Businesses in Bath will be looked after by a dedicated water retailer following competition being introduced in the water sector in England for the first time from Saturday, 1st April.
It will mean that all non-household customers will contact their new water retailer, rather than Wessex Water, for day-to-day enquiries and services.
In the south west region, customers have automatically transferred to retailer water2business which will provide billing support as well as offering added value services that save money, water and time.
Meanwhile, Wessex Water will continue to supply water, remove wastewater and maintain networks.
water2business, was set up to ensure businesses would be provided with the same high level customer service they are used to and continue to be served locally.
The company, based in Nailsea, North Somerset, has a proven track record of providing water services for business customers as for many years it has worked with large users of water.
Charley Maher, managing director of water2business, said: “This is a major change for business customers and organisations as they are now able to choose their water retailer.
“The good news is that customers in the west will continue to receive the high standards of customer service they’re used to, but through water2business they could also benefit from water and wastewater efficiency advice and flexible and consolidated billing for multiple sites.”
Today, 3rd April, water2business released results of an independent survey, which indicated that it’s well-placed to provide an industry-leading service for businesses.
Nine out of 10 water2business customers rated the service provided by the company as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in the survey, which involved speaking to 400 randomly selected businesses in the west, ranging from small firms to large businesses with multiple sites.
Mrs Maher added: “We are delighted with the results of this survey which show existing customers are pleased with the service we provide.
“However, in this new market we won’t be standing still and we have a number of initiatives being launched over the next couple of months that will further improve the customer experience.
“The savings for businesses to switch are relatively low (an average of 2.5% net margin, or 6% gross for retailers), so the quality of customer service, investment in innovation and value added services are factors that become important.”
Businesses can rest assured knowing that they will not be worse off as a result of these industry changes, as regulator Ofwat has introduced a customer protection code of practice to prevent retailers from dramatically increasing bills.
The new reforms, known as ‘Open Water’, will have a big impact on the 1.2 million businesses in England who until now have had no choice about which company provides their water and sewerage services.
You can find out more about water2business at www.water2business.co.uk or by calling 0345 850 0714.
