Southern Water stopped billing me!

chal

I was going over my accounts last night when I realised something was missing - Southern Water hadn't been using the monthly direct debit they set up for me last year. They'd taken a few monthly payments, the last one being in November, and then stopped.

I called up their customer support line earlier, and was met with confusion.

If you're paying Southern Water by DD, best check they're actually using it!

Amusingly, on their website at the moment they have:
"Direct Debit is the simplest and most convenient way to pay your bill, saving you time as your bills are paid automatically."

mrs_scrooge

I've had a similar problem with SE Water. An incorrect (too low) meter reading last year suggested we were hugely in credit so they stopped the DD without telling us. Although I spotted the meter reading (and therefore bill)was wrong I never thought to check the DD. I eventually got them to do another reading which of course then said we owed a huge amount which they'd take as a lump sum!. That was 2 months ago and they've still not taken any money!!

SE Water must be in quite a state if their billing is this haphazard.

chal

I emailed them 6 days ago and apart from the automated response, I haven't heard anything.

Tonight, when I checked my back account, I saw a DD of £8.41 was taken yesterday...suspiciously close to £18.40, the actual amount of the DD? On top of this, the guy I originally spoke to prior to my email complaint said he had cancelled the existing DD and would set up a new one from April.

10 minutes later, one extremely p!ssy email was en-route to SW.

ScoobyCanDo

chal wrote: »

................. suspiciously close to £18.40, the actual amount of the DD?
.

GOD ...................... £18.40 ............... what sort of property do you live in ........... A SHED???

I'm with Southern (good for nothing) Water and they work on a "10 Month Year" for their DD payments ........... hence some months being DD FREE on your Bank Statement?

How MUCH is your total bill per year, as £18.40 is not very much? ........... ours (on a small bungalow) is just over £500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

Psykicpup

ScoobyCanDo wrote: »

GOD ...................... £18.40 ............... what sort of property do you live in ........... A SHED???

I'm with Southern (good for nothing) Water and they work on a "10 Month Year" for their DD payments ........... hence some months being DD FREE on your Bank Statement?

How MUCH is your total bill per year, as £18.40 is not very much? ........... ours (on a small bungalow) is just over £500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

as far as I'm aware southern water do both 10 & 12 month DD's for unmeasured supplies & 12 only for those on a meter so will depend on th OP's circumstances

chal

It turns out it's all because of an amount that existed when the DD was set up. We received a quarterly bill that showed the DD was correct for ongoing usage but there was ~£65 on the bill that was from just before the DD existed. I paid this off immediately, but - and this is where it went wrong - their system considered this to be advance payment for future bills!

chal

ScoobyCanDo wrote: »

How MUCH is your total bill per year, as £18.40 is not very much? ........... ours (on a small bungalow) is just over £500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

Following this issue, I provided them with a meter reading and the current bill is ~£80. £65 of that is the original amount that I tried to pay off, plus a few extra quid which means I should probably increase the DD by £2 or so. However, we discovered a leak recently that probably accounts for a good chunk of that excess.

A shed? No Just good water practice I guess - dual-flush toilet, water butt in the garden, turn off the tap when brushing, etc.

ScoobyCanDo

chal wrote: »

A shed? No Just good water practice I guess - dual-flush toilet, water butt in the garden, turn off the tap when brushing, etc.

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm Dual-Flush toilet and a WATER BUTT in the garden .............. a bit NIPPY this time of year!!! ........ at least when it rains, you can have a shower also:rotfl: .

---

Even with all your WATER SAVING "Good Practices", using the Southern Water Online usage meter, they calculate (not using dishwashers/watering gardens, etc) ........... that ONE PERSONS usage equates to just on £200?

So going on this (not your Dual-Flush Toilet ............... Arf -arf - boom -boom ), .............. YOU live alone and seldom wash .................... am I right???:j .......................... AM I :j ?


I'll have to seriously look in to getting a Water Meter if £20 a month is all U pay .............. always had thought S/Water where ripping us off! :mad:

chal

ScoobyCanDo wrote: »

YOU live alone and seldom wash .................... am I right???:j .......................... AM I :j ?

Married, one-year-old child and have daily encounters with water

Because this is on a water meter, I'm actually able to confirm the amounts by opening the manhole on the street and checking the reading. I'm guessing you're on water rates at the moment?

ScoobyCanDo wrote: »

a WATER BUTT in the garden .............. a bit NIPPY this time of year!

Cheaper and more effective than applying skin cream to my various sets of cheeks

ScoobyCanDo

chal wrote: »

Married, one-year-old child and have daily encounters with water

I'm guessing you're on water rates at the moment?

Guess we will have to rename you .............


________________________ "Sherlock";)


[Was it something to do with my mentioning 'looking in to getting a Water Meter'?]

__________________________________________________________________________________


............. So going on the fact there are two of you and a young baby, I'd guess your water use should be MORE than ours as we are only two adults (no kids) and we shower every day at work or the gym ............... can't remember when last we had a bath (......... phew!!!) at home.

Our bill is £501 a year (or £50 a month) and for that we only use a small amount of water [ Loo Flush, morning wash, drinking and 3 - 4 wash loads a week]!!!:mad:

I'm now off to the Southern Water website to sort out a Water Meter Trial ............... ? :j