Incorrect water bill (Southern Water)

Margate

I received my latest bill and according to Southern Water I am using more water now than when one other person lived in the property and I had a leak. My son moved out in October 2023, at this time I was using 143 litres per day. The billing period for this time also included a leak. My latest bill says I am using 202 litres per day. I am out of the house for ten hours a day.  Their own online water calculator says by my answers I would be using 134 litres per day. This bill is clearly wrong but all Southern Water will say is we have put our charges up and that my tap test is showing no leak. I cannot get anywhere with trying to escalate this up. Escalations don't call back and emails go unanswered. Anyone with experience of escalating a complaint without going through customer service?

singhini

Margate said:

I received my latest bill and according to Southern Water I am using more water now than when one other person lived in the property and I had a leak. My son moved out in October 2023, at this time I was using 143 litres per day. The billing period for this time also included a leak. My latest bill says I am using 202 litres per day. I am out of the house for ten hours a day.  Their own online water calculator says by my answers I would be using 134 litres per day. This bill is clearly wrong but all Southern Water will say is we have put our charges up and that my tap test is showing no leak. I cannot get anywhere with trying to escalate this up. Escalations don't call back and emails go unanswered. Anyone with experience of escalating a complaint without going through customer service?

FYI Southern Water bills are/have gone up by 53% (actually more if you include inflation) [Also Southern Water have put up both Water Charge and Waste Charge) ------> however i appreciate your not actually complaining about the cost (just the unit usage looking wrong)



BBC1 News at 10pm 19th Dec 2024 (Blue = water charge only going up) 

I've no experience of escalating a complaint, but can i check; where you say "by my answers" -----> are you using a general online tool or are you actually logging into your account and getting the 134 litre figure from there?

Margate

singhini said:

Margate said:

I received my latest bill and according to Southern Water I am using more water now than when one other person lived in the property and I had a leak. My son moved out in October 2023, at this time I was using 143 litres per day. The billing period for this time also included a leak. My latest bill says I am using 202 litres per day. I am out of the house for ten hours a day.  Their own online water calculator says by my answers I would be using 134 litres per day. This bill is clearly wrong but all Southern Water will say is we have put our charges up and that my tap test is showing no leak. I cannot get anywhere with trying to escalate this up. Escalations don't call back and emails go unanswered. Anyone with experience of escalating a complaint without going through customer service?

FYI Southern Water bills are/have gone up by 53% (actually more if you include inflation) [Also Southern Water have put up both Water Charge and Waste Charge) ------> however i appreciate your not actually complaining about the cost (just the unit usage looking wrong)



BBC1 News at 10pm 19th Dec 2024 (Blue = water charge only going up) 

I've no experience of escalating a complaint, but can i check; where you say "by my answers" -----> are you using a general online tool or are you actually logging into your account and getting the 134 litre figure from there?

I am using  the Southern Water online tool to calculate what I should be using, the 134 litres per day. Although, I have just used the Consumer Water Council tool and that says 133 litres. Both sound more correct than the 202 litres that SW say I am using. Bearing in mind when my son lived with me and was in all day I was only using 143 litres per day. Plus, I had a leak that SW fixed and ended up giving me a £800 rebate. Why they cannot see that the massive rise in my water usage is wrong is beyond me.

GingerTim

I notice you keep mentioning a calculator on their website to 'calculate what I should be using'. But the more important thing is: what does your meter say about your actual usage?

MattMattMattUK

What is this "tap test" you have done? Also remember that water is billed in cubic meters which are 1,000 litre blocks, this can sometimes appear to create fluctuations in usage. 

Meter read 99.9 to 101.1 means 1.2 m2 used but 2 m2 billed. 
Meter read 99.1 to 101.9 means 2.8 m2 uses but 2 m2 billed.

This can mean that usage can appear to fluctuate over shorter billing periods even though it is actually fairly stable, especially for lower users. Either that or you have a leak. 

Margate said:
Why they cannot see that the massive rise in my water usage is wrong is beyond me.

It almost certainly will not be "wrong". It might not be a real rise, just billing fluctuation, it also might be real and a leak. They will usually give a customer one chance at a leak, refunding them the excess usage, but after that it is at the customers expense.

mmmmikey

Hi - something for you to check.....are the bills showing 143 litres/day and 202 litres/day based on estimates or actual readings? Worth checking this before doing anything else as it's entirely possibly that your experience could be accounted for through the use of an estimate for one or more of the bills.