Severn Trent Billing

offbeatgirl

Sorry this is my first post so I hope it's in the right thread. I moved addresses a year ago and informed my water supplier before I moved (Severn Trent) that I was moving. I received a letter at my new address confirming that they had updated my records, but no bill for the forthcoming year. I even received a small repayment for an overpayment on my previous account, but still no bill! A year on, I received a bill for the previous year based on the ratable value of my property (I live on my own in a one bed flat with no bath, no garden, and no washing machine). I have now arranged to have a water meter installed which severn trent estimated will save me £90: almost half my annual bill. Do I have any grounds to argue that the bill they have sent me for 2004-2005 should be revised down to what I would have paid in estimate if I had had a water meter, given that I would have installed one when I moved in if presented with this bill for the forthcoming year? Any advice appreciated: I can at least divide the payment into monthly direct debits

Rikki

You will save money with a water meter. With a water meter you get two meter reading a year and two bills.
When you are on rateable water charges the bill is generated once a year so it would be up to you to contact severn trent and request changing to a meter when you moved in. I think it will be unlikely they will change the previous year to what the new meter readings will be.

[I am with severn trent and they are not very good at giving money back even when they are clearly and knowingly over charging.]

oldagetraveller

Rikki wrote:

[I am with severn trent and they are not very good at giving money back even when they are clearly and knowingly over charging.]

True! I had a meter fitted by them in March '04 and they somehow "forgot" and continued taking payments based on RV which I really should have done something about. I was owed about £174 which took a lot of effort to prise out of ST. :mad: They denied any knowledge of the meter fitting until I was able to send them copies of all the relevant paperwork.

Well worth having a meter fitted though if circumstances are favourable. £34/month based on RV, £4.78/month based on consumpltion. :T

Robert5988

oldagetraveller wrote:

Well worth having a meter fitted though if circumstances are favourable. £34/month based on RV, £4.78/month based on consumpltion. :T

How on earth do you have such low consumption? £4.78 a month = £57.36 per year.

The minimum standing charge for Severn Trent is £27.48 and water + sewerage is £1.66 a cubic meter. If you have surface water drainage the minimum charge is another £21.72

Ofwat say the average consumption for one person is approx 120 cu mtrs per year. Assuming just one in your house, you would appear to be using 18 cu meters per year.

I hope ST are not building up a big debit balance on your account.

oldagetraveller

Robert5988 wrote:

Ofwat say the average consumption for one person is approx 120 cu mtrs per year. Assuming just one in your house, you would appear to be using 18 cu meters per year.

I hope ST are not building up a big debit balance on your account.

I would suggest the Ofwat estimate is wildly over the top. Just had my bill from ST and meter reading is 30 cubic metre from 0 at meter installation 18 months ago. £12 debit balance.

Water is not "wasted" but used carefully and the only one in the house that stinks is the dog!

Robert5988

oldagetraveller wrote:

I would suggest the Ofwat estimate is wildly over the top. Just had my bill from ST and meter reading is 30 cubic metre from 0 at meter installation 18 months ago. £12 debit balance.

Water is not "wasted" but used carefully and the only one in the house that stinks is the dog!

Sorry, I qouted the figure for a couple - not per person.

There is a thread here that indicates 60 cubic meters is about average per person - at least for those contributing to this thread

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=50565&highlight=cubic+meters