red water bill!!!!

susiesue_2

this is a long story so bear with me.

i have split from my OH and he has moved out of the family home. he has moved into his own house now and started a new account with the water company. i then get a bill asking for £145. i phone and say your still taking the DD from the account so why the bill?
the women says that they didn't know it was just a name change on the account and OH will have to sign a letter atting this fact. i get him to sign the letter which i then post.
DD goes out as normal on the !st, and then i find a red final demand arrive today.
im so stressed out by it all.
i will phone in the morning to sort it out but ill be worrying all night now. the letter is dated 30/10 and has to be paid by the 9th.:mad:
why cant things just go right??

deanos

They should be able to put a hold on your account until its sorted

whatatwit

It's not United Utilities is it, I am having problems with them at the moment.
As well as phoning, I would put the facts in writing to the water company and send it first class.
Whenever I phone, I usually end up in India with a totally confused person on the other end of the line.

olly300

Normally with water bills you have to:
1. Pay in advance
2. Get a notice at the beginning of the year how much you have to pay.

However as deanos said just phone them up and explain. I would give them a date you can pay by as they would rather get the money out of you then take legal action.

jadecs

Hi susisue,
Okay where to start first - was the water bill in joint names? Is the bank a/c joint? If the water bill was in your o/h's name-what should happen is the water co closes the a/c from the date your o/h left and bill you as a ''new customer''-- that way you start afresh...with the option of different payment plans. If they claimed from your bank a/c a different amount without informing you they have broken the direct debit guarantee and you can legally ask for it to be refunded. Was the water a/c in joint names? You can still have the bill divided ie the date the o/h left and you be the chargepayer from the day after. Even though water companies tend to treat joint names as jointly and severally liable as far as an unpaid bill is concerned ie they chase whoever they think will pay!
Advice is always get the full name of the advisor you speak to,jot the date and time of your call..if they deny you have ever rang them then you can ask for their call distributor records...ie their IT dept can trace all calls made and to which turrett or individual phone that call arrived at...so never be put off.
Always follow up your call in writing stating the date and who you spoke to and a brief overview as to what was agreed. The incoming mail system should be managed by putting a hold on your a/c until they respond to you to avoid red notices etc going out. If you want your letter to go to the top of the pile mark the letter as a complaint. This is dealt with as a prioity as they have Ofwat Regulations to abide to and stats to keep. As far as phone contacts arriving in a foreign land...complain in writing stating that you are not confident of anything being noted ore resolved as you could not understand each other!!

Good luck - hope it all gets sorted for you.

Jadecs