Water Bills questions and comment

James123_2

spongelina wrote: »

i live in a two bedroom flat with my hubby. We pay £46.38 per month to Dwr Cymru. We use a shower more regularly than using a bath. How come my water bill at c£468 for the year is far higher than anyone i know in South Wales? I have spoken to Dwr Cymru & blah blah blah rateable value. Can this really be correct?

Your area should be relatively cheap - there's a pentiful supply of water where you live & prices should be less than the UK average. Water charges vary drasitcally across the Uk with the SW and East Anglia being amongst the highest. I live in the latter and our three-person house costs us about £320 a year with a meter. Would be £550 on RV. I'd run with a meter OR check for leaks if you're already on one! £46 (not sure why 38p??) sounds like way too much!

James123_2

itsalldrivingmemad wrote: »

i have been in my house for 2 year this oct and have finially had a water bill can anyone say if we are using alot of water - we try and save much as we can but with 3 kids it is quite hard when they acciently leave hosepipe on etc...

it works out a daily average of 0.31 cubic metres? as I have nothing to compare this with is this high low the norm??

thanks

Sounds about average to me! We use the same with three of us - but with no hosepipe!

Teterow

I have just moved to Wales and called Welsh Water today.
We live in a 2 bed flat, 2 people, only at home evenings and weekends. The guy from Welsh Water says we should budget for about £350 a year in bills.
That seems high, but what can you do if you don't have any other suppliers.

The funny thing is, they won't even give you a discount (10% I would have thought) for paying on a monthly payment scheme. I will now set up a monthly direct debit into one of my high paying savings accounts and earn interest until they bills are due.

Susann

Teterow

Oh, yes and can someone explain to me that my estimated water consumption is the same when selecting washing dishes by hand or dishwasher on uswitch.com?
I thought a dishwasher is better for the environment and saves water??? Was thinking about getting one, but if it does not reduce my waterbill, I might as well save that money.

Cardew

Teterow wrote: »

Oh, yes and can someone explain to me that my estimated water consumption is the same when selecting washing dishes by hand or dishwasher on uswitch.com?
I thought a dishwasher is better for the environment and saves water??? Was thinking about getting one, but if it does not reduce my waterbill, I might as well save that money.

Dishwashers, if full when used, are reputedly more economical than washing by hand; but I suspect the difference is not huge.

Like many appliances, most of us have dishwashers for our convienience rather than cost considerations and of course dishwashers simply wash most things better than by hand - particularly glassware.

mdavison

Today I received my water bill based on an estimated reading of £321.81 for 6 months. The previous 3 bills based on actual readings for 6 monthly periods averaged £100.
I rang Thames Water, courteous lady, Amy, confirmed she was only able to institute a new plan at £25 per month, cancel the existing DD, send out an engineer within 20 working days, issue a new bill and I could then telephone to set up a new DD plan, leave the DD as it was and I could call up when the actual reading was received and apply for repayment of any overcharge. Previously I was on a monthly plan and finished up lending Thames Water 100's of £, then I changed to paying 6 months in arrears based on actual readings.
20 minutes later we reached impasse, She accepted the estimate was too high and was unable to set up plan payments of less than £25 per month. I did not accept Thames Water can take large lumps of cash out of my bank account, leave me to explain the accounting is all wrong and chase up any refunds for overcharges. I asked for the next level up.
Paul Collins agreed he would amend the current estimate in line with the last 3 periods of 6 months useage and would send out an engineer to read the meter. (I was unable to read the meter under the trap in the pavement)
I asked what compensation was available for having had to spend 25 minutes haggling until Thames agreed to send out a body to read the meter. The answer was 'none'.
Please can I have comments/advice as to how to gain any compensation from Thames or make sure they account correctly.
Thank you

Cardew

mdavison wrote: »

Today I received my water bill based on an estimated reading of £321.81 for 6 months. The previous 3 bills based on actual readings for 6 monthly periods averaged £100.
I rang Thames Water, courteous lady, Amy, confirmed she was only able to institute a new plan at £25 per month, cancel the existing DD, send out an engineer within 20 working days, issue a new bill and I could then telephone to set up a new DD plan, leave the DD as it was and I could call up when the actual reading was received and apply for repayment of any overcharge. Previously I was on a monthly plan and finished up lending Thames Water 100's of £, then I changed to paying 6 months in arrears based on actual readings.
20 minutes later we reached impasse, She accepted the estimate was too high and was unable to set up plan payments of less than £25 per month. I did not accept Thames Water can take large lumps of cash out of my bank account, leave me to explain the accounting is all wrong and chase up any refunds for overcharges. I asked for the next level up.
Paul Collins agreed he would amend the current estimate in line with the last 3 periods of 6 months useage and would send out an engineer to read the meter. (I was unable to read the meter under the trap in the pavement)
I asked what compensation was available for having had to spend 25 minutes haggling until Thames agreed to send out a body to read the meter. The answer was 'none'.
Please can I have comments/advice as to how to gain any compensation from Thames or make sure they account correctly.
Thank you

Comment
So many of these accounting centres(in all Utility companies) are totally inflexible and their protocols don't allow the 'first line' staff who answer your call to overide the Computer! If the Computer says it xxx it is xxx OK!

If you do manage to get any compensation for a 'mere' 25 minutes, let us know the secret - many of us would be rich.

Your frustration is understood and shared.

Advice
Next time give them an actual reading. Yes I did read that you couldn't read the meter etc, So I say again - give them an actual reading;)

Your [STRIKE]estimate[/STRIKE] actual reading will be closer than their estimate.

mdavison

Cardew thanks.
I had forgotten utility people are slaves to their computer systems. I should have remembered the computer only wants input.
Pleased to relate an amended bill arrived a couple of days later for approx £96.
Now, will I get a surprise when Thames read the meter???
Thank you and regards

tinkerbell-rose

Ive been living at my current one bedroom flat with my boyfriend since april 1st 2006. we are on a payment card scheme with our water and recieved a letter asking us to pay £25.50 every 1st of the month (total for year £382.50). So we did. Our first bill said we were using water - 80 cubic metres @ 113.93p = £91.14 and sewerage - 76 cubic metres @ 131.92p = £100.26.
Now i know this sounds dumb but i dont know what is alot and whats not when it comes to water. But now looking back that seems way too high for a one bed flat with me and my boyfriend.
But we continued paying £25.50 a month. After the year went we recieve another letter asking for us to pay only £18.50 a month, which was nice to read, so for the last year thats what we have done. And it even says from 01/04/08 to pay only £15.50 for 3 months.
Recieved bill today asking for £495.41 and to pay £76.00 a month starting from 01/03/08!!!!!!! :eek:
Now how the hell is that right! We dont do anything different, i shower in the morning and we haev a bath at night but share the water. We wash dishes by hand, once a day if that, and do about 2-3 loads of washing a week. I phoned them up to say that cant be right and they said that i should have reiceved a bill asking for £300 and something in august, which i never recieved, i always kepp all my bills and have a filing box to store them, she said that i should take it up with the postal service and not them. Adn to do an over night test to see if theirs any leaks. We have switched our water off and are gonna wait till tonight and see if the meter goes up.
The building that we live in has 3 flats including ours in one side and 6 (i think) flats on another side which are currently being refitted. when we moved in people were living there, (druggys and so on) but they were chucked out and now there doing it up coz it was that bad up there.
The thing im completley baffled by is how can it go from high to low to high, something really isnt right!!! :mad:
Can any one suggest what to do as i am at a complete loss. That cant be right, can it??? Help please!!! All advise is welcomed!!!

tinkerbell-rose

Ive been living at my current one bedroom flat with my boyfriend since april 1st 2006. we are on a payment card scheme with our water and recieved a letter asking us to pay £25.50 every 1st of the month (total for year £382.50). So we did. Our first bill said we were using water - 80 cubic metres @ 113.93p = £91.14 and sewerage - 76 cubic metres @ 131.92p = £100.26.
Now i know this sounds dumb but i dont know what is alot and whats not when it comes to water. But now looking back that seems way too high for a one bed flat with me and my boyfriend.
But we continued paying £25.50 a month. After the year went we recieve another letter asking for us to pay only £18.50 a month, which was nice to read, so for the last year thats what we have done. And it even says from 01/04/08 to pay only £15.50 for 3 months.
Recieved bill today asking for £495.41 and to pay £76.00 a month starting from 01/03/08!!!!!!! :eek:
Now how the hell is that right! We dont do anything different, i shower in the morning and we haev a bath at night but share the water. We wash dishes by hand, once a day if that, and do about 2-3 loads of washing a week. I phoned them up to say that cant be right and they said that i should have reiceved a bill asking for £300 and something in august, which i never recieved, i always kepp all my bills and have a filing box to store them, she said that i should take it up with the postal service and not them. Adn to do an over night test to see if theirs any leaks. We have switched our water off and are gonna wait till tonight and see if the meter goes up.
The building that we live in has 3 flats including ours in one side and 6 (i think) flats on another side which are currently being refitted. when we moved in people were living there, (druggys and so on) but they were chucked out and now there doing it up coz it was that bad up there.
The thing im completley baffled by is how can it go from high to low to high, something really isnt right!!! :mad:
Can any one suggest what to do as i am at a complete loss. That cant be right, can it??? Help please!!! All advise is welcomed!!!