Raft of customer complaints following faulty Watercare metres
The watchdog that settles disputes about essential services like electricity and gas believes it should be mandatory for water suppliers to sign up to the scheme. Utilities Disputes is an independent disputes resolution service; its compulsary for gas and electricity companies and broadband installers to be part of the scheme. But it's voluntary for water suppliers. It comes after Checkpoint revealed 13,000 Watercare smart metres are not working properly, leaving some customers struggling to pay big catch up bills and frustrated by Watercare's service. Watercare is a voluntary member of Utilities Disputes, which means it has to refer any complaints to the service, customers cant make complaints directly. Utilities Disputes Commissioner Neil Mallon spoke to Lisa Owen.
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