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NewsJoin forces and go on the hunt for better value from the ‘Big Three’ bills
Join forces and go on the hunt for better value from the ‘Big Three’ bills

Join forces and go on the hunt for better value from the ‘Big Three’ bills

Tags: FiftyUp Club
Last updated by Chris Zinn on

On safari in Africa they talk about seeing and photographing ‘the big five’ game animals, elephants, rhinos etc before breakfast.

I was reminded to this week as we launched an initiative to bag, but certainly not shoot, the big three household bills on breakfast TV.

The Today Show provided the happy hunting ground for the ‘Fair Go for 50Ups’ campaign and our target --the bills you love to hate.

In our cross-hairs the must-have services around energy, insurance and telecoms which both seem to go up in price regularly and are hard to compare.

In the passing parade the Big Three are:

Electricity a perennial favourite which due to various factors including  green energy policies is going up again in 2017. For those in NSW in particular with solar panels the loss of the once generous feed-in tariff will mean much higher bills.

Insurance for cars and home and contents again tipped to rise by more in 2017 than the year before as companies seek to recoup profits

Mobile phone plans have become more affordable but there are new entrants and new offers which can substantially reduce the costs if you are aware and prepared to switch

You know the 50 Up Club’s founding idea is to gather the  purchasing and consumer power of many individuals together to move markets and create offers you couldn’t access by yourself.

What makes this campaign special is the sheer numbers of  individuals involved. While they might not gather literally in huge herds like zebra or wildebeest in Africa the totals are comparable.

We are hoping to hit the grand total 250,000 members in the four week campaign which runs until Friday March 3 ( is this right date?)

By now you probably know how to join in. Go to the website www.fiftyupclub.com register at no cost or obligation, answer a few quick questions, and see what we come up with.

With a triple-barrelled campaign like this you may only be interested in fixing one imminent and particularly annoying bill.

But having a look at what the group comes up with and how it stacks up with your current offer might give you the impetus to:

Ask your existing provider to match it or see if you can find a better offer in the market. You only have a little time to lose and much more to gain.

With these three bills you can’t in the short-term influence government policy or corporate strategy but you can benefit from competition by engaging in the market.

The Fair Go for 50ups campaign provides just one way to find out what a growing group of older Australian can create in the market.

Why not join them to see what happens? See if you can get the measure of the ‘big three’ bills before they get you.

Originally posted on .

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Join forces and go on the hunt for better value from the ‘Big Three’ bills

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Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

We, 50 Plus customers, need the help from a group so that we have a stronger voice. I'm on a disability pension, and after rent, I'm left with just under 150 to last a full two weeks. Do the math on just supplying basic needs, as attempting to manage just making ends meet. Imagine trying to eat normal foods, it's impossible, but somehow I do manage. Perhaps there's a force out there helping those in need. But there's a huge amount of emotional stress, so much so that I've been house bound since 2011/12 due to both emotional stress, and financial distress. Large companies, and the government need to look at the above 50's more closely, as they supply a huge percentage in most firms income. Do start treating us with some respect,..... 

Gertraud
Gertraud from ACT commented:

Of those three, electricity, insurances and mobile phone costs, the only one that I review on a regular basis are the insurances. My electricity costs me around $100 per annum - yes, one hundred dollars for the year - so a non-issue and if the ACT removes the 50 cents feed in tariff for my solar, I will simply add another 5 kW system and a battery. No sweat! For my mobile, there is only one provider, which is Telstra. I am on the $35/mth plan and it gives me the best coverage across the country. So this leaves insurances for car, house & contents , which I review on an annual or biannual basis and have been known to change. I do my own research. 

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