When you can contact us
You should raise your complaint with your water company or retailer first. You can contact us if:
- you’ve received a final response letter or verbal confirmation; or
- it’s been eight weeks since you first complained and you still don’t have a final response
If you need extra support, let us know when you get in touch.
We explain the most common types of complaints people contact us about and how we can help with them.
Customer service
Many people contact us because of how they were treated rather than the original issue. This might include:
- missed or cancelled appointments
- poor staff attitude
- poor, misleading or unclear advice
- difficulty contacting the company
- complaints or queries not being answered
- incorrect information being given
- problems with refunds, goodwill or compensation payments
- Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) payment issues
- delays with operational issues such as meter installation
Billing
You can contact us if you’re unhappy with how your bill has been worked out or explained. This might include:
- disputes about measured (metered) or unmeasured bills
- bills based on estimated readings
- bills that do not match how much water is used
- sudden or unexpected increases in charges
- too many or too few meter readings
An allowance is a reduction or adjustment to a bill in certain situations, for example after a leak or where help is needed with paying bills.
You can contact us if you’re unhappy with decisions about:
- leakage allowance
- social tariff or affordability support
- surface water or highway drainage charge reductions
- non-return to sewer charge adjustments
You can contact us if you’re concerned about:
- backdated or catch-up bills leading to debt
- how debt recovery has been handled
- use of credit reference agencies or credit markers
- poor or unclear communication about unpaid bills
- threats of disconnection for unpaid bills (applies to business customers only)
Water companies can’t disconnect household customers for unpaid water bills. We can take a look at cases where disconnection has been threatened or wrongly suggested. Different rules apply to business customers.
Water services
There are two main types of water supply problems:
Planned interruptions: This is where work is scheduled in advanced. Your water company should tell you before the water is turned off. We can look at cases where you were not given enough notice or where your water was not restored by the time you were told it would be.
Unplanned interruptions: This happens during emergencies, such as burst pipes. We can look at cases where the water was off for too long or where you did not get enough information or support while it was off.
Water supply interruptions are covered by the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). This sets out what you can expect from your water company and when you may be entitled to compensation.
Wastewater (sewers and drains)
You can contact us if you’re unhappy with how a sewer or drainage problem was handled. This might include:
- external flooding to gardens or driveways
- internal flooding inside the home
- blocked sewer pipes affecting toilets or drains
- delays in cleaning up after flooding
- odours or noise from sewage treatment works
Any damage claims should go through your home insurance.
