News
Southern Water Named Worst For Customer Complaints… Again!
Southern Water has come top as the worst performer among all water suppliers for customer complaints for the sixth year in a row, at the bottom of 21 companies across England and Wales for both complaints and the number of incoming calls from customers looking to resolve issues (known as unwanted contacts).
The company did succeed in reporting more than a 20 per cent reduction in written complaints in the 2017/2018 year but it still failed to improve its relative position in the Consumer Council for Water’s (CCWater’s) annual complaints report.
The supplier will now stay on the regulator’s watch list for the third consecutive year and it will now also have to provide the watchdog with quarterly reports revealing the progress it is making to reduce these complaints.
More than 2.1 million phone calls were made by consumers across England and Wales to water suppliers in order to resolve problems last year, with nine out of the 21 companies reporting an increase. In addition, four also reported a hike in written complaints, although the number dropped across the industry as a whole.
Commenting on the news, London and south-east chair for CCWater Sir Tony Redmond said: “There are signs the company is heading in the right direction, but we have not seen enough progress. There will be no let-up in the pressure from us until the company gets more into line with the rest of the industry.”
While Southern Water is a domestic water supplier and domestic customers are unable to switch, as a business if you’re not happy with the performance of your current water company and aren’t sure what you can do about it, the good news is that you could actually switch water supplier today and start taking advantage of better customer service, better deals and more.
Reading about Southern Water and its level of customer complaints could be just the inspiration you and your company needs to look into your supplier and see if you’re getting the most out of them that you can.
England’s water retail market opened up in April last year and since then thousands of businesses have decided to switch supplier. This has allowed them to make cost savings with better tariffs from other suppliers, as well as enjoying better service such as more accurate billing and quicker responses to queries.
It also means that you’re better able to find a supplier that can specialise in services for your particular industry or operational needs. And don’t forget that it can make management processes and procedures a lot easier as well, since you’re able to consolidate all your water supply across multiple sites with a single supplier.
You’ll need to check that you’re eligible but chances are you will be since the market is open to 1.2 million businesses, charities and public sector organisations in England. In order to be able to switch, you need to operate at least one site in England or Scotland. Unfortunately, if you’re in Wales or Northern Ireland you’re not yet able to change your water company.
If you’d like any further help or advice on how to switch water supplier, do get in touch with us today.