CCWater report: Welsh Water amongst the best in the industry in terms of the customer service

WALES, 18-9-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — An independent report from the water industry’s consumer body, CCWater, has confirmed that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water saw its written customer complaints fall by nearly by nearly 19 per cent in 2014/15.

The company is unique in the water industry with its not-for-profit operating model and serves three million people across most of Wales, Herefordshire and Deeside. It saw the number of written complaints it received from customers fall from 4,079 in 2013/14 to 3,314 in 2014/15.

The latest reduction of 19% in written customer complaints over the past year compares to an overall reduction of 13% in the water industry across England and Wales. Welsh Water is currently amongst the best in the industry in terms of the customer service, drinking water and wastewater services it provides and it now has the second lowest number of customer complaints from amongst all the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales.

Julia Cherrett, Managing Director of Retail Services at Welsh Water, said: “We welcome these latest set of results which prove that the investment we’re making to continuously improve our services generally and also our customer services are having a real impact. By developing our social media channels, and through the training, development and commitment of our colleagues, we’re trying to put customers at the heart of everything we do.

“With no shareholders, Welsh Water is a unique way to run a public utility as we’re owned on behalf of the customer and all our gains go to customers either through lower bills or increased investment. Our sole focus is to do the right thing for customers day in, day out and so we will use the findings of this report to build on our success and inform our work as we continue to ensure that we provide the best possible service at the most affordable price.”

Diane McCrea, Chair of the Consumer Council for Wales Committee, said: “Over the past five years Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has reduced customer complaints by over 70 per cent, to become one of the industry’s best performers. It is testament to our persistence and hard work with the company, pushing it to significantly improve its performance.”

Company background

• Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a ‘non-shareholder owned’ water and sewerage company serving much of Wales, Deeside and Herefordshire
• Since 2001, it has been owned by Glas Cymru, which was formed in April 2000 for the sole purpose of acquiring and owning Welsh Water
• Glas Cymru is a ‘company limited by guarantee’ and our business model is unique in the water industry. It has no shareholders which means that all financial surpluses are reinvested in the business for the benefit of customers
• As the sixth largest water and wastewater company in England and Wales, we provide water and sewerage services to over three million people.
• As part of our £26 billion network of assets, we operate and maintain 27,000km of water mains, 65 water treatment works and 92 reservoirs. We are also responsible for some 30,000km of sewer pipes and nearly 900 sewage treatment works

Contact Press Office

Phone: 01443 452 452
Email:  press@dwrcymru.com

SOURCE: Dŵr Cymru Cyf