Thames Water topped the league table for the number of written complaints made to water companies in England and Wales last year, with the number more than doubling since 2017.
The number of written complaints received by the firm from residential customers has risen from 17,039 in 2017/18 to 40,060 in 2021/22, according to the latest figures from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW). The firm accounted for nearly half (47%) of all written complaints to water and sewerage firms in England and Wales last year.
The Observer revealed last week how a 98-year-old woman with end-of-life care was sent a bill from Thames Water warning she had used the equivalent of more than a million cups of tea in six months. The use was later determined to be caused by a leak.
Thames Water had 68 complaints per 10,000 connections last year, compared with Wessex Water, which had 10, and Anglian Water, which had 17. The water company’s complaints handling procedures were rated “poor” by the CCW.
More than two-thirds (25,993) of written complaints about Thames Water involved billing and charges. It also received over 14,000 complaints about water supply and sanitation.
Southern Water received the second highest number of complaints. The number of written complaints received by the firm increased from 6,259 in 2017/18 to 9,131 in 2021/22. Its complaints handling procedures were also rated as poor.
The CCW reported that the total number of complaints to water companies last year rose by 1.5% to 85,238. It said the majority of companies had reduced written complaints, but Thames Water and Southern Water stand out as “underperformers”.
Water companies’ records are scrutinized for sewage spills and water leaks. Ofwat announced earlier this month that it was cutting £150 million from its customers’ bills because of pollution incidents and water cuts. Thames Water will return £51m and Southern Water will return £28.3m.
Thames Water said the total number of complaints, including phone calls, fell significantly in 2021/22. Warren Buckley, director of customer services at Thames Water, said: “Last year we achieved a significant reduction in overall complaints to businesses, and billing complaints were reduced by over 30% following improvements in our customer service. We recognize that we need to do more on written complaints as outlined in the recent CCW report.
Thames Water also said that from 1 April to 30 September 2022, its written complaints fell by 9% compared to the same period the previous year.
Katie Taylor, Chief Customer Officer at Southern Water, said: “We take every customer complaint seriously. We realize that our performance is not good enough and we are determined to improve it.”
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