Anyone else heard of dodgy company called Utility Services?

[Future-Babies]

I have recently received about 4 calls from a company or companies asking about my electricity supply...

I had another one earlier in the week (not sure if from the same company as before or different) Chap from Utility Services Ltd...

Saying that according to his database we weren't registered with anyone for our electricity supply.

I said, oh not another one, I keep telling you all that I'm with Scottish Power and can you take me off your list.

He claimed to be from a ltd company that is funded by the government and helps business' to ensure they are getting the best rate for their electricity supply. He started asking lots of questions about my premises and company..

When I tried to dig a bit deeper and find out, who he was, where he was from, what EXACTLY they do and why it would be in anyones interest to ensure I get a good rate for my electricity he didn't like it.

I explained that I was just trying to find out who this person was and where he was from, asking me all these questions about my business so that I could look them up and learn more about them...

He couldn't tell me much so I asked if he had a web site?

No.

He gave me an address - 43 Cheapside Chambers, Bradford, and a telephone number - 01274 218 002

So I asked for the company number or VAT number so I look them up on Companies house or something?

He didn't know and he felt I was asking him some very difficult questions! He didn't have any headed paper in the office as they don't send letters out from there..

Then he claimed to be the director and claimed to earn silly amounts of money (I forget the figure he said now) and that his blond secretary deals with all of those sorts of things.

At this point I just decided to hang up.

1 minute later, his colleague calls me and isn't able to tell me any more about who they are either. He tells me they do have a web site and that its www.toys are us. com !!!

I hung up again.

I have since called the address in Bradford as it's a large office block from which about 30 companies are run. The chap I spoke to ran down stairs and had a look at the board but said there was no compnay of that name trading from there.

I also looked up Utility Services Ltd on the companies house website and a company with that name was dissolved in December 2004.

I have spoken to Trading Standards and am awaiting thier response.

Just wondered if any one else has heard from them?

Thanks :)

[ebonybailey]

Utilities as a name is widely used so you may have had calls from different companies, since the fall of the monopoly in this area with Gas and Electricity its gone made, like broadband it. Its not properly regulated. I am with Scttish Power, I got a bill from Npower saying I owed them money for my bills, I later found out that some door to door salesman had been filling out bogus orders and signing them himself, he made commission on them and left the company. There is no order in these industries. The cowboys are in Utilities, Broadband, and Recruitment, i have never seen anything like it.

[SmallBizSoftware]

Severn Trent Retail and Utility Services Ltd provides homes and businesses with essential services like gas and electricity, telephone and internet packages, insurance and more… In fact, all the things you’ll need if you’re moving to a new property, or if you are interested in reducing the cost of your everyday essentials.

Might not be the same company of course ....

[Future-Babies]

Hmmm.

Don't think it is the same company.

Thanks any way.

[virtuallysorted]

that does sound very dodgy - how much info did you give him about your electricity your company supply? I think you asked the right questions, and I don't think many people would have been that thorough - but it would still worry me as I've heard a couple of stories about people changing your supplier without actually asking you!

(In one case I believe the company was running a competition to win CD vouchers and had taken the signature of 16 year olds to authorise the change!!!)

Did you give out your customer number or registered name & address?

Caroline

[BKE Business Services Ltd]

Hey You must operate in Wales. Since opening we have had the same issue constantly! We found that eventually the calls where coming from a subsidiary of Atlantic electricity!!

Hope you get to the bottom of this before the constant calls drive you mad!

[nemesis]

the problem witht he electricity and telephone people etc are that they offer to save you something amazing like £12 a year! WOW

please go fornicate with a bees nest, i myself would rather have my peace and quiet than save £12 a year on my telephone service etc.

hate the cold callers, especially in the indian call centres where the language barrier is huge and you end up having to hang up on them

[c4l]

I like your style.

I just use the old, no no no thing and think nothing of it - it's good that you did the investigative work. On behalf of the other 57 million people in Britain - thanks!!

[Rob Holmes]

I usually tell them I'm £<insert high figure> per hour and if they want to speak to me they have to pay first - that usually gets rid of them.

Rob

[PeteH]

Hi,

The situation you discribed does sound a bit suspicious. There are so many scams out there now, that you just have to be a little bit careful about what information you give out. These con-artists also amke it difficult for the ethical people amongst us who are just trying to build a business or make a living.

I am a distributor for the Utility Warehouse Discount Club. We provide the UKs CHEAPEST (not cheaper) domestic gas and electricity, in addition to guaranteed savings against BTs best prices on your phone bill (and we put you on the TPS register to stop you from receiving marketing calls). We also provide internet and unique mobile phone tariffs. All services appear together on a single bill with the average saving for a customer taking all the services being just over £400 per year. Please see www.ukutility.co.uk for more details.

The Utility Warehouse Discount Club obtains all its customers through network marketing. It is situations like the ones illustrated in your posts make network marketing the best way of distributing these services. Too many people have been upset by unethical salesmen, which have blackened the utilities industry, and hence created some level of distrust in it. However, if someone is using a service which is genuinely cheaper, they will recommend it to their friend, and this continues (hence how the Utility Warehouse Discount Club operates).

Utility Warehouse Discount Club distributors are not authorised to sell gas and electricity. We merely send a copy of the customer's current bills to HQ, who look at your usage and select the best tariff for you, and provide a written quote of how much you will save if you change your supply over. Along with that comes a contract which you can sign and send back it you like the saving offered. I was with Scottish Power, and I was given a quoted saving of £151.25 per year. I live in a 3 bedroom flat and pay £25 + VAT for gas and electricity together. There is no minimum contract for either the energy or phone service, so if you would like to try it please e-mail me (preferably with a phone number so we can discuss any of your concerns) at peteh@uwclub.net.

I look forward to hear from some of you.

Pete

[camelot]

I just tell them that we subscribe to TPS, and ask whoever is calling if they have ever heard of TPS?

Without fail, they always apologise and hang up immediately.

Well worth subscribing to

Dave

[utility_consultant]

These companies are ripping people off and giving reputable utility brokerages a bad name. I and other reputable consultants are helping energy watch compile a list of these rouge companies.Please try and get names and numbers of these companies and pm them to me or contact energy watch direct.
Remember to ask if they are a member of the UIA . If not ask why not and check the UIA website to see they are.
If they are unsolicited calls be very weary .

[utility_consultant]

Hi,

The situation you discribed does sound a bit suspicious. There are so many scams out there now, that you just have to be a little bit careful about what information you give out. These con-artists also amke it difficult for the ethical people amongst us who are just trying to build a business or make a living.

I am a distributor for the Utility Warehouse Discount Club. We provide the UKs CHEAPEST (not cheaper) domestic gas and electricity, in addition to guaranteed savings against BTs best prices on your phone bill (and we put you on the TPS register to stop you from receiving marketing calls). We also provide internet and unique mobile phone tariffs. All services appear together on a single bill with the average saving for a customer taking all the services being just over £400 per year. Please see www.ukutility.co.uk (http://www.ukutility.co.uk) for more details.

The Utility Warehouse Discount Club obtains all its customers through network marketing. It is situations like the ones illustrated in your posts make network marketing the best way of distributing these services. Too many people have been upset by unethical salesmen, which have blackened the utilities industry, and hence created some level of distrust in it. However, if someone is using a service which is genuinely cheaper, they will recommend it to their friend, and this continues (hence how the Utility Warehouse Discount Club operates).

Utility Warehouse Discount Club distributors are not authorised to sell gas and electricity. We merely send a copy of the customer's current bills to HQ, who look at your usage and select the best tariff for you, and provide a written quote of how much you will save if you change your supply over. Along with that comes a contract which you can sign and send back it you like the saving offered. I was with Scottish Power, and I was given a quoted saving of £151.25 per year. I live in a 3 bedroom flat and pay £25 + VAT for gas and electricity together. There is no minimum contract for either the energy or phone service, so if you would like to try it please e-mail me (preferably with a phone number so we can discuss any of your concerns) at peteh@uwclub.net.

I look forward to hear from some of you.

Pete

Nice pitch but the utility warehouse have a poor reputation within the Industry , Have very complicated tariffs and are not cheaper than Scottish power for domestic energy. £300 a year , combined energy bill for a 3 bedroom flat ? Rubbish
The average combined domestic energy bill is now £900 a year.