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| Thread ID: 97622 | 2009-02-22 04:12:00 | Power saving website? | davidmmac (4619) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 750184 | 2009-02-22 18:42:00 | Powershop is effectively Meridian Energy owned. They are yet to approach Genesis, Mercury etc to get them on board. Mercury's main concern at this stage is that Powershop/Meridian gains a lot of clients via Powershop then at any stage they could kill the website and everyone would then be effectively Meridian customers. There is currently a fight on in the Christchurch area between Meridian and Mercury. Meridian have put prices up in this area and Mercury are coming in offering lower prices to gain their custom. The powershop indicates it is offering a choice of Power Providers but until they get the other mainstream providers working with them then it is just one company under several names. |
Bantu (52) | ||
| 750185 | 2009-02-23 00:52:00 | Firstly I must disclose my interest. I am the head of Powershop, it is my brainchild. Now, a few comments: + switching power companies has been a nightmare - I agree. Try our signup process out, all online, takes only 5 minutes and we have actually had some good news stories back. Amazing I know, but that's what we set out to do. + savings are available in electricity. There are quite significant differences between what power companies charge. It is just that their tariffs are so confused you can't work out what is the best deal. Our savings calculator is designed to reduce confusion and introduce a bit of transparancy into an otherwise very opaque industry. + the durability of savings is a real issue and barrier to switching. Sign up to a good deal and get shafted a few months later. As much as we would like to give a water tight guarantee of savings we can't, mainly because we have simplified tariffs (removed fixed daily charges, and EC levies etc.) and can't make like-for-like comparisons. But we believe most customers can save money by switching to Powershop and we are prepared to commit to ensure that "typical customers" will save money (see powershop.co.nz for details) - this is an enduring commitment. + Powershop is owned by Meridian - we are not going to hide that. However, we are autonomous and operationally independent. Our relationships with Meridian are strictly arms-length. We source our product from the wholesale market and have complete control over our pricing - we ARE a new retailer in the market. What's more we offer a way for new players to enter the market in ways that have not previously been possible, which is exactly what we have done with Power Kiwi Limited. + We are in early stage discussions with the other main generator-retailers, and would love to have them on-board to offer more choice and improve competition but we had to start somewhere, and we are confident that we have a very valuable proposition for customers even in our current state, and it can only get better from here. Enough ranting from me. Power to people! |
Ari (14640) | ||
| 750186 | 2009-02-27 21:37:00 | But what about the horror that goes with the power supplier change over. I've never heard one good story about changing power companies. Glad to be the first then... I was approached by Energy Direct (Whanganui-based retailer) late last year to switch from Genesis. The prices they quoted estimated a saving of about $15/month, which is not inconsiderable over the year. First bill came out last week, and it was a saving of about $20. No hassles, no problems. Welcome to PressF1 Ari. It's always nice to see companies responding on PressF1, giving first-hand information (much like Xnet did a few years back). I think the Powershop idea is intriguing and hope it goes well for you. I'll keep an eye and ear on it, and may look into it a few months. |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 750187 | 2009-02-27 23:28:00 | More grubby little middle men taking their cut. | zqwerty (97) | ||
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