Nearly two thirds of people living in the South West of England (64%) are more worried about their household bills than they were this time last year, but are failing to do anything about it, according to new research commissioned by Incahoot, the new group buying site that launches this week.
A quarter (25%) of those interviewed* in the South West said they’d actually been offered a ‘better deal’ from their mobile, energy, home broadband or insurance supplier during the past year – and under half of consumers (43%) just accept the deals they currently have without asking for a discount.
Assertiveness paid off for the few living in the South West who did make demands however, with 77% of energy users getting the discount they wanted – when they asked for it.
In addition, the research also found businesses regularly achieve discounts on utilities and telecoms of up to 35% through harnessing bulk buying power, better market information and skilled negotiators.
John Evans, CEO of Incahoot, the new free online community said: “When it comes to getting discounts on bills, assertiveness is the name of the game, but Joe Public still tends to perceive this as a David and Goliath struggle. We know it’s possible which is why we set up Incahoot – to negotiate deals for our members that normally only big businesses get through their collective buying power.”
Confusion, lack of information and time remain significant obstacles to negotiating with suppliers. More than half of consumers said it was “difficult to reach the right people to negotiate with” (55%). When asked, 62% said, “the deals and discounts on offer are too confusing”, while nearly half said they “didn’t have time” to negotiate (45%).
“People just don’t want to negotiate for these services on their own. Complex tariffs make people feel confused and frustrated, and as result they don’t feel in control and confident when talking to these suppliers.”
People in the South West’s attitudes to negotiating were less than positive when asked to describe their experiences, with consumers saying they felt “confused” (39%), “frustrated” (54%), “powerless” (25%) and even “bullied” (21%).
Incahoot’s model means members have access to a home broadband service that is 15% lower than any other in the UK, the best value monthly tariff for mobile phones in the monthly contract market and an energy deal which saves households up to £130 on their annual bill. Total annual savings for members could top £1,720 per household.
