Newry Armagh Sinn Féin Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

HEARTY CHALLENGE TO WATER SERVICE "LETS START TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS"

Published: 21 August, 2009

Newry and Mourne Sinn Fein Councillor Terry Hearty commenting after a meeting with senior Water Service Officers to discuss the issue of the overcharging of over 5000 non-domestic customers, has said that the message to Water Service from the meeting that involved all Newry and Mourne Councillors was very clear, "The time for talking about improvements is over, it is now time to see improvements". The Slieve Gullion area elected representative who had asked the Council to facilitate the meeting in the light of revelations by the water Company, that many thousands of non domestic customers were overcharged, described the meeting as forthright and constructive. "The Water Service Officers present were left in no doubt as to the feelings of myself and all those Councillors present, as to the seriousness of the issue. There is a severe lack of confidence amongst many sections of the public with the whole Water Billing and Customer Care services presently on offer from Water Service. Whilst it was explained to us that the problems could be traced to the fact that in 2007 incorrect data was passed from the old Water Division to the new publicly owned company, I pointed out that there was a clear onus on Water Service to remedy those problems and improve the whole procedure of billing and customer service" said Terry who continued "It is not acceptable that many meters are read only once in eighteens months. Water Service must improve their procedures that would see meters being read more regularly. People need to be able to understand what their bills are for, and how they are calculated. Procedures involving all these issues need to be more user friendly. It is essential that Water Service realise that Customer Care is a key element of tackling the lack of confidence that many presently have in the Service". The Sinn Féin Councillor give examples of cases where he said people who had contacted Water Service in relation to their Billing concerns had been treated shabbily. His colleague Fews Area Councillor Pat Mc Ginn welcomed the commitment from the Water Service Officers present that there would be improvement. "Most elected representatives understand that there has to be a careful balance between the provision of Customer Services in a caring but professional and businesslike manner, but it would be an understatement to say that many of us have found your customer care procedural system challenging and very frustrating. It has to be more open, accessible and accountable, with an equal measure of common sense" said the Fews area Councillor who also give examples of where people he represented had been issued with water bills for many thousands of pounds, and when they had queried them they felt they had been ignored and flippantly dismissed. "There is a requirement for an early warning system where if a bill suddenly rises from hundreds to thousands of pounds it should trigger an investigation by Water Service before bills go out. Once the bill goes out, Water Service seems to argue that it is up to the customer to prove that the amount owed is wrong. We have got to get a balance" concluded the Councillor. The meeting finished with an undertaking by Water Service to return to Council in the months ahead to review the procedures being phased in.