Water customers complaints have fallen

United Utilities logo

Complaints to North West water giant United Utilities have fallen by 40 per cent this year.

The company – which supplies water and wastewater services to seven million people from Carlisle to Crewe – received more than 27,000 written complaints in 2011/12. But last year, the number was 16,495, according to figures released by industry watchdog the Consumer Council for Water today (2 October).

The news was cautiously welcomed by the firm’s domestic retail director Gary Dixon as a “great step in the right direction”.

Mr Dixon said: “Helping life flow smoothly for seven million people 24 hours a day is a mammoth task and sometimes things don’t go as they should. But we have worked very hard over the last two years improving the service we give our customers, and it’s starting to show. 

"Initiatives like proactively contacting customers before an unusually high bill arrives, establishing a dedicated support team for people who are vulnerable or in need and improving the communication with people living near major construction projects have all played a part in reducing complaints.

“It’s been a massive step change for us involving investment in new systems and procedures, and training staff across the entire business. We have hugely improved our performance in the Consumer Council for Water’s league tables, but we recognise we still have more to do.

“Our customers can’t shop around for their water provider, so we are acutely aware that we need to consistently give them the best service we possibly can. We are working closely with the Consumer Council for Water and it’s our aim to become one of the top performing water companies for customer satisfaction.”