CCW Reviews 353

CCW are a highly important organisation in this era of concern with water companies. I have had problems with my water metre and Thames Water. Having gone through stages 1 and 2 of a complaint with TW I was able to raise a case with CCW. They took a detailed history and asked several questions on my behalf with TW. Unfortunately my case was quite unusual. My previous water metre showed huge spikes of usage and then a 3 week period where no water showed up as being used even though we were at home and could prove we were! Although TW changed out metre the next one showed readings that were not in sync with our actual usage. For example we would have readings of water used through the night and low water usage in the evening when we knew we used more. Despite getting two plumbers out and two engineers from TW, no one could explain this with the current familiar issues.1. shared metre with another property.no. 2. Leak. no. TW did not test the previous metre that had wildly inaccurate readings and only offered to test the new one which was a bit out. I am sharing this in case anyone else ever has a similar problem. So although CCW did their best they were not able to resolve the problem, however I am still glad I contacted them as they will keep a record and will also ask TW to do the same. This data goes in to a larger database of many, many issues and complaints with Thames Water and long term if we can all contribute to this record we have a chance of improving things, questioning if smart metres are really working and holding large companies like this to account. I am all in favour of reducing water wastage and being more careful and I think it is really important that we can trust that water metres are fit for this purpose. Thanks CCW for all your help and advice.

I contacted CCW following a very prolonged and stressful complaint process with my water company relating to metering and billing issues.

While the overall situation with my water company itself was extremely frustrating and time-consuming, I would particularly like to thank Angie H, from CCW, for the support, understanding and professionalism she showed throughout CCW’s involvement. Angie took the time to properly review the history of the complaint, listened carefully, communicated clearly, and genuinely seemed to understand the cumulative impact the situation had caused over the past few years.

I especially appreciated the calm and empathetic way she handled matters, while still being realistic and transparent about what CCW were able to do within their role as a mediation service. Her involvement helped move the matter towards a fairer resolution and made a difficult process feel far more supported.

Thank you again, Angie, for your patience and assistance throughout.

Angie Humphries was professional throughout, made SEW produce all the evidence and got me a small amount of compensation, which is a good result for me. If they had powers they would be a real force, and the water companies wouldn't be able to hide behind unreasonable policies.

Slightly bemused by CCW’s purpose. I complained to CCW about Southern Water’s complete lack of response to a formal complaint, and CCW has so far provided much the same experience. CCW emailed me saying they would take the case over 11 weeks ago. No feedback since. I chased for an update twice, but unfortunately, still no response. So my complaint about an organisation that doesn't respond is now being dealt with by an organisation that doesn't respond. Bizzare.

It was quite a long wait to hear back once I'd made my complaint , but no where near as long as Thames Water took orginally. Once I had contact with someone, Imogen, she was understanding, kind and efficient, and very quick to get a result. The solution was better than I hoped for, so I'm very happy.

I had an ongoing case with TW that they abandoned it for 5 months, so i reached out CCW for extra person involvement and potential help. CCW process is straight forward , a bit slow but supportive at the end. TW returned my money , i dont know was it because of CCW involvement or just the matter of time fighting the case. note: that CCW are not able to take legal actions against the companies, but they can be reasonable advisors and extra bother to abusive companies like TW.

Both people I had contact with understood my complaint against Thames Water - not fully crediting me for years of having a soakaway, and Affinity for trying to pass the buck. They were polite and explained to me the next steps. It took a while but I was in no hurry as my case goes back 25 years. I was kept informed that investigation was underway, then phoned with an outcome - which was not perfect, so they went back again and chased both Thames and Affinity and in the end I got my full rebate - all due to them as I had failed depite many attempts. Well done CCW.

Thank you so much for helping us with our complaint against Thames Water.
Our water meter had not been read for 5 years, as well as Thames Water moving our account to a different number.
When it was finally read, it identified a huge amount of water use, which was eventually identified as a leak. TW wanted over £9000!
We are an older couple who are frugal with water, and our previous bills have been around £450 per year.
TW were extremely unhelpful.
CCW took on our case and got the leak allowance backdated.
We have now received a substantial refund from TW.
We are extremely pleased

This "organisation" is a pathetic waste of money and time, although it does act as an employer of the last resort.
I complained to them about Thames Water's outrageous policy of only giving a rebate on waste water if 100% of rainwater goes to a private soak-away.
After several weeks someone (with the pronouns she/her/hers/hi/ei) said that they found in favour because "This approach is in line with the company's published policy..."
Yes! I know it's "in line with their published policy". It's published policy that is WRONG and UNFAIR. However, the drones that work at CCW don't seem to understand that.
In fact CCW is like all these government watchdogs. It's an employer of the last resort for people to sit around drinking coffee and "working" from home.

Brilliant experience. Both from the guy who orignally dealt with the me and the lady who then investigated the complaint. Thameswater had left me without water for 60hrs due to their incompetence and poor customer service, and CCW got me appropriate compensation they would otherwise not have paid me. Do not hesitate to go to them if a water company is not acting in a reasonable or responsible way when dealing with your complaint.

Olayinka Sokunbi .

When my property and pond was contaminated with foul water and then supposedly cleaned by Wessex water's contractors. the pond was trashed with holes everywhere, this due to sun damage and clod hopping boots.
Every fish died and Wessex offered me £500 or reinstall everything.
After Olayinka from CCW got involved the full amount of restoring the pond was sent by cheque.
Thank you Olayinka.
Postnote since the outcome of the 10 month battle the stream the sewage came from has been affected again and when the wessex chaps came round the look at it, they said all the boys who attended were pleased with the outcome.

Absolutely shocking service from CCW. Apparently our case worker's "goal" was to get us financial redress when I explicitly said on our initial phone call that this is pointless whilst we are still experiencing sewer flooding into our home. We provided CCW with detailed evidence and further questions which we wanted addressing - all this was ignored. United Utilities gave the same stock answers they have all along and these have been accepted without question - that is not an investigation. We have been living with subfloor flooding now for 12 months - stage 1 and stage 2 complaints have still not been answered - payments for delay, yes, answers, no. We have provided evidence from the local council stating there is a further problem on a UU asset - again ignored by CCW. UU keep referring to a "simulated rainfall test" at our property - we have repeatedly asked for the details of this (they jetted the side of our house with a tanker). CCW didn't find it strange that this test which was used to end investigation into our flooding shows up in NO engineering notes. CCW have not asked for any information from us regarding this. We have had to pay out more money on a timber report to prove that the water is coming in through the hallway in the middle of the house and that the ingress is most likely a DRAINAGE issue. CCW say they can try and help with reimbursement of other costs if we send these to UU - copies of invoices were sent along with our stage 2 complaint on 27.10.25, 7 months ago! CCW refer to the following on their website "End sewer flooding misery
Being flooded with sewage – particularly inside our home or business – is one of the worst ways our wastewater company can fail us and the environment." Well I can tell you from our experience they have ZERO interest in helping anyone with this. That's on top of phone calls and emails being left unanswered. Our caseworker was off sick and the day he returns we get what feels like an administrative closure to our complaint. Are you set targets perhaps? Nobody will clearly explain how foul water is entering our property - thousands of litres every week. yet everyone says somebody else (or the weather) is responsible.

Spoke with Jake today who was very helpful and efficient, and is a great asset to CCW, Thankyou:)

CCW was diligent in pursuing my case and determined not to let Thames Water off the hook. It took a long time to be assigned a case officer but then things moved along and CCW kept me in touch. They secured me a reasonable settlement. I have knocked two stars off because CCW gave me around 24 hours to accept or reject the settlement and it was not possible to do this by replying to the email. In the end I had to dive out of a meeting to call, really inconvenient.

I cant praise Jake from CCW enough when dealing with my query.
I asked for an explanation on rateable value which is how my water bill is charged.
Jake clearly explained very patiently how the different water bill charging systems work.
He was very informative and knowledgeable which made me feel at ease comfortable.
The service he provided was excelleny.

Imogen, our customer service agent provided an exceptional service in handling our issue with the provider. She presented a clear plan of action, setting expectations with a thorough explanation and focusing on the key aspects of our matter. Her approach ensured that the issue was addressed efficiently and effectively. Through her efforts, we received a detailed breakdown of the overpayment made to the provider, despite us trying to follow-up for almost 5 months, and the matter was resolved appropriately. The intervention from CCW was instrumental in rectifying a problem caused by the provider’s poor management of our account. Suitable compensation was also secured, ensuring a fair outcome. Overall, Imogen’s professionalism and clarity turned a frustrating situation into a positive resolution, demonstrating her commitment to delivering excellent support.

I contacted CCW regarding an ongoing dispute with Anglian Water relating to repeated leaks on Anglian Water infrastructure, billing issues and contractor costs incurred following incorrect advice and multiple refusals to re-attend.

Although CCW were ultimately unable to compel Anglian Water to resolve the matter or progress it directly to adjudication, I do want to recognise the support I received from Dave McConn throughout the process.

Dave was consistently professional, patient and empathetic during what became a lengthy and often frustrating complaint. He took the time to review extensive evidence and correspondence, explained processes clearly, and remained responsive and supportive throughout.

Importantly, I never felt dismissed or ignored by CCW, even when the outcome was not ultimately within their control.

The limitations in CCW’s powers were disappointing to discover, particularly as many consumers may understandably assume they can enforce outcomes against water companies. However, from a customer service perspective, I cannot fault the manner in which my case was handled by Dave personally.

Thank you again for your help and professionalism throughout.

Cant praise CCW enough for their professionalism whilst dealing with them.They always kept me well informed with the progress of my complaint and were easily contactable. The staff member I dealt with was very personable and helpful.
Thankyou CCW

I had a worryingly high bill from Thames Water that was based on a contextless reading. The water company refused to withdraw this so I made a complaint. Ola from CCW dealt with this in a professional manner and this was eventually resolved. Good service and an excellent solution.