Southern Water Omdömen 

my complaint to southern water regarding extortionate bill charge on 19/11/25.
Have still not received a satifactory reply!!!No wonder customers complain! and to think the CEO on over the top salary we would dream . disgusting, Rip off Britain?Sincerely J Small

Why can't you be more like Severn Trent...?
As every other review states, price hikes just feel like an insult given all the problems / leaks and pollution issues.

SW insisted i paid 6 monthly in advance even though i was getting a water meter; i did reluctantly.
My account is now massively in credit and i’ve asked for a refund - yes they said.
Moving on still haven’t got it. Call centre is only contact point but they can’t escalate to manager as they are in a meeting all day, they can’t transfer to complaints but they can schedule a call back within 24 hours - which didn’t happen. Left feedback on their website, received an auto-email telling me that someone will reach out to me.
Constructive feedback:
1) support call centre staff, always ensure that an escalation path is available
2) don’t make contact offers that you are unable, or unwilling to honour
3) Simplify access to your complaint process
4) Pay interest to accounts in credit (from the point that you agree to refund to the point where you actually action the refund); just enough to encourage you to stop sitting on other people’s money.
5) Just stop abusing your monopoly and put your customers first.

Update: refund received but still no explanation for delay nor any attempt to contact me.

SW decided to increase my monthly direct debit to £90 despite the fact I am £636 in credit, I have been in credit every month since November 2023, (I believe that's when we got the meter installed ) except for one month, I was in Debit for 99 pence
I queried this, conversing with a pleasant SW agent via what's app, I asked for the credit to be refunded but the process is that they do 2 readings a year and my next one is in April 2026 so if I am in credit then I will get my money back. Seems a tad unfair to me having no say in a 17% price increase and a huge company keeping my hard earned cash, perhaps a customer centric answer is need like … do more meter reading

Greedy, dishonest, corrupt, useless, incompetent, crooked, and now charging all of us 50% more inside the same year they've doubled their CEO's pay to £30,000 A WEEK.

Permanently sending water shortage reminders (they've sold 35 reservoirs and built NONE), and constantly dumping untreated sewage into our waterways so they can pay their shareholders more.

Relieved to see some of the reviews here which mirror exactly my own experience with this awful company. My account has consistently been in credit for more than a year and now being told that I must increase my direct debit by another £25 p.m. while they are holding several hundred pounds of my money in credit which they refuse to refund. When asking for justification they say it is "anticipated future usage." They obviously have a crystal ball! Have phoned 3 times, long waits on phone. Asked to escalate to a manager like it says on the bill if problem cannot be resolved. Adviser did every thing to block my speaking to a manager, then gave in when I asked for her name and said that it would be included in complaint to the Consumer Water Council. Put me on hold another 10 minutes then told me no manager available but will book callback for next day. I am still waiting for a call from a manager. Appalling company. Arrogant, uncaring and greedy. I have now cancelled my direct debit and complained by email, telling them that they either return my credit balance and I will pay as billed or they can run down the credit balance. I will no longer pay by DD as they are simply accruing my money in their little greed pot! I have also opened a complaint file with the Consumer Water Council.

Horrible customer service, my bill increased by 50% and I was hardly in my flat during the period of the bill as I was out of town for several months. My neighbours used less than me and they were constantly in their flats. I suspected an external water leak which Southern water refused to investigate. Customer services were useless and very rude on the phone. The increase in water bill is most surely for the CEO pay increase. Wish I could change water companies.

The worst website I’ve ever come across Click on the subject you want and nothing loads. I want to find out if they have me as a single occupant. They say they read the meter which is under a manhole in my front garden but in the 19 months I’ve been here I’ve never seen anyone read it.

Bills keep going up but they're still dumping sewage in wrong places and charging customers for their bad investments.

I have setup so meny direct debits to be cancelled for reason by you.. I spoken about this setup a payment plan just to be cancelled for no reason. And the lastest to day i spoken to agent threw chat box i told them what happened and have paper work from you to prove it and not being listened to . I have spoken and explained this not to be listened to . I have setup another direct debit today and I have email confirmation again. And cancelled again by you i will contact ombudsman service and take more action as not being listened to and fend talking about this . I don't contact customers service as don't listen and not interested in customers. I never so meny problems with a company. I record every conversation and email and letters and will sending to ombudsman service

water leak reported outside our property ( but on our meter) . took 8 weeks to fix it. We were then told to take meter readings one week apart and that could be compared to previous usage. Only result - a bill showing water usage increasing 3 x with similar increase in DD. No option to email. HOURS wasted on the phone and they can never see previous notes of calls. Very poorly trained staff with only one person showing any understanding of our problem. A hopeless hopeless company that clearly doesn't care about its customers...but why should it, we have no choice where to get our water.

Had a call from southern water today as per usual rude and bolshy he called my home and demanded to speak with my husband when I asked if I could help he said it was over an unpaid bill I told him it was paid last week and he disputed it my husband spoke to him and he demanded it should be paid by a certain date nothing was on the letter but it was received only the beginning of the week there was only one date on it 08/03/25 and then it had to arrive we have had bad rude call takers before and this one Abu was no better I have reported them before but I cannot get a phone answered spoke to ofwat who are assisting it’s a shame we have never defaulted on a bill ever and this so called service stinks as does the water

Tripled my water bill ahead of Christmas, I’ll have to explain to the kids why they haven’t got any Christmas presents this year is because of a pig on £1.4 MILLION a year for running a monopoly water company extremely badly. The worst kind of evil, you will meet your maker and have to face what you do to people.

When I get an email from Southern Water I know it’s going to be a price increase. Most likely to keep funding the CEOs constant salary increases!
I am also being told my water use has increased - even though nothing has changed in the household with the number of people or machines that use water. Not sure how that happens.
Given we have had the wettest years on record, hosepipe bans, constant reporting of serious events and constant message of ‘we’re improving the system’ - it is clear they cannot manage a water system. Unfortunately we are bound to them due to location. Out ranking their ‘competitive partners’ when it comes to the level of pollution is not a good thing to be first!
But don’t worry - Southern Water can just charge their customers more without impunity!

I finally get an account set up and told if I prove I receive single occupancy discount on my council tax I’d get money off. I supplied this they said the evidence wasn’t acceptable I argued it was (it had my name address and single occupancy discount) they claimed it had already been applied to my bill it hasn’t . Also my bill for a previous property for a year was £284.93 which was a 2 bedroom detached bungalow with a front/back garden I watered and pond I filled in my new property £354.65 which is a single bedroom maisonette with no garden with much less usage. All because there is no meter, clearly a scam to overcharge me! Next stop CCW I will not accept this. I wonder how many others just accept no meter estimates? A clear rip off!

We have a shared sewage discharged outlet which has cause problems with other peoples wet wipes.
Craig and Jasmine came ot straight away and rectified the problem.
Great service and many many thanks

All I needed was an email from Southern Water showing that the previous property now has a nil balance - which had to be proved to the landlord of the property we were leaving. OMG finally after 10 days and at least 6 calls I have FINALLY received what I needed. They KEPT promising that an email is on its way....the email never arrived. Today I had a lucky stroke speaking to MELISSA JANUARY- a caring girl who managed to finally sort this out - she called me a couple of times to let me know that she WILL organise my request and by jove she did...so well done to this helpful girl!! I can now eventually forward the email onto my landlord to retrieve my deposit. Its been a nightmare!!!

Bill has increased far too much for this criminal company, won't be paying them at all now.

Can I give a zero star?? Or minus ?? Company ripping off blind in daylight. Legal mafia. Plus trying pay bloody bill,site most time not working. How government let run water company like that ,I don't know. Plus no choice to change different company....

disgusting customer service , i spoke to them on the phone regarding an outstanding payment because i got a threatening letter (i was told wasn’t needed to be paid yet and as it wasn’t due til mid next year and as long as it was paid by then it wouldn’t be escalated) for it to then be passed on to a DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY only 2 weeks later . i had to pay next years balance to a debt collection agency because the payment plan that i had agreed three weeks ago had been a lie essentially . phoned to complain after paying the collection agency , woman on the phone sounded high and out of it and clearly didn’t care about the fact that the company had tried to ruin my credit rating over a debt that doesn’t exist until next year , awful attitude , no apology . she just said my complaint would be escalated , when i asked how (because she clearly didn’t think it was something she should explain without being asked) she said i’d get a callback from the complaints team in the next couple of days .

disgusting company , playing at ruining peoples financial situation for no reason at all . customer service is atrocious .