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W/2007/1172
Mr and Mrs F said they’d been receiving two water bills for their property since 1976, although they had only one meter. When they contacted their water company about this, it arranged for them to receive a refund cheque. Although they’d been paying both bills at full rates, the refund was calculated at concession rates. The customers were having trouble resolving this issue with the water company directly, partly as English was not their first language.
Contacted by EWOV, the water company said there were problems with how the customers’ property was registered with the local council — water billing was based on the property information provided by the council and the property title showed two meters.
We arranged for the water company to send Mrs F a letter that she could take to the council to correct its records. The company said that once the information was updated, it could look into the issue of further compensation for the overcharging. We also asked that Mrs F be provided with a company contact who could communicate with her in her first language.
Once it was explained to her that there was a step to be taken with the council before any further investigation into the matter of compensation, Mrs F was very happy to have the water company provide supporting documents for her to take to the council. She also appreciated being able to speak directly to someone from the company in her first language, as she had great difficulty speaking through an interpreter.
Language and cultural differences need to be
treated respectfully and sensitively. Companies may have resources
available to them that they may not have considered using. In this
case, the direct contact for the customer was from a different
department — but with the support of the complaints team would be able
to directly assist the customer. This case also illustrates that
historical complaints can be complex where utilities may have changed
hands and information not been transferred.
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