| Until recent years the average business person was | | | | The basics behind business utilities - be that traditional |
| only bothered about the bottom line i.e. the profit. It was | | | | business electricity, gas and telecom or more recently |
| more sales, more service etc quite a blinkered | | | | business mobiles, IP Telephony, Broadband, Web |
| approach in fact. It seemed they were ignoring the old | | | | Hosting etc. it is basic common sense that every |
| phrase; 'watch the pennies the pounds will look after | | | | business, no matter how large or small, reviews their |
| themselves'. There were moans and groans about | | | | utility costs every year. They should know the tariff |
| competition from abroad, the rate of exchange any | | | | they pay and when each contract expires. |
| many other excuses for the small amount on the | | | | Tips about business electricity prices and business gas |
| 'bottom line.' All they really had to do was some better | | | | prices: |
| housekeeping and cash flow would have been much | | | | 1) NEVER pay estimated bills! |
| improved. | | | | 2) NEVER have a credit balance with the supplier. |
| Businesses were so against the management of their | | | | 3) NEVER pay a company to switch you onto a |
| utilities that one could approach virtually any size | | | | different supplier. |
| company and be met with apathy when you offered | | | | 4) NEVER deal direct with a supplier as they can only |
| them the chance to reduce their costs. It did not | | | | offer you their product. |
| matter what costs you were trying to reduce for | | | | 5) GET SEVERAL QUOTES and take your time to |
| them, be it business electricity, business gas, business | | | | compare the price AND standing charge. |
| telecom etc. And irrespective of the size of the | | | | 6) ALWAYS terminate your agreement when your |
| company the excuses were varied. e.g. " I don't have | | | | existing supplier sends you a renewal letter. |
| the time to bother with my electricity prices, I'm too | | | | Tips about business telecom; |
| busy generating sales" or, in the large companies the | | | | 1) NEVER contract to more than 24 months as prices |
| smug dismissive response was often "I don't really | | | | are always decreasing. |
| know anything about our business electricity prices as | | | | 2) ALWAYS check for minimum call charges and |
| we employ a company to do it for us". Occasionally | | | | connection charges. |
| one would hear "we get loads of companies offering | | | | 3) ALWAYS find out which company will carry the |
| to save us money on our business electricity and it | | | | calls (ie. Carphone Warehouse, Verizon etc.). |
| always ends up costing us more'. I even recall | | | | Finally, although different sources have slightly different |
| speaking to one company to see if we could reduce | | | | facts, it would seem that only about 10% of |
| their business electricity costs. The response was a | | | | businesses that are able to change supplier (be that |
| corker; "you can't ring the person who handles this as | | | | business electricity, gas, telecom, mobile etc.) each |
| he is far too busy. Put your details in a letter and if he | | | | month actually bother to change. That is a sad |
| thinks it worthwhile he will contact you"! | | | | reflection on the commonsense of the average |
| I have often wondered if the person in charge of | | | | business person, especially when the savings are |
| purchasing business utilities (electricity, gas, telecom | | | | staring them in the face and they can be as high as |
| etc.) does such a lousy job that they are afraid a cost | | | | 70%! |
| reduction company will show them up. | | | | |