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Consumer issues
Standards of service and your rights All customers of water and sewerage companies are entitled to guaranteed minimum standards of service, as laid down by the Government. These rights are known as the guaranteed standards scheme (GSS). Where a company fails to meet any of these standards of service then it is required to make a specified payment to the affected customer. We monitor the scheme, recommend charges and each year we publish the number of payments made under the scheme. Customers' rights Payment and claims Legal rights Disputed claims Compensation in the event of a drought Water companies' legal obligations covering GSS Customers' rights The scheme applies to all customers of water and sewerage companies, including: The water and sewerage companies must inform billed customers of their rights under the scheme every year. Details of payments your water company must make if it does not meet its service standards are summarised in the following table. There are occasional circumstances when these payments do not apply. These are set out in our information note on the guaranteed standards scheme. Summary of payment amounts that apply in England & Wales: These are the minimum payment amount. Some companies may voluntarily increase these – ask your company for details.
Payment and claims If you are entitled to a GSS payment and the company has not made the payment automatically, you can claim the payment within three months of the incident. If, at the time of the incident, you owe money to the company, and have done so for more than six weeks, the company will normally credit your account rather than make payment by cheque. Legal rights The scheme does not affect any other legal rights to compensation you may have. Disputed claims It is each water company's responsibility to make sure it complies with the GSS regulations. We will in no circumstances be bound to interpret the GSS regulations in accordance with these summaries. When considering regulatory decisions, in particular in determining disputes, we will consider the original text of the GSS regulations as well as the facts as they arise. Any disputed claims for payment under this scheme can be referred to us by either the company or the customer. Our decision is binding upon both parties. Compensation in the event of drought All companies are required under licence conditions to pay compensation to customers where essential household water supplies are interrupted as a result of restrictions authorised by emergency drought orders. This includes water supplies for purposes such as:
It does not include uses such as watering the garden, car washing or filling a pool. Although this measure is not part of the GSS, it does mean that customers have access to compensation if essential supplies are not maintained. Companies must accept our decision in the event of any disputes about entitlement. Companies should pay household customers £10 for each day (or part day) that the water supply is interrupted or cut off. The maximum compensation entitlement is equal to the company's average household bill for the previous year. Companies should pay business customers, in the same circumstances, £50 a day (or part day). The maximum amount payable is the water charge paid by the customer in the previous year. If, however, the customer has not paid a full year's water charge, or a third party is responsible for the water charges, the maximum is set at £500. There is no entitlement to a payment under Condition Q if the circumstances are so exceptional that, in our view, it would be unreasonable to expect the company to avoid the interruption. Water companies' legal obligations covering GSS You can find a summary of your water companies' legal obligations regarding GSS in our information note.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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