In the event the work is delayed, your problem doesn’t get fixed or the issue comes up again later on down the line, your log will provide you with a handy history of correspondence to refer to. 3 Complain to the water company About 50 per cent of customers who use the calculator have been able to identify possible savings from making the switch to a meter. Generally, we see bigger fluctuations in affordability across the groups of ethnic minority customers compared to the white customers. The white customer base is very large, which reduces the extreme fluctuations, but ethnic minority groups are still more likely to see fluctuations/sensitivity to the changes in affordability. Customer views on how their finances have changed over the previous 12 months We’re a free service and are independent from Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority), water and sewerage companies and retailers. We will:

Companies should promote schemes widely, in accessible language and formats. They also need to reduce the effort needed to apply for social tariffs. For example, customers may find it difficult to print off or complete pdf forms. Overall, the data shows that a growing number of people feel that their bills are unaffordable now. In addition, there is also a growing number of people who feel that their finances have worsened over the last 12 months. They are at risk of feeling that their bills are unaffordable in the future, if they do not already feel this way. This suggests that many more customers may need support with bills in the future. Companies need to have the capability and capacity to respond to a potential future surge in people needing support. Water customers across England and Wales are being urged to join the thousands of households who have already used CCWater’s online calculator to see whether making the switch to a water meter could add up to big savings.

First talk to your water company or retailer

In the last five years, there have been some sharp changes in the general economy. However, over this time, the trends in both the number of customers who feel that their bills are affordable, and those who feel that their bills are unaffordable, has generally been flat. Figure 1: Percentage of customers who feel that bills are unaffordable We provide letters and leaflets in large print, braile and other languages. We can print these for you. The recent rise in the financial pressures on households means it is important to make information available to people. This year saw an improvement in the direction of the CE trend, which is positive. Until this year, the trend in the customer engagement score was downward but now both the 9-year and 5-year trends are flat. This is because, in 2022, there were large increases in the CE score in both England and Wales. This important partnership with Turn2us is just one of the ways we are working to ensure more customers who are struggling to keep their head above water don’t miss out on assistance. We know from speaking to customers on low incomes that they often have no idea that help exists – or they are too embarrassed to ask – so they end up suffering in silence and often sacrifice essential items such as food or heating to try to pay their bill. We hope these tools will make it even easier for households to get access to the support they need. Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0300 061 4298

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint after going through its procedure, you can then apply for free to the Water Redress Scheme (WATRS) to make an independent and binding decision on your complaint.Explanation of the process that has been followed to resolve the dispute (for example, has CCWater or WATRS been involved?)