Wrong water meter

Gaz_bakes

I have recently discovered that I have been paying for next doors water for the last 3 and a half years and vice versa. This is because they assigned the wrong water meters to each of us. As a family of five live next door and I live on my own I am expecting a large credit to my account. As this has been rumbling on for so long and I brought my high bills to my water companies attention two and a half years ago and it took them that long to send an engineer out to confirm what I told them all along, I feel that I should not only be credited back my overpayments but should also be due the interest on these overpayments and some compensation on top as well. Does anyone have a similar experience or some advice?

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

This has been covered many times on MSE; not always to the satisfaction of the customer.

The water company will doubtless argue(with justification) that this is not their fault, but that of the builders/developers as they inform the water company which meter is connected to each property.

A similar situation sometimes occurs with gas/electricity meters in blocks of flats.

I am surprised you were not advised to do a simple flow test yourself. Turn off water at stopc0ck and meter shouldn't move. After all your high consumption could have been down to a leak.

They will probably re-bill you(and neighbour*) but I doubt you will get interest as the water company will claim it is not their fault.

*Will your neighbour accept the situation??

Gaz_bakes

Thanks for the advice cardew. I suppose I should just be grateful that its finally getting resolved. They told me to do a flow test by turning off the stopcock leaving it overnight and then checking if it had moved in the morning. Unfortunately they told me to just check the black numbers and not the red ones. And as the black numbers didnt move they said it must be a problem insidemy house. So spent months trying to find a water leak in my house.

Only got them to send an engineer out after I turned the water off at the stopcock and took meter readings for both mine and my neighbour befoee I went on hol. When I got back I noticed mine had gone up and next doors hadnt. When I told northumbrian water of this they checked both mine and next doors bills and knew there was a problem. Next door will have to accept it as a northumbrian water engineer has confirmed they are the wrong way round and told the billing dept. I have informed my neighbour so they at least know in advance before they get a letter about it. I imagine they arent happ and was hoping that their underpayments would get written off. Judging by other comments on this site though it seems like they will be charged.