Contact losing customers to Trustpower

[Winston001]

Item on the news this morning with Trustpower crowing about how many new customers they'd picked up. It appears that after the board of directors pay increase with Contact, customers voted with their feet.

Something of a hollow victory. What are Contact going to do? Dump excess electricity? :yawn: I suspect that ordinary consumers are a paperwork pain for them and they are much happier supplying industries.

So ironically this looks like a win for Contact. Funny old world aint it. :eek5:

[dipshit]

Trustpower bullshit campaign.

Even with Contact putting its prices up a bit - they are still waaaaay cheaper than those Trustpower rip-off merchants.

I got a Trustpower letter the other day suggesting a change. I just laughed and threw it in the rubbish.

[Cajun]

there is a member here who works for trust power, his own home power isn't even with trust power, since he can get it cheaper via other companys.

[dipshit]

there is a member here who works for trust power, his own home power isn't even with trust power, since he can get it cheaper via other companys.

Same. I know someone whose girlfriend works for Trustpower but they have their account with Contact.

You would have to be nuts (or very bad at maths) to switch to Trustpower :rofl:

[slofox]

'taint just Trustpower who are gaining Contact refugees - other companies claim the same. It's not the price they charge that's the problem - it's the principle of cranking prices then giving directors a fat income boost on the proceeds - to the naked eye, it smacks of cynicism.......:Pokey:

[Jantar]

there is a member here who works for trust power, his own home power isn't even with trust power, since he can get it cheaper via other companys.
There is another member here who works for Contact, and buys from Meridian. :msn-wink:

[Ralph]

Item on the news this morning with Trustpower crowing about how many new customers they'd picked up. It appears that after the board of directors pay increase with Contact, customers voted with their feet.

Something of a hollow victory. What are Contact going to do? Dump excess electricity? :yawn: I suspect that ordinary consumers are a paperwork pain for them and they are much happier supplying industries.

So ironically this looks like a win for Contact. Funny old world aint it. :eek5:

Maybe they wanted to loose customers, sounds like job well done too me.


there is a member here who works for trust power, his own home power isn't even with trust power, since he can get it cheaper via other companys.

I hear there are a few :shifty:

[Naki Rat]

Item on the news this morning with Trustpower crowing about how many new customers they'd picked up. It appears that after the board of directors pay increase with Contact, customers voted with their feet.

May well be balanced off by the customers Trustpower loose due to their refusal to provide an equitable net metering system for customers who intend to back feed into the national grid from micro-generation systems.
Swings and roundabouts stuff.

[Winston001]

There is another member here who works for Contact, and buys from Meridian. :msn-wink:

Was wondering when you'd jump in.... :done:

[Winston001]

'taint just Trustpower who are gaining Contact refugees - other companies claim the same. It's not the price they charge that's the problem - it's the principle of cranking prices then giving directors a fat income boost on the proceeds - to the naked eye, it smacks of cynicism.......:Pokey:

Yep and from that perspective its good to send the message. I was pretty appalled at their attitude too. The point is, Contact won't really suffer anything from losing these customers - which makes it a hollow gesture. Pity.

[dipshit]

' It's not the price they charge that's the problem - it's the principle of cranking prices then giving directors a fat income boost on the proceeds - to the naked eye, it smacks of cynicism.......:Pokey:

Just wait till these people get their first bill from Trustpower though. :eek5:

The "principle" of it will somehow get lost me thinks.

[k14]

Maybe they wanted to loose customers, sounds like job well done too me
Gee thats a novel idea, I bet that Contact never thought of that one!

Anyone that moves to trustpower is an idiot, they are horrendously overpriced and no one seems to bat an eyelid. If you are looking at changing then Meridian is probably the best option in the south island but make sure you do the calculations first. There isn't much between contact and meridian at the moment, but both are a heck of a lot cheaper than trustpower.

[k14]

Yep and from that perspective its good to send the message. I was pretty appalled at their attitude too. The point is, Contact won't really suffer anything from losing these customers - which makes it a hollow gesture. Pity.
Lol. Contact put its prices up because it wanted to loose customers! Its called business :innocent:

[chanceyy]

The media have done such a good job of twisting facts, there are two seperate issues that came to the fore, but alone they were not really news worthy but to twist them together & it was a media frenzy.

guess you know who I work for .. and get my electricity from :blip:

BTW it goes in stages .. one company in favor one out ... do not have to think very far back to the last energy co to suffer bad publicity

[dipshit]

The media have done such a good job of twisting facts, there are two seperate issues that came to the fore, but alone they were not really news worthy but to twist them together & it was a media frenzy.

Exactly. It's just a Trustpower bullshit campaign.

Of course that won't stop the good little sheep thinking what the TV tells them to think.

[Gremlin]

We said goodbye after their attitude towards paying directors... Mercury now has gas and power...

Sure, Contact may have wanted to lose the non-profitable customers... glad we could oblige (bill was paid every month, no hassles).

[Freakshow]

There is another company who has gained from Contacts bad media. E-Gas have offered some customers no daily rate on gas.

[k14]

We said goodbye after their attitude towards paying directors... Mercury now has gas and power...

Sure, Contact may have wanted to lose the non-profitable customers... glad we could oblige (bill was paid every month, no hassles).
Well I commend you for going on principle. Maybe I'm a bit dumb but all I care about is the bottom line, whoever is cheapest gets my business. Power is power whether it comes from contact, meridian or mighty river. I think I will stick with contact till the next price increase at least, that 25% staff discount is quite handy :shutup:

[Gremlin]

haha, fair enough. Being IT, I know very well that the cheapest is often the worst option, and won't buy from people just because they are the cheapest.

Quality/service can really slide as everybody tries to be the cheapest. Plus... how would you feel, given that some of your cost is going to pad directors wallets which weren't skint to begin with?

Times are tough... companies are suffering more than they let on... so increasing the six figure packet even higher? Piss off...

Dad had a supplier bluntly state that because they had lost business, prices were going up in order to keep revenue the same... :blink: They lost another (if not more) customers in that smart move :laugh:

[k14]

haha, fair enough. Being IT, I know very well that the cheapest is often the worst option, and won't buy from people just because they are the cheapest.

Quality/service can really slide as everybody tries to be the cheapest. Plus... how would you feel, given that some of your cost is going to pad directors wallets which weren't skint to begin with?

Times are tough... companies are suffering more than they let on... so increasing the six figure packet even higher? Piss off...

Dad had a supplier bluntly state that because they had lost business, prices were going up in order to keep revenue the same... :blink: They lost another (if not more) customers in that smart move :laugh:
You do know that the directors fees weren't actually increased? The fee pool from which they get paid was increased from $750k to $1.5 mill but they didn't give themselves a payrise yet. Symantics I know but still it is relevant.

Normally yes, I am happy to pay a premium for a named brand etc. But when it comes to power (as I said before), its all the same. So the only way a company can differentiate itself from the others is customer service and rewards programs. In these areas contact is normally regarded as one of, if not the best and it was just a unfortunate and slightly stupid coincidence that led to the bad publicity. In the end Contact is just a "nasty" corporate and there are always going to be people whinging and moaning about one thing or another.

[chanceyy]

There is another company who has gained from Contacts bad media. E-Gas have offered some customers no daily rate on gas.

then they will be out of pocket, as the daily line charges are made up of three components & the network companies will still want their cut. Companies have to decide which is better to try & undercut for a while to gain numbers & then raise prices .. temporary measure at best


We said goodbye after their attitude towards paying directors... Mercury now has gas and power...

Sure, Contact may have wanted to lose the non-profitable customers... glad we could oblige (bill was paid every month, no hassles).

to be honest Gremlin I felt the same as you, I was only seeing what the media portrayed & it looked bad. Now I have the actual facts I realise that the directors are not being paid 1.5million each. It certainly is not or has it ever been about losing non profit customers.

Contact has alot of shareholders & is one of the better performing companies on the share market, all of those moms & dads around the country who have shares certainly expect a healthy dividend at the end of the yr.


You do know that the directors fees weren't actually increased? The fee pool from which they get paid was increased from $750k to $1.5 mill but they didn't give themselves a payrise yet. Symantics I know but still it is relevant.

Normally yes, I am happy to pay a premium for a named brand etc. But when it comes to power (as I said before), its all the same. So the only way a company can differentiate itself from the others is customer service and rewards programs. In these areas contact is normally regarded as one of, if not the best and it was just a unfortunate and slightly stupid coincidence that led to the bad publicity. In the end Contact is just a "nasty" corporate and there are always going to be people whinging and moaning about one thing or another.

not to mention the power increases in the south island .. for a long time the south could generate its own power & would often export to the north, 3 yrs of draught, increased demand has meant that now its regularly imported from the north island. With one of the grids down in cook strait its has put huge constraints and increased costs to get the power down south. Hence higher prices, btw the increase in charges would not even begin to cover the amount needed to increase the director pool & yes k14 is correct that the pool has increased, not the base wage.

[pete376403]

Wonder who Max Bradford gets his power from...