Claiming from Anglia Water

Atticus_2

Hi folks.

Now sit comfortably because here is my tale. It goes on a bit!

3 days ago, in the morning, i looked out my front room window only to see a couple of dirty rough looking fellows skulking around on my front garden.

I had no idea what they were upto until i caught site of a Clancey Docwra van. As they were around the area where i believe there to be a water meter, i though oh ok, they must be doing something to it.

Anyway, about 45 mins later, they dissapeared.

So had the grass on my front garden, so had the original color of my car, so had the water in my toilet cistern, along with my water!!!

So i got on the phone to Anglia Water straight away and spoke to some guy there, told him the problem to which he responded:
"...You'll have to wait for the water tank to fill up..."

Good advice...IF I HAD A WATER TANK!!

I tried to explain that i dont to which he argued that i must have. I wont go fully into the convo but thats the jist of it. This went on for a while.
He also told me it might be worth getting out a plumber.
I told him that Anglia Water would be paying for him, he told me they wouldnt be....Argument no.2 commenced!
We eventually fianlised the call with him saying leave it for a while and all willl be fine.
So that ended with me having to wait for a non existent tank to fill up.

4pm came along and i was still lacking water, but i had gained mud, silt and sand! This was making it harder for the taps to turn on or off.

Along with that my boiler started to make banging, clanking whirring noises.

So back on the phone i get and still was told to wait for my water tank to fill. (cast your mind back to earlier convo!) anyhow, this one ended with the kind folks agreeing to send out an emergency plumber.

5pm.........
5.30pm..........
6.00pm..........
7pm........
8pm.........

We called them back! Told them that they had agreed to send out a plumber........ the girl responded "....Well, we are very busy....."
We asked if he was coming or not, she said she'll get him to call us (bare in mind she sounded half asleep and looking forward to getting drunk at the weekend on WKD) we said ", can you find out and you call us," she said that she was unable to do that, we asked if she could find out now whether or not he was coming, she said no, but he'll be there soon.

End of day - no plumber, no toilet, no heating.

Next Day an Anglian water official turns up to survey the outside work.
My partner went out to great him and try to get the lowdown.
He stated that he was really sorry and that the guys had *made a mistake* (or in words to that effect!) He went away saying he'll try and sort it out.

Couple of hours later, a couple of guys turn up in a big pick-up with a small digger on board! Now whats gonna happen we thought!

Anyway, the day went on with lots of banging, shouting and clanking. The guys were digging up my garden, spreading muddy water and clay mud everywhere, all over the road, all over the little bit of grass i had left and again, up my car! We co-operated with them as best we could, turning a tap on when they said, off when they said and so on.

After spending a whole day in the street, they dissappeared leaving behind them an area that resembled a dirt track!

also leaving behind them was me with no grass on my front garden, little original color on my car, no water in my toilet cistern, no boiler and still no water!!!

So back on the phone!

Cue convo about tank filling, plumber going to arrive, drunk on wkd at weekend.

Now it gets interesting. Before the plumber turned up, we started to notice our perfectly working order washing acting a bit erracticly. The thing wouldnt drain!

So now im left with no grass on my front garden, little original color on my car, no water in my toilet cistern, no boiler, no washing machine and still no water!!!

8pm came along and we gave up waiting for the plumber untill 45mins later, there was a knock at the door!

Yay! it was plumber man! our sorrows are over........thats what we thought until he quipped:

"i understand you got a problem with your boiler but im not CORGI so cant do nothing bout that, will look at your toilet though."

RESULT! will have a toilet if nothing else......at least for a coupla days anyhow!

He said that i needed my ball valve replacing because of the build up of dirt, silt, sand had damaged it and it would not work with the cistern. So now i have a forever flushing toilet!
He said he will get someone out to look at that tomorro (friday) along with saying it might be a bit awkward because i have an old style toilet! It dont look that old to me!

I then over heard him telling someone on the phone that it has about 2 days left before it finally gives! i think he forgot to tell me that bit!

He said he will come and look at the boiler anyway.
So, we're at the boiler, he listens, he knocks he states that my filter must be blocked due to the dirt, sand, silt and he'll get someone to look at it tomorro (friday). This felt like a good time to mention the washing machine, which bare in mind is half filled with water and has some clothes in. he said that as it was in use, yep, you guessed it, its our friends again, dirt, sand, silt had made its way into the machine clogging it up!

Then he dropped a clanger and no, i dont mean some fancy tool.
He mentioned that he could still hear a faint sound of water flowing. He had a quick scout of the area but couldnt figure it out......until it clicked!

He said that i could have a burst water pipe under my kitchen floor!
Funny so 'n' so aint he!

He was serious. I asked him how they would go about fixing it, he said either go through the kitchen floor (only had a new kitchen installed a year ago!) or go through the outside which would mean removal of a tree and fence or go through the walls and ceiling of the house! The place would collapse if they done that! (its a modern build house, y'know the type, held together with cardboard and snot)

Again, the man said he'll get on to it.

Hey, at least we got a semi working toilet now!

So today (friday) i get a call this morning, around 8:30, saying that my plumber is on his way, is it ok if i can stay in for the next 2 hours.
I had no problem doing this, Jeremy Kyle was on so wasnt all bad.

Few hours later, another phone call comes in, "the plumbers running a bit late but he is on his way" great i thought......

Then another ringing sound eminatted from the white box. it was the plumber himself... "has the heating engineer been yet" HEATING ENGINEER? am i getting one of them too? How special do i feel! I obviously told him no, he then said, "oh, i thought he had" then he hangs up.

So, im still left waiting. another coupla hours go by. ANOTHER CALL! well at least my phone works. it was some lady sating how my plumber had been held up on another job and he would be with me asap. this was about 14:00.

17:20 a plumber comes, and yes, he's CORGI! "Just come to do ya boiler" he says. He dont sound like the plumber i spoke to earlier i thought. oh well, at least he's here. So on dismantling the boiler, he spots the problem, takes out the component, and yes, its clogged with D.S & S. Luckily he had a replacement on his van, if he hadnt i would have to wait untill Monday.

So he done his stuff then left.

So that brings us to now.

I now have water, i now have heating, i now have some grit filled taps but what i dont have is a nice frontage anymore, a washing machine, a stable toilet and going on the assumption that i have a burst water pipe under my kitchen, a stable foundation!

WHERE DO I STAND ON CLAIMING?

*I had no notification that any work was planned or schedule to happen!

**Thanx for reading!

Ken68

Hi Atticus...good that you have so much detail. You need names, and keep a copy of your posting, excluding the bit about drunk/WKD which I gather is an alcohol awareness site.
Have Anglia agreed to pay for the plumber ??

Snow_Dog

WOW, that is some series of events, you have the patience of a saint my friend.

Straight down the citizens advice, lawyer, soliciter, armed with statements (dates, times, names, signed) and with pictures of everything, you should really have taken photos of bits plumber cleaned out eg filters, pictures of front of house, car. The lot, you cannot document too much (but make it clear and well laid out.

The one thing I wouldn't do is rely on the water company to sort it out, send a comprehensive letter with photos into their complaints dept explaining you are going the legal advice route but dont get any fob offs, the moment you think they are stalling call their bluff.

Most of all, good luck.

Gorgeous_George

I believe the water pipe is yours from the meter. Any costs to fix it may fall with you and it is not uncommon for pipes to be routed under the house - daft as it is.

Did the turn your water off because the pipe was leaking? This would make sense but then the D, S and S would get into the broken pipe and, once the water is switched on again, into your appliances.

The problem could be that they switched your water back on so you may still be able to claim for the costs of the plumbers - but not to have the pipe fixed.



GG

deanos

Anglian Water will do 1 free repair from the meter to where it enters the house, but does not cover the part that goes under the property.


I fail to understand how the work carried out could have caused a leak under your kitchen anyway it was propably already there just the plumber picked up on it, i would get this sorted asap.

Clancys should have notified you they were doing works and asked you to leave the cold taps running for a while to clear the muck and dirt when they had finished, they should also have left the tuft etc as they found it dont forget it will look bad for a while before it gets back to a normal state due to the wet weather we have had lately you should get Anglian Water to sort out you plumbing and appliances if they failed to do this.

Gorgeous_George

My guess is that the water was turned off because of the leak.



GG

manda1205

I do have some sympathy and I know this is of no help, BUT how the hell did you let it get to this, I'd of kicked off right at the beginning when someone was in my garden, they'd have been told to clear up too. And if you knew of all your probs why oh why would you go and put your washing machine on, Doh! Anglian water are generally pretty good out my way and when ever they're doing anything its an anglian water van and they come knocking on the door explaining what they're doing.