South East Water - closing account

jelv

How can they get away with not automatically issuing a credit when an account is closed?

At the end of January we moved out of the South East Water area. Because not long before we switched to having a water meter our account was over £100 in credit. I used to pay by Direct Debit so they have my bank account details. When I received the closing account I assumed that either they would send me a cheque or credit my bank account.

Today I rang up to ask what was happening. Because it is over £100 the advisor can't issue a cheque, instead he is sending me a form that I have to fill in to apply for the credit.

Firstly I don't understand why I have to make an application for them to give me back MY money, secondly why wasn't the advice that I needed to apply for the credit (and the form) included with the final account.

It's obviously a blatant attempt to add to their profits by making it difficult for people to get their money back!

Gothicfairy

Not going to get into the blatant attempt to add to their profit stuff as that is just silly seeing as how the profit is agreed in advance etc but normally it does just get returned, if a form is being sent then there is some problem with the return method...ie your bank details have been removed from the account when the DD was cancelled or the forwarding address is causing some issues.
There is nothing sneaky about it as it is ALL done through the computer system and for it not to be automatic there has to be a problem and nothing more.

I think that sometimes people are looking for the wolf in the story when there is nothing more then red riding hood getting lost.

jelv

Well I still haven't received the letter to enable me to claim the refund, and having just rung again I'm told it was sent out on Tuesday. From the conversation I've just had nothing has gone wrong, this is the standard procedure.

I'll repeat my main point: if the credit has to be claimed, why wasn't I advised of this (a) when I rang in mid January to advise them I was moving or (b) when they sent out the final account statement saying the account was being closed?

Time to contact OFWAT as I don't think their procedures are acceptable.

Gothicfairy

It is not standard practise at all as all refunds are set to be returned within 28 days of the account closing.
There must have been a problem and to be honest the customer service rep would not know one way or the other as it is credit control that deal with refund/ debt accounts.
If the form was sent on Tuesday then the time it takes to get to you is down to the royal mail not the water company.

Contact OFWAT by all means..it is your right and your time to waste.

jelv

Gothicfairy wrote: »

It is not standard practise at all as all refunds are set to be returned within 28 days of the account closing.

How do you know that?

Gothicfairy

I know that because all water companies use the same sort of back office software and process.

A closed account triggers certain things and a final reading / refund / debt is one of those things.

jelv

So you don't actually know that that is how South East Water's systems work, you're just making the assumption because that is how the systems used by other water companies work!

Gothicfairy

I know what the agreed practice through OFWAT is and that covers ALL water companies and I know what systems they use.

If that is not enough for you then fine..Carry on believing that they are doing it on purpose and that it is all so massive plot.