Chitchat & Stuff +

Serenity · CC&S Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 4496

Mother claims back £10,000 after paying next-door's water bill for 16 years
A woman is demanding £10,000 in compensation after discovering she has been paying her next door neighbours' water bills for 16 years.

Jean Shaw claims she was forced to drastically cut back on using water while bringing up her two children because of the cost. The mix-up only came to light when she queried her quarterly bill which had more than doubled after a larger family moved in next door.

It was discovered her meter had been wrongly connected to the other property's supply which was already being paid for by the occupants through water rates.

Mrs Shaw, 50, a hospital ward clerk, from Bradford, West Yorks, said: "The first bill was £75, which was a lot of money 16 years ago.
"We lived as if we were in Africa, water was like gold dust. I was a single parent and all I wanted to do was pay my bills.
"We were only bathing in four inches of water and all three of us were using the same water. We weren't flushing the toilet unless absolutely necessary and I was putting bricks in the cistern to try and cut down the flow. We would only do one clothes wash a week."

Mrs Shaw raised concerns with the supply company Yorkshire Water when she received a bill for £185 ten months ago. A family of four had moved in next door, replacing her previous neighbours who had always been couples. The meter was found connected to the wrong supply during investigations to find if a leak was causing the increase in use.

Mr Shaw has been offered £150 pounds in compensation over the mistake, but has suggested her own figure of £10,000 to cover the "mental strain".

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: "Our investigations into Mrs Shaw's complaint have revealed the meter was connected to the wrong property which is obviously regrettable and something we accept full responsibility for.

"However, our records show the water Mrs Shaw has been billed for equates to roughly that used by a household of two - at least until recently when a family moved in next door, which explains why Mrs Shaw's quarterly bill suddenly more than doubled."

The company has written to her offering £150 compensation as a goodwill gesture "for any distress we may have caused.

It has suggested going through the bills to calculate if she has been over or undercharged, although Mrs Shaw has been told the records don't go back the full 16 years.

******£150 ??? The tightwads! What an insult!
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selious5 · CC&S VIP Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 817

After paying her neighbour's bill for 16 years!!! £150???? What a cheek they have. The usual story - take the money - give the hassle and refuse to pay out when it is their fault - disgusting. At least she won't have inflated bills in the future now that this has been discovered

dreama · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 12:26 pm Post subject:

well clearly her bill was low because she was using less than she should have been to cover the next doors!!! i'm flabbergasted, she should at least have a percentage of what she's paid back whether the bills go back that far or not, they should estimate it!
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redhead · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject:

I agree with the dreama they could quite easily work out a percantage of what she used + a little less as she was using water sparingly they soon out precantages when the boots on the other foot but doesn"t it make you think if it"s happened once how many others have been caught out .
it2s disaraceful and £150 I would tell them were to poke it .

Brenda · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:47 am Post subject:

If it's anything like here they won't give you nix.
Too bloody bad is the general concensus.
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