Freebies & discounts from utility companies & councils

[Kristen]

It depends if your council has signed up with them mine has but they're still pricey:-

Just in case I'm seeing something different to others:

It looked like it displayed their whole range but SOME (but not all) of them had a "sticker" image on them saying "Subsidised price". (Sorry, can't remember if it was cheaper than you have listed). So if not seeing the "Subsidised Sticker" then presumably you are just seeing their full RRP and that council isn't subsidising at all ...

[Guest]

Just in case I'm seeing something different to others:

It looked like it displayed their whole range but SOME (but not all) of them had a "sticker" image on them saying "Subsidised price". (Sorry, can't remember if it was cheaper than you have listed). So if not seeing the "Subsidised Sticker" then presumably you are just seeing their full RRP and that council isn't subsidising at all ...

You have the same for the blackwalls it is the rest of the range that is a subsidised price for suffolk i.e ya can o worms is twenty squid cheaper. Yours Suffolk Waste Partnership Offer unlike mine Norfolk County Council Offer. I dunno councils.......

[Jay-ell]

The subsidised price will vary according to your council. In Newcastle its £12 for a 330 litre bin with the second half price. So two 330 litre bins for exactly the same price as@ldi are selling a single 220 litre bin.

The address im having them delivered to is a new build and I wasn't able to order over the web, but customer service easily sorted that out.

[Lumpy]

Our council is in the 'bloomin ell how much' category.

[Guest]

How interesting - and alarming. However, they have a "price guarantee"

getcomposting.com | Why buy from getcomposting.com?

6. PRICE GUARANTEE

Find it cheaper elsewhere and we will refund the difference.*

7. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

Not 100% delighted? Return your goods within 30 days for a full refund.**



*Price guarantee applies within 7 days of purchase. Goods must be like for like, on the same delivery terms and in stock. Offer excludes other getcomposting.com council areas. In the event of a successful claim the charge you pay for our goods will be adjusted.

Let us know their response NG.

Their response is as follows:-

Thank you for your email. Our GetComposting website is our campaign in which we work with councils throughout the UK and they subsidise our products. How much they are subsidised is completely dependent on the council and so prices vary from council to council and from our main retail website. We have just relaunched our Evengreener website and as a result we have brought the prices down on most of our products which is why it is currently cheaper than some council subsidies. This will be altered at the start of April when the new council campaigns start and most councils are looking to reduce prices to match Evengreener.

If you like we can cancel your order and you can reorder with Evengreener, you can cancel your order and wait until the new council campaigns come in and reorder or you can stay with your current order and it will be delivered in due course. Please let us know how you would like to proceed and if you would like to cancel your order please reply with your full address and order number if you have it available.

So by the looks of it peoples offers may change next month.....maybe

[Kristen]

If you like we can cancel your order and you can reorder with Evengreener, you can cancel your order and wait until the new council campaigns come in and reorder or you can stay with your current order and it will be delivered in due course. Please let us know how you would like to proceed and if you would like to cancel your order please reply with your full address and order number if you have it available.

Everything except their price promise of "Find it cheaper elsewhere and we will refund the difference." - or maybe I am missing something ...

[Kristen]

P.S. Am I wrong in thinking that this is dishonest? I hate doing business with companies that I consider have sharp / dishonest practices.

If I understand it correctly THIS COMPANY is selling the product cheaper "out of a side door" but they are happily listing the product they are selling "out of the front door" at a higher price but with a PRICE PROMISE ...

It seems to me, correct me if you disagree, that they are relying on some people not seeing the difference in price, within 7 days, and thus not asking for a refund, and thus their price calculation is based on the assumption that a proportion of people will pay the higher price.

[Guest]

It seems to me, correct me if you disagree, that they are relying on some people not seeing the difference in price, within 7 days, and thus not asking for a refund, and thus their price calculation is based on the assumption that a proportion of people will pay the higher price.

Dishonest - yes and no. No matter who you buy from Evengreener don't lose out hence why they are happy for you to go direct to them as they then get the mark up as well as the cost price. However councils are relying on you not knowing you can go direct. I would have thought councils would have a clause somewhere to stop this, but apparently not. I often used to come across this when I worked at a trade merchants. Suppliers supposedly giving really good prices but Joe Bloggs being able to buy direct at the same price occasionally cheaper regardless of them buying one and the merchants buying 1000's.

As for the price match guarantee I think the blase response I got is something councils are probably unaware off

[Kristen]

No matter who you buy from Evengreener don't lose out

But their profit level different - or am I missing something? I've made the prices up just for comparative purposes

RRP £120 (say). Lets assume they buy them at £60.

Council subsidised price £100 - profit £40 plus as it is subsidised the council will be also be paying something per-sale to the company? (the buyer and yours and my Council Tax pay for that)

Company direct price £80 - profit £20

Thus it appears to me that the Council subsidised ones make them far more profit.

[Guest]

But their profit level different - or am I missing something? I've made the prices up just for comparative purposes

I do fear we are going to confuse each other, hopefully someone with the ability to keep it simple might intervene

It is only the dalek/ blackwall composters that I can see the council ones are more expensive and Norfolk and Suffolk ones aren't subsidised. They only claim they are reduced price and reduced price on RRP doesn't really mean a lot

As for ficticious figures what is it to evengreener if they can get a couple extra quid profit from Joe Bloggs on a one off sale if their not so high profit comes from council sales (getcomposting) because it is bulk. The getcompositing site profit is actually council profit.

So it might cost Evengreener £10 ea. to make, sell to the council for £13 ea., the council sell for £22.98 where as Joe Bloggs can buy direct for ££19.98

Does my understanding of it make sense?

[Kristen]

Does my understanding of it make sense?

Definitely, thanks. Although I'm not sure I concur with you on one point.

"So it might cost Evengreener £10 ea. to make, sell to the council for £13 ea., the council sell for £22.98 where as Joe Bloggs can buy direct for ££19.98"

Method A : That implies that Evengreener sell Council Subsidised ones at £13 including handling all the cost of sales, and then pass on any "profit" to the council.

Might well be right ...

I would have expected it to be other way round (lets assume that Council Subsides price IS cheaper than available elsewhere)

Method B : Council Subsidised product sells for £15 and Evengreener gets £19.98-£15 = £4.98 from the Council to make up the difference (I expect in practice it would be less then £4.98 as there would be a negotiated price somewhere between the two)

Have you seen something (which I have obviously missed, sorry) to say that it is Method A rather than my alternative Method B ?

I just want to have my facts absolutely correct before I make any statements in any recommendations, or opposite, for these and this company in future.

[Guest]

Method B does make sense and if it was for can-o-worms I would agree the council are subsidising the product like advertised and are putting the £20 difference towards the item (which as you say is tax payers money).

The parent company looks to be Straight Ltd - Waste and Recycling Container Specialists. All three getcomposting, straight ltd and evengreener are at the same address so the overheads are the same, the products are the same. The main reason I thought method A is that in the e-mail I had it implied the councils dictate their selling prices and it is for them to fall inline with evengreener. I guess we will never really know

[Guest]

"So it might cost Evengreener £10 ea. to make, sell to the council for £13 ea., the council sell for £22.98 where as Joe Bloggs can buy direct for ££19.98"

Method A : That implies that Evengreener sell Council Subsidised ones at £13 including handling all the cost of sales, and then pass on any "profit" to the council.

Sorry Kristen just reread your post. In regards to my theory/ method A. Evengreener would make £3 profit per item (over time it is a lot of £3's) in conjuction with the council as opposed to selling to end user with a profit of £9.98 (which is not lot in terms of units/items sold).

[Kristen]

Yeah, seems uncertain for sure. I feel I should let my council know that there is ambiguity, at least, and their customers might take a dim view of finding out that the council subsides price is higher than the company is selling the product for, as I very much doubt that that is the council's intention.

[veggiechicken]

Maybe the Council receives a commission for every purchase made from the website? This could account for the markup that the company charge?
Just speculating..............