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News$700k worth of savings tips from the government
$700k worth of savings tips from the government

$700k worth of savings tips from the government

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you would have noticed all the talk about energy prices. If you have been off the grid (pun intended), there’s no hiding from your energy bill, which will find you eventually. 

And so will the Federal Government’s latest $700,000 ad campaign!

Launched this month, the Powering Forward Campaign reportedly cost tax-payers $300,000 for 60 seconds of airtime during the AFL & NRL Grand Finals, and as much as $700,000 in fees to a Melbourne ad agency.

There's some useful information buried in there, but it's hidden behind propaganda pushing the government's energy policy credentials.

What do you think of the campaign?

Our take? The website contains some useful info for people wanting to save on power bills, for example it links to the Energy Made Easy comparison site and the Victorian Switchon site to compare offers.

It also contains energy efficiency tips for households, which can be handy.

But all that useful stuff is buried behind the silly “powering forward” slogan and some bumph about the Government’s Snowy Hydro 2.0 and gas reservation policies.

They’re important, but we’d like to see the moneysaving info up front and centre!

Here’s something else you can do to save.

A couple of months back, the Fiftyup Club started our Power-Up Campaign,  which now boasts a staggering 50,000 registrations nationally That tells us that you do want to do something about energy prices even if it’s just to send a message to power companies that enough is enough.

While Australia may rank second in the world for quality-of-life, we rate first in the world for the highest energy prices. Data from the Carbon + Energy Markets' MarkIntell service says we’re ahead of Germany, Denmark and Italy with 4 Australian states in the top ten (click here to see the list).

This despite Australia having every energy resource available in the world including coal, wind, solar, nuclear and sea-water hydro power.

What can you do? It’s as easy as picking up the phone, calling your energy retailer and asking for a better deal. Don’t take no for an answer. The energy market has never been so competitive and you can get results, with many members reporting savings in the hundreds of dollars.

Click here to see the latest Fiftyup Club energy offers, extended for a limited time only


 

 

Originally posted on .

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pauline
pauline from NSW commented:

I believe drivers over 85 years of age should be tested every year but I also would like to see drivers 30 years & younger tested every year too. 

kelvin
kelvin from QLD commented:

to reduce household expenditure 

maree
maree from NSW commented:

with the quote from Coles I have just received , I will save $500 per year on switching my comprehensive car insurance and House and Building and contents from NRMA to Coles..... Its worth considering 

Perrine - FiftyUp Club
Perrine - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to maree:

Hi Maree. Thanks for the feedback, that is a significant saving! 

Gerry
Gerry from NSW replied to maree:

hi maree, good luck next year. Coles only guarantees the first year? You're going to have to prepare to renegotiate every year thereafter. 

Mary
Mary from NSW commented:

I'd like tobe made aware of places that give discounts to over fiftys 

Maureen
Maureen from NSW commented:

More fair discounts for 50+ 

Terry
Terry from NSW commented:

I certainly hope that this forum isn't being censored. I say this because there seems to be an abundance of "happy chappies" with the Coles insurance & very few negative comments. To all these people PLEASE make sure you are comparing apples with apples. My Coles contact assured me everything I am currently getting would be covered by Coles but when I got the paperwork in the mail & read the "fineprint" alas, all was not as it seems. My car is 2 years old & my current insurer will replace it with a new one if it is written off or stolen in the first 10 years. Coles is in the first 2 years. My current insurer will give me a hire car for as long as it takes to repair or replace my current car. Coles is 14 days then you are on your own. Now I am told the cheap premium is for the first 12 months only then reverts to their standard premium which, in my case, is heaps dearer than my current premium. When I called Coles to cancel the 2 policies they were quoting for me the bloke said they has a special department to deal with things like this. A "special department", that alone rang alarm bells for me. Finally, I am always very wary of any organisation that gets a kickback from a company they are pushing. I sure hope that's not the case here. I will now climb off my soapbox. 

Joel - FiftyUp Club
Joel - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to Terry:

Hi Terry - we certainly don't censor the forum, except if we find something offensive or abusive. There will no doubt be some anonymous comments on here from Coles Insurance competitors too - but we prefer to reply to them with facts than delete them. You should absolutely read the PDS for any policy you're considering, because the unfortunate fact is that no two policies are exactly the same. They all have their idiosyncrasies. Weigh them up and decide what's right for you. Use the special offer to get a better deal out of your current insurer if that's your preferred result and it's possible. We just want you to save as a result of being a FiftyUp Club member - whichever way you go about it. 

Brent
Brent from NSW commented:

Not happy! Coles won't insure my car because it is used for Business purposes eg: delivery of small car parts eg. spark plugs, oil filters etc.... yet they will insure a sales rep who carries samples eg; wine, stationery, etc..... What's the difference? 

Olivia - FiftyUp Club
Olivia - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to Brent:

Hi Brent, thank you for your feedback. The offers that the FiftyUp Club will produce are always going to be obligation free. It's very difficult to produce an offer that will benefit absolutely everyone but we will do our best. If one campaign does not inspire you, hopefully the next one will. This Coles offer will benefit a large number of people, however, there will always be a minority of people who are currently on a more beneficial offer. This is not necessarily a negative thing! It just means that your current insurer is providing you a comparatively good offer in the market that is specifically tailored to you. Like I said, I am sure that there'll be an offer in the future that will benefit you directly! Thanks again for your feedback, it's always good for us to hear word from those content with the offer and otherwise. 

Helen
Helen from NSW commented:

I've just changed my Comprehensive Car Insurance to Coles Comprehensive Car Insurance and have saved half the amount. Very happy about it. Well done FiftyUp Club. Keep up the good work. 

Olivia - FiftyUp Club
Olivia - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to Helen:

Thanks for your feedback, Helen, and great news! 

Jasmine
Jasmine from QLD commented:

I believe that being over 50 and single income - the forgotten minority group as far as governments are concerned; I hope that Fifty Up Club will look at giving us some financial assistance or benefits to take the pressure off the cost of living so we can save more as we head towards retirement. 

Perrine - FiftyUp Club
Perrine - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to Jasmine:

Hi Jasmine. Thanks for your comments! The FiftyUp Club recognizes these challenges and pressures surrounding living costs and hopes to unlock discounts that will allow you to benefit and save on household bills. 

Marlene
Marlene from NSW commented:

We got quote on the car insurance, it was a $1.47 more than what pay now 

Olivia - FiftyUp Club
Olivia - FiftyUp Club from NSW replied to Marlene:

HI Marlene. GIve COles a call on 1300 661 436. If you're considered a safe driver they guarantee that they will beat your offer by $100 minimum 

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