Estimated water bills and debt recovery

[pear]

Just a question regarding the legalities of the above.

I've just received my water bill, which is very high. Its an estimated bill from 1st Oct 23 to 31st March 2024.
Under the bill total is written: if you don't pay on time we will charge interest/ send the debt recovery team around etc. What are the legalities of the water company sending the debt collectors around for a payment for a service you actually haven't used? I'm going to pay the bill when its been altered, but I was just wondering if they can enforce such measures?

I'm just off to read the meter and get the invoice changed!

 

[som farmer]

check meter, could claim leak allowance. Good luck.

we have had huge problems with 1 elec meter, like several thousand over reading. Tried and tried to sort out, including a standoff with debt collectors, that resulted in 'sorting it out', we were right.

next bill, back to original wrong reading, tried/explained etc, oh yes debt collectors in again, but didn't know the amount, as computers down.

what a complete and utter farce, and its never their fault................ We got hold of the chap, that sorted it out last time, his job, sorting out problems like ours, highly embarrassed about it.

WTF do you do, when it is impossible to sought out ? I suspect its 'in the computer' and no-one can/wants to remove it.

 

[pear]

check meter, could claim leak allowance. Good luck.

we have had huge problems with 1 elec meter, like several thousand over reading. Tried and tried to sort out, including a standoff with debt collectors, that resulted in 'sorting it out', we were right.

next bill, back to original wrong reading, tried/explained etc, oh yes debt collectors in again, but didn't know the amount, as computers down.

what a complete and utter farce, and its never their fault................ We got hold of the chap, that sorted it out last time, his job, sorting out problems like ours, highly embarrassed about it.

WTF do you do, when it is impossible to sought out ? I suspect its 'in the computer' and no-one can/wants to remove it.

Sorry, the question was, can they send debt recovery around for an invoice that is based on future use/water that hasn't been used yet? I could have turned the mains tap off in October and not used any water but they would still be invoicing for 'future use/ sent the bill for the same amount.

Its Castle water, they are a shower of..... I used to be Affinity and they used to invoice you for what you had used!

 

[serf]

Sorry, the question was, can they send debt recovery around for an invoice that is based on future use/water that hasn't been used yet? I could have turned the mains tap off in October and not used any water but they would still be invoicing for 'future use/ sent the bill for the same amount.

Its Castle water, they are a shower of..... I used to be Affinity and they used to invoice you for what you had used!

I think your reading to deeply into the small print at this stage , just get the invoice rectified and pay new bill and that should be it !

 

[Tamar]

Castle water are crooks.....................there will be a time in the future that they go bust. What happens then to all the pre payed water !?

 

[Sam Partridge]

Never heard of estimated bills for future useage, sounds far too vague, could be out by £100s

 

[Vitu]

Never heard of estimated bills for future useage, sounds far too vague, could be out by £100s

Or even by thousands as in our case. And they won’t pay the money back. On the current usage we are 5 years in credit.

 

[Goweresque]

You can opt to go on a pay as you go tariff with Castle Water:

Customer in control | Castle Water

Learn about our CinC plan, which allows you to take full control of your business water billing. Learn more today.

www.castlewater.co.uk

It does mean reading the meter every month. They used to offer a 90 day PAYG tariff, which is what I have with them, but whether you can still get them to give you one of those I don't know.

 

[Goweresque]

Never heard of estimated bills for future useage, sounds far too vague, could be out by £100s

Welcome to the world of Castle Water, money grabbing *rseholes extraordinaire!

 

[Daddy Pig]

I would imagine that they can send a debt collector round but they will have no power other than to politely ask you to pay at which point you tell them to f off. But in reality its an empty threat designed to frighten and intimate people.

 

[Cropper]

Castle Water had us on Direct Debit and after a leak had us on monthly payments of around £1000 for an annual bill that didn’t used to be much more than £1000. Tried to get them to sort out their errors but they wouldn’t listen. Stopped the DD and after a couple of years managed to get a refund of about £12k out of them. Now they’re on the paying in advance trick like the electric companies- all a bunch of spivs and shysters!

 

[Admin Sue]

Castle Water: nothing to do with estimates, just dreadful customer service full stop. I realised, when billed for the second time on a new supply for a livestock trough, that we were incorrectly being charged 'return to sewer' and was sent a Wastewater Abatement Form which I completed and submitted (by post) with photographic evidence and copies of the bills to Castle Water on 15 May 2023. Having heard nothing back I contacted them again in July only to be told they hadn't received my original correspondence! At this point I joined the customer portal and all correspondence was then via their 'ticket' system. Very long story short but after 9 subsequent attempts to resolve this, appalling delays in them responding and basically getting nowhere I contacted Consumer Council for Water at the end of November. I was told that following their (CCW) investigation I had not exhausted the Castle Water complaints process so was referred back to them. I contacted them on 28 November and maybe because of my contact with CCW it spurred them into action, but all they did was blame the delays due to getting a response from the wholesaler (as far as I can see from the portal tickets there was no evidence that they had tried to chase them). Later that day I was told that wholesaler had "agreed to remove your Sewerage supply from the non-household market". Today we finally received a refund of c£269 for the incorrect charges - 7 months later!! During the complaint process they refused to put invoices on hold with a note on our account and we had no choice but to pay. I appreciate our figure is nothing in comparison to those quoted above, because it was a supply for a small remote site for a short period of livestock grazing, but it is clear that for some farmers it is a different story.

 

[Janji]

Welcome to the world of Castle Water, money grabbing *rseholes extraordinaire!

The whole company is mental !! Thieving liars …