Do you want to be able to choose your water company?

Ofwat

Thanks for your thoughts, ducksbottom,

You raise some important points. You would hope that retailers in such a market would strive to offer convenience and help for all customers - as part of hopefully increased customer service levels across the board.

Ofwat

Kazt2006 wrote: »

I think competition can for most people only improve the market and give people a choice. At the moment we have no say in what United Utilities charge us every year. They also give extra discounts to those on the old rateable value, while the charges for those on a water meter continue to increase.

Perhaps one solution is everyone on a water meter so that we all have to think about what we use and are treated fairly with charges.

However, I think there needs to be serious consideration for vulnerable customers, like with gas and electric, to ensure they aren't treated unfairly.

Thanks Kazt2006,

You're right that everyone needs to be treated fairly in any market with protections for vulnerable customers one of the most important considerations of all.

Smodlet

antbarson wrote: »

Yes, I think this is a great idea. I'm on a meter and am careful with my spend, so to compare who would charge me the least would be awesome.
Also, if someone can explain to Severn-Trent that water should not have a flavour and that ours tastes awful (that goes for most of Nottinghamshire) that'd be even better.

Thank you, antbarson! What a relief! We honestly thought it was just us, being from elsewhere and that no-one else could taste the disgusting, chemically, vaguely caustic vileness that is Severn Trent's tap water. We have to filter every drop, for cooking as well as drinking. I find drinking this !!!! unfiltered leaves me more thirsty; do you agree?

I tell you what, Ofwat, if you can arrange for Anglian Water to pump their lovely, clean water to our taps while we still pay Severn Trent's low prices, I'll be a happy bunny... but you can't, can you?

JohnAW_2

I changed to a water meter about 18 months ago and now pay about half my old amount. I wonder how much more I could save if I could shop around.

System

I think that posters need to read OFWat's OP. Modest savings of £6 per year will make little difference to the average consumer. OfWat already regulates prices, and as there is no national water grid, it just isn't possible to get your water from a supplier in Wales if you live in Kent. Any 'switching' will be nothing more than a bureaucratic exercise where Company A pays Company B. The water that you get will still come from your local supplier.

Moreover, what happens, for example, if I have a problem in the Midlands and I am paying a water company in Cornwall. Is it going to be able to provide onsite customer service or are we going to see more third-party relationships with companies that most of wouldn't touch with a barge pole?

Personally the last thing I want is bundled products - which are as strong as the weakest link.

In my view, this initiative is just OFWat's attempt to keep the Govt and the CMA of its back.

Put simply, this is a very bad idea. OfWat needs to use its time and energy to force the existing companies to provide better value services; to reduce leakages etc.

Evelynajones

Hi Ofwat

Yes I do want to choose supplier. I find Thames Water inefficient and complacent. They owed me £161 last year. I had to escalate to a supervisor to get a refund. They then paid it into a bank account I had closed three years earlier and refused to go back to the bank to get the money back and refused to pay me correctly. I did not want to go to small claims court so was left having to sort it out with the bank even though I couldn't remember my old account number. I escalated this two levels up but they said there was nothing they could do even though they admitted their mistake. How can they treat customers so shabbily? If they thought we could switch they might be more efficient in future. I had to make several trips to the bank and searched for hours to try to find my old account number. The bank were very helpful even though I was no longer a customer. Stark contrast to Thames Water.

effie39

Firstly, could never understand why I couldn't choose a water co. I choose my gas and elec supplier, my bank etc - why not my water? Plus I have two companies that serve me, one for water and one for sewerage and my sewerage bill is outrageous. I pay more for my sewerage alone than others (in different parts of the country) pay for water and sewerage combined.
Bring it on - that will stop some water companies sitting back complacently.

Bobjan

We should have freedom of choice for all purchases.

Esort

Oh please no! Not another thing to check and change every year. £6 is not enough to be worth the amount of time spent checking and changing. And the whole bundle idea just makes it even more complicated, there are so many tariffs for phone/broadband/gas/electricity already, it's just making it all more complicated. You need a degree in maths to work out the best value deal! It's all very well having comparison sites but these only work if you know how much you use... Useless if your circumstances change or you move house. Please don't give me another 'job' to add to my list each year. From my perspective, the current system isn't broken so why mess with it?

majicka

Monopolies are always bad for consumers. Particularly, as in the case of Thames Water, the said monopoly has been bought by overseas private equity groups and banks, which have loaded it up with debt and paid themselves hundreds of millions of pounds in dividends. Many water companies are clearly taking advantage of their monopolistic positions, and consumers should have the ability to shop around.


Monopolies lead to inefficiency, higher prices and a lack of competitive pressure to keep prices low - give us more choice!