Thames Water delaying installing water meters for small flats

Franzipani

I live in a family house and Thames Water wanted to switch us to a meter over 2 years ago. The process was quick and communications straightforward. Two miles away, my daughter lives in a 1 bed flat, and has never been approached about fitting a meter. Last August she applied to have one fitted. The surveyors came out a decided that it needed fitting externally and she needed a "dig team". Seven months on we have made no progress - cancelled appointments with no notice, cancelled "ticket" so she had to open a new one, agents on the metering team who promise to do something which never gets done. I suspect that Thames Water does not want to do it because they make more money on "rateable value". Does anyone have similar experience?

Lorian

"Assessed household charge

We'll bill you using our assessed household charge only if we've tried, but can't fit a meter at your home.

This is based on the water usage for homes with the same number of bedrooms."

From:

https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/understand-your-bill/unmetered-customers

Franzipani

This doesn't address the question. Why do Thames Water push house occupants to have a meter but not occupants of one bed flats? And why the delay when it has been established that it is possible to fit an external meter?

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81968758#Comment_81968758

They do not prioritise by dwelling type, it will be down to different types of installation. An external installation requires digging a trench, a new inspection pit needs to be installed, they may need additional contractors for resurfacing the pavement and/or road. It may also be that they are planning to do external installations in conjunction with replacing mains pipework. Internal installations in a property totally owned/occupied by the are the easiest as they can be fitted on existing pipework as long as it is not lead. Within blocks of flats they often need access to common areas, maintenance cupboards, shared external areas etc. and that might well require dealing with the management and/freeholder, they may also aim to do the whole building at once which might take more coordination.

middlewife

I've been trying and failing to book a survey to have my external meter relocated since January. They (Thames Water) repeatedly promised to call, email, visit but consistently fail to do anything anyone ever promises. We are at complete stalemate and yet again, it is apparently my turn to contact the metering team by phone, despite having a job reference they utterly fail at every encounter to ever meet any of their deadlines. I just want a meter I can read, due to disability, so I can get off wildly inaccurate estimated projected bills and pay quarterly in arrears for what I actually use NOT what they "think" I will use. Good luck, if you scroll through the forum you will find many Thames Water dissatisfied customers…

QrizB

if you scroll through the forum you will find many Thames Water dissatisfied customers…

Thames Water has more than 15 million customers, roughly a quarter of the population of the UK. It stands to reason that (unless they really excel at customer service) they'll have more dissatisfied customers than any of the other water companies.