Member Info for WoollyBoing

Surely the deadline will be 'the end of October' as opposed to 7am on 30th October? I always assumed tomorrow to be the deadline anyway?

http://www.investegate.co.uk/telecom-plus-plc--tep-/rns/half-year-trading-statement/201310080700059374P/

More positive news. http://www.investegate.co.uk/telecom-plus-plc--tep-/rns/interim-management-statement/201307170700074702J/

£40m sale of Opta imminent? Should see some movement here today, then?

Wi-fi is completely unlimited on the standard package...and wi-fi customers do get a free router. You also only get 3% off at Sainsburys, not 5%...just for balance!!!

Revenue up 27.6% to £601.5m (2012: £471.5m) Profit before tax up 12.7% to £34.6m (2012: £30.7m) http://www.investegate.co.uk/telecom-plus-plc--tep-/rns/final-results/201305210700121609F/

Been in here for around 10 months...it's extremely volatile in that the SP can have big gains and big dips on any given day, apparently for no reason. However, at the moment, it's at £12.85 according to Google finance and that's presumably in anticipation of tomorrow's Final Results which I believe will tell of yet another increase in profits, so presumably you'd expect the price to rise again on the back of that? Who knows whether this is at its peak but the company does have ambitions to hit the FTSE100 at some point and if it gets there, then fantastic. Fingers crossed and GLA.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/telecom-plus-plc--tep-/rns/trading-update-and-notice-of-results/201304020700132028B/

...one of the 'announcements' was that TEP is looking to become a FTSE100 company in the near future. Fingers crossed.

Simples...their emailed response... "Thank you for your email of 23rd January 2013. In relation to your question about our online shopping facility and the purchase of business related items...we are unable to advise you in relation to any tax implications when using our services for business purposes. I would recommend speaking with an accountant in relation to any tax benefits that you may receive. I trust this clarifies matters however if we can be of any further assistance to you with regards to this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact our Business Customer Services team on 0844 815 0506." There you have it. Somewhat underwhelming if I'm honest but I will sort it directly with my accountant.

Looking at recent trades...why would people buy in volumes as low as (for example) 2, 6, 8, 11, 12 and 22?

Likewise, thank you for that also. That said, in using my accountant, I sit down once a year (usually in early December) to run through all the bits and pieces...giving him/her every last piece of detail as required. So for example, in working from home as I did (solely) for around three years, the utilities costs were factored in then although don't ask me the ins and outs of how the appropriate payments are/were calculated there? I merely supplied copies of all my bills and trusted my accountant to make the appropriate calculations. Otherwise, if I tried to make sense of it all and to then do my own tax return, I'd get utterly lost in the detail and get it wrong, I'm sure. Thank you again for your assistance/advice though...it's much appreciated.

I have already had my tax affairs for the year filed. That was all completed in the early part of the month. Again, as I have just posted, I have been onto UWDC in the last five minutes through the customer enquiry facility on their website and will share their response with you (et al) just as soon as I have it. The last thing I want to do is get anything wrong so much as we have been debating the whys and wherefores of the share/proposition on here from different perspectives, my thanks again for prompting me to be in touch with them for clarification.

I have emailed them through the customer contact facility to ask the question. I have to say...I'm grateful for your prompt, not least as I have two businesses; one of which is based at home, with the other being office-based (rented). The gas and electricity is all included in the rent there but UWDC for business will be suppliers for both my landline and business mobile. I actually have no idea what the tax implications are when that element comes into it but clearly, I need to be aware?! I will post word for word, what there response is to me, should that come via email, or a summary of any conversation should it come via a phone call as is usually the case with customer responses.

I couldn't tell you as any discount is only 'credited' at the end of the following month? However, any such transactions will always be declared when I sit down with my accountant at the end of the year. I may have made a mistake of not reading through the UWDC website for any detail...in fact...I will ask the question of them and find out!

LOL! They offer similar services to businesses...I perhaps should have made that clear?!

I have just ordered a couple of toner sets from one of the UWDC marketing partners...not using the cashback card but rather using my own company's credit card. In doing that after first logging on to the UWDC site and going through that portal to access the stationery company's site, I have just earned another £100.30 off my monthly utilities bill. Seriously, what's not to like about this concept?

If you have a look at the way the share price has fluctuated in the last 6 months or so, as much as you can highlight a drop from 985p to 942p in recent days, so too can I point to that fact that it was sub 800p as recently as July having also been at 890p or so in June. Look at the trend line with standard deviation over the last 12 months. Impressive, don't you think? With regards to meter readings, UWDC request that you submit them at least once a month so that they can accurately calculate your payment plan...working out an accurate averaged-out monthly payment. I would guess that that is a similar approach to most gas/electricity suppliers? However, my supplying them with these regular monthly readings means that I have confidence that they are charging me the appropriate amount (unlike other suppliers who don't keep such close tabs on your usage)...which in my case has dropped massively from what Atlantic were charging me...which in turn was cheaper than Bristish Gas who were the previous owner's supplier. Can I ask what you regard as being 'indefensible' here? Only speaking from a customer viewpoint, I genuinely can't see a negative? I am saving a small fortune on both utilities and generic shopping etc. I'm not sure that needs any defending...in fact, it needs promoting? And that is what the distributors do pretty well...likewise customers who can refer any other friends without the need for any input from distributors. And apologies for labouring the point but their customer base is growing, as is turnover, as are profits. The March conference is likely to see more good news which I will relay here as and when my cousin tells me exactly what is is? But their internet TV provision is due to be launched soon...and when customers (not me I might add as our wifi is paid for by my partner's employer) already benefit from big bandwidth at something like £3 per month that is also likely to be a big success and when people get wind of it, they will no doubt win even more customers/market share.

That appears to be what you are saying I am because I am defending this share? Forgive me if I have that wrong...but equally, if I have that right, forgive me for taking offence. People can make their own decisions. I made mine at 864p. I've already taken a reasonable profit on 2800 shares and could do so on my remaining 2000 today if I wanted to. And again, I would argue that the nature of the business model does matter. TEP currently has no direct competitor, its customer base, turnover and profits are increasing year on year. I can appreciate that the SP may not rise at the same rate forever and a day...or course I can...but IMO, it will go past 1000p in the not too distant future. And as a customer of some 10 months standing, I am delighted with the service and savings TEP/UWDC provides. I don't see how anyone using them and their cashback card properly can fail to benefit and at an austere time when incomes are being squeezed, more power to them as well. Again Simples, if you care calling me in any way 'corrupt' or a 'shyster' because I have a positive opinion of the company and its offering...and that does seem to be the case...then you are wholly wrong and should apologise. You still haven't conceded that the products they are selling are 'competitive'. Of course they are. And then some.

Thanks for the explanation Simples...but much as I understand your point of view and again accept that you have a great understanding of how 'stocks and shares' work and are valued perhaps in the traditional sense, I still can't accept that this business/proposition is fundamentally flawed? Its offering is (currently) unique in the UK, so far as I can see, with a growing customer base whose enthusiasm for the concept is already yielding significant profits. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, taking myself as a typical customer, my being with them sees me save around £100 pcm so over £1200 per year on utilities alone. Does it matter that the company doesn't actually produce gas etc? It has seen a niche in the market, seen how it can make money by saving people money and gone about building a business through the best and most valued form of recommendation...word of mouth and endorsement from its customers. You make the point that you can get a similar inflation-beating return by simply taking out a no-rick mini-cash ISA? That may be true but last year one general savings account of mine which had over 6 figures in there returned around £2k after tax...when you compare that return with what profits I have made from trading TEP shares and the dividend payments I have received to date, I am already at pushing £1500 on my initial investment, with 2000 shares still being held, which as a customer, sees me also benefit from the company's shareholder incentive which; while it is perhaps only a token sum, will see me also get 10% of my annual spend for a calendar year back. Is it not possible, as the utilities marketplace become still more competitive because it has to, that UWDC/TEP have actually brought about a concept that represents the most viable way forward in the sector? If so, they have stolen a march on any future competitors and with such an expensive (literally thousands) list of marketing partners all contributing to the USP, I can't see this failing in the longer term. They currently have a small share of the market...but as times get harder and as utilities providers are forced to offer their 'best' tariffs, I can only see the position in the marketplace being strengthened. From a customer perspective, their customer service has been spot on and they have given me a real no-brainer in saving me a considerable amount of money on my bills right across the board. With that kind of proposition, I genuinely don't see this business as being in any way flawed? Its actually pretty clever from what I can see?!