Water Rates, do they owe YOU money ?

grey key

Right this is one to check, I would never have known this if I had not gotten annoyed by the patronising letter I had from the water board. I am on a water meter so I get charged for what I use only. My bills for the last year have been over 80 quid a month, but I missed a month and got told to pay up or else, however in the letter it said that I was in credit. I phoned them up and asked them to give me details.

It turns out that I have overpaid by 400.00 quid already this year, they said that they would like it to stay that way, that's why they don't want me to miss payments, the long and the short of it is, they are reducing my monthly bill to 40.00 quid and sending me back the 400.00 quid overpayment.

So perhaps it is worth a phonecall to see just where you stand with the water board and if they are overcharging you as well, just to build up a slush fund. You know it makes sense !

1024MAK

Could you water that down a bit for me please... >:)

joefish

Most of the utilities that take a monthly payment are taking a guess at how much to charge, and always swing it far in their favour, particularly if there's only one or two of you in the house and you're out at work most of the day.

I always choose to get the quarterly bills based on actual usage, though even then the gas and leccy (over)-estimate every second bill if I don't read the meters for them.

Though I'm looking to switch myself for the first time after NPower just tried to bankrupt me with an £800 bill (based on an impossible meter reading) following an estimated £320 one the previous quarter. Turned out I owed them exactly nothing, based on an actual reading.

That they tell you on the bill how much more you're using compared to last year, but don't double-check when that figure jumps by 1500%, is negligence and attempted theft in my opinion.

grey key

They even wanted to fine people for not having a smart meter, around 100 pounds a year, they were told not too, so they have engineered it so that people without smart meters will have to pay an extra 110 pounds a year. They insist that smart meters will not cost you any extra, but I know people who are facing crippling bills after taking on a smart meter.

Water is supposed to be metered and charged on exactly what you use, but they have charged me double of my usage price.

If we are paying things on direct debit, they can ask for anything they want a month, on a standing order they can only take a set amount, but most banks will refuse you a standing order, saying that you cant get one with the present account you have.

The moral of the story is check your bills and direct debits, I was paying out for two years on something that should have been cancelled in 2016.

zx1

In Scotland we have a different system, your water charges are added to your council tax bill but i think they're thinking about installing water meters.

1024MAK

I pay less, because I'm with a company that does not offer so called SMART meters...
And if I did have a so called SMART meter, if the meters power consumption is greater than a traditional meter, then I would actually have to pay for more electricity...
Having a SMART meter will not magically reduce the energy used. Only active effort by the people in your home to reduce energy use will do that.

Mark

1024MAK

With regards to water, my house is relatively new, so I have no choice, I'm stuck with a water meter.

Mark

zx1

1024MAK wrote: »

I pay less, because I'm with a company that does not offer so called SMART meters...
And if I did have a so called SMART meter, if the meters power consumption is greater than a traditional meter, then I would actually have to pay for more electricity...
Having a SMART meter will not magically reduce the energy used. Only active effort by the people in your home to reduce energy use will do that.

Mark

It's just another way for the Government to spy on people.

Luny

Scottish Power keep trying to ware me down to install a smart meter. I just show them my two fingers. They are crap technology that is open to faulty software. So ner!

ds99

zx1 wrote: »

In Scotland we have a different system, your water charges are added to your council tax bill but i think they're thinking about installing water meters.

Yeah, I was just thinking water is expensive in England.. But taking a quick look at my bill I'm paying about £42 a month! That's more than my gas and I like my house tropical. Water meters might not be a bad idea... But somehow I don't think I'd save.

Lee Fogarty

Go to wateraid - it's only £1 a month!

crunchy_frog

1024MAK wrote: »

With regards to water, my house is relatively new, so I have no choice, I'm stuck with a water meter.

Mark

It doesn't matter how old your house is. The water company owns the part of the pipe which is outside your property, and they can install a meter there, whether you want one or not.

1024MAK

crunchy_frog wrote: »

1024MAK wrote: »

With regards to water, my house is relatively new, so I have no choice, I'm stuck with a water meter.

Mark

It doesn't matter how old your house is. The water company owns the part of the pipe which is outside your property, and they can install a meter there, whether you want one or not.

Yes, they do own that part of the pipe. But normally, unless you ask for a water meter, older properties in my area don't have water meters. Instead the residents pay an amount related to the value the property was estimated to be some years ago.
But new buildings have to have a water meter. Hence my comment.

My water bill (including sewerage) for 162 days comes to £130.92
So that's 80.8 pence per day.

Mark

guesser

crunchy_frog wrote: »

It doesn't matter how old your house is. The water company owns the part of the pipe which is outside your property, and they can install a meter there, whether you want one or not.

Sometimes the only place they can put a water meter without digging up someone else's property is on your property. I'm not sure what the legalities are in terms of them having rights for accessing land and digging holes in it, probably some.

Of course if water companies/boards hadn't just gone around attaching mains water to any bit of rusty iron pipe they found in the ground without knowing where it went then they might not be in the situation of supplying customers down pipes they don't own or have access to now.

(can you tell we've had a run-in with the water company?) :)

grey key

When I took the cheque in to the bank, the teller said " That's a new one on me , never seen one of these before " then called someone to check it was OK, then he said " Nice one "

Luny

Luckily he didn't say 'Funny looking video..' as that is a different advert.