"Close watch" to be kept on Essex and Suffolk Water
Written complaints to water firms in England and Wales have increased for the third successive year.
The Consumer Council for Water says it's going to be keeping a "close watch" on Essex and Suffolk Water after marking it "poor" for both written complaints and complaints handling.
It comes as an annual survey has found disputes over household water usage amounts and estimated bills has driven written complaints to firms in England and Wales up for a third successive year.
Thames Water has now made a series of commitments to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) to improve its performance, after being found responsible for 42% of complaints made.
That's despite only being responsible for 19% of domestic properties.
CCW said households had a right to expect clear and accurate water bills and be treated with empathy by suppliers if they slipped into debt, after finding concerns over bills dominated two thirds of the 93,758 written complaints made to companies in England and Wales during 2020-21.
Customers’ frustrations largely stemmed from disputes over how much water they had used, as well as the accuracy of estimated bills and the way some suppliers went about recovering debt.
CCW acknowledged Covid-19 had presented challenges for the industry but noted nine water companies were still able to reduce their written complaints.
CCW chief executive Emma Clancy said: "We’re heading into a difficult winter for many struggling households as they deal with rising energy costs and other financial pressures so companies must not allow water bills to add to customers’ worries.
"Households have a right to expect clear and accurate bills but water companies also need to improve their communication and do more to understand their customers’ needs.
"That way they can ensure customers facing hardship gain quicker access to the support that exists but often goes untapped."
CCW compared the performance of water companies on the number of written complaints they received per 10,000 connections, as well as assessing how well complaints were handled.
A Water UK spokeswoman said: "While it is encouraging that almost half of water companies have reduced the number of complaints they received year on year, all companies are working hard to bring complaints down, after their call centre capacity was dramatically limited over the last 18 months.
"We understand many customers remain concerned about their bills which is why there is an unprecedented level of support available for those in need.
"More than a million households are currently getting help to pay their bills, and that’s set to rise to 1.5 million.
"In addition, during the Covid-19 pandemic, water companies have provided more than 100,000 payment breaks to customers."