To think that a £114 water bill a month is insane?

I don't know about Thames Water, but Severn Trent seem to just charge you a random amount, with no rhyme or reason at all.

Our bill (unmetered, 3 people) has doubled and is now around £500 a year. My MIL's bill (3 minutes around the corner, similar size/kind/value house, unmetered, 1 person) has rocketed to over £1,000 a year.

I think they just have a giant bingo machine and pull out a ball for each house - but if they think it's lower than they can get away with, they put it back in and pull out another one.

They keep saying it's because of all the repairs and improvements that they need to make after years of underfunding (and taking dividends that were never available as dividends in the first place). Surely, if anything, they should be compensating us for years of shoddy performance; not putting up our bills to cheerily make us pay for all of their mismanagement?

Apart from possible leak, set up "WaterHelp", not "Watersure", it will halve your bill. It's really easy to set up. I think they wanted two letters, that was it. WaterSure is for ppl, who due to disability have to use huge amount of water, so they cap it. WaterHelp is what you want.

bloody hell, that’s cheap…..where are you - I should imagine your usage is considerably higher than most ordinary domestic homes.
we pay about £400 a year…..2 people in 3 bed house….and we’re both out at work weekdays.

Do you have access to your water meter, if you have one?
if so, turn everything you have water oriented in your house and see if meters still going. Years ago one bill shot up and we did this, found out we had a small leak under kitchen floor….over the weeks a constant dribble will soon add up.

Mine has just gone up from £100 to £296 PER MONTH there are 5 of is and we ate heavy users but we must have a leak somewhere. Can't be arrears as we have lived here less than a year

Anyway you have my sympathies OP, trying to get help from a water company is nigh on impossible.

Ours has just jumped from £70 to £90 a month. It includes all the sewerage as well (in past had separate bills).

Three adults household, water meter

Jesus! Perhaps you have a leak somewhere?

I thought my water bill was extortionate at £75 per month. (Two bed house - 2 adult household)

We pay £30 a month, on meter two adults, 2 bedroom flat.just cancel your direct debit and pay what you afford, they can't cut your water off.

It seems they charge more in flats my daughters bills are ridiculous the times she has rung Thames water complaining they do not listen.My bill has gone from £36 to £52 a month with a meter on 3 bed house just 2 of us

This sounds excessive I'm in a flat Thames water can't have a meter and even my charge is high imo I pay £45 on the assessed charge for a single person

This does not sound right even with the recent price increase. Are you on a meter? If so you may have a leak which I would ask to be investigated. I would also sign up for to Thames Water’s Priority Services register due to you and your child’s disability, this can also provide financial assistance and you can sign up via the website. Do not be afraid to escalate this issue even if it means you email the CEO (Chris Weston)!

Surely £12 a month hardly covers the standing charge?

We are a 4/5 household with 2 bathrooms and heavy users of the washing machine. We pay 77 a month currently to TW but am expecting it to go up soon.

According to our bills we are actually fairly low users compared to average.

There is probably a low income/disability tariff you might be eligible for. Assuming you are with Affinity, have a look at page 20 onwards for the schemes to investigate:
https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/docs/charges/202021/Charges-Scheme-2020-2021.pdf

Are you on a meter, or do you get billed a standard rate based on rateable value etc.

If you put in the heading if your email/letter ,Stage 1 complaint, then you're following correct process.

They have teams who come and investigate possible leaks. If there's no meter, you need a detailed understanding with evidence to support why the bill is now that amount.

I advise against the WhatsApp option personally.

I've attached email and postal address. Hopefully MN approves.

Ours has jumped from around £70 to £90 a month recently. My brother who lives in York said his has gone from £1200 a year to £1600 this year !

I paid £40 just gone up to £80 -no arrears. My son pays £12, gone up to £36. A friends son has increased from £35 to £110. All in completely different parts of the country. It’s seems to me that many of the water companies as increasing on production of the next bill. It’s unfathomable to me.

If you’ve only been paying £20 a month up to now, but DM pays £50/60, have you been underpaying so now they are increasing your dd to pay for what you owe?
11 baths, even if relatively shallow, adds up tbh. I know one bath a week adds a fair bit onto out bill.

No this is not right.

Wessex water charged me like this. I was unwell and didn't even realise for ages. I got my money back eventually and now pay £20.

What I found was the meter readings were way off. It was investigated by the investigation team and replaced. It also turned out that they'd recorded readings saying they'd visited and checked meter when they hadn't. So they made up readings.

The only way is in writing. You have to communicate in writing.

They were leaving me waiting weeks, I dealt with the rudest cunt chop on the phone despite being so polite, a tutting and patronising young girl, no return calls. It was really poor.

I then had full resolution and refund within 5 days of my email using the formal language as advised.

Look online at their complaint procedures and start initiating it now. No more phone calls without email follow up.

I had the same, from £40 to £70, no meter as I've been told it's not possible in my converted house.
I called them but they just don't care. I live alone, my flat is small, its absolutely ridiculous.

I paid £20 for a 1 bed house with no children 12 years ago, I currently pay £35 for a larger house so I'd be wondering if you've been paying too little up until now, as I'm pretty sure my water company (different part of the country) are also cheaper than Thames water.
I would want a full written explanation of the change, do you need a hand finding a complaints department number as their first line team should be able to explain why this has happened and the fact they can't is really not acceptable!

Is this a correct metered bill based on actual readings? If not, you need to get a correct bill.

If it correct check for leaks etc.

Also, with a disability, you may be eligible for the Wayersure scheme, which reduces bills for qualifying households

I would get them to investigate. When this happened to us we discovered that they had assigned the wrong water meter to us. We ended up with £500 credit.

That can’t be right OP - by comparison we live in a 5 bed farmhouse with water going to the stables and fields and the latest water bill was ~£250 for six months - we are metered so that’s a pretty accurate reflection of our usage (I think)

Are you in debit if you were only paying £22 a month and now the increase includes paying that back as well? What does you account online show as what you've used vs what you've paid over last couple of years?

I think you can get a set tariff if you are disabled and on a metre