Utility Warehouse

[Quenched]

Ok so apologies because I have another thread about energy suppliers, but I've now plucked up the courage to mention about my case. 

 

Basically we joined Utility Warehouse UW for short last December, and a guy who sold us to UW came round our house and explained how they keep costs low. 

He said we keep your bills down by combining various utility bills all together, for example in our case we put our house insurance, phone bills, and electricity.

So if I break it down we were paying £80 for our electricity instead of £130 when we we're with Octopus.

So we were delighted at the time, as it seemed we were saving a small fortune. 

But and this is the BIG but. Little did we know we have been under paying for our electricity for a whole year. 

I had an email from UW just before Christmas stating that, we have done an annual review of your energy usage and your in debt by £988!!

I'm thinking hold on, the guy said we keep costs down by combining various utility bills, hence the companies name Utility Warehouse. 

But it seems we have been conned. 

So I started an official complaint, and they said we will shave off £500 of your debt, as I said we think its unfair as this could have easily been addressed sooner.

But they agreed for the next 12 months we only pat for what we use, but based on the last 12 months usage that would typically be £140 a month.

So basically we now have to pay £60 a month more, plus start paying off the £488.

Is this just a case of being screwed over? Shouldn't they erase the debt completely as we are now in financial ruin, and through no fault of our own. 

[THECORBYLOON]

How much would you have paid with Octopus with the same energy consumption?

[Atheist]

I think that deals that seem too good to be true are often not true. I looked around a lot after I got cheesed off with British Gas, and eventually ended up with Octopus. So far (3-4 years) I find them excellent. I think I was lucky.

I can't help you with your problem, but I sympathise and hope you can get some recompense.

Good luck.

 

[davebro3]

I think you should have kept better track of your usage/bills/payments month by month although I don't know how easy that is with Utility Warehouse.

I was with them for a while years ago just for gas & leccy and found them OK but I didn't like paying a "membership" fee even though it was only small, so I changed.

[Neveracrossword]

If you'll now be paying £140 a month, that's only £10 more than you were paying with Octopus - and although you now owe £488, you would have paid out another £600 if you'd stuck with Octopus. I know you feel you've been badly treated but it doesn't really sound like 'financial ruin'. 

[Quenched]

Well in hindsight I should have wised up, because we were paying on average £130 a month with Octopus, so that was keeping in line with usage.

 

But this is where I think we were tricked, because UW said they would adjust payments to suite the usage, but they never did, so we assumed its because they combined everything is how they kept costs down. Its even how the guy explained it. 

 

But in hindsight it seems we were blinded by his clever talk. 

 

We would happily pay more a month to stay in line with usage rather than run up a debt, but I think its UW style to attract you as a customer, then a year later tell you that you have run up a massive debt. 

I thought with smart meters they could have detected this months ago? 

[Atheist]

Perhaps they could, but their job is to make money, not be nice.

[Quenched]

Neveracrossword, 

It feels financial ruin at the moment, because the very thing we we're trying to do was keep costs down, and not run up a debt. But with UW we have now run up a debt, plus gone back to what we were paying Octopus. 

So we may aswell have just stayed with Octopus, but at the time a year ago we thought £130 a month was a lot for just electric in a two bedroom house.

 

So naturally we seeked alternative suppliers. 

 

But we we're tricked hook line and sinker. 

[Quenched]

Atheist, 

Yeah I get they have a business to operate, but to trick customers like that isn't right. 

Basically the guy asked how much we pay Octopus so we told him £130, that's when he turned on his sales pitch and said oh no I can do that for £80 and add two other utility bills, so you will only pay us £130 for the lot, so naturally we fell for it. 

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Quenched. If UW said they 'adjust payments to suit the usage', was there anything more informative in their terms and conditions or website? My utilities company changes my payments to suit the usage, but I think this happens only twice a year - and I think that's pretty reasonable. I think you've maybe been naive rather than 'tricked hook line and sinker'.

 

[THECORBYLOON]

Unit costs have changed and your consumption might have increased compared to the previous twelve-month period.

How much would your last year's electricity have cost if you had remained with Octopus?

[gingejbee]

There are good reasons why Octopus Energy has been a Which? Recommended Provider for several years. They may not be the absolute cheapest, but customer satisfaction and customer service are second-to-none.

[Quenched]

Neveracrossword, 

Yes I agree we have been naive, both me and the missus. 

 

But tricked from the point of view, they brag that thats how they keep costs down by combining other utilities. 

But yes naive in hindsight because I should have cottened on that if I was paying £130 to Octopus how can they give me electricity for only £80, yes that was foolish on my part.

 

But they did say a year ago they can adjust payments to be in line with usage, but they never adjusted it. 

 

But I think they must realise now I have a valid case because they shaved off £500 from the debt.

 

So they lost out in the end, but its annoying now we are stuck in the same boat as before, plus now have to pay £488 back.

 

I'm not sure we should even be responsible for that to be honest. 

[Quenched]

THECORBYLOON, 

If we remained with Octopus it would have stayed at £130 a month I presume, because we haven't changed our usage habits. 

[Canary42]

////but to trick customers like that isn't right. ////

Of course it's not right, but Private companies will always put profits before people. Why do you think they rushed to take up the essential Public Utilities when the Government were giving them away.

[Quenched]

Canary42, 

Yeah but this is trickery in the highest level in my opinion. 

 

Their sales pitch is we can get your costs down by combining utilities. 

 

Who wouldn't fall for that?

 

And then promised to amend payments to suite usage?

 

None of those things were done. 

 

Of course we have been naive, but times are challenging as it is without being tricked into saving money when really we just gave ourselves a huge debt. 

 

To say I was fuming is an understatement, my blood was boiling. 

[THECORBYLOON]

Have you actually compared your usage with UW by checking the number of units consumed as stated on paper bills or on their app and doing the same with Octopus for the previous twelve month?

What rate did UW charge per unit compared to Octopus?

If you use their app (if they have one) does it show the payments made and whether you were in credit or owed money, month by month?

[Quenched]

THECORBYLOON, 

We didn't compare anything to be honest at the time. 

 

We were clearly naive and blinded by the sales pitch of combining bills. 

 

There isn't much more I can say, other than we strayed into something we were trying to avoid. 

 

And the fact they promised to adjust payments to be in line with usage, but failed to do, we just over looked all this. 

 

But we feel the victims of a modern day scam so to speak. 

[Canary42]

Yes, you're quite right, it is basically a scam, as is a lot of "legitimate" Marketing of course.

[Quenched]

Canary42, 

But it must backfire on the company in the end, because customers will just leave in the end anyway.

Surely its in their interests to keep customers, not annoy them that much after just a year that they will leave again. 

[barry1010]

Prices have gone up since you left Octopus