Utility Bidder Avis 

I came into contact with Utility Bidder whilst searching gas prices via Compare The Market web sites. I am older generation, not very computer confident or computer literate, and anxious. All of this was removed when Kenny Coldwell, my Utility Bidder contact, introduced himself and took responsibility for finding me the best option available.

Be careful using this broker. If nothing goes wrong then you get your new supplier and are happy. However if anything happens to stop this new supply then they will charge you AT LEAST £750 plus VAT per meter. They get you to sign a contract with them at the same time you sign with the recommended new supplier. This contract requires you to pay them this £750 per meter if for any reason the supply contract does not go ahead OR if ,say, you move out of the property and don’t give Utility Bidder at least 14 days notice. This contract doesn’t oblige utility bidder to do anything.
In our case we took over a pub and utility bidder recommended EDF. We told them that the tenancy was short term and would not last the full year. They assured us that there was no termination fee or penalty.
The existing supplier proved to be very difficult to release the supply contract and Utility Bidder did nothing to help. So we ended up going with another company that helped considerably.
Utility Bidder are now claiming loss of profit of over £2000. For doing nothing.

They send stock letters, ignore all legal arguments and try to intimidate us into paying.
I’m not convinced that the contract is legally enforceable since there is no consideration from Utility Bidder, further we were mis-sold as we relied on their assurances that there were no penalties on early termination (we were in temporary occupation and could be given as little as 24 hours notice, so 14 days notice was out of the question) , the contract is also unfair, the penalty clauses unreasonable. We were only in occupation for less than 15 weeks and the total commission that would have been earned by Utility Bidder was less than £190. But they still demanded over £2,000.
So basically they want to profit by doing nothing.

Update
As usual Utility Bidder has chosen to ignore the correspondence which refutes the ADR decision due to not providing the correct legal arguments before the case. Now with the pro bono advice of a senior barrister we are informed that we have a very good case and although Utility Bidder have refused a settlement amount (nuisance value) greater than what they would have received if the contract had gone ahead unhindered, it seems that we are going to court. I will update with any results.

I had a great experience with Utility Bidder when taking over a new unit that had previously been used as an industrial warehouse. The property had a half-hourly meter installed, which would have significantly increased my energy costs.

Chun Hao Man was incredibly helpful throughout the process. He took the time to understand the situation, gave clear and honest advice, and helped find a solution that saved me a lot of money and stress at a busy time.

I really appreciated his professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile to help. I’d highly recommend Utility Bidder — and especially Chun Hao Man — to anyone needing support with utilities for commercial premises.

Great working with Sukie Gill who provided a very professional service and is a credit to Utility Bidder,

Excellent support with electricity contract renewal (Ivan Gomes) Efficient assistance and no pressured sales techniques.

Great
Very easy and simple

Thanks

Matthew Burke made the whole process of changing electricity supplier very straight forward - and we were able to slash our costs by over 60%. Highly recommended

I have used Darren for a previous energy price comparison and I found him to be very experienced and professional in the way he works with you, also all the team are very friendly and helpful, the good thing is that you see your offer in writing prior to signing.

Hi we contacted Rebecca lau because we was struggling to contact british gas lite to explain to them we needed our final bill we sent in the meter readings but they kept saying they were wrong the stress level was very high all this was on Web chat awful system it took Rebecca lau just a few days to sort the problem out she did a fantastic service for us thank you very much A1 service

Suki Gill from this company outbidded all the competition!
A pleasure to deal with.

DO NOT USE UTILITY BIDDER to change service provider, gas electricity etc, unless you are prepared to pay a fee of £750 per contract for each contract that fails to take effect. That is written into their Terms and Conditions which you have to sign. I have been caught three times by this. Ouch! One contract failed because they signed us up one year ahead of the existing contract renewal date and I simply forgot I had agreed to that. Two others failed because Utility Bidder failed to get the existing supplier to accept the change of supplier through them, probably because of the sizeable commission they charge.
Be aware that you do not need to use an agency like this at all to change a supplier, not even for a commercial contract. You can always negotiate a new contract for gas or electricity etc direct with a supplier and avoid the risk of expensive penalties if the agency fails to get the contract over the line.
Final lesson: always make time to read the Terms and Conditions of these agencies before you sign them! Mark Hamilton, director of Mostyn Management Ltd.

Delighted with the service received from Utility Bidder.
We have had several bad experiences with brokers, until we contacted Utility Bidder. Chun Hao Man was brilliant - very professional, very helpful and informative.
We won't hesitate to use them again.

Renewing our business gas contract is something I always dread. After pushy brokers and agressive indian scammers I was probably a little reserved when I first spoke to Utility Bidder thinking here we go again, promise me the best deal then all of a sudden its not, HOWEVER, how wrong was I. A really pleasant gentleman 'Andrew Thomasson' was efficient, polite and searched for the very best deal (I ended up staying with British Gas) and was so much cheaper than 2 other brokers and British Gas direct. No pressure to sign a contract, just gave me the facts and answered a few questions that I had. Now I definitely wont stress about any future renewals. Thank you Andrew, much appreciated.

I spoke to Georgia Phillips who was extremely helpful and informative. Georgia listened to my enquiry and explained fully the differences of the suppliers. Georgia went the extra mile to get us the best price for our new business

I dealt with Mathew Burke he talked me through everything I needed to know keeping it simple and easy to understand first class service from him....
Would recommend him and the company if all the staff are as professional

Spoke with a David Grimshaw who was very informative and professional. The whole procedure of switching energy provider was surprisingly smooth and easy. Highly recommend UB and especially David.

I agree sneaky tactics. They did not arrange a contract for me and immediately sent me to debt collector asking for £750 + VAT per meter even though they did not change my supply as I was in contract because it auto renewed. The agent I spoke to mentioned nothing. They did nothing and just want money. Anyone thinking of using be careful

Chun was helpful, informative and efficient, giving useful advice throughout the process. It is the first time that we have used Utility Bidder but, so far, I have been pleased with how clear and transparent all of their information and T & C's are.

My experience with Utility Bidder was made highly positive and efficient by Rebecca (Lau). Throughout she was timely & friendly in all of her communications with no 'sales pressure', a pleasant change from other such providers!
Would recommend to others