Thames Water bill just increased >19%

Cardew

I agree it is unsatisfactory, and you should know exactly the reasons for the increase in your DD.


Could the 'significant reduction' in your DD last year have built up a bigger debit balance? If that is not the case it appears you think the DD is £3 a month too high; which you would pay until it was returned to you by way of an adjustment to your DD. If you feel that is unacceptable, why not stop the DD and pay every 6 months.

matelodave

You do need to check your meter yourself so you know what you are using, you can then work out yourself how much you need to pay and then you can do your own calculations to see how much your DD should be.


Do you keep old bills or are they consigned to the bin? Somewhere you should have an actual reading that you can refer to so you can check your consumption & payments since then. If not then let it be a lesson to you to retain them and keep a better track of your bills.


Hopefully your energy bills aren't in the same state

itm2

I do usually hang onto bills but can't find anything since the last DD notification in 2014. I'll see if I can find the meter and start doing my own readings.

itm2

So Thames Water finally responded to my query, providing the missing detail re. usage. In short, they took my average daily bill (based on meter readings taken in January and July this year), and added inflation of 3.56% to arrive at my charge for next year (as well as the outstanding balance on the account).

3.56% sounds pretty steep when the RPI is 0.7% and the government inflation target is 2%, so I think I'll respond to them and see if they'll revise it.

Cardew

itm2 wrote: »

So Thames Water finally responded to my query, providing the missing detail re. usage. In short, they took my average daily bill (based on meter readings taken in January and July this year), and added inflation of 3.56% to arrive at my charge for next year (as well as the outstanding balance on the account).

3.56% sounds pretty steep when the RPI is 0.7% and the government inflation target is 2%, so I think I'll respond to them and see if they'll revise it.

Water companies increase/decrease in charges(yes some did decrease!!) is nothing to do with RPI.


The Government Regulator Ofwat sets out a 5 year plan that directs what each company may charge. The last issued plan is for 2015 - 2020.

itm2

Cardew wrote: »

Water companies increase/decrease in charges(yes some did decrease!!) is nothing to do with RPI.


The Government Regulator Ofwat sets out a 5 year plan that directs what each company may charge. The last issued plan is for 2015 - 2020.

I'm not sure what it's supposed to be based on, but they described the increase as "taking into account the inflation". Maybe I'll get a better explanation in their next response.

macman

All the data you don't seem to be able to extract from your paper bill should be shown in your online account, if you set one up.

itm2

macman wrote: »

All the data you don't seem to be able to extract from your paper bill should be shown in your online account, if you set one up.

Thanks - I've just signed up for an online account. That should help going forward.

itm2

I just had a response from Thames Water. Basically they've done exactly the same as they did last year - i.e. reduce my monthly D/D following my complaint:
"I’ve now reduced the instalment amount to £28.00 for your convenience."

So it seems that there is room for negotiation with Thames Water if you think your estimate is unreasonably high.