Cambridge Water rated ‘poor’ for number of complaints and its handling of them
Cambridge Water is the only water-only provider in the country to be rated as poor for both total complaints and its handling of them in a new report.
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said it had seen a 77 per cent increase in the number of complaints it had received about the water company, with most of these disputes relating to bills from metered households.
Cambridge Water said it received 1,200 complaints in 2023-24 but was making improvements to address the issues.
CCW’s annual report found unresolved household complaints to water firms across the country have spiked amid discontent over sewage spills, billing mistakes and problems with water meters.
The number of complaints escalated to CCW by households in England and Wales who failed to achieve a resolution from their supplier rose by almost a third (29 per cent) in 2023-24 – its highest level for nearly a decade, the watchdog said.
By the time they turn to CCW, customers have exhausted their supplier’s two-stage complaints process.
There were 222,956 complaints directly to water companies in England and Wales in 2023-24, with more than half of these (57 per cent) related to issues with billing, including disputes around how much people were being charged, methods of payment and difficulties with the affordability.
Cambridge Water was given the lowest rating - “poor” - for total complaints and the way they were handled. So too were Thames Water and Yorkshire Water, which are both water and wastewater companies.
CCW chief executive Mike Keil said: “Households are having to waste far too much time and energy resolving complaints, which water companies should be getting right first time. Trust in the water sector is already badly fractured and the poor handling of complaints will only compound people’s frustration.
“We’re particularly concerned to see a significant rise in complaints from customers with water meters who are questioning the accuracy of their bill.
“More companies are planning to roll out smart meters over the next few years, so they must listen and act on people’s concerns now or risk further damaging customer trust.”
A spokesperson for Cambridge Water told the Cambridge Independent: “Customer service is vitally important to us, and we are proud to serve clean drinking water to around 350,000 customers in and around Cambridge.
“We are disappointed that our customer service levels have fallen short for some of our customers. For the year 2023/24, we received just over 1,200 complaints which equates to 0.88 per cent of our customers.
“We take each individual complaint very seriously and we are continuously striving to make improvements. So far, for this reporting year, we have achieved a 44 per cent reduction in complaints across all channels.
“Cambridge Water has taken on board the key comments from the report produced by CCW, the water watchdog and is working closely with CCW to address the issues raised. We are focused on reducing the volume of complaints coming into us by providing consistent, high-quality service in the first instance and improving how we respond to customers when they do contact us with a complaint.
“CCW’s report highlighted an industry-wide trend of complaints around billing, and Cambridge Water is committed to keeping our bills amongst the most affordable of any water company in England and Wales, as confirmed by Ofwat in their PR24 draft determinations summary.
“There is a lot of attention on water companies at the moment, and we are aware that we need to work hard to build trust by providing good customer service and taking action on feedback.
“Water affordability is at the heart of our strategy for the next five years, and we are offering more support than ever to those customers who need extra support with their water bills. Customers can speak to our experts about the available options, which include special tariffs, easier ways to pay, and even payment breaks for short-term help.”
Interim customer delivery director Gary Kinsella added: “Customer service is at the very heart of our business, and we are committed to finding ways of delivering better services to our customers.
“Each customer complaint is a chance for us to improve, and, whilst we’re happy to report an improvement already this year, we still strive to do even better in future.”