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Priority Customer

We are off water this morning - I am registered as a PRIORITY CUSTOMER but have received no txt or email informing me of a fault or how long a repair will take - its been 6 hours now
What is the point of being a priority customer ?

Comments

  • kazwookie
    kazwookie Posts: 14,119 Forumite
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    We are off water this morning - I am registered as a PRIORITY CUSTOMER but have received no txt or email informing me of a fault or how long a repair will take - its been 6 hours now
    What is the point of being a priority customer ?

    Have you contacted the water suppier and asked them?
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  • DE_612183
    DE_612183 Posts: 3,072 Forumite
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    edited 29 November 2024 at 11:28AM
    I registered with my water and electricity distribution companies - I always get a text if there is an interruption to supply - are you sure they have got your correct details?

    I'm in South Wales.
  • MouldyOldDough
    MouldyOldDough Posts: 2,363 Forumite
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    edited 29 November 2024 at 11:35AM
    DE_612183 said:
    I registered with my water and electricity distribution companies - I always get a text if there is an interruption to supply - are you sure they have got your correct details?

    I'm in South Wales.
    Yes and I know why
    They are too busy to contact all priority customers!!
    That's what they tell me after the event
    I'm not in South Wales 
  • DE_612183
    DE_612183 Posts: 3,072 Forumite
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    DE_612183 said:
    I registered with my water and electricity distribution companies - I always get a text if there is an interruption to supply - are you sure they have got your correct details?

    I'm in South Wales.
    Yes and I know why
    They are too busy to contact all priority customers!!
    That's what they tell me after the event
    I'm not in South Wales 
    It's not about being busy - the systems are all automated - the system will link all properties on a particular water main, if tats out then all customers who have a registered phone number will get an automated text - it's not like the old days when each customer is rung individually by someone...
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,471 Forumite
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    edited 29 November 2024 at 12:00PM
    I am with Severn Trent and get notifications of issues - I am not on the Priority Register.

    @MouldyOldDough     Who is your supplier ?


    Perhaps the issue is very localised and the supplier won't know unit you contact them. 

    Ring them

    PS Are your neighbours affected ?
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  • Flugelhorn
    Flugelhorn Posts: 6,706 Forumite
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    certainly they used to have list of people who would really struggle without water / electric eg home dialysis and would make prompt arrangements for them.

    I lived in small village and if it was more than a few hours they would send a bowser 
  • MouldyOldDough
    MouldyOldDough Posts: 2,363 Forumite
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    edited 29 November 2024 at 2:00PM
    Robin9 said:
    I am with Severn Trent and get notifications of issues - I am not on the Priority Register.

    @MouldyOldDough     Who is your supplier ?


    Perhaps the issue is very localised and the supplier won't know unit you contact them. 

    Ring them

    PS Are your neighbours affected ?

    We're back on - water was off for 6 hours
    a main had gone
    The reason that I was given was that over 4,000 homes were off water this morning and they were working their way through the large numbers who were on the priority register.
    I agree that it should be just a "press a single button" to send a text to all in one hit !
  • We had a burst main last week. Severn Trent sent a text message to me (and presumably everyone else who has a mobile number registered with them) informing me of this. Several more texts were received before another one confirmed the problem was solved and supply was restored.


    ST offer extra help for "vulnerable" customers if they are registered as that but it doesn't seem clear exactly what this involves? I suspect that in the first few hours not very much since the engineers fixing the problem is probably the most effective way of dealing with everyone. Perhaps after a longer interruption to supply there are other mechanisms to check on these vulnerable customers?

    OP - check your water company has the correct mobile phone details for you. It's not clear what else they would be expected to do for a relatively short interruption to supply?

    As an aside, I generally keep a few of the large (5 litre) water bottles you can buy in tesco or wherever in the pantry in the case of interruption to supply.
  • They claim to offer additional information to vulnerable customers (updates as to what is happening) and to deliver bottled water when water is off for more than 5 hours)
    I heard absolutely nothing - despite my emailing them and also messaging them on Facebook !!
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