Consumer group praises specialist water retailer after complaints ease for fourth year running

August 17, 2023
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The number of complaints it received by Water2business, the specialist retailer co-owned by Bristol Water, has reduced for the fourth consecutive year.

The water industry’s leading annual business customer complaints report, published by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), shows over the past 12 months, written complaints received by the firm fell by a quarter.

Nailsea-based Water2business, which serves more than 85,000 business customers across the UK, also achieved the second lowest number of complaints to CCW among water retailers.

As a result, the report named the firm as one of only four ‘better performers’ among 13 large water and wastewater companies.

The report stated: “Water2business was better than average for written complaints and good for complaints to CCW, having reduced levels by around a quarter in both measures.”

Sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) but independent of government and the industry, CCW picks up unresolved complaints against water companies. It releases its widely read report annually.

Water2business managing director Andy Coates, pictured, said: “While the last 12 months have been challenging for our customers as we continue to navigate a cost of living crisis, I am proud that water2business continues to deliver the excellent customer service we aspire to.

“As this latest report shows, we remain one of the UK’s top performing large retailers, achieving a reduction in complaints for the fourth consecutive year.”

He said this success could be attributed to the commitment of the firm’s teams, who work together to meet – and exceed – customers’ expectations with swift resolutions.

“Ultimately the overriding message is simple: whether you’re a large multinational or SME, as one of our valued clients you can trust water2business to deliver, and we’ll be going all out to continue our top performance over the coming year,” he added.

Co-owned by Bristol Water and Wessex Water, Water2business was set up in 2016 to supply the two utilities’ business customers with specialist services such as water efficiency audits, environmental performance, trade effluent services, expert account management, billing options, smart metering, benchmarking and expert advice on water supply and management.

Its customers include manufacturer Pirelli Tyres, Japanese restaurant chain itsu, UK-wide café chain Coffee#1 and health care Advinia.

Since the water retail market opened in 2017, Water2business has achieved substantial commercial growth, winning national contracts with customers across multiple sectors and delivering savings for them with tailored water and wastewater management plans.

Earlier this year it maintained its No 1-rated position on Trustpilot across the sector, a market compliance record performance of 97.2% and the lowest number of customer complaints of any large water retailer in the industry. 

Pictured below: Consumer Council for Water chart showing complaints per 10,000 SPIDs (supply points), with Water2business as second among 13 large water retailers

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