A COUPLE have been mistakenly billed for £12,000 by two water companies for a leak that did not exist in their new family home.
Anna Pearce, 44, and her husband Andrew, 45, described their four-year debt collection ordeal as “torture”.
They received a £7,000 water bill from Southern Water (SW) and a £5,000 bill from Sutton and East Surrey Water (SES Water) in 2018, after moving into a home in Cowden, Kent.
Pearce says the SW engineers visited the property to look for a leak, but couldn’t find anything.
A local contractor said the £12,000 bill was in fact related to a nearby water plant – and the meter happened to be situated on the couple’s driveway.
After contacting the two companies, Anna said SES Water resolved the issue promptly, writing off the £5,000 charge.
However, SW began sending debt collectors for the £7,644.90 bill, which the couple said was “terrifying”.
Despite SW being told they did not owe the money, Pearce said they were continually “hassled for payment” by the firm over the following months.
They were later told they would be taken to court for the debt, and submitted a formal complaint by email.
SW has apologised “for the distress caused by the confusion” and said it waived the £7,000 wastewater bill in June 2021, along with the wastewater standing charges during the time they lived at the property as “a goodwill gesture”.
But Pearce, who works as a property investor, said the case was not closed until July 2022 when she decided to share a video about the “traumatising” and “heartbreaking” four-year ordeal on her social media platforms.
She re-posted the video earlier this month and it went viral, accumulating 1.5 million views on TikTok and Instagram.
Speaking about the impact of the “horrific” case, she told PA Real Life: “We did everything, and then they were sending us debt collectors – you felt really unimportant and unheard.
“It’s a really horrible feeling because you expect more, you expect better from these companies… I didn’t feel there was any accountability, they just don’t listen.
“It was like torture – like water torture – like a steady drip.”
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) is an independent consumer organisation which deals with complaints about water companies.
According to them, if you think there is an error on your water bill account, you should contact your water company or retailer straight away to explain what you think is wrong.
If you do this in writing, the company is required to send a substantive response within 10 working days of receiving it.
If the company doesn’t reply in this time, they must pay £20 as compensation within ten working days.
If they don’t pay the compensation in time, you can ask for a further payment of £10, as long as you do this within three months.
According to Citizen’s Advice, the water company should pay you compensation automatically for an error.
IT'S always worth checking if you qualify for a discount or extra support to help pay your water bill.
Over two million households who qualify to be on discounted social water tariffs aren’t claiming the savings provided, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
Only 1.3million households are currently issued with a social water tariff – up 19% from the previous year.
And the average household qualifying for the discounted water rates can slash their bills by £160 a year.
Every water company has a social tariff scheme which can help reduce your bills if you’re on a low income and the CCW is calling on customers to take advantage before bills rise in April.
Who’s eligible for help and the level of support offered varies depending on your water company.
Most suppliers also have a pot of money to dish out to thousands of customers who are under pressure from rising costs – and you don’t have to pay it back.
These grants can be worth hundreds of pounds offering a vital lifeline when faced with daunting water bills.
The exact amount you can get depends on where you live and your supplier, as well as your individual circumstances.
Many billpayers across the country could also get help paying off water debts through a little-known scheme and even get the balance written off.
Companies match the payments eligible customers make against the debt on their account to help clear it sooner.
If you’re on a water meter but find it hard to save water as you have a large family or water-dependent medical condition, you may be able to cap your bills through the WaterSure scheme.
Bills are capped at the average amount for your supplier, so the amount you could save will vary.
The Consumer Council for Water estimates that bills are reduced by £307 on average through the scheme.
However, there will be times when it’s not practical for the company to identify which customers have been affected. In this case, you will need to make a claim yourself by writing to the water company.
If you’ve been through all the stages of your water company’s written complaints procedure and are still unhappy with their response, you can refer the matter to CCW.
You can contact CCW by email or letter, attaching copies of any communication with the water company.
You can also fill out an online form or telephone them.
CCW will look into the complaint and let you know the outcome.
They may ask the water company to take action to sort out your complaint.
CCW will be able to handle your query more quickly if you contact the local office with responsibility for overseeing the water company you’re complaining about.
