Wescot Credit Services

[softsword]

Hi,

A month back I have received a letter from Wescot Credit Services Ltd that Welsh Water have transferred my account to Wescot for collection as they have been unable to resolve the issue with me directly.

To give you a history about this, I have been living in a ground floor in a house in Newport, Wales for two years and my friends were staying in the top floor. We were informed that there is only one water connection for the house, as it was split into two separate flats and rented out. I was contributing half the water bill to my friends and they have been paying a fixed charge every month.

Last year, the month before I was about to vacate the house to move to a different city, I received a letter from Welsh water saying that I need to pay £2764 of outstanding charges. The letter also included the water meter number, the volume of water used etc., Then when I called up, the welsh water people informed me that there is actually a water meter in the front of my house and they were right. After further discussion with them we found out that the house which includes two flats(upper and lower) has only one water meter and that is the source of water supply for the top flat as well. But my friends who were staying upstairs were paying £50 every month.

So, the fact is, they are asking me to pay bill for the volume of water my friends on top floor used and paid as well along with what I use (as there is no way they can find out who used what volume separately). When I enquired them about this, they say that the landlord must have sorted this out by fixing two meters but he did not care to do so. And if they try to contact him he was not bothered to respond well. As they cannot get hold of him, its me whom they caught hold of and if I want to get out of this, I need to take responsibility in hurrying my landlord to take action
When I tried contacting my landlord, he was out of country then and his son told me not to worry about this and vacated the house last year.

Now I really don't know how they chased down and found my current address to send this letter to. What am I supposed to do now?
I have been taking immense help from this forum in resolving my parking ticket issues in the past two years and this is the only place I can go to in helping me out.
I read some posts saying that there is a three letter thing which I need to do in handling these DCAs. Attached is the letter which I received.

Please advise me what to do.

- - - Updated - - -

Hope I have posted under the correct forum now.

[Kati]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Hi [MENTION=49552]softsword[/MENTION] ... don't worry knowledgeable Beagles will be along to advise soon xx

[des8]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

It would be more helpful to see what correspondence has passed between you and Dwr Cymru
What, if anything did your lease say about water charges?
Who was responsible for paying the charge?
Presumably DC were collecting on the basis of a standing charge
Do you know when the meter was installed? Was it before or after you moved in?

Basically water companies can produce backdated bills for water if they have made a mistake.
This normally applies where they have for some reason missed charging.
Here it seems that they were charging, but on the wrong basis.
If they make a mistake in this manner I would expect them to take a sympathetic stance, and if not cancel the whole bill at least write off a good proportion of it.
I seem to recall that at one time Dwr Cymru ran a scheme whereby if a householder, having had a meter installed found his bills were increased, DC would not increase the charge and would remove the meter. I'll look through my archives and see if I can find anything about it.

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

My tenancy agreement did not mention anything about water. My friends from top floor told me that there is only one water connection and hence I was contributing to their monthly fixed charge. In the initial one and half years, I have not received any letter in my name from the welsh water people. Whichever letters coming addressing the Landlord, he will come and pick it up. It was until one day when one of their people came for a routine check came to my home and got my name and details from my wife, and then started sending me letters asking me to pay from June 2012. (I started living in that house only from September 2012). I assume they did not realise it as two separate flats until that day and after his checking they realised it.

I also assume that when the water meter was fixed(many years before I rented the house), the house was not split and it was considered as a single property. so the water meter was registered against 34 XXXX road. So now they realise that there is a different person living in that property whose address is 34 XXXX road, they see the water meter is registered against this address and they are behind me for this.

[des8]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Have Dwr Cymru given you a breakdown of their charges for the whole property.
As there was only one meter supplying two households, have they credited the monthly payment made by the upstairs friends to the account, or are they charging you for the total recorded usage.

You said the people upstairs paid a fixed monthly charge . Was this a direct debit calculated on estimated annual usage or just a fixed monthly charge calculated on property size?

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

hi des8,

They charged me for the total recorded usage.
And the people upstairs paid a fixed monthly charge.

[des8]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Well it seems obvious that if there is one meter measuring the water supplied to two households it is unfair to charge one household for the whole amount used.
Likewise the amount already paid should be credited to the joint usage.
Dwr Cymru should be able to issue assessed charges to both households based on the number of occupants and the overall amount used.
I would refuse to agree to pay anything until they sort themselves out.
Have you exhausted their complaints system? http://www.resolver.co.uk/companies/...ter-complaints
If you have the next step would be OFWAT http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissues/complaints/

Regarding Westcot, just write and tell them the matter is still in dispute and you are pursuing Dwr Cymru, and don't intend to discuss the matter with Wescot

"And the people upstairs paid a fixed monthly charge." Was this calculated on estimated annual usage to be adjusted on annual meter readings, or a fixed monthly charge calculated on property size?

[des8]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Having done more digging, and while I still think the system unfair, it appears that where there is a meter serving more than one property, a Water Company operates on the basis that liability for charges is joint and several and will chase whoever is most easily accessible. It is then left to that person to chase the other occupiers for their share.
Other companies however use a common billing arrangement, where they only install a common meter where all parties agree to it and te company approves of the nominated person responsible for paying.
Interestingly DC say they will "request" payment, as if you can refuse!
I'll keep looking to see if I can find any legislation on this situation

Are you still in touch with the upstairs tenants? Is there proof they paid the monthly standing charge to which you contributed?

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

I did write to welsh water today in the form of post and through their enquiry page in the website saying that the bill is not right and tried explaining what has happened. I asked them to request the Wescot guys to stop contacting me as I would like to discuss about this with welsh water themselves.

Meanwhile, I received another letter from Wescot yesterday saying that as they could not contact me, they are gonna arrange a company called 'Fidelite' to come and visit me at my doorstep if I am not contacting them within 10 days. They also sent a form to fill my income and expenditure details which I need to fill before the doorstep agents come to discuss about it with me. The letter was date 11th July but I received it only on 16th.

I am not sure what I should do now.

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

The letters.

[des8]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Well you can write to Wescot and tell them you refuse to deal with the matter in any manner than by post, and in any case your are in communication with Dwr Cymru.
Or you can just refuse to speak to anyone who comes to your property.
They have no rights,

[Kjun]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Hi there Softsword,

Quite a lot of the relevant stuff has been covered here by Des including joint and several liability in the case of a single supply to more than one property however it is concerning that you state the flat above was paying a fixed amount per month also which would indicate that possibly the old Rateable Value charge account (this is the other common way charges are calculated in the absence of a meter) is still live in relation to the upstairs premise or an assessed charge is in place as suggested.

If this is the case Des again has correctly advised that any payments should be allocated to the metered account otherwise you are clearly paying twice for one of the properties however without seeing the bills for both properties it is hard to establish this.

In the event this indeed has happened and I was dealing with this scenario then the fixed charge account should be closed to the date the meter was fitted, any payments allocated to the measured account which I would also amend to name both tenants of the flats and then re-bill so both parties were jointly liable.

My only concern would be that perhaps the upstairs tenants were making payments toward previous arrears prior to the meter being fitted so will be worth clarifying this with them if you are able to do so while obtaining copies of their bills also?

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

KJun,

I am very sure that the upstairs tenants were not making payments toward the arrears. They were paying for their current period. Also the meter seems to be there for more than 5 years even before the upstairs tenants occupied the property. I have some copies of the bills they have paid.

- - - Updated - - -

I wrote to welsh water by post on 17th june explaining the complete situation asking them to reassess this case. I also requested them to stop wescot from contacting me. I also filled up their online enquiry form but no response either in post of by mail so far.

Meanwhile, as wescot mentioned in their last letter, fidelite has started contacting me now.
I received a letter from fidelite saying that they are authorised to recover the debt from me and if I am ignoring this letter they are gonna visit at my doorstep.

PFA letter.

How do I stop them and what do I do now?

[Kati]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

You could try an email to the CEO complaining about your treatment? http://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=b-7...=Welsh%20Water

Welsh Water
Mr Chris Jones Chief Executive

Email chris.jones@dwrcymru.com
Telephone 01443 452300
Fax 01443 452323
Website http://www.dwrcymru.com
Social Media

Postal Address Pentwyn Road, Nelson, Treharris, Mid Glamorgan, CF46 6LY
Company Number 02366777

(I've often found a complaint 'straight to the top' works wonders ) xx

[softsword]

Re: Wescot Credit Services

Thanks Kati
I have written to the CEO by email as suggested quoting my previous letter to them.
Let me see what happens.
I pray that the Fidelite guys don't show up at my door meanwhile