United Utilities Water
Contact Details
Billing – Metered customers
United Utilities
PO Box 50
Warrington
WA55 1AQ
Billing – Unmetered customers
United Utilities
PO Box 459
Warrington
WA55 1WB
Contact Information
- Billing – Domestic customers, metered 0845 746 2222
- Billing – Domestic customers, unmetered 0845 746 1100
- Business customers 0845 746 2255
- Difficultly paying your bill 0845 746 2034
- Leakline 0800 330 033
- Water and wastewater enquiries & emergencies 0845 746 2200
- Pollution hotline 0800 195 1230
Customer services are open from 8am – 7pm on Monday to Friday and 8am – 1pm on Saturday.
General Information
United Utilities was created by the merger of North West Water and Norweb in November 1995. They are responsible water and wastewater networks as well as regulated electricity distribution in north west England and provide 2.9 million households with 2,022 million liters of water per day. The majority of water supplied comes from reservoirs with a small percentage from aquifers. Untied Utilities manage 140 treatment works, 381 service reservoirs and pump water through 40,600 KM of mains pipes.
- United Utilities provide water as well as dealing with the removal of waste water.
- The water that United Utilities supply is classed as soft to moderately hard.
Customer Services
United Utilities operate a Guaranteed Standards Scheme to ensure that all their customers receive a high standard of service at all times. Compensation is offered if deemed appropriate. United Utilities operate a Vulnerable Customer Scheme for their customers who receive certain benefits, as well as certain allowances for specific medical conditions. If you would like to apply for this then contact United Utilities on:
WaterSure (formerly known as our Vulnerable Customer Scheme) provides financial assistance to metered customers who use large amounts of water for essential purposes.
Telephone: 0845 309 3001
Minicom: 0808 143 1195
Please can you tell me how long the electricity has to be off whilst work is being done, before I can claim for a lost food in my fridge?
My bill has been raised from £115.00 per month to £170 per month. When questioned as to why the increase it was as a result of Highway and rainfall charges.
Firstly the highway has nothing to do with me and secondly the rain is an act of God – we have to pay for his actions too?
The increase is absolutely out of line and to top it off folks it does not end there. It seems there will be another large increase next year too. It’s time for everyone to take note and contact offwatt.
I live in a 3 bedroom semi. 2 of us live here. It’s £700 a year for water. We both shower each morning and have a bath at least 3 times a week. Is that fair?????
I wish there would be a no star option. UU are the most useless company there is. If you ask why am I charged £435 per annum for water used by two people when last year a family of 5 paid the same and two are hardly going to use the same amount of water, the answer ‘is that’s how it is’. When you ask why can’t the sum be changed accordingly, the answer ‘is it doesn’t work like that.’ When I point out that it says on their own web site that terraced properties should pay £351 not £435, the answer is ‘You must have misread it.’ Water meter is not any more trustworthy, with this company anyway. Who was the fool who thought of the bright idea of introducing rateable value? He should be drowned.
For people with a suspect meter readings and charges, please try this test, get one person to keep an eye on the meter and make sure if no water is being used in registers nothing.
Then, and this is not a joke get another person or yourself to turn on a kettle or microwave and see what the meter does with the appliance turned on.
Some meters are seriously affected by electric appliances being used and can register extremely high water usage readings which translate into charges, which is obviously not right.
I moved to my property in Nov 2006. I was leaving in my old address about 6 months. My old landlord have to given my details to the company. I then get a letter of previous charges bill for old property when I was leaving before about £1100. I tried to contact the company but every time I phone up I am in a queue and then my credit goes, phoned the company and asked if they could ring me back, still waiting. This is big mistake, because this is not my bill:(((
I had a burst beneath my kitchen sink, below the stop tap and I phoned UU to inform them of this problem. They said it was nothing to do with them, they refused to call out as the leak was in my house and we were told to get ourselves a plumber to deal with the leak but the leak could not be solved until UU turned the water off as we have no individual stop on on the main footpaths. So our water continued to flow until the next day as we had to get a firm called spettro to deal with the leak only then would UU come out to find the stop tap so the leak could be repaired, as a result of this our kitchen has been ruined completely and the water has penetrated the concrete floor and seeped under to the foundations.
They ask all of us to save water but are not helpful when it comes to stopping a flood. We are very unhappy with the service.
Here’s a tip, if you’re on a water meter DO NOT PAY BY DIRECT DEBIT. It benefits the company, not you unless you called £5 discount per year a benefit. Your charges will be estimated based on the average of the number of occupiers in the property. The water companies have no idea how much water you are going to be using so can only estimate. You wont get the £5 direct debit discount but you only pay your bill when your meters read which is every six months. Oh and if your meter reading turns out to be an estimate (not all meters can be read remotely) call them up with an actual reading to have an amended bill. The prices the companies charge have been agreed with the regulator OFWAT. Don’t waste your time calling the company to argue about the cost with a low paid employee who quite frankly could not give a HOOT about your bill. And the earlier comment by someone ranting about the Highways Drainage charge really tickled me. That person said the highways have nothing to do with her. But she forgets she does use the highway be that by car, bus or foot. If the water companies did not clear the highway drains and sewers who would? Everyone in some shape or form uses the highways PERIOD!! Also the comical fact in relation to Surface Water reduction. Even if you succeed with your claim you do not get years and years of monies back. The companies only have to reimburse the last 12 months charges, as agreed with our regulators. If the companies had to give monies back going back donkeys years then everyone’s bills would have to increase to cover these costs. That’s how businesses work. Water is not Free. It costs money to ensure you get the best quality drinking water in the world. On average it costs about £2.50 for 1000 litres of water. Go to your supermarket and see how much a 100 litres cost! Finally think about it, you’re using water for free for 6 months. The companies then send you a bill. Can you go to Tescos for 6 months of shopping without paying?? I don’t think so.
United Utilities fitted a water meter to my property 7 weeks ago and since then I have had bits of dirt in my water rendering it unusable and not suitable for consumption. After testing United Utilities have now said that the problem is my pipework that leads from the meter to the first point in the house (kitchen tap). They have said that this is a lead pipe and they are saying that when they fitted the meter they put in a new valve/tap at the meter which has created stronger pressure which is disturbing the pipework and thus releasing corrosive debris and possibly lead from within the pipe. They are now washing their hands of it and saying it is my problem. i can’t fathom how I can be responsible for a problem they have caused? Had the meter not been fitted I would not have had what is now coming up to 8 weeks with unusable water.
I’ve found dealing with them and their contractors very frustrating. I found myself doing all the leg work and chasing as there seemed to be little communication between them and when there was it was patchy at best, leaving me to fill in the blanks. The metering contractor H20 bad mouth UU and UU bad mouth H20.
I am incensed that UU have put me through this and I am shocked at the number of complaints on this site. How can they be getting away with this consistently bad service and profiteering?
It is friday 14th august 2009, I am sitting waiting to speak to the customer advisor that the phone keeps telling me is available. I have my doubts and I am wondering how many skeletons have been found with a phone stuck to their bones and that very pleasant but totally inefficient voice blasting out to the deceased. My time is now 35 minutes and waiting and waiting and waiting… I am presuming that 1 is as low as you can go for a satisfaction rating!!!!