Thames Water has sent me a bill for £206,209.91 for six months’ usage. This was for a three-bedroom flat that I occupy mostly alone. I pay by direct debit and didn’t realise until I received notice from my bank.
Now I’ve been told it will take up to 10 days for them to look into it. MK, Oxford
Thames Water was fined £8.5m by the regulator last year for missing targets to fix leaks. Maybe it hoped you would contribute.
It tells the Observer the bill was cancelled as soon as it realised the error, which it is investigating. There’s no apology in its statement.
Fortunately, you cancelled the debit after your bank contacted you, otherwise you could have been left in a serious financial situation during the leisurely 10 days Thames Water requires to sort such outrageous blunders.
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