Water Bills questions and comment

1373840424385

Comments

  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Rampant Recycler
    Forumite
    Hello

    Hope this makes sense. We dont have a water meter just a standard bill and pay by direct debit. This has been running smoothly for years. I have set up a DMP in last few months with Consumser Credit Counselling Services and with sticking to this found last month that I was going to struggle for food shopping for whole month. I went online to bank and cancelled Water Rates direct Debit (£45) and couple other smaller ones. I then sent token payment of £5 to water company and wrote a letter explaining my situation and askin if I could pay the remainder at end of March with March payment - which will be manageable as I have worked some overtime this month.

    I have just had a letter back which basically says thank you for your letter - then goes on to state the amount that is owing (including end of March payment!!) and says it needs to be paid immediately or they will take further action. I am amazed. I fully explained my situation - prioritising feeding children over water bill - and gave token payment as a gesture - with offer to pay next month - I though utility companies were supposed to be considerate towards families???? Any advice - sugggestions? I am not worried about it as we are nearly at end of March anyway - I am basically astonisehed and disappointed in them. Thanks for listening - RON

    Water Charges are due in advance for the year ahead(April to April)
    They allow you to pay in two installments April and Oct.

    However you can also pay by monthly installments to prevent paying 50% of the bill in April.

    By cancelling your monthly payment the whole amount is due.

    You cannot expect any commercial company to get involved with your financial difficulties. If they 'made exceptions' everyone would 'try it on'(not implying you are trying it on)

    If you ring the company they might be a little more sympathetic and agree to a short delay.
  • JT1984
    JT1984 Posts: 6 Forumite
    4 years ago I asked for a water meter to be put in to my then flat of the time by Thames Water. When a rep came round I was told that he couldn't fit one due to the location of the pipes and just left it at that. Since then I have moved to another 1 bedroom flat in the same area. My water bill is £27 per month which I think is ridiculously high considering I live on my own. I've just had a look on Martin's page about this and it says if they can't offer you a meter they should charge you at a lower rate as a single person's allowance. The thing is, I was living in a different flat when they told me I couldn't get a discount, so does anyone know if it would be worth my while trying to get bills backdated? Or should I just change to a water meter and see if the bills go down that way?
    My other problem is that I think my current flat shares a water pipe with the bathroom of next door so not sure they would actually fit one!
    But at least this time if they won't fit one I know that I can ask for a discount.
  • Gothicfairy
    Gothicfairy Posts: 3,060 Forumite
    If your payments are spread over the normal 8 installments then your total bill is not that bad at £216 for all the water you can use but if a meter is going to work out cheaper then apply for one.
    If you are on a shared supply you will not be able to have a meter fitted but as you say they would offer you assessed. I am not sure Thames have a single persons allowance but they might. Some areas still don't offer it.
    You might not have been offered assessed before if it was about the same price as your RV (does happen more often then people think really)

    Nothing at this stage would be backdated I should think but if there was to be a chance at all you would need to show the RV amount of your bill and the assessed amount to show the difference.
    There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
    So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.

    Robert Service
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Rampant Recycler
    Forumite
    I believe that Thames only introduced the single person's assessed charge a year or two ago.
  • kassandra
    kassandra Posts: 377
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me as I'm feeling a little distressed! My father had a water meter fitted last April. He signed as a single occupant on the 13th April and had a meter reading on the 11th May. He died on the 28th May.

    I am getting a mortgage to buy my sisters out and was told I could have the meter taken out if we did it within a year. Water company has just told me we can't as I would be classed as a new customer.

    Is there any way round this? I've been on the water company website calculator and we will be paying treble the yearly amount! We just can't afford it.

    Thanks
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Rampant Recycler
    Forumite
    kassandra wrote: »
    Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me as I'm feeling a little distressed! My father had a water meter fitted last April. He signed as a single occupant on the 13th April and had a meter reading on the 11th May. He died on the 28th May.

    I am getting a mortgage to buy my sisters out and was told I could have the meter taken out if we did it within a year. Water company has just told me we can't as I would be classed as a new customer.

    Is there any way round this? I've been on the water company website calculator and we will be paying treble the yearly amount! We just can't afford it.

    Thanks

    Has the account been transferred in someone elses name, or have the water company still got it on their records in your Father's name?
  • Gothicfairy
    Gothicfairy Posts: 3,060 Forumite
    Normally you would not be able to have it removed, if you are a new customer in some areas one is put in place anyway and it might be that this company is looking at it that way.

    Which company are you with ?
    There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
    So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.

    Robert Service
  • kassandra
    kassandra Posts: 377
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    It's with Yorkshire Water and I don't think it's in anybodys name. They asked if I'd ever lived there and I told them yes but a long time ago. They said that I would have had my name on the bill after he died if I lived there. I told them I didn't know I needed to do this as my sister was dealing with the estate and I moved in a couple of weeks before he died to look after him and moved out not long after he died as there is work going on in the house as I am buying it.

    Thanks for replying. I really appreciate any help on this.
  • Gothicfairy
    Gothicfairy Posts: 3,060 Forumite
    OK.I am going to try and get this right

    If the bill was in his name and he applied for the meter then that is one thing, after his death the bill should have gone into either someone who was living theres name or the executor (if no water was needed the void policy could have been applied)
    If the work being done on the house needs water (and a lot does) then you still need to pay for it.

    With water companies it is based on responsiblity rather then anthing else..so your father was responsible for the bills until his death, his estate then settled the final bill for him then you either get a void period ( NO water used ) or you have to pay.

    As it is Yorkshire water I don't think they would remove the meter anyway as they are metering new occupiers now as standard,or trying to at any rate.


    In short , if water is being used you need to pay for it, if there is no water needed then you can apply for the void period.
    There is a race of men that don't fit in; A race that can't stand still;
    So they break the hearts of kith and kin, and roam the world at will.

    Robert Service
  • kassandra
    kassandra Posts: 377
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I've no problem with the charges or anything like that, of course I have to pay for it if I've used it. I was just under other impressions of the situation.

    It's made things look very bleak for me as I have fibromyalgia and bathing is something I use as pain relief. I think that's why I'm so upset by it :(

    Anyway, thanks guys for your help :A
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards