4 ms·

Thames Water is a joke, and a bad one at that. When I first moved to London they didn’t send me a bill until the end of the year, for the full year. Then they s

by mstade 7y ago

Thames Water is a joke, and a bad one at that. When I first moved to London they didn’t send me a bill until the end of the year, for the full year. Then they sent another – same exact amount, same address, different reference number. I called them to say the bill was already paid and they confirmed over the phone that they could see the payment for the other bill, but they couldn’t trash the new one for some reason and to avoid any extra charges I had to pay it and then ask for a refund. I remarked how dumb that was, but acquiesced and paid the thing only to then ask for a refund. They said it’d be processed within a couple of weeks, but of course it never was, so I called again. And again. And again. About six months later I just gave up, and accepted that Thames Water will forever owe me some £500 or so, and I’ll never get them back. I’m so glad I don’t live in the UK anymore.

jscholes 7y ago
> I’m so glad I don’t live in the UK anymore. Well, me too. But I'm curious where you live now, and if you think that things are truly better there?
- mstade 7y ago
  Sweden, and absolutely, for me things are without a doubt much better here. There will always be annoyances in life, but at least it's not death by a thousand cuts, which is how I felt about living in the UK.
yrro 7y ago
Paying money you don't owe them is definitely the wrong move. I'd have written them a letter providing them with proof that the first bill had been paid and stating that I will not enter into any further correspondence. It would be up to them to sort their shit out. Anyone else in a similar situation should be able to resolve the matter by complaining to the Consumer Council for Water. In the staggeringly unlikely event that this did not resolve the situation then taking Thames Water to small claims court would be the next step.
- mstade 7y ago
  For sure, and it felt wrong at the time but I took their reassurances at face value. While I'm sure there was some process by which I could reclaim the money, in the end I just gave up and wrote it off.
  - yrro 7y ago
    Perfectly understandable. Having re-read what I wrote, I apologise if came off as criticizing your past lack of action! I wrote more from the position of wanting to provide advice for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation and isn't sure if they can do anything about it.
    - mstade 7y ago
      Nothing to apologize for buddy, I read it exactly as you intended – advice, not critique! Appreciate the concern and civility though, have a great day! :o)

by mstade 7y ago

jscholes 7y ago

> I’m so glad I don’t live in the UK anymore. Well, me too. But I'm curious where you live now, and if you think that things are truly better there?

mstade 7y ago
Sweden, and absolutely, for me things are without a doubt much better here. There will always be annoyances in life, but at least it's not death by a thousand cuts, which is how I felt about living in the UK.

yrro 7y ago

Paying money you don't owe them is definitely the wrong move. I'd have written them a letter providing them with proof that the first bill had been paid and stating that I will not enter into any further correspondence. It would be up to them to sort their shit out. Anyone else in a similar situation should be able to resolve the matter by complaining to the Consumer Council for Water. In the staggeringly unlikely event that this did not resolve the situation then taking Thames Water to small claims court would be the next step.

mstade 7y ago
For sure, and it felt wrong at the time but I took their reassurances at face value. While I'm sure there was some process by which I could reclaim the money, in the end I just gave up and wrote it off.
- yrro 7y ago
  Perfectly understandable. Having re-read what I wrote, I apologise if came off as criticizing your past lack of action! I wrote more from the position of wanting to provide advice for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation and isn't sure if they can do anything about it.
  - mstade 7y ago
    Nothing to apologize for buddy, I read it exactly as you intended – advice, not critique! Appreciate the concern and civility though, have a great day! :o)