Can water companies issue backdated bills?

billsnspills

For some years now we've been paying our Thames Water bill by Direct Debit -- and of course that means we've been paying in full and have been (so we thought) completely up to date. But I've just now received a bill that, along with the charge for the last six months, also includes a charge of £89.95 for an unspecified period (6 months?) to 14 July 2010. There's no explanation for this charge -- what it's for, why it is appearing now, why it hasn't appeared before...

Are Thames Water within their rights to do this? And surely if they are, shouldn't they provide a full breakdown of the billed amount, as they do for the part of the bill covering the last six months? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

The amount of a direct debit - assuming you have a meter - is just an estimate. You could end the accounting period with a credit or debit balance.

Quite clearly however they have to provide an explanation for that £89.95 charge.

There could be several reasons for the charge - or it might be a mistake - but they must provide you with a full justification - have you asked?

If the charge is valid, it can be backdated 6 years - not like gas and electricity.

billsnspills

Thanks for your reply, Cardew. I should have been clearer: we're billed every six months on the basis of actual usage, rather than on an estimate. Someone comes round to check our meter, and then we're sent the bill, and it's made clear on the bill itself that it derives from a reading of the meter -- but we pay by direct debit, so there's no issue with having to remember to pay. That's why it's so strange that they should be billing us retrospectively...

Anyway, I wanted to do a bit of research -- via this excellent forum and Ofwat's website -- before I rang Thames Water. But since, as you say, they can bill for usage up to six years later, I think the only recourse I have is to ask them to detail what the extra amount is for! It seems bizarre that at a time when we're even (supposedly) able to pick and choose our heart surgeon, we're unable to change water company, no matter how incompetent they seem to be.

Thanks again!

Cardew

You obviously have to take this up with Thames water.

However if you get no satisfactory answer, then contact the Consumer Council for Water - http://www.ccwater.org.uk/