CCW Reviews 353

My experience with the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has been deeply disappointing and concerning, particularly given its role as a statutory first line appointment- body tasked with representing and protecting the interests of water consumers in England and Wales.

I submitted a formal complaint regarding serious and ongoing misconduct by Southern Water Ltd., including:

Unlawful half decade long term financial extortion

Falsification of billing data

Defamation and harassment

Continuous financial and psychological harm

Long-term depletion of household income

Violation of my legal right to quiet enjoyment of my home

Despite submitting clear and legally relevant evidence - including which demonstrates the correct and factual case details at the outset - CCW either ignored, misrepresented, and failed to engage with the evidence provided.

To date, I have not received a formal response to some of the case crucial procedural questions raised nor any reasonable explanation or the factual inaccuracies in their assessment except CCW very almost eager to bite and switch and desperate to close the case regardless .

CCW acting like devils advocate for a money cheques trickled down from the water companies paid by me instead of being a neutral entity is non existent and CCW behaviour presented and provided in my case proved CCW being in complete denial when it comes to upholding and following the regulatory guidances and upholding the rules of the state of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland framework.

CCW’s failure to recognise or act upon this evidence reflects a serious lapse in diligence and professionalism same CCW failure to follow the statutory regulatory guidelines is deeply concerning.

Specific concerns include:

Lack of formal acknowledgment or timely communication

Misrepresentation or disregard of factual evidence

No confirmation that submitted documents were shared with water company

Gatekeeping

Failure to uphold impartiality and procedural integrity

No transparency about the status of the complaint or decision-making process

Not following the statutory regulations

Not upholding up to standards the regulatory and investigation

Unprofessional attitude

CCW's approach in this case gives the impression of bias in favour of the service provider and a lack of commitment to properly investigating consumer complaints. It raises serious concerns about how many other complaints might be dismissed without due consideration.

As a statutory consumer body, CCW is expected to act with transparency, fairness, and independence. In this case, it has failed to meet those standards.

A huge thanks to Phillip, the CCW caseworker , who handled my complaint against Thames Water with great care and consideration , given that my opinion of Thames Waters attitude towards its customers (as well as the environment in general) is so scathingly negative that I cannot fully share it with the users of a public platform such as Trust pilot.
Sadly the outcome of CCW's intervention was a foregone conclusion but Phillips professionalism was evident throughout the proceedings.
Phillip , you deserve 5 stars --- sod it , I 'd give you 10 !!!

I was unhappy about my water company due to unusual bill, particularly shocking increase in consumption. They did their bit, but left me with puzzle. I contacted CCW and found it very supportive. From my very first phone call to the case worker dealing with this call, I feel being listened and understood. The case worker explained the situation very clearly and very professionally with clear logic. He's very patient and facilitated the communication between me and the water company swiftly. He also gave me very helpful suggestions based on his own experience. All these, I'm very grateful.

I found the service excellent, they really took interest, fully understood my issues, they were then able to clearly communicate this to Thames Water and were able to resolve all my issues fully, ending in me getting a sizeable refund.
Everyone I spoke to was also extremely friendly, personable and professional

I will be making changes and updates to my review in due course :)

I called CCW about an issue with Thames Water I was given clear advice of what to do and what steps I had to take which was extremely helpful for me as I really felt like I had no options and I wasn’t being listened to before.
Jonathan H was so professional at all times and gave me all the information I needed to be able to help myself before CCW could step in.
Jonathan was thorough throughout and reassuring he explained everything so well and updated me throughout I felt very supported.
My main priority was that individuals don’t have to go through lengthy phone calls with Thames Water without a decent outcome.
Jonathan definitely got the right outcome which I’m very hopeful has changed the way Thames Water will deal with customers in the future, CCW has restored my faith in Thames Water again.
Without CCW support I don’t think this would have been possible and I’m truly thankful to them for their help

I cannot praise CCW enough for dealing with my complaint against Thames Water who had failed to supply a meter and communicate options over a period of 8 years
Specifically Shahzaib at CCW, was very professional and thorough providing clear information and updates
Thames Water by contrast were awful, and I am relieved to have had CCW present my case

Where's an email address for you? Not everyone can use this stuff
And for people with hearing difficulties? So the answer is do not be disabled? What a useless reply.

1 star is totally correct and appropriate

Discrimination is the act of giving someone beneficial treatment whilst denying that to another. I wanted to speak to someone rapidly about an issue. Using a phone is ok for someone without an issue and will allow immediate response. You have no method of instance response for disabled people. This is the definition of discrimination.

Good communication throughout with our complaint, but very poor response from Welsh Water,
CCW could take only limited action regarding our problems and we feel that they should have more powers to oversee water companies.
The person dealing with us was very professional and kept us well informed about progress.

I received excellent support from CCW regarding an issue I was experiencing with my water providers.
From the very outset, my caseworker handled my case with the utmost professionalism, efficiency and care. His clear communication, attention to detail, and proactive approach ensured that I felt supported and well-informed throughout the process. More importantly, his intervention led to a positive and fair resolution that I would not have achieved as smoothly without his guidance.
It is rare to encounter such dedication and genuine commitment to customer advocacy. Mr. E exemplified the highest standards of service and I am truly grateful for his assistance. Please extend my thanks to him, and kindly note this as formal recognition of his outstanding work.
Thank you once again to CCW for the vital role you play in representing consumers and ensuring their voices are heard.

My case with the CCW has just ended, & I sympathise very much both with the unfavourable reviews, & with the CCW. Consumers are deeply frustrated, expecting more from the CCW than they're able to provide. They just don't have the power. And yes, I think this needs to be addressed urgently, as consumers MUST have an organisation with 'teeth' that can help them against powerful water companies who know full well they're likely to get away with whatever they want when they refer unhappy customers to the CCW!
My own case with the CCW did not start well. However, when I complained, my lovely caseworker Shahzaib put his hand up to the issues, & went above & beyond to do all he could to put things right. A big thank you to Shahzaib!
And to the CCW: I hope you can lobby the government to get yourself some proper teeth!!

What do they do and what powers do they have? Nothing! Thames water have changed when I have to pay, the ridiculous charges and don’t even have to tell me when they change my payment due date. They then are expected to respond by a date and are given more time (due to the amount of complaints no doubt) and then told like many others we are not able to do anything. Really do not get the point in this service as like many other companies, I question if they work for the water company’s rather than oversee. Useless service and a complete waste of my time!

No use whatsoever. My Thames Water bills have increased by 125% in less than 2 years. I complained through 2 rounds with TW, yet told by CCW that bill increases are not part of their remit. It is outrageous that water companies are allowed to increase bills by such huge percentages whilst also draining all reserves to external stakeholders and paying huge bonuses to their executives.

I was using the water calculator and it just failed to work. Entered all the data, pressed calculate and……..nothing. No error message….just nothing. Tried numerous times…..and nothing….

Although CCW did not have to intervene, the mere fact that I had referred my dispute to them was enough to spur the Water Company into properly reviewing the circumstances. A resolution was agreed very quickly. CCW even followed up with myself and the water company after resolution to check we were satisfied, Very professional, thanks Nick.

don't bother. This is window dressing pure and simple. The person I spoke to about my complaint was very nice but nice doesn't cut it any more. I'm not sure why they exist. In my complaint against Thames Water I was referred by Thames Water to this organisation and I know why: because it is toothless. Nice conversation, total waste of time. They have no power and serve no purpose except to validate the private takeover of one of life's essentials: water. I might even get a lovely nice reply to this but don't be fooled.

After some months of unsuccessful trying to get the East Anglia water company to accept reponsibility for a leak and reimburse me, this was largely accomplished with CCW's help and mediation.
Particularly thanks to Philip Edwards, always helpful and easy to talk to on the phone, and the emails he sent putting my case to the water company.

I would just like to thank my case worker Philip James from CCW. He has been absolutely brilliant from start to finish. He listened to everything I had to say, he was extremely professional and polite. He explained things a way that was very easy for me to understand and guided me through each stage of the case. He was impartial but gave me excellent advice. Thank you so much CCW.

Absolute waste of space just like OFWAT. These also need scrapping. Contacted today to complain that United Utilities are charging me £320 a year MORE than someone I know living a mile away, neither of us on a smart meter. As soon as I said my water charges are collected by a social housing provider for which we tenants have no choice in the matter, they said they can't help. I've also been told the water charges are set on the rateable value of my property, yet I have spoken to 3 other people all in VERY different sized properties, all owned by the same housing provider RBH, yet all being charged the SAME flat rate, so the rateable value clearly not being used to set water charges, they again said they can"t help. Absolute joke. There is literally no one or no organisation that is willing to take on these big CORRUPT water companies & CORRUPT housing associations. The CCW is probably in their pockets just like OFWAT.

Reply to reply. Same generic "we don't actually care or want to help you" reply. Proves what I said, the CCW are a complete waste of tax payers money and another leaching fake public organisation that needs scrapping. Do you not think I've contacted my water company already!? I've been through the fake complaints procedure & got nowhere, because the water companies know they are currently untouchable, so can continue for now with their corruption, same as housing associations. The public will not accept it for much longer, we will fight to hold them accountable. The gravy train is coming to an end & so is the CCW's.

Completely useless and not fit for purpose.
When i was referred to them by my water provider who were found to be at fault but we were at an impasse with their in-house complaints procedure , the CCW website claims “we'll suggest actions to resolve the issue. We negotiate” they did nothing of the sort and, contrary to advocating on my behalf they liaised with the water company and without speaking directly with me.
I wasn’t treated with the care, respect and attention i deserved (to quote their website)
So, no surprise that i wasn’t sent a customer satisfaction surveys at the end of the process!
This organisation has no “teeth”, zero powers and zero real interest in standing up for consumers and supporting them against the big water companies, in the contrary they give all the impressions of working with them to shut your complaint down.
Don’t waste your hope, time, effort & trust.