Water Bill too high.. but they won't listen

angelcake

My mother has a water bill of £731 for the year, She is one of those very careful with water/electric etc.. She lives in a 3 bed house with her son, he is 17 and barely there. I have a 3 bed house and 5 of us living here, my bill is £46 a month...

She has written to them telling them that it can't be right as its too high and compared to neighbours and mine that its very high

I don't know the full details of the letters too and fro but she has said that when they replied to her they said they know of her contact with citizens advice in 1985 with regards to the billing, she wasn't even there then and what it has to do with anything... she can't phone them as she doesn't have an outgoing phone line, I can't phone them as they obviously won't discuss details with me of someone elses account!

She isn't on a water meter ~ What can we do, I was thinking of writing a letter on her behalf but not sure where to start.

deanos

angelcake wrote: »

She isn't on a water meter ~ What can we do, I was thinking of writing a letter on her behalf but not sure where to start.

the bill will be on rateable value and more than likely correct, advise her to get a meter fitted

btw how much was it last year ?

PasturesNew

As has been said - she's charged on the old "ratable value" method. I rented a studio flat in 2007 where the monthly water bill was over £40/month because it was done on the same basis.

She needs to get a water meter fitted.

bluewire

Which water co is she with? I know that United Utilities allow you to apply on line for a water meter and they also have a section to request a call back (so you dont need to call an 0845 number)

A water meter is the only way to reduce the bill. If you apply they have 3 months from the date they recieve the request to fit the meter.

angelcake

ok, I will talk to her about it, thank you!

I am not sure what it was last year but will check.. I did a water meter calculator for her the other day and it was a lot less then that, nearly £200 less hence thinking it was a wrong bill! She is with Wessex Water.. instead of making her feel bad for questioning it why couldn't they just suggest a water meter or to go through it and explain why its so much!

freyanneke_2

CAB would be happy to help and they are usually quite good with sorting it out very swiftly. Most CAB's have a walk in surgery and you can just ask for advice, so you know what is possible in your area and learn from their experience with your provider.

Fire_Fox

angelcake wrote: »

ok, I will talk to her about it, thank you!

I am not sure what it was last year but will check.. I did a water meter calculator for her the other day and it was a lot less then that, nearly £200 less hence thinking it was a wrong bill! She is with Wessex Water.. instead of making her feel bad for questioning it why couldn't they just suggest a water meter or to go through it and explain why its so much!

You haven't read the letters so you don't know what was said, she might have got the wrong end of the stick - the fact that she is not metered but thinks being frugal is relevant suggests that. Probably not a good idea to start complaining until you have read the full correspondence.

Rateable value is more expensive for people living in oversized properties because it assumes full occupancy, to all intents and purposes it sounds like she is one person in a three bed house. For that scenario you would usually expect metering to save money
http://www.wessexwater.co.uk/customers/threecol.aspx?id=220&linkidentifier=id&itemid=220
http://www.wessexwater.co.uk/do-it-online/default.aspx?id=1402
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/cut-water-bills

Your mother can nominate you to speak on her behalf with many organisations. It doesn't mean you take over her affair or anything, simply an extra person linked to the account. Or doesn't either her or the 17 year old have a mobile phone? Or could the 17 year old/ you send an e-mail for her? Says on Wesex Water website they may call you if you e-mail and give a phone number. There may also be a cheap/ free landline number on 'Say no to 0870'.

macman

Apply for a meter, if it's not cheaper then she can revert to RV billing in the first 12 months anyway. But in her position she'll almost certainly save a great deal of money by switching to a a meter.
What her neighbours pay is not relevant under RV billing, as the properties may have wildly different rateable values.
The bill cannot be 'wrong' under RV, as the water utility have to charge based on the RV figure, which is not within their control.

WessexWater_representative

Hello

I am sorry your mother is unhappy with her current charges.

Please can you email your mother's address and contact telephone number (or your own contact telephone number if you would rather we contact yourself), to [EMAIL="customer.services@wessexwater.co.uk"]customer.services@wessexwater.co.uk[/EMAIL] and someone will call back to discuss this further.

Many thanks

Customer Care Team
Wessex Water