"Assessed charge" and do-nothing Ofwat"

treasuretiger

Gothicfairy wrote: »

Don't agree with the above though, even if the assessed charge/ meter argument is not fair. There is no need to be rude to the staff that work for any company, it is not their fault and they did not make the rules.
I can't quite understand why people would think it right to be rude to anyone who has nothing to do with the policy or how it is employed.

here here gothic fairy , the amount of people who will call up speak to the most customer service orientated person in the world... and start off by shouting and swearing like the hardman they are down the phone, it's not big and its not clever, treat others how you want to be treated and all that

deanos

Dont understand why they need to publicise it, you apply for a meter a surveyor comes round and if you cant have one they offer AMC well that's what happens around here

sardarji

1. Various posters seem not to understand that money now is different from money a year later. If all non-meterable customers assessed on rateable value switched this March (2013) to the AHC, Thames's income for 2013-2014 would indeed be considerably less than it anticipated for that year. It may be true that TW could make the lost revenue up in later years, but that doesn't alter its problem in 2013-14.

2. Deanos: you ask why TW should publicise the existence of the AHC. Answer: it is a system of charging which would save some non-meterable households hundreds of pounds a year. Not worth telling them about?--as TW since 2012 DOES on the back of its water bills, but did not use to. And yes indeed, agreed, IF you ask for a meter, as you say, they will say can't be done and you can then apply for AHC. But what normal person KNOWING he cannot have a meter--as any household with shared water-supply must know--applies for one? UNLESS he is TOLD that that is the way to get a charge that may save him hundreds of pounds. As TW used carefully NOT to point out to such households.

Treasure Tiger: As I laboriously said earlier: no, however angry, one should indeed NOT be rude to TW staff personally--nor did I so suggest in my post of 29-1-10. But there is no reason whatever why one should not be rude to Thames Water as such, which is what I did suggest. You should read my post of 31-1-10 in which I carefully spelled out the distinction

samsmoot

sardarji wrote: »

Last autumn I began a longish thread on the secrecy of some water companies--Thames Water notably, what else would you expect--over the (usually cheaper) "assessed charge" alternative to "rateable value" for people who cannot have a meter.
One poster revealed that Ofwat is actually in favour of this lack of information for people who might gain from a switch. I've confirmed this with other people.
Ofwat is supposed to protcect us from greedy water companies isn't it? Like helping them keep us from getting useful info that might save us hundreds of pounds a year?
How can we give Ofwat the kick in the boiler-room that it clearly deserves? Is there a website called Ofwatsucks or suchlike? If its bosses won't do what they're paid to do--in fact, do exactly the reverse--is there a bit of Whitehall or a minister responsible for appointing them and removing them?
At least, let's publicise the assessed charge however we can, and go a little way to defeat the water money-grubbers and their kindly neighbourhood secrecy-loving "regulators".

Disagree if you know better but all regulatory bodies are there to protect the industry and not the consumer/beneficiary/user etc.

OFWAT are like all the rest - a wall of protection with a desk outside where they keep everyone waiting for as long as posssible for an answer that is as unhelpful as possible.

dan3811991119

I can not understand why anyone cant have a meter fitted. The water company we use will fit the meter in flats underneath the sink inside the flat attached to the pipe that brings the water in.

mart.vader

dan3811991119 wrote: »

I can not understand why anyone cant have a meter fitted. The water company we use will fit the meter in flats underneath the sink inside the flat attached to the pipe that brings the water in.

Here's a link for you : https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/59095397#Comment_59095397

dan3811991119

I will have a read though it but flats in my area can have a meter.

mart.vader

samsmoot wrote: »

Disagree if you know better, but all regulatory bodies are there to protect the industry and not the consumer/beneficiary/user etc.

OFWAT are like all the rest - a wall of protection with a desk outside where they keep everyone waiting for as long as possible for an answer that is as unhelpful as possible.

I couldn't have put it better, myself.

mart.vader

dan3811991119 wrote: »

I will have a read though it but flats in my area can have a meter.

Yes, but not if they share water through a common tank.

dan3811991119

I take it that is something different. They tell us round here that all flats are on a sheared supply. If one gets turned off the whole block would go they claim. They however would fit the meter under a sink in the flats.