View Full Version : water meters
RushcroftRoader
16-05-2006, 12:41
Has anyone here tried to get a water meter installed from Thames Water?
I phoned the company the other day, thinking a water meter would be good because it a) saves me money on my bill and b) reduces water usage by making it easier for Thames to track leaks and was told that it would take at least 3 months for an engineer to come round and "assess" my flat.
Anybody had similar experiences?
Yep Thames Water are shit. Charge the earth, don't fix leaks and have shit customer service.
they wanted me to pay a water bill for the next 14 months upfront! told em to stuff it n that I was moving.
RushcroftRoader
16-05-2006, 13:44
they wanted me to pay a water bill for the next 14 months upfront! told em to stuff it n that I was moving.
what, because you asked for a meter?
no for not reason at all... i got a bill for 14 months! but yeah I did enquire about a meter afterwards n was told it's a complicated affair.
RushcroftRoader
16-05-2006, 14:43
no for not reason at all... i got a bill for 14 months! but yeah I did enquire about a meter afterwards n was told it's a complicated affair.
the only reason I ask is that we are abuot to get drought orders imposed and Thames is frustrating attempts to get meters. A mate of mine is a journo and is looking for case studies of people who have been waiting months to get a meter.
Anyone who has had a really bad experience with Thames with this issue can PM me and I can put them in touch with my journo mate, who works for a broadsheet.
Disco Squirrel
16-05-2006, 15:22
I recently contacted Thames Water about getting a water meter fitted. The engineer came to my house within 2 weeks to see if it is possible to have a meter fitted and I have an appointment booked for them to come and fit it next month.
I've not had any problems with them so far.
I did have to pay 6 months in advance until the meter is fitted.
miss minnie
16-05-2006, 15:30
I moved into a flat with a water meter and registered with Thames Water on my first day.
I kept asking them when I would get a bill, finally after 18 months I got one. :eek:
Bill seemed outrageously high so I queried people in other flats to find out how much I should be paying, turned out I was paying three times what any single other person was paying. Suspiciously, the couple in the flat across the hall had not received any bills.
I wrote to Thames Water explaining the problem, they wrote and said there was no problem. The sky-high bills continued. I think I then complained to OffWat.
I got a letter from Thames Water saying the problem was now fixed. I wrote and asked what problem? Eventually I got through to a manager on the phone and yes, both flats were on my meter (for two years). :rolleyes:
I did have to pay 6 months in advance until the meter is fitted.
I think this is outrageous! why do they expect us to pay in advance?
Disco Squirrel
16-05-2006, 15:37
I think this is outrageous! why do they expect us to pay in advance?
They said that they would credit my bill when the water meter is fitted but you're right it isn't fair.
Ms Ordinary
16-05-2006, 15:52
I'm sure I walked past an Evening Standard headline today that stated that Thames Water were about to make water meters compulsory.
I didn't stop to read the story properly but it sounds like that would be a chaotic situation, even if meters are a good idea in themselves.
Tricky Skills
16-05-2006, 16:28
I managed to get a Thames Water chap round a few years ago. His off the record advice was that it's not worth installing a meter if there are more rooms than people in your property.
RushcroftRoader
17-05-2006, 10:37
I managed to get a Thames Water chap round a few years ago. His off the record advice was that it's not worth installing a meter if there are more rooms than people in your property.
Well he is talking bollocks.
He should have said "bedrooms" not "rooms". But people in flats and those without gardens will definitely be quids in.
RushcroftRoader
17-05-2006, 11:20
And according to Ofwat, the water industry watchdog, water metered households use about 10 per cent less water that unmetered households.
Thames Water are absolute shit at most things. They lose a third of their water through leaky pipes, they have closed and sold off reservoirs, refused to invest any of their money in new infrastructure (I mean, how hard can it be to build a pipeline to pipe water from "up north" where they have loads, to the southeast?), make shedloads of profit, and then have the cheek to start telling us we all have to make sacrifices and not water our gardens, maybe have standpipes in the streets, and yet I bet we don't get any rebate on our bills if they can't provide the service we are paying for.
Fuck em.
Giles..
I'm sure I walked past an Evening Standard headline today that stated that Thames Water were about to make water meters compulsory.
I didn't stop to read the story properly but it sounds like that would be a chaotic situation, even if meters are a good idea in themselves.
No, they were reporting Ken Livingstone commenting that water meters probably would become compulsory at some point soon, in spite of the fact that that decision is not within his power.
Giles..
BrixiSteve
17-05-2006, 16:35
Thames Water...!?!
Total fools, one and all.:mad:
Has anyone here tried to get a water meter installed from Thames Water?
I phoned the company the other day, thinking a water meter would be good because it a) saves me money on my bill and b) reduces water usage by making it easier for Thames to track leaks and was told that it would take at least 3 months for an engineer to come round and "assess" my flat.
Anybody had similar experiences?
Yup - just asked for one myself. I haven't been told at least 3 months - though I have heard something like 'up to three months'.
Thames Water are absolute shit at most things. They lose a third of their water through leaky pipes, they have closed and sold off reservoirs, refused to invest any of their money in new infrastructure (I mean, how hard can it be to build a pipeline to pipe water from "up north" where they have loads, to the southeast?), make shedloads of profit, and then have the cheek to start telling us we all have to make sacrifices and not water our gardens, maybe have standpipes in the streets, and yet I bet we don't get any rebate on our bills if they can't provide the service we are paying for.
Fuck em.
Giles..
Err - quite hard - pipelines are costly things. And it's pretty polluting to pump water that far due to its heaviness.
Stobart Stopper
19-05-2006, 12:32
When my mum lived in her old house, we tried 4 times to get a water meter fitted for her. Twice they just didn't show up, once they turned up on the wrong day, so they said, and the last time they said they "didn't have any water meters in stock." So we gave up. I think they knew they would be on to a loser financially as when I booked it I told them that she was an elderly person living alone and didn't use much water and wanted to save money. I think they preferred her to be on the water rate.
She's now in a new flat and saves about £80 a year by having a meter.
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