Meter readings not being logged and now have a huge bill

micapainter

We were on holiday last month when we received an email from Anglian Water that our monthly bills were increasing from £47 per month to £92 and that our usage had increased. When we returned home we decided to check the house for any signs of a leak. We couldn't find anything apart from the meter was moving when we weren't using any water. Had a local plumber come to look and he wasn't sure where the leak was but when he blocked off the pipe to the main bathroom we noticed the metered would stop moving. Called Anglian Water to tell them the situation and that a plumber was on the case. They just said they would put a hold on our account until we'd got the leak fixed.


I decide to call our insurance to ask what they can cover/do. They said they can send a leak detection specialist out at no cost. I wasn't convinced that the plumber knew what he was doing as he didn't have the right equipment to check for leaks, even though when I'd initially called he said he can check for leaks. And he was preparing us to spend thousands on getting a new bathroom fitted as the repair would involve a lot of damage.

The leak engineer couldn't find any evidence of a leak and said it was strange that the pipe that had been suspected of leaking was still full of water when he checked it. He then told me to check my bills as a few of his clients had had the same problem with a huge unexpected bill and no leak. Turns out a few of my readings hadn't been recorded on my account and had been estimated, but low estimates, so therefore the last recorded reading gave a huge catch-up bill. 

Now, I take a photo of our meter every time so I have evidence that I read the meter and I can remember logging in and reporting them. But it's my word against theirs. Anglian Water say they didn't give us bad advice as we'd told them there must have been a leak. But I argued that if someone had told me that our bills have been estimated since the start of 2024 I would have thought twice about there being a leak. So it's my word against theirs and they're blaming me for not checking my bill every month to see if it says estimated. I receive the same direct debit every month and if that doesn't change then why would I need to check it? I also assume that when I log my meter readings online it is being recorded on my account.

The only thing they are doing is checking their system to see if there is a trail of me going on my account to log the readings. And apparently they can see I'd logged on on the dates of each reading but need to see if there's any further evidence.

I just want to be compensated for the cost of having a plumber out and also for the stress it's caused us, spoiling our holiday and taking weeks to sort out. Why didn't anyone mention our bills had been estimates when we first reported it? Why is the onus on me? I've done everything I'm asked of, it's not like I'm trying to avoid paying my bills. It's their mistake that they won't admit. I've also requested we have a smart meter fitted so I can avoid this happening again. At least we've saved ourselves a few thousand pounds by not needing to get a whole new bathroom.

I just wonder if anyone has heard of something like this happening before? As I feel like they're trying to trick us. I have no way of proving I submitted readings either, I'm thinking of raising it as a formal complaint if they can't admit it's a fault their side. Sorry, I really needed to vent!

victor2

Firstly, is the meter still recording usage when everything is turned off? If so, it could be as simple as a toilet overflowing, which you may not see as a leak outside as most cisterns just overflow into the toilet pan. No need for a new bathroom, just a new flush!
Secondly, the onus is unfortunately on you to check your bills/statements for something like estimated readings. You could complain to the supplier about your submitted readings not being used, but I wouldn't hold out much hope, except maybe a small goodwill credit to your account.

Hoenir

micapainter said:

Turns out a few of my readings hadn't been recorded on my account and had been estimated, but low estimates, so therefore the last recorded reading gave a huge catch-up bill. 

Bills clearly state if the readings are estimated or actual. Common occurence for a very long time. Something one should always be aware of to avoid nasty surprises. 

p00hsticks

micapainter said:

 they're blaming me for not checking my bill every month to see if it says estimated. I receive the same direct debit every month and if that doesn't change then why would I need to check it? 

In my experience it's unlikely that you'll be getting a bill every month - more like every six months, with the direct debit being adjusted at that point if it shows that you are over or underpaying. But the bill will clearly state if it's based on estimated readings, actual readings or customer submitted ones.

you should either be getting a paper bill through the post or, more likely, an e-mail telling you that there is a bill waiting for you to log onto you online account to check.     

micapainter

Ok I get that it's my fault I didn't check the bill. But when I received this email my immediate thought was to call them as I panicked. Why couldn't they have told me my bills were estimated at that point? 

FrugaiMacDugal

You're supposed to check if you get an estimated bill and supply an up to date reading.

Same with gas and electricity.

micapainter

So after raising it as a complaint I managed to get my plumber costs refunded because apparently they failed to tell us that one of my readings hadn't been recorded and they said they should have then had a conversation with me about our water use being drastically higher than it should have been ( we'd not long been in our new house at this point) This was a year and a half ago. I argued that Anglian Water, like most utility companies, has designed its system to work quietly in the background. Customers are encouraged to set up direct debits specifically so they don’t have to think about the bill every month. I did what any responsible person would do: I submitted my meter readings, trusted the system to function correctly, and acted quickly and responsibly when told there was a problem. I should not now be penalised for having trusted that process. At no point was I aware that our bills were estimated because none of our payments had changed when they actually should have. We are now getting a smart meter installed so hopefully this won't happen again. But in future i will be checking our bills more closely.

victor2

Well done! At least they recognised your issue. Still check your statements against actual meter readings even if you get a smart one in the future.