Excellent 5* Rating5 useful ways to tell if you’re being overcharged for your water supply
While overhead costs like your water supply are obviously a vital part of running any business, it’s likely that they won’t be one of your day-to-day concerns – and that makes it annoyingly easy to end up being overcharged for your water supply. Exact numbers are difficult to come by (partially due to varying regional tariffs and differing billing structures), but a significant proportion of UK businesses are likely to be paying too much for their water.
If you suspect you’re one of them, that’s exactly where we can help here at the Business Water Shop. We provide a comprehensive business water comparison service, bringing you quotes from water suppliers all over the UK to help you get the best deal – and with the very best customer service to boot.
So, how can you tell if you might be being overcharged? Well, there are a couple of useful methods you can use to get an indication that it might be happening – here are the top five.
Unexpected increases in your water bill
If your water bill has risen significantly without any obvious change in usage, it could be a sign that you’re being overcharged. It’s true that there are sometimes seasonal variations or increased business activity that can affect your bill, but any significant unexplained spikes will probably need to be investigated. There are a couple of potential culprits, including (but not limited to) errors in billing systems, incorrect meter readings, or even leaks that haven’t been detected.
In some cases, businesses have been moved to a higher tariff without their knowledge, leading to inflated costs. Of course, one way to get a handle on it is to contact your supplier for a detailed breakdown of charges. If they cannot provide a clear answer or avoid addressing the issue, it may be time to explore alternative providers.
Charges that don’t match your actual usage
If your business has a water meter, it’s always a good idea to regularly check that the readings align with what you’re being charged. An incorrect reading could mean you’re paying for more water than you have actually used. Make sure to routinely compare your meter readings with the numbers listed on your invoices (and if you don’t have time, it might be worth delegating someone).
If you find any discrepancies, report them to your supplier immediately. You may be being billed based on estimated usage rather than actual consumption, which can lead to overcharging. Over time, even small discrepancies in readings can accumulate into significant overpayments, so making the time to ensuring that your bill reflects real-time usage can prevent unnecessary costs, and help you manage your water consumption more effectively.
Paying for services you don’t need
It’s not unknown for some water suppliers to add extra charges for services that may not be necessary for your business. For example, additional wastewater charges, surface water drainage fees, and other unexpected costs could all potentially be inflating your bill.
Now, while some of these charges are unavoidable, others may be optional or incorrectly applied. For example, if your business is in a leased building, you may already be covering certain drainage or wastewater costs through service charges, which means you shouldn’t be paying for them separately. Reviewing your invoice carefully can help identify services that you may not need. If you spot unfamiliar fees, again we’d recommend contacting your supplier to ask for clarification and request a review of your charges. And again, if they cannot justify these costs, it may be a good idea to look elsewhere.
Extra costs on your bill
We’ve sort of touched on this slightly above already, but water bills can sometimes include unclear or vague charges that make it difficult to understand exactly what you are paying for. Surcharges, administrative fees, and tariff adjustments can all add up, making your total bill higher than expected.
What’s more, some providers also apply penalties for late payments or contract changes without properly notifying their customers. In some cases, businesses have been charged ‘standing charges’ that do not accurately reflect their contract terms.
For those reasons alone, it’s also worth checking whether you’re being billed on the correct tariff for your business type, as suppliers sometimes apply the wrong rates. If you notice unfamiliar costs on your bill, ask your supplier for a full breakdown of charges. Comparing different providers can also help you determine whether your current supplier is offering a fair deal, and switching could result in significant savings.
Poor customer service
Now, poor customer service in itself doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re being overcharged for water. However, it can often make it more difficult for you to find out, and to resolve if you suspect it may be happening. To be honest, for lots of our customers here at the Business Water Shop, the frustration involved in dealing with poor customer service is reason enough to make the switch – especially if they feel like they’re being passed from pillar to post.
A good supplier should be responsive to customer concerns, and willing to investigate billing issues. If your provider is slow to respond, fails to provide satisfactory explanations, or ignores your requests, it may leave you stuck paying potentially inflated costs with no clear resolution. We know that as a customer, you deserve better than that – so that’s exactly what we’re here to help with.
When you choose us here at the Business Water Shop, we use a network of trusted suppliers to provide you with competitive water quotes for your business. In fact, we can save some of our customers up to 55% on water bills, and we’re passionate about using all the resources and expertise at our disposal to get you the best deal.
Best of all, getting a quote only takes a few minutes! So, if you’re considering a move to switch business water suppliers – ready to see how much you could save?
