Meter installed - but not connected

fan-of-ezio

Do you think that if you agreed to have a water meter fitted then you would be receiving metered water?

Last year I had a letter from Anglian Water asking if I would like a meter fitted. After contacting them and getting assurances, I agreed.

I have now received my bill, for unmetered water. I phoned them, and a rather rude customer agent told me that I only agreed to have the meter fitted......not to using it!!

I am so annoyed. Its ridiculous! Why would I get a meter fitted if I was not going to use it? I was even told that if I did not make savings then I could revert back to unmetered bills.

Has anyone else come across this?

macman

Interesting. What are the exact terms of the offer letter you received? What exactly did you agree?
You can indeed revert back to RV billing within the first 12 months.
The meter will have been connected and is presumably functioning (have you checked it?), it's just that your billing has not apparently been switched over to metered billing.

fan-of-ezio

Wish I could find the original letter! From what I understood, it was asking if we would like to try a meter with the option of reverting back to unmetered if we didn't make a saving.

If anyone in the Anglian Water region got this letter last year and still has it I would be very grateful for a copy.

From the tone of the customer agents voice this morning I would presume I was not the first person to enquire about this.

macman

Then what they were doing wasn't simply installing meters on a rolling programme, which they can of course do with or without your consent. What they can't do without your consent is switch you to metered billing.
I think you maybe have a case for asking them to re-calculate your last year's billing (or since the install) on the basis of assessed charges, and credit you any difference.

Cardew

I believe you can revert back to RV billing with Anglian within 24 months(12 in most other companies)

The meter is presumably connected and measuring water, so OP could elect to be charged on a metered basis - if favourable!

deanos

sounds like it was fitted as part of the rolling program where they are fitting meters to every property in certain areas, my dad had one fitted,they sent a letter before it was fitted, they then sent another letter in a few months after it had been read saying how much it would be on the meter vs rates, you then ask to pay on meter if you wish

fan-of-ezio

Had a really nice email from Anglian Water today following my complaint. Apparently I should have received a letter from them, but it seems like it was not sent. They did come and read my meter in December 2012 (the meter was fitted in September).

By bill has been backdated to include metered water from the date of installation, so I am due a rebate of £187.00.

Further to that, due to our low usage of water, they are estiamting our annual cost to be around £200. That's a £300+ saving per year compared to unmetered.

What a result!

macman

I trust that the original CS rep you spoke to has been sent for 'retraining'?