Australian Politics Forum - Shopping around for utilities/services etc

bogarde73

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Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Aug 17^th, 2015 at 2:57pm

Of course it's always been advisable to shop around for anything you buy, especially things you buy regularly.
Gone are the days when you signed up with a service provider - power, gas, phone, internet etc - and just stuck with them for years.
It's crazy but you just have to check how your deal compares now at least every year.
Today for instance I rang my power company and told them I needed another 5% discount to match what was being offered elsewhere. No problem.
And yet you hear all the time about people, especially older people, who never question what they are being charged.

Last year I used that iSelect service to find a health insurance cover for a single parent situation, because she was just being charged a ridiculous family rate on her existing policy.
I believe they are also into power & gas deals now too.

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Unforgiven

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Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Reply #1 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:03pm

bogarde73 wrote on Aug 17^th, 2015 at 2:57pm:

Of course it's always been advisable to shop around for anything you buy, especially things you buy regularly.
Gone are the days when you signed up with a service provider - power, gas, phone, internet etc - and just stuck with them for years.
It's crazy but you just have to check how your deal compares now at least every year.
Today for instance I rang my power company and told them I needed another 5% discount to match what was being offered elsewhere. No problem.
And yet you hear all the time about people, especially older people, who never question what they are being charged.

Last year I used that iSelect service to find a health insurance cover for a single parent situation, because she was just being charged a ridiculous family rate on her existing policy.
I believe they are also into power & gas deals now too.

It is quite late in life to be making that discovery. Obviously you have never been in business.

and;

High price does not necessarily mean high quality.

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bogarde73 Gold Member Offline Anti-Global & Contra Mundum Posts: 18443 Gender:	Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc Reply #2 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:05pm And aren't you too young to be out & about without your Mum?
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Johnsmith

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Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Reply #3 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:10pm

bogarde73 wrote on Aug 17^th, 2015 at 2:57pm:

Today for instance I rang my power company and told them I needed another 5% discount to match what was being offered elsewhere. No problem.

I've found most companies to be the same ....except telstra,

they don't give a crap what you say at the time, then call you 6 months after you've moved onto someone else to ask why you moved and how can they win you back Cheesy

to late dickheads

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When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.
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bogarde73

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Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Reply #4 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:18pm

Well no, I disagree with you on Telstra.
I suppose it's a couple of years back I talked to them about my bundle, such as it is - land line, mobile & internet.
I wanted to bring down the landline cost and put up my internet data without a leap in price, and they accommodated me.
The thing is with Telstra, they're such a huge organisation, with fixed plans etc, it's a difficult negotiation maybe over a few days to get what you want.

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Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism.

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Johnsmith

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Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Reply #5 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:39pm

bogarde73 wrote on Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:18pm:

Well no, I disagree with you on Telstra.
I suppose it's a couple of years back I talked to them about my bundle, such as it is - land line, mobile & internet.
I wanted to bring down the landline cost and put up my internet data without a leap in price, and they accommodated me.
The thing is with Telstra, they're such a huge organisation, with fixed plans etc, it's a difficult negotiation maybe over a few days to get what you want.

nah ... tried with telstra several times .... yes, they also bundled my home/internet, but that was a sheat fight over weeks, and several years ago

Since then, they've always come to the party too late. I don't care how big the organisation is, If I tell them vodaphone or Optus is offering xxx and and they say no they can't match it, that's their loss. Woolworths is a larger company and they have no problem matching prices.

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When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.
(Malcolm Turncoat)

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greggerypeccary Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 139844 Gender:	Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc Reply #6 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:41pm I wouldn't sign with Telstra, even if they were cheaper. I'd rather pay more, and receive good service from Optus. As far as electricity goes, we don't have a choice in Perth - there's only one provider.
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Johnsmith

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Re: Shopping around for utilities/services etc
Reply #7 - Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:43pm

greggerypeccary wrote on Aug 17^th, 2015 at 3:41pm:

I wouldn't sign with Telstra, even if they were cheaper.

I'd rather pay more, and receive good service from Optus.

I found optus was great, until you needed service .. then it was like pulling hens teeth. They were even more useless than Telstra. It's been a few years though so they may have cleaned up their act.

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When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.
(Malcolm Turncoat)

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