South East Water UK Reviews 

I told them that I wanted to stop my payment to thames water because of all the raw sewage going into the rivers as they say it is coming because of storm drains but now they say that we didn't have enough rain so there is a water shortage how can there be a water shortage if they say that.
Also they don't tell you about prices going up and on my monthly payments they say I use so much a month and try to charge me more than that

Corrupt company that have operated since 1992 purely by ignoring demand. Instead of investing anything into the area they have instead consistently paid out huge dividends and bonuses, giving the finger to the people who rely upon their monopoly.

Disgusting profiteering company only interested in ££'s for directors. It is a national disgrace how an essential element of life is left to parasites such as Southern Water to run. Same nonsense every year, shortages despite solid rain for months on end. No investment in the network. One of the wettest countries in the world and water shortage is a problem? Lets not even mention the quality of the water, not fit for drinking.

Scam artists that need to be shut down with all its managers put on trial, in an ideal world.

In what universe is it ok to keep putting up prices while reducing service and quality across the board, yet have the nerve to mail-shot customers telling them off about water usage with a sob story about how hard it is for the while they pocket billions in dividends instead of reinvesting into the network.

They almost doubled my bill for no reason and still had the audacity to tell me to save water because of hot weather. Might as well let it run all the time to get the most for my money. Its a mafia and there is nothing I can do. Good that your CEO is still getting bonuses and earning millions.

Not only do they pollute rivers, harm wildlife, and destroy natural habitats, but they’ve also doubled my bills within a year, with a 50% increase. And guess what? They’re your only provider, so you’re forced to accept it and pay up, while their executives walk away with massive bonuses and live in luxury. It’s disgraceful.

They can go to hell!

The South East Water customer service is the worst service ever. I had a water leak in my house, causing a lot of damage to the toilet, the floor, and the walls, plus the adjacent rooms. I contacted them a week ago (on Thursday), and they told me this request is an emergency and that I would have priority. Since that time, no one has come to fix the problem, although I keep contacting them every day. This is not customer service; this is an annoying service.
Kings Drive
Eastbourne

Just had my bill! Theyre improving my drinking water, so have raised my DD by £25 per month. It said that on average there would be a 20% rise, but in reality my bill is up by 50%, and the best part about it, is we drink bottled water!
This government needs to take back control of Utilities. They are a bunch of crooks who line their pockets at our expense.
I was under the impression I was paying for drinking water already!
We are left with no choice, which feels like extortion to me.
Someone needs to hold them to account, and let them pay for what they're actually meant to do!

There has been a water leak in Marden, Kent since mid February. This has been reported to South East Water on numerous occasions by numerous residents. South East Water are aware of this and have done NOTHING in response. They don't even have the courtesy to acknowledge when people report leaks. Why people continue to do so in the face of such ignorant rudeness and disrespect is beyond my comprehension. As is how, in the name of all that's Holy, the thoroughly incompetent senior management of this company ever fumbled their way into their appointments.

No water for over 12 hours. No help provided by the company.

They do not send Paper bills, you will only get a debt collectors letter requesting payment + £50 debt collection fee.
This company is corrupt to the core. We couldn't believe the first contact was from a debt agency. Noticed many others on here have experienced the same. How is this legal? Is there a movement or online petition that we can sign up to so we can stand against this? Disgusting.

We have been with out water for almost 2 days and been told it is unlikely we will get any today - terrible company who care more about paying dividends to their share holders than getting g water to their customers …. Renationalise now!

Incompetent.

The bill for 25/26 is a disgrace.
So you expect customers, who have no choice to change supplier, to pay an extra £215 a year. For what ? Nothing here has improved for years and the supposed Broadoak reservoir has only been talked about for 40 odd years.
And yet you expect customers to pay an extortionate rise in costs for supply and removal.
Serve you right if we the customers refuse to pay!

Not very helpful for people with disability.

I rent a shop, it has a flat above it that has been paying this company for the water for many years. I had a letter from them that lied and said there was no account set up to pay for the water, I thought I’d do the right thing and set one up. At this point I was unaware that the flat upstairs was paying them, they use significantly more water than us as it’s a family of 4 and I don’t use any water as I use bottled water to drink and bring in my own water to flush the toilet. Castle Water have contacted me demanding I pay over £2500 for the water supply even though I don’t use it. According to information online if the domestic user above the shop uses more water than the shop it can be considered a domestic account, a man visited from SE Water and agreed I should not have to pay again for the water and that the flat would use considerably more than I would. Then Castle Water demand the money again so I called SE Water and the lady was very nice and understanding but said she deals with billing but would contact the right person and explain the situation, this was weeks ago and not a word. Castle Water are adding interest daily to the money they say I owe even though it’s been paid for already, Castle Water say tough, the flat upstairs need to contact SE Water about duplicate billing. The tenants are lovely but English is not their first language so I can’t even discuss it with them. I don’t have the money to pay it, Castle Water are adamant I have to pay, they say it has to be a commercial supply and I have to get money from upstairs, if it has to be a commercial supply how comes SE Water have been taking the money for years? This is nuts, nobody seems to care or want to help me. I
M having sleepless nights over this and it’s affecting my mental health.

Terrible customer service.
I contacted this company regarding a water metre reading.
Our metre is under dirt, sludge and water. So I had this all cleaned out so I could see the readings. (Bearing in mind a reading was taken prior to us moving in the property via a Bluetooth device)
We have a fence within our land and going slightly over the metre. This does not stop you from removing the cover and looking at the readings yourself.
I am being told to remove my fence. I said the metre glass is damaged and the metre is sitting under water to be ignored.
I have asked for them to use a Bluetooth device to read the metre as the metre glass is faulty but the customer service keeps ignoring this stating its not accurate and to remove the fence.
I'm not removing my fence as I'm well within my land. The metre can be accessed and read as the metre guy said so himself on his arrival this week.

In order to get an answer to a question don't both contacting the CEO as he ignores your requests and official complaints - next step independant body and my MP.

This disgrace of company has now lobbied to increase our water bills by 20% this year. Apparently to invest in infrastructure. I guess that's what they have to do now that their Australian private equity owners have stripped it, loaded it with debt, and handed over any profit to shareholders.

I had the most distressing experience with South East Water, and I feel compelled to share it. On Monday, January 27th, 2025, we were woken at 2:00 AM by a burst pipe in our home. The main isolating stopcock on South East Water’s boundary was seized, meaning we couldn’t turn off the water supply. As a result, we had to call the fire service at 4:00 AM, who took 40 minutes to reduce the leak to a slow drip.

We initially called the out-of-hours service, but were advised that since the leak was inside our home and not on South East Water’s boundary, they wouldn’t come out! We were left completely stranded with no support. We then reported the issue to South East Water at 8:00 AM, and a technician arrived at 9:30 AM. This technician was shockingly unprofessional and passive-aggressive, and to make matters worse, he snapped the stopcock, making the situation far worse than it already was. He left, saying a crew would be sent, but no one came for hours. We spent the day calling and chasing updates, but received little to no information on when help would arrive.

We were told bottled water would be provided, especially since my mother is on the priority list, but this never happened. We were left without access to drinking water or toilet facilities for the entire day. We were also unable to leave the property because we had to manage the worsening leak, continuously replacing buckets and towels to contain the water.

The repair crew finally arrived just after 5:30 PM, more than 9 hours after our initial call. They identified that the pipe was made of galvanised steel, which is a major health concern due to the risk of lead and cadmium contamination. We had submitted a water quality test in 2023, but South East Water failed to detect this serious risk at that time.

To make matters worse, this pipe was on South East Water’s boundary and wasn’t properly maintained. We had previously reported low water pressure, a sign of pipe failure, but no action was taken. Galvanised steel pipes have a lifespan of 25-45 years, and this pipe was far beyond that. It should have been replaced or at least properly maintained, yet no such efforts were made.

This has been a nightmare, and South East Water’s negligence and poor service have left us with serious concerns about our water safety and the state of their infrastructure.