News
UK Companies due £millions due to over paid water charges
Senior Partner at top water consultants and cost reduction firm H²O Building Services says “literally £m’s is in Water Company bank accounts due to historical overcharges, it never ceases to amaze me the size of the refunds we get back for clients, just this year so far £95,000 overcharge by Northumbrian Water for large pool and leisure company, a further £22,000 from Southern Water for the same leisure company and £8,000 from Bristol & Wessex Water, £130,000 across three sites!! The refunds are due for various reasons and often go unnoticed for years, we carry out a thorough historical water audit going back 6 years, which is within the statute of limitations (5 years in Scotland). Water Companies often “pull the wool” over customers eyes by claiming very substantial back charges, when in fact they are not entitled to claim them, a prime example – H²O was approached by DHL after receiving substantial back charges on two sites within the North West area, water and waste water services supplied by United Utilities, a full and detailed water audit was carried out by H²O Consultants and concluded the back charges could not be claimed for past the last financial year and that the Water Company was clearly wrong to attempt to claim them, saving £80,000!! The Water Companies in our opinion are without doubt making very little attempts to rectify customers charges, preferring to set up income/sales generation departments, looking for incorrect charging so back charges can be claimed, one company in particular “United Utilities” was purchasing rating information to check rateable value based “surface water highways drainage charges” they only check for under charging and raked in £m’s from customers, ignoring of course over charging by them. H²O and other consultants called for an investigation by the regulator OFWAT, when questioned they were economic with the truth and served with a warning from the regulator, the Water Company now have to pay a 10% compensation payment for all those customers who have been found to have been over charged on “surface water highways drainage” charges, little comfort for the hundreds of Companies in the North West due £millions.