Changing water supplier

[Kentishfarmer]

can youu buy water of different areas? I thought you were stuck with your regional usually useless water firm?

They opened up the water market a couple of years ago so you can change supplier just like with electric or broadband. However the customer service, billing etc seem to be shocking from all modern water companies

 

[devonbeef]

They opened up the water market a couple of years ago so you can change supplier just like with electric or broadband. However the customer service, billing etc seem to be shocking from all modern water companies

Thank you for that,I believe maybe can not swap if a shared supply with your house, may be wrong on that.

 

[dudders]

I changed last year from (useless) Castle Water to Business Stream. So far so good. For the first time ever, I've got the same company for water and sewage, which does help. The charge per cu.m. for waste water has just gone down, from £2.48 to £2.18, as has the standing charge, from £158 p.a. to £23. Sounds too good to be true, but I'll go with it. I have to read the meter, if I don't want estimates. Water supply is £1.90 per cu.m., standing charge £63 p.a.

I have just the one supply for house and business, so just one bill twice a year. Suits me fine. Also a good agreement on the proportion of the supply being 'returned to sewer'. Makes it sound like the sewer is where it came from - which I guess is the case in places like Thames...

 

[Doing it for the kids]

I changed last year from (useless) Castle Water to Business Stream. So far so good. For the first time ever, I've got the same company for water and sewage, which does help. The charge per cu.m. for waste water has just gone down, from £2.48 to £2.18, as has the standing charge, from £158 p.a. to £23. Sounds too good to be true, but I'll go with it. I have to read the meter, if I don't want estimates. Water supply is £1.90 per cu.m., standing charge £63 p.a.

I have just the one supply for house and business, so just one bill twice a year. Suits me fine. Also a good agreement on the proportion of the supply being 'returned to sewer'. Makes it sound like the sewer is where it came from - which I guess is the case in places like Thames...

ok so a vote from business stream.

think I’m paying £1.14 with CW though

 

[Kentishfarmer]

For anyone who finds this thread and is considering changing suppliers. Get away from Castle Water as soon as possible! Despite multiple phone calls, emails, official complaints etc they are still useless as responding or taking any action or changing tariffs to pay as you go. I've been wrangling with them for many months now and they threatening debt letters still come every week and no action from Castle.
I've contacted all the retailers listed on the openwater site for quotes so far Everflow and ConserAqua seem like the options choices so far. I still havent had a response from Business Stream yet

 

[Bob]

Can anyone recommend a good, honest water company that I can switch to? Am with everflow, bunch of incompetant numpties.

Avoid Clear Business. They are a bunch of mintiest too

 

[dudders]

For anyone who finds this thread and is considering changing suppliers. Get away from Castle Water as soon as possible! Despite multiple phone calls, emails, official complaints etc they are still useless as responding or taking any action or changing tariffs to pay as you go. I've been wrangling with them for many months now and they threatening debt letters still come every week and no action from Castle.
I've contacted all the retailers listed on the openwater site for quotes so far Everflow and ConserAqua seem like the options choices so far. I still havent had a response from Business Stream yet

Don't jump yet - chase Business Stream. You need as many quotes as you can get, and there aren't that many good companies in the field, once you scratch the rubbish ones.

 

[Chae1]

Just moved to Castle from business stream!

Doesn't sound like it was a good move.

 

[db9go]

Just moved to Castle from business stream!

Doesn't sound like it was a good move.

Good luck with that

 

[Chae1]

Good luck with that

Was through ringlink. So hopefully they have hassle of dealing with them.

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Just moved to Castle from business stream!

Doesn't sound like it was a good move.

I Feel so sorry for you, get the official complaint in now and they might actually respond to it by the time you need them to deal with something!
Not only are they cynical shysters trying to get Direct debit advances none of their computer systems work for online reads/accounts etc
But maybe they will prove us wrong in your case

 

[dudders]

There's a deal of luck involved - if you can get someone with more than one brain cell when things go wrong. When I had trouble with npower, and all the usual rubbish trying to sort it out, once Penny got on the case she did the job, and followed it up, and was friendly and understandable too. Gem.

 

[Chae1]

I Feel so sorry for you, get the official complaint in now and they might actually respond to it by the time you need them to deal with something!
Not only are they cynical shysters trying to get Direct debit advances none of their computer systems work for online reads/accounts etc
But maybe they will prove us wrong in your case

Wasn't a good start. They provided business stream with a huge reading as final one. Got a water bill for £1600!

They said this was actual reading and nobody had been near meter. I read it myself and got it sorted out.

 

[DaveGrohl]

There's a deal of luck involved - if you can get someone with more than one brain cell when things go wrong. When I had trouble with npower, and all the usual rubbish trying to sort it out, once Penny got on the case she did the job, and followed it up, and was friendly and understandable too. Gem.

This is the trouble. There are genuine competent people inside some of these companies but it's getting to them that's the problem. I've got a shed full of t-shirts but it does seem to be pure luck finding the tiny number of helpful people.

Part of the problem with the bigger companies is the way they are structured against the customer. It's difficult not taking it out on the person on the other end of the phone.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Go on the Live chat and hope for Rach at castle water. A bit of flirting seems to move things along quickly.

im on first name terms with her now

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Has anyone had any experience of ConserVaqua? They seem professional and competent so far, the only company to speedily reply with a quote with no errors/mistakes and are offering to deal with the historic billing issues with castle water aswell!

Also I've attached a screen grab of an email from the CLA they've had so many complaints about Castle Water from members that they offered help from one of their surveyors and a specific manager from Castle Water. I'm going to give them a call it might be helpful for anyone else who is a member

Go on the Live chat and hope for Rach at castle water. A bit of flirting seems to move things along quickly.

im on first name terms with her now

Your certainly luckier than I am I've never had anyone reply to me on the Castle Water live chat and I must have tried like 8 times!

 

[Wombat]

Business stream, don’t seem to bad as you get through to all the old Yorkshire water business team so they actually know what a field and a water trough is.

I was dreading it a bit as we bought some land with water connection during the change but it all went fine.

 

[Flatwheels]

I have been having a long term discussion with WaterPlus since late last year regarding the sewerage charges being levied on the farm. Th issue is that the supply is for 4 properties, plus the farm buildings, they started to charge sewage at 100% being discharged to the sewer, as opposed to one property to the sewer. *

I finally managed to find a person who was helpful and is willing to own the problem ( I hope). This was achieved purely by starting an official complaint, which allows me to bypass "customer service" and their useless scripts!!

I was speaking with one of the latter last week before I got put through to the Complaints team. and she very genuinely explained why my complaint was taking some time as they had, " been receiving a lot of complaints and they did not have enough staff to handle them"... I am afraid I just burst out laughing!!!


*Hopefully, this will be resolved once Severn Trent do their bit... although the deadline for a meeting with them is Friday, and I have sweet FA from them so far!! I also have to fit a water meter into the property with a discharge, so that usage can be monitored for 12 month. I have agreed a sensible regime of meter reading (by myself) after I have fitted the meter. Apparantly, STW/WaterPlus do not inspect said meter, nor does it need to fulfill any regulations.... Barmy!!

Anglian water here 1property and farm buildings with water from mains for spraying and 3small paddock troughs negotiated 10% sewage of usage if that is any help.

 

[steveR]

Anglian water here 1property and farm buildings with water from mains for spraying and 3small paddock troughs negotiated 10% sewage of usage if that is any help.

Well done. STW/Water Plus have insisted on a separate meter for teh property with a disharge to the sewer. Right PITA to be faffing with and they are sods in refunding late...

I am still owed over £1K in overpayment .... Hope OFWAT will assist with a complaint if necessary

 

[steveR]

Don't jump yet - chase Business Stream. You need as many quotes as you can get, and there aren't that many good companies in the field, once you scratch the rubbish ones.

Are there actually ANY good ones? All bloody shysters from what I can gather. Privatising teh water industry was not a success for the consumer!!!