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Water industry news – The hilarious side of the deregulated water market – a must read to fully appreciate the funny side.

Water consultants H20 Building Services have continued to experience huge issue with their clients portfolios since water market deregulation in the UK April 2017.

 

The water bill validation team are enduring hundreds of water billing errors on a daily basis and situations where some water retail companies are simply unable to send out water bills to customers for a year!

 

One of the H20 Building Services clients was informed that a water retailer was not in a position to send out water bills for their sites in Scotland, the client offered to support us and contacted the water retailer directly in an effort to resolve issues which have been on going for many months.

The results of the discussions really do put into context the issues which are very often beyond belief, and in this instance is absolutely hilarious and well worth a read.

 

So here goes, all of the communications were by email.

 

Client to retailer ” Hello, I have been informed that 100 + of our Scottish sites have not been billed since February. I have been trying to contact you by phone as recommended on your website but i’m still listening to music and a recorded voice telling me someone will be with me as soon as they can for 37 minutes and counting!

This service is completely unacceptable.

Please contact me with some urgently to let me know how you are going to sort the problems out”

 

Reply from water retailer: ” Dear —— Thank you for contacting us because of the new data protection act at the end of May could you please send us a letter of authority for the customers that you deal with.

We will then deal with your email in the correct manner”

 

Client to retailer ” Hello, I am not a consultant, I am the customer, all the Scottish sites are owned by our company, if I don’t have the authority to see the data for our own sites I dont know what else to suggest”

 

Reply from water retailer: ” Dear —— Thank you for the email as we are aware we deal with the direct broker and it is the broker which would have all this information, it may be a suggestion that you speak to the broker”

 

Client to retailer ” Hello, its the broker that has asked me to contact you as they have not been able to get a response, I am beginning to see their problem! Will you please tell either me or them when the sites will be billed or how we go about terminating the contract, thanks”

 

Client final reply to H20 Building Services  “This is going well!”

 

So the client has achieved nothing since contact with the water retailer in question between September 6th to September 11th. This is the type of zero progress that the water bill validation team at H20 Building Services and no doubt other customers deal with on a daily basis, welcome to the water consultants world!

 

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