Thames Water Fixed Charges

[jojo19811]

Hi

 

I have a problem with my water changes as below if anyone can help please.

 

Actual water usage for period 01 April 2013 to 20 February 2014 (365 days)

 

Fresh water used= 11.87 price per m3 = 128.43

 

Fresh water used £15.24

Fixed charge £25.01

 

Used water disposal £8.36

Fixed charge £50.01

 

 

I didn't use much water & the fixed charges amounts to way more than the water. I asked if they were allowed to charges so much & they claimed they were.

 

I'm very annoyed with them because they claim that this is for work done. But when I moved in to my flat in September 2012, I asked them to read the meter & they refused. It took 6 months before they read it & in that time I hadn't used water, as couldn't work boiler (used bottled water, as I do for most things). Nevertheless they are claiming I owe them £64.25 estimated cost for previous period too.

 

I wrote to Thames water several months ago stating I didn't use any water for first 6 months in property & they have no proof of such, so I won't pay the £64.25 estimate. I also asked them to reduce fixed charges by half, stating I wouldn't pay until they corrected the unfair bill. But they still claim I must pay. They claimed regulatory ombudsman had stated their charges were fair & in line with what they can charge. They gave me number of ombudsman but said that ombudsman would say the charges are fair.

 

 

Thames water claim I must pay a yearly service charge of £80 no matter how much or how little water I use. I stated that I have no problem with paying for water & waste water charges but don't see why I'm being asked to pay £80 year on top of this for nothing. Especially as they only read meter once every 6 months & it is located under manhole with whole streets electronically read all at once. I feel they don't warrant the charge. Is there anything I can do please? They have been threatening debt collectors. I'm on disability benefit & can't afford to pay £251 they now claim I owe.

[kjun]

Regrettably you will find that the standing or service charges on measured water supplies are correctly payable by all property occupiers (or the property owner if empty) regardless of consumption and will form part of their charges scheme which is approved by OFWAT.

 

These would only be cancelled if the water supply was safeguarded (i.e. turned off completely) by the water company.

[jojo19811]

Thank you for replying.

 

I have asked Thames Water to switch the water off, but they claim they can't for health & safety reasons. I stated to them that I don't need a water supply as I use bottled water for my needs. Water tap is only turned on when my child turns a tap on without permission. We even have economy toilet & it's tiny, so only requires half bottle water to flush. We have showers with bag of bottled water & recycle water onto outside plants. I was hoping to have a virtually non existent bill for being so economical. I think I understand now why so many people couldn't care less how much water they use. If I'm going to have to pay such a huge charge anyway I may as well not deprive myself & make sure I use tons of water from now on to justify it/get my fair share.

[kjun]

It's worth bearing in mind that it is far more economical to use tap water then bottled water for the tasks you detail above bearing in mind you are paying £1.28 per cubic metre of water which is 1000 litres.

 

Dunno how much 1000 litres of bottled water would be but I would guess a few hundred pounds as opposed to just over a quid.

 

It is also worth remembering that while you may not need the water supply you would of course still be using the wastewater services every time the toilet is flushed so unless you were planning on a septic tank you need that service.

 

Of course you can use as much water as you deem fair but remember you are paying for a measured supply and the more consumption you use the more it will cost you ultimately on your bill.

[rebel11]

Hi Jojo19811

 

Write a Formal Letter of Complaint, mark it as such. Explain what's happened, how they have let you down and what you want them to do. Explain that you are disabled and on benefits. Ask them to put you on a low income fixed Tariff. See if they can back date the amount owed. Send it to CEO.

 

As an example Affinity, check the company that supplies you :-

 

https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/i-am-on-a-low-income.aspx

[kjun]

OP pays £98.62 for a year according to original post and I would be very surprised if any fixed or assessed charges scheme will work out less than this so might be worth finding how much these are before asking to be put on a scheme where they may end up paying more...

[rebel11]

They would look a bit stupid if they put the OP on a scheme which cost more, considering the OP's vulnerability.

 

OP pays £98.62 for a year according to original post and I would be very surprised if any fixed or assessed charges scheme will work out less than this so might be worth finding how much these are before asking to be put on a scheme where they may end up paying more...

[kjun]

And they would look stupid doing this on the specific request of the OP in the letter of complaint that you are suggesting I assume?

 

Trust me, and I have very specific experience in this area, there will be no scheme where the OP pays less per year for water services than the figure they quote, which shows very minimal water and wastewater usage, however the service/standing charges will not be waived or reduced as everyone pays these even if there is no consumption.