In 2023-2024, complaints from business customers to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) regarding water retailers increased by 2%, contrary to a targeted 10% reduction.
This data marks the first year that CCW has reported total complaints across all contact channels used by retailers, including written complaints, telephone calls and social media.
The watchdog suggests this increase in complaints is significant, given that written complaints have fallen below pre-market levels for the first time since the water retail market in England was opened to businesses in April 2017.
However, the overall volume of complaints to the CCW remains well above pre-market levels.
The report highlights that billing and administrative issues remain the primary sources of complaints.
Billing and charges complaints, which increased by 3% compared to the previous year, are often related to disputed liability for metered bills and infrequent meter readings.
Around 12% of meters have not been read for over a year, leading to billing inaccuracies and customer dissatisfaction.
In response to the ongoing issues, the CCW has urged retailers to address the problem of long unread meters and improve billing accuracy.
The introduction of smart meters where traditional meters have not been read for more than 12 months has been recommended to help reduce complaints related to estimated bills.
Administrative complaints, including issues such as incorrect account details and difficulties contacting retailers, fell by 17% during the year.
Nevertheless, a significant proportion of these complaints were due to retailers failing to respond to queries or complaints in a timely manner.
Complaints regarding water and sewerage services saw a 9% increase, while those categorized as ‘Other’—including issues related to meter installations, environmental concerns, and non-regulatory complaints—increased by 34%.
