPPLIER"

Hmm I find this hard to believe. UW do use the figures provided to them by the previous supplier (providing there are no problems ), how else would they know what to charge a new customer?? They are not in the business of guessing a customers usage.

 

I have introduced many customers to UW and never had any problem like this (just the occasional dispute from the previous supplier which is generally resolved very quickly). I personally was overcharged by double the usual monthly charge one month long ago, the wrong reading was entered, but it was resolved within a few weeks.

 

Mistakes happen (with all companies) but to use words like "[problem]" etc which I have seen on this forum, is absolute c**p.

[Surfer01]

3 years sounds like a long time to have problems with Elcetric & Gas.

You can change supplier roughly every 31 days, If you wanted to.

I think that your statement is slightly incorrect as it can take up to six weeks to change suppliers and if you changed every 6 weeks your accounts woudl end up in one big almighty mess.

I have no experience of UW but worked for a major suppleir for several years and know the system for regsitrations etc. I doubt whether UW is a supplier and not sure how they can offer guarantees that they will always be cheaper than any of the "big six".

Smaller suppliers normally use one of the"Big six" to buy their power so ultimately you are paying one of the "big six" whether you like it or not and they can flucuate their prices on a whim. The way around this is to charge a higher price to start with and then to lock the customer into this price as power is bought well in advance and probably at a lower rate.

BGAS, Npower, EOn etc are suppliers and all their profit goes to shareholders and not towards the maintenance of cabling etc. That is all done by the distribution company which may have a similar name to the supplier, i.e. EDF.

With reagrds the above I am not sure how UW can make various promises reagrding supply etc and beat the prices of compant that where they purchase the power. Doesn't sound right to me.

[baldwelder]

I personally was overcharged by double the usual monthly charge one month long ago, the wrong reading was entered, but it was resolved within a few weeks.

You`re an agent for them(and know the system) yet it still took you a `few weeks` to sort it out, What chance has average Joe got?

And what an excellent example of UW`s arrogant attitude to customers, assuming that if they claim something which you`ve not come across liars.

I agree that the word `[problem]` may be mis-used but incompetent, arrogant and unconcerned about their customers wouldn`t be wrong. As an agent for them, you have a vested interest in their good reputation but good customer relations depend on well trained staff that `listen` and try to find where their problem lies and not just dismiss people`s complaints as the grumblings of cranks and liars.

[shining Light]

Hi Surfer01, some of your observations are correct but i think we need to clarify something here.

 

Until a few years ago UW were the cheapest supplier, they adverised as such and no other supplier disputed this fact. Unfortunately, when the prices were rising rapidly it became unprofitable to always be the cheapest so the way UW operated, changed.

 

UW do not now claim to be the cheapest supplier. They guarantee to be cheaper than BG for gas and your local electricity supplier for electricity and comparable to the other "big 6" suppliers. This basically means that some months they may be slightly cheaper, some months slightly more, but always the prices are very close. However, this guarantee does not take into account "online" deals which may be available.

 

That said, with other services and/or their discount card which was launched last year, UW customers can save £20-35 pm (average customer, could be a little less, could be more). This makes a HUGE difference.

 

Just thought I would clear this up because your post did seem to suggest UW were misleading people which they most certainly are not.

[shining Light]

Hold on Baldwelder, I never called anyone "a liar" ...just that I personally found this hard to believe because they do use the numbers provided.

 

You have made some strong accusations about customer service staff, foul language etc etc, as I believe i said before, call UW and tell them what was said and when and they can look into it. Calls are recorded!

 

Having said that, I just scanned the previous threads and if I read it correctly, it wasn't you who had this experience but another member!

 

Anyway, I hope you (or he) get it sorted to your (their) satisfaction.

[Surfer01]

Does UW have a supplier's licence as I cannot find any reference to this so it appears that they do not have a supplier licence and are only acting as an agent. Seems that you may have been mislead.

If you are still are unsure, go onto the Ofgem website and do a search as all licenced suppliers are listed. If still in doubt email Ofgem. It may take a few days for them to answer but will prove whether UW have a supplier's licence. Obviously theya re not a distribution company.

Hope this helps.

[shining Light]

Hi again Surfer01, just seeking clarification again. You say it "Seems that you may have been mislead" ...who exactly has been misled and how?

 

First you say UW guarantee to be cheaper than the Big six which as I stated previously is just not true.....and now you are suggesting they are selling energy without a license, which is also not true!!!

 

You talk of "supplier" and "distribution" ....what is the difference? More to the point, who really cares?? Whether you use UW, Powergen, EDF or any other company, surely the important thing is that when you switch on your light or turn on your gas.....it works!

 

Of course UW have a license to sell energy (something even Virgin couldn't get apparently), do you really think a Footsie 250 company would be selling energy illegally?? Also, would a company operating illegally be voted "PLC of the year" at The Times Awards?? I don't think so.

 

I get that you don't like UW and that is fine, but can we please stick to the facts.

[Surfer01]

Hi again Surfer01, just seeking clarification again. You say it "Seems that you may have been mislead" ...who exactly has been misled and how?

 

First you say UW guarantee to be cheaper than the Big six which as I stated previously is just not true.....and now you are suggesting they are selling energy without a license, which is also not true!!!

 

You talk of "supplier" and "distribution" ....what is the difference? More to the point, who really cares?? Whether you use UW, Powergen, EDF or any other company, surely the important thing is that when you switch on your light or turn on your gas.....it works!

 

Of course UW have a license to sell energy (something even Virgin couldn't get apparently), do you really think a Footsie 250 company would be selling energy illegally?? Also, would a company operating illegally be voted "PLC of the year" at The Times Awards?? I don't think so.

 

I get that you don't like UW and that is fine, but can we please stick to the facts.

I think you are grabbing at straws here. Their website states that they will undercut and get cheaper deals. There s a VERY big difference between a supplier and a distributor. The distribution company generates the power and then sells it on the wholesale market to a supplier. The distribution company is responsible for all the supply right up to your meter, i.e. they maintain the supply cable, sub stations, power lines etc. All a supplier does is generate bills to charge for the usage and deal with complaints etc. Most suppliers do not even have meter operators, data collectors etc.

I repeat it appears that UW are NOT a licenced supplier but more that likely are an agent converting people across to the cheapest supplier. Hopefully you have fired off an email to Ofgem to confirm whether UW have a supply licence or not as it is always possible that I may have overlooked it as it may be recent and not updated on the Ofgem website.

good luck with your quest to prove me wrong regarding the supply licence for UW.

[Surfer01]

I have now had confirmation that UW do NOT have a supplier's licence for either the supply of electric or gas. UW use Electricity Plus as their supplier and previously EP were known as Banbury Energy Limited.

Utility Warehouse are a part of the Telecoms Plus group and simply put a load of bills into one while their partners in the group provide the services.

I am sure that if you contact UW they will supply you with this information anyway.

[shining Light]

Surfer01 wrote

"There s a VERY big difference between a supplier and a distributor. The distribution company generates the power and then sells it on the wholesale market to a supplier. The distribution company is responsible for all the supply right up to your meter, i.e. they maintain the supply cable, sub stations, power lines etc. All a supplier does is generate bills to charge for the usage and deal with complaints etc. Most suppliers do not even have meter operators, data collectors etc."

And this is of interest to the average consumer how? Like I said, consumers want to know that when they turn on their gas/electric it works and if there is a problem, it is sorted out, and they are paying a fair price.

"Their website states that they will undercut and get cheaper deals."

Where exactly does it say that?

 

"I repeat it appears that UW are NOT a licenced supplier but more that likely are an agent converting people across to the cheapest supplier"

Again, not true. UW are licensed to sell energy (under the npower license). UW does not simply direct customers to whoever may be the cheapest at the time. Sorry, but it does not work that way.

 

On a personal level, this is how I see it.

 

My gas works, my electricity works, my internet works and my telephone works....all supplied by UW. I have the discount card which means my line rental is FREE, my B/Band is FREE and all my UK calls inc 0845/0870 (exc mobiles) are FREE, even my calls to USA and Spain are FREE.

 

This thread was started as "UW [problem]"....."[problem]", don't make me laugh.