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Water Plus adds gas and power services to its portfolio, what will their energy brokers and TPI’s think, commercial suicide or bold move?

Water Plus is offering not only water retail services but also electricity, gas and other utility consultancy services.

Water Plus was formed from a joint venture between Severn Trent Water and United Utilities. Water Plus recognised its quickest and most cost effective route to the water retail market was through engaging with energy consultants, energy brokers and other third party intermediaries (TPI’s).

Water consultants H20 Building Services switched a large proportion of its business to Water Plus on the back of the excellent pricing and service previously given from their first venture into the water retail market in Scotland.

Those in the water industry will recall United Utilities Scotland, prior to the merge with Severn Trent Water now Water Plus.

Since this time many water consultants including H20 Building Services curse the day they switched the clients water supplies to Water Plus as the integration of data between United Utilities and Severn Trent Water and the poor quality data set held in the central market operating system (CMOS) which for some water companies has caused absolute chaos across 1,000’s of customer accounts.

Water Plus and others have issued literally many 1,000’s of incorrect water bills and water consultants have sent in numerous complaints which have been totally ignored by the companies Sales Director and the CEO. To this day some customers have  not had a correct water bill since deregulation a year ago with numerous complaints going unanswered.

Water Plus has built a substantial water business on the back of receiving water retail business from energy brokers and consultants, and now it seems adding insult to injury it has added electricity and gas supply and cost reduction services to its water retail service.

This must now be in direct competition with energy brokers, consultants and TPI’s, the very firms that contributed to their accelerated growth during the early days of formation and now.

Is there nothing some water retail companies wont do in a vain effort to prop up their meager retail margins?

Its seems not, perhaps their energy broker partners and TPI’s will think twice before placing their future water retail business with Water Plus and go elsewhere rather than giving Water Plus a lead into their energy consultancy clients!