South Staffordshire Water- Bill problem

proplusplus

Hi,

After several attempts to get the company (South Staffordshire Water) to explain to me what i was being charged for on my bill (explanation of their charges, Rateable Value, units used etc.) today i finally got half an explanation - which seemed to make sense.

However - the current problem is that they want me to pay a bill of around £200 for a years supply up-front.

I am due to move out of my house mid-June, and as a result do not want to pay more than the 2.5 months which i will owe.

They have offered to put me on a monthly payment plan, split into 8monthly payments...

why 8? because apparantly you pay until November & then not until March... or something like that.

After complaining again that i didnt want to pay money just so that when i move out they can pay me back, i was offered the 'secret' 11-month payment plan option. I declined, stating that this was a ludicrous breakdown for a 12-month contract. Why 11? surely it makes sense to break down into 12!

Anyway, they have threatened me (or at least warned) over the phone that i will be in arrears if i do not pay & that they could likely take me to court.

I have no problems paying a water bill which i owe. However, i feel that it is unjust for them to request of me payments which exceed the monthly amount that i owe, just so that i can claim it back afterwards??

why? this makes NO sense at all - except for the fact that they can claim interest on all the excess money they have successfully screwed out of their millions of customers. Furthermore - how come i will be taken to court for money i 'owe' them, when i am not paying for something that i will receive - and they will then have to pay me back anyway because they owe it to me?

The customer service representatives seemed to blame 'the computer' as it dictates the whole companies payment acceptances.

What can i do here? i don't really have enough money to go round paying utility companies excess money which they will return to me after a few months? - is this a service which they are providing me - 'keeping my money safe?'

please advise anyone who can help!

cheers!

proplusplus

deanos

I take it you are paying on rateable value where you pay for a year upfront which is what all water co's do , you are best splitting the payments into the 11 months direct debit that way you can cancell it when you move out so you wont be paying any extra or if you do it will be a small amount to claim back rather than a large chunk if you paid it all in one go.

ohdear_4

South Staffs will take you to court too. They sent quite nasty letters to me after only living in the area for a while. The people who lived here before us filled out a form before moving and sent it to south staffs water but they put the wrong date on it. I got court letters etc and had to prove moving date etc. They did even give me a court date, all within such a short space of time.

Jamz

Just so you know, they can only take you to court after 6 months (I.e. September) for the previous 6 months usage..

I used to work for Severn Trents Credit Management team so i don't mind helping out where i can.

DJ1UK

Usually a water bill becomes due on the 1st of April (for the following years full charges), unless you have set a payment arrangement with the company (DD or payment card etc).

Payment arrangements are usually over 10 months (not sure why yours was 8 - although could be because you are setting it up 2 months late?). But water companies do not have to offer you an arrangement and are in their rights to ask for the full amount.

A lot have become stricter with taking customers to court lately - I work for one company and they have ramped up their court proceedings 10 fold in the last year.


DJ