Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Sky News Update: Sky+HD Box Enhancements
Sky news update: Sky is planning to enhance the looks and performance of the Sky+HD box. These updates will bring new features to the box.
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Swiftcover News Update: A Report on Buying Car Insurance Using a Credit Card
Swiftcover news update: There is evidence to suggest that
buying car insurance using a credit card can be more financially beneficial for
the customer.
“If it isn’t fuel tax or road tax, paying through the nose for car insurance is another reason why driving is getting more and more expensive. But while the insurance companies have us over that compulsory insurance barrel, it seems they are also taking advantage of us in other ways too with massive charges for monthly instalments and for cancelling a policy.
Payment by instalments is a welcome option for many people, who would otherwise be faced with the alternative of finding a big wodge of cash all in one lump. This is even more true for those whose car insurance falls due for renewal between now and January when many are saving (or paying) for Christmas.However, the rates that some insurance companies charge mean that you would be better off paying for your car insurance with a credit card, where the average APR is around 18% ; even better if you can find a 0% on purchases card.
Our friends over at Which! researched the APRs charged on monthly instalments and found that, although a couple of insurers, namely AgeUK and the NFU charged nothing or a nominal (0% and 2.75% respectively) fee for paying monthly, most insurers were indeed making hay while the sun shined. And the rates varied wildly. The next lowest fees were levied by Hastings at 14.9% and Co-operative Insurance at 18.5%, followed by Mercedes-Benz Insurance, Admiral and Elephant all on 18.6%.
At the other end of the scale, the insurers making sure they got their money’s worth were Kwik-Fit Insurance on an eye-watering 52.32% (looks like it’s not just car repairs they rip you off with), Endsleigh on 39.7%, Allianz on 34.8%, Zurich on 33% and AXA and Swiftcover both on 32.4%.
However, Which! also looked at other fees levied on the policy, including cancellation fees. Cancellation fees are levied if the insurance is cancelled part-way through an insurance year and seems to be just another way of extracting additional money from people- especially galling for those who might give up a car to save/recoup money. Again, the level of cancellation fee varies wildly, from £0 (AgeUK, NFU, Allianz and Volvo) up to £70 (Natwest and RBS).
Overall, Which! have compiled an index of the best and worst insurers for instalment interest and all cancellation and other policy charges, which can be seen in its full glory here. Top of the shop are AgeUK, NFU and Volvo with scores of 100 or 92 out of 100. Dragging up the rear are AA (51/100), Fifty Plus (49/100) and Hastings (a pitiful 36/100).
So next time you are weighing up your lowest premium and maximum cashback calculations, make sure you factor in these costs as well. Or get yourself that cheaper credit card.”
This article was originally published at www.bitterwallet.com.
More information on Swiftcover and their insurance services, click here.
“If it isn’t fuel tax or road tax, paying through the nose for car insurance is another reason why driving is getting more and more expensive. But while the insurance companies have us over that compulsory insurance barrel, it seems they are also taking advantage of us in other ways too with massive charges for monthly instalments and for cancelling a policy.
Payment by instalments is a welcome option for many people, who would otherwise be faced with the alternative of finding a big wodge of cash all in one lump. This is even more true for those whose car insurance falls due for renewal between now and January when many are saving (or paying) for Christmas.However, the rates that some insurance companies charge mean that you would be better off paying for your car insurance with a credit card, where the average APR is around 18% ; even better if you can find a 0% on purchases card.
Our friends over at Which! researched the APRs charged on monthly instalments and found that, although a couple of insurers, namely AgeUK and the NFU charged nothing or a nominal (0% and 2.75% respectively) fee for paying monthly, most insurers were indeed making hay while the sun shined. And the rates varied wildly. The next lowest fees were levied by Hastings at 14.9% and Co-operative Insurance at 18.5%, followed by Mercedes-Benz Insurance, Admiral and Elephant all on 18.6%.
At the other end of the scale, the insurers making sure they got their money’s worth were Kwik-Fit Insurance on an eye-watering 52.32% (looks like it’s not just car repairs they rip you off with), Endsleigh on 39.7%, Allianz on 34.8%, Zurich on 33% and AXA and Swiftcover both on 32.4%.
However, Which! also looked at other fees levied on the policy, including cancellation fees. Cancellation fees are levied if the insurance is cancelled part-way through an insurance year and seems to be just another way of extracting additional money from people- especially galling for those who might give up a car to save/recoup money. Again, the level of cancellation fee varies wildly, from £0 (AgeUK, NFU, Allianz and Volvo) up to £70 (Natwest and RBS).
Overall, Which! have compiled an index of the best and worst insurers for instalment interest and all cancellation and other policy charges, which can be seen in its full glory here. Top of the shop are AgeUK, NFU and Volvo with scores of 100 or 92 out of 100. Dragging up the rear are AA (51/100), Fifty Plus (49/100) and Hastings (a pitiful 36/100).
So next time you are weighing up your lowest premium and maximum cashback calculations, make sure you factor in these costs as well. Or get yourself that cheaper credit card.”
This article was originally published at www.bitterwallet.com.
More information on Swiftcover and their insurance services, click here.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
NPower News Update: Restructured Marketing Team
NPower Restructuring
NPower news update: NPower is restructuring its marketing
team to incorporate the role of data and digital in hope to improve customer
service and trust.
RWE NPower is one of the biggest energy suppliers in Europe. They are currently moving the 120 members of the marketing team to a location within the West Midlands. Here the team will grow to include more digital roles, insights and analytics. They also aim to broaden the skill set of the marketing team beyond traditional commercial marketing techniques by employing a new group of marketers. NPower is trying to rebuild their communication tactics to widen the roles of the public relation team and improve the communication with their bill payers through social networks. There are plans for more frequent and improved quality forums online throughout the year along with other planned events. These will be hosted to try and find potential gaps in the market for NPower to exploit and create new products and services. The company claims to be restructuring their business, at the heart of this process is digital. In the past they have be well known for their focus tactical campaigns, where special offers, low prices and high standards have been the main selling point. However they’re now aiming to produce easy to use content online and within their bills.
News for NPower Customer Services
NPower are set to release a new billing scheme which was announced earlier this month. The new scheme works for two different sets of people skimmers and checkers. It offers all the information the bill payer needs at the top for the skimmers and an in depth analysis further down the page for checkers. This new announcement of rearranging marketing to make life hassle free works well in promoting their new billing method. The new marketing will also show off the new tariff line up which has been reduced from seven to four. Both new initiatives that are being promoted are designed to reduce hassle and make NPower the number one customer service provider by 2015. The reduction in tariffs is mainly down to the new government program which prevents energy companies from offering more than four tariffs and requires for customers to be automatically moved to the cheapest, which can be altered at the customer’s discretion. The major six energy firms have already made the switch. For NPower it helps to improve customer satisfaction and moves them closer to achieving their goal of being number one of customer service within the coming year. To call the NPower customer service department, click on the link. For all other news updates and recent articles, visit the News Feed.Wednesday, 31 July 2013
British Gas Urged to Leave Prices Still
Utilities company British Gas are being pushed towards firming up their energy bills for the coming winter. Centrica, the company’s owner, reported a rise in profits last year but will not be making plans in either direction any time soon.
“Centrica's chief financial officer Nick Luff would not rule out a price rise as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from environmental levies and volatile prices on the wholesale gas market.
"What I can do is assure you that we will keep our prices as low as we can. It is in our interests to have competitive prices, we want to attract new customers, and if prices do have to go up we will delay that for as long as possible."
Centrica - which hiked prices by 6% last November - reported a 9% increase in profits to £1.58bn for the first six months of the year for its entire business spanning power generation and supply. Profits in the residential arm of British Gas rose 3% to £356m from £345m, as the company reported that gas consumption was 13% higher per customer during the cold weather.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's price increase, which added £80 a year to the average dual-fuel customer's bill. The company, which serves 10m households, promised in May it would use its profits to keep prices down, but has refused to put a date on the duration of this price pledge.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze energy bills for the rest of the year. Tom Lyon at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing costs so far this year will be of cold comfort to consumers who may be fearing the worst – especially with rumours of price rises. Profits are up from last year, so we would urge British Gas to help quell customer's fears and go one step further from its May pledge and commit to a price freeze for the rest of the year."
"People are already starting to worry about next winter and the cost of their energy bills and high energy prices have a big impact on consumers. Last winter, almost seven in 10 (69%) households went without heating at some point to keep their energy costs down."
Centrica blamed "volatile" prices on the wholesale gas market and "environmental costs" for adding to price pressures on the business.
Wholesale gas prices accounted for 48% (£568) of the average annual gas and electricity bill of £1,188 for Centrica's customers in 2012.
Prices in the wholesale gas market were 10% higher than this time last year, said energy trader Gary Hornby at Inenco. "If there is another cold winter and we have another supply situation that we did last time there is a good chance that prices will unfortunately go up," he said. "If we have a mild winter it could go the other way."
Richard Hall, head of energy regulation at Consumer Futures, warned that the big energy companies were not giving consumers the full story about their costs. Large energy suppliers had a tendency to "cherry-pick" dates to make the case that high wholesale gas prices were pushing up prices. "It doesn't appear there is so much pressure on the wholesale market that it can justifiably be used as threat of justifying price rises." Although gas prices hit record highs in March, these on-the-day spikes were dampened out by later price falls, he added.
Centrica's profit report comes after an influential committee of MPs said it was not surprising that customers mistrusted energy companies because they had failed to be transparent about the reasons for energy price rises, in an energy market that was not as competitive as it could be.
Luff dismissed the charge of cherry-picking data: "Despite what you hear about the industry we could not be more transparent ... If by some way gas prices were running at half the price we were saying we would suddenly make a lot more profit.’”
If you are a new or existing British Gas customer and are interested in finding out more about the products and services they offer, contact them directly using the British Gas contact number. You can also remain up to date with all British Gas news via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news/british-gas-news-update-price-scandal/.
This article was originally sourced from The Guardian.
“Centrica's chief financial officer Nick Luff would not rule out a price rise as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from environmental levies and volatile prices on the wholesale gas market.
"What I can do is assure you that we will keep our prices as low as we can. It is in our interests to have competitive prices, we want to attract new customers, and if prices do have to go up we will delay that for as long as possible."
Centrica - which hiked prices by 6% last November - reported a 9% increase in profits to £1.58bn for the first six months of the year for its entire business spanning power generation and supply. Profits in the residential arm of British Gas rose 3% to £356m from £345m, as the company reported that gas consumption was 13% higher per customer during the cold weather.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's price increase, which added £80 a year to the average dual-fuel customer's bill. The company, which serves 10m households, promised in May it would use its profits to keep prices down, but has refused to put a date on the duration of this price pledge.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze energy bills for the rest of the year. Tom Lyon at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing costs so far this year will be of cold comfort to consumers who may be fearing the worst – especially with rumours of price rises. Profits are up from last year, so we would urge British Gas to help quell customer's fears and go one step further from its May pledge and commit to a price freeze for the rest of the year."
"People are already starting to worry about next winter and the cost of their energy bills and high energy prices have a big impact on consumers. Last winter, almost seven in 10 (69%) households went without heating at some point to keep their energy costs down."
Centrica blamed "volatile" prices on the wholesale gas market and "environmental costs" for adding to price pressures on the business.
Wholesale gas prices accounted for 48% (£568) of the average annual gas and electricity bill of £1,188 for Centrica's customers in 2012.
Prices in the wholesale gas market were 10% higher than this time last year, said energy trader Gary Hornby at Inenco. "If there is another cold winter and we have another supply situation that we did last time there is a good chance that prices will unfortunately go up," he said. "If we have a mild winter it could go the other way."
Richard Hall, head of energy regulation at Consumer Futures, warned that the big energy companies were not giving consumers the full story about their costs. Large energy suppliers had a tendency to "cherry-pick" dates to make the case that high wholesale gas prices were pushing up prices. "It doesn't appear there is so much pressure on the wholesale market that it can justifiably be used as threat of justifying price rises." Although gas prices hit record highs in March, these on-the-day spikes were dampened out by later price falls, he added.
Centrica's profit report comes after an influential committee of MPs said it was not surprising that customers mistrusted energy companies because they had failed to be transparent about the reasons for energy price rises, in an energy market that was not as competitive as it could be.
Luff dismissed the charge of cherry-picking data: "Despite what you hear about the industry we could not be more transparent ... If by some way gas prices were running at half the price we were saying we would suddenly make a lot more profit.’”
If you are a new or existing British Gas customer and are interested in finding out more about the products and services they offer, contact them directly using the British Gas contact number. You can also remain up to date with all British Gas news via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news/british-gas-news-update-price-scandal/.
This article was originally sourced from The Guardian.
Friday, 26 July 2013
Admiral Apologises to Customer
Admiral car insurance, which has call centres based in two of Wales’ biggest cities, have apologised to a customer following the statement that all phone calls had to be recorded in the English language, not Welsh.
“Customer Gwion Schiavone had taken his complaint against Admiral Insurance to the Welsh language commissioner.
Meri Huws said she needed evidence before investigating but First Minister Carwyn Jones said he would look into the complaint.
Admiral employs 5,000 people in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.
Mr Schiavone told BBC Wales' Welsh language news programme Newyddion 9 that the insurance company told him every conversation had to be conducted in English to satisfy regulators.
The company has since said this was not its policy and apologised for the error.
'Preferred language'
In a statement, the company said: "I'm sorry Mr Schiavone was told he could not conduct his business with Admiral in Welsh.
"It is not our policy that all calls must be conducted in English and Mr Schiavone should not have been told this was the case."
First Minister Carwyn Jones said he was "happy" to look into the matter.
"It doesn't make business sense for a company to be seen as one which fails to provide services in Welsh, especially a big company," said Mr Jones.
"I would think that Admiral would want to ensure that services in Welsh are available."
In a letter to Mr Schiavone, Admiral said there was no guarantee a Welsh speaker would be available in future to answer customer calls.
The Welsh language commissioner said she was unable to hold an investigation due to a lack of evidence.
A spokesperson for Meri Huws said: "The Welsh language commissioner encourages all private sector companies in Wales to engage with their customers through their preferred language.
"However, the commissioner recognises that there is no statutory obligation on Admiral to offer services in Welsh."
Mr Schiavone said he has asked Admiral for a copy of the telephone conversation.”
This article was originally found on the BBC website.
The Admiral insurance group are included under the umbrella company EUI Limited which includes other insurance companies as well. The apology that has been demanded here reflects the dedication the company have to delivering the best possible customer service. If you are an existing customer or looking to become an Admiral customer, contact them directly via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/admiral-customer-services/. If you are interested in reading more news articles about the company, click here.
“Customer Gwion Schiavone had taken his complaint against Admiral Insurance to the Welsh language commissioner.
Meri Huws said she needed evidence before investigating but First Minister Carwyn Jones said he would look into the complaint.
Admiral employs 5,000 people in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.
Mr Schiavone told BBC Wales' Welsh language news programme Newyddion 9 that the insurance company told him every conversation had to be conducted in English to satisfy regulators.
The company has since said this was not its policy and apologised for the error.
'Preferred language'
In a statement, the company said: "I'm sorry Mr Schiavone was told he could not conduct his business with Admiral in Welsh.
"It is not our policy that all calls must be conducted in English and Mr Schiavone should not have been told this was the case."
First Minister Carwyn Jones said he was "happy" to look into the matter.
"It doesn't make business sense for a company to be seen as one which fails to provide services in Welsh, especially a big company," said Mr Jones.
"I would think that Admiral would want to ensure that services in Welsh are available."
In a letter to Mr Schiavone, Admiral said there was no guarantee a Welsh speaker would be available in future to answer customer calls.
The Welsh language commissioner said she was unable to hold an investigation due to a lack of evidence.
A spokesperson for Meri Huws said: "The Welsh language commissioner encourages all private sector companies in Wales to engage with their customers through their preferred language.
"However, the commissioner recognises that there is no statutory obligation on Admiral to offer services in Welsh."
Mr Schiavone said he has asked Admiral for a copy of the telephone conversation.”
This article was originally found on the BBC website.
The Admiral insurance group are included under the umbrella company EUI Limited which includes other insurance companies as well. The apology that has been demanded here reflects the dedication the company have to delivering the best possible customer service. If you are an existing customer or looking to become an Admiral customer, contact them directly via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/admiral-customer-services/. If you are interested in reading more news articles about the company, click here.
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Utilities Customer Service
There are certain aspects of life
that are necessary but undesired, utilities are one of these! There are no two
ways of looking at it, every household needs utilities but dealing with these
companies is a nightmare for most people. The news are always reporting the
most recent scandal or price increase coming from the utilities companies and
this causes a fever among customers and a stigma around the companies that they
are not delivering the best service possible.
Excusing the pun, there is no
smoke without fire and this stigma has been built on a foundation of truth but
as with banks and supermarkets, there is a constant struggle between supply and
demand. There is a market for these establishments because there is a demand
for them and there is competition because of the same reason; if the whole of
society needs something there is not only room for more than one company but
the customers also want choice, it is basic human intelligence that insists
upon options. However, companies are expanding to such an extent that customers
are now offered all of life’s necessities in one place – often with the option
of a discount for using one company for more than one product.
This means that utilities
companies are often associated with other amenities such as groceries or
insurance but a common dilemma customers face includes running the risk of
compromising on the level of customer service because the company are
preoccupied with other products and services. Utilities are a necessity but
this does not mean that service can compromised; if anything it would be in the
company’s best interests to offer exceptionally high service because while the product
is not optional the other services offered by the same company (for instance)
are. Customers are far more likely to take the company up on the offer of an
additional product or service if they receive very high customer care for the
product they are already receiving.
These companies must ensure that
they listen to their customers and offer them the best possible deals. This way
they will retain current customers and draw in new customers simultaneously. It
is proven that customer service is one of the major factors that customers take
into account when looking at companies and when it’s an essential service,
customers are more inclined to enter into contracts with those companies willing
to go the extra mile as it were. Good customer service is easy to deliver – the
assistants simply need to listen, acknowledge, respond and solve. The final
stage may simply be acknowledgement of a problem but it is still crucial that
customers know that the company is aware of their problem or issue, at the
absolute minimum.
For more information on utilities companies and the products and services they offer, speak with the British Gas customer services team.
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