Utility Companies are not all sharks..!!!
13 January 2017, 02:35 PM
#1
Utility Companies are not all sharks..!!!
Well I never thought I would hear myself say that as my opinion of most gas ,electric ,water companies is that they are there to screw as much money from the customer as possible.
But credit where it is due. Here's the tale...
My mother is getting on a bit now and the world has suddenly started spinning a little too fast for her to keep up ,so she needs some help with day to day stuff which me and one of my sisters tend to do ie help her shop for food etc ,make sure her bills get paid etc ,etc.
Any post she gets she puts to one side and I look at it when I call round and deal with it for her . Ie renewing insurances ,utility supplier swaps and so on.
This week she had a letter from United Utilities saying her water usage had gone up over the last couple of months and making her aware of this. If she was using more then fine but if nothing has changed then it advised she may have a leak somewhere. And if so get it repaired so her bill doesn't increase unnecessarily. Apparently when we changed her to a water meter they installed the new type smart meter which fires back info to the water company on a regular basis which highlighted the problem .
I could not find a leak or evidence of a leak anywhere other than an outside tap leaking slightly so I replaced that but the water meter was still spinning slightly showing usage when no tap or washing machine ,shower was being used.
A quick call to BG Homeserve and an engineer came out as I thought the old boiler may be leaking (not my mother ,but the back boiler behind her fire.!)
Told the engineer my thoughts and he said wont be the boiler as there would be water everywhere so he investigates the hot water storage tank in the loft . Sure enough a leaking ball valve which he duly replaced. Job done.
So she pays for the Homeserve and we expect things to be put right but still the engineer was straight on it and sorted it quickly so well done .
But the most impressive is United Utilities for having the decency to inform my mother fairly quickly rather than let it go on and cost her a fortune whilst unaware of any problem. Now that's what I call Good Service so again well done and a double
Thought I would share a good news story amongst all the doom and gloom going on at the moment in the world.
But credit where it is due. Here's the tale...
My mother is getting on a bit now and the world has suddenly started spinning a little too fast for her to keep up ,so she needs some help with day to day stuff which me and one of my sisters tend to do ie help her shop for food etc ,make sure her bills get paid etc ,etc.
Any post she gets she puts to one side and I look at it when I call round and deal with it for her . Ie renewing insurances ,utility supplier swaps and so on.
This week she had a letter from United Utilities saying her water usage had gone up over the last couple of months and making her aware of this. If she was using more then fine but if nothing has changed then it advised she may have a leak somewhere. And if so get it repaired so her bill doesn't increase unnecessarily. Apparently when we changed her to a water meter they installed the new type smart meter which fires back info to the water company on a regular basis which highlighted the problem .
I could not find a leak or evidence of a leak anywhere other than an outside tap leaking slightly so I replaced that but the water meter was still spinning slightly showing usage when no tap or washing machine ,shower was being used.
A quick call to BG Homeserve and an engineer came out as I thought the old boiler may be leaking (not my mother ,but the back boiler behind her fire.!)
Told the engineer my thoughts and he said wont be the boiler as there would be water everywhere so he investigates the hot water storage tank in the loft . Sure enough a leaking ball valve which he duly replaced. Job done.
So she pays for the Homeserve and we expect things to be put right but still the engineer was straight on it and sorted it quickly so well done .
But the most impressive is United Utilities for having the decency to inform my mother fairly quickly rather than let it go on and cost her a fortune whilst unaware of any problem. Now that's what I call Good Service so again well done and a double
Thought I would share a good news story amongst all the doom and gloom going on at the moment in the world.
14 January 2017, 09:03 AM
#4
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So was the overflow going the whole time ?
And a back boiler?! , surely she not from coal fire ?
This maybe advantages New tech I guess ( how much did they rush her for the smart meter) .
It's a bit different from my water supplier who were happily going to charge me x3 because their meter reader had some kind number dyslexia
And a back boiler?! , surely she not from coal fire ?
This maybe advantages New tech I guess ( how much did they rush her for the smart meter) .
It's a bit different from my water supplier who were happily going to charge me x3 because their meter reader had some kind number dyslexia
14 January 2017, 03:30 PM
#5
So was the overflow going the whole time ?
And a back boiler?! , surely she not from coal fire ?
This maybe advantages New tech I guess ( how much did they rush her for the smart meter) .
It's a bit different from my water supplier who were happily going to charge me x3 because their meter reader had some kind number dyslexia
And a back boiler?! , surely she not from coal fire ?
This maybe advantages New tech I guess ( how much did they rush her for the smart meter) .
It's a bit different from my water supplier who were happily going to charge me x3 because their meter reader had some kind number dyslexia
No not coal fire , gas fire with a boiler behind it, which heats the water and sends it up into the tank in the loft. Baxi Bermuda. The meter was free. She was paying water rates (circa £600 per year) but being on her own with minimal water usage ,it made sense to put a meter in which the water company were more than happy to do. I think they want everyone on meters to be honest. Bills now are circa £250 per year on real usage.
The tech really does help on this occasion as it could have gone on for years as there is no sign of the over flow pipe from the tank so im not sure where it was going and would never have noticed perhaps .
All in all a good result.
15 January 2017, 12:57 PM
#7
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I'm not with any utility company, it was my water supplier itself who informed me of the excessive water usage by phone, with their concern about it. An underground leak in the garden was responsible for it, which their men came out and fixed. They paid me back the overcharge as well, as it wasn't my fault nor did I consume the water that I was overcharged for.
Welsh Water rocks.
Welsh Water rocks.
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15 January 2017, 01:28 PM
#8
I'm not with any utility company, it was my water supplier itself who informed me of the excessive water usage by phone, with their concern about it. An underground leak in the garden was responsible for it, which their men came out and fixed. They paid me back the overcharge as well, as it wasn't my fault nor did I consume the water that I was overcharged for.
Welsh Water rocks.
Welsh Water rocks.
15 January 2017, 01:36 PM
#10
Yep that's correct usually.
United Utilities actually said in the letter that they could reimburse my mother if it was a leak that was detected and she had it repaired asap.
It only amounted to a few quid though due to them letting us know so it wasn't worth claiming to be honest. But another good gesture anyway.
United Utilities actually said in the letter that they could reimburse my mother if it was a leak that was detected and she had it repaired asap.
It only amounted to a few quid though due to them letting us know so it wasn't worth claiming to be honest. But another good gesture anyway.