# The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, Regulation 17D: Complaints, account queries and requests about payment arrangements


(1) This regulation applies where—
(a) an English service provider receives a valid complaint from a customer about the supply of water or the provision of sewerage services by the provider;
(b) an English wholesaler receives a valid complaint from a customer about the water supply system or sewerage system of the wholesaler; or
(c) an English service provider, apart from in cases of self-supply, receives—
(i) a valid query from a customer about the correctness of an account for the supply of water or the provision of sewerage services; or
(ii) a valid request from a customer for a change to payment arrangements.
(1A) In this regulation—
“valid complaint” means a complaint (however made) which—
(a)includes the name of the customer and at least one of the following—
(i)an address for correspondence;
(ii)an email address for correspondence;
(iii)a contact telephone number;
(b)includes, if not given as an address for correspondence under paragraph (a), the address of the premises in respect of which the customer is supplied with water or, as the case may be, provided with sewerage services; and
(c)describes the particular event or issue to which it relates;
“valid query” means a query (however made) which—
(a)includes the name of the customer and at least one of the following—
(i)an address for correspondence;
(ii)an email address for correspondence;
(iii)a contact telephone number;
(b)includes, if not given as an address for correspondence under paragraph (a) the address of, or other means of identifying, the premises to which it relates; and
(c)describes what is being queried;
“valid request” means a request (however made) which—
(a)includes the name of the customer and at least one of the following—
(i)an address for correspondence;
(ii)an email address for correspondence;
(iii)a contact telephone number;
(b)includes, if not given as an address for correspondence under paragraph (a), the address of the premises in respect of which the customer is supplied with water or, as the case may be, provided with sewerage services, and
(c)identifies the particular payment arrangements to which it relates; and
(d)describes the change that the customer wants to make to the arrangements.
(2) An English duty-holder who receives a valid complaint must provide a substantive reply to the complaint to the customer within 10 working days.
(3) The English service provider must provide a substantive reply to the customer—
(a) to a valid query, within 10 working days; or
(b) to a valid request for a change to payment arrangements that cannot be met, within 5 working days.
(4) The first day of the period for reply is the day after the day on which the English duty-holder receives the valid complaint, valid query or valid request.
(5) Subject to paragraph (7)—
(a) the English service provider must pay the customer £40 if—
(i) the English wholesaler does not comply with paragraph (2); or
(ii) the English service provider does not comply with paragraph (2) or (3); and
(b) if the English wholesaler does not comply with paragraph (2) it must pay the English service provider in accordance with regulation 17K.
(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(7) The English service provider need not pay the customer, and the English wholesaler need not pay the English service provider, under paragraph (5) if—
(a) the customer makes the complaint, query or request using an alternative means of communication, the means used by the consumer is not a valid alternative means of communication;
(aa) a customer makes a complaint, query or request to an English duty-holder by post or other similar service or email, the customer did not make the complaint to the English duty-holder at a valid address or a valid email address;
(ab) a complaint, query or request is made orally by telephone, the telephone number used to make the complaint was not a valid telephone number;
(b) the customer does not wish to pursue the complaint, query or request and has so informed the English service provider or English wholesaler, as appropriate;
(c) in the case of a complaint, query or request to the English service provider, it was impracticable to send a reply within the required period because of—
(i) industrial action by employees of the English service provider or the English wholesaler;
(ii) the act or default of a person who is not an officer, employee or agent of the English service provider; or
(iii) the act or default of a person who is not a person acting on behalf of the English service provider or of an agent of the English service provider; or
(d) in the case of a complaint to the English wholesaler who is not the English service provider, it was impracticable to send a reply within the required period because of—
(i) industrial action by employees of the English wholesaler or the English service provider;
(ii) the act or default of a person who is not an officer, employee or agent of the English wholesaler; or
(iii) the act or default of a person who is not a person acting on behalf of the English wholesaler or of an agent of the English wholesaler; or
(e) the complaint, query or request was frivolous or vexatious;
(ea) in the case of a reply to a complaint or query, the English duty-holder reasonably considered that a visit was necessary before replying, and severe weather made that visit impracticable.
(7A) For the purposes of this regulation—
(a) an alternative means of communication is a means of communication other than—
(i) post or a similar service;
(ii) email;
(iii) telephone;
(iv) a website provided by or on behalf of the English duty-holder, and
includes in particular communication via a social media service, SMS or other messaging service;
(b) an alternative means of communication is a valid alternative means of communication if that means of communication has been specified by the English duty-holder to the customer as a means by which a complaint, request or query (as the case may be) may be made to it.
(8) For the purposes of this regulation—
(a) an address is a valid address if it is an address notified by the English duty-holder as an address to which a complaint, query or request (as the case may be) may be sent;
(b) an email address is a valid email address if it is an email address notified by the English duty-holder as an email address to which a complaint, query or request (as the case may be) may be sent;
(c) a telephone number is a valid telephone number if it is a telephone number notified by the English duty-holder as a telephone number which may be used to make a complaint, query or request (as the case may be).
(9) For the purposes of this regulation—
(a) “English wholesaler” includes a relevant authority that is carrying out sewerage functions on behalf of an English undertaker under arrangements entered into, or to be treated as entered into, for the purposes of section 97 of the WIA (performance of sewerage undertaker’s functions by local authorities etc.); and
(b) a complaint to such a relevant authority is taken, for the purposes of paragraph (2), to have been received by the English undertaker on whose behalf the relevant authority provides services on the date on which the undertaker received it from the relevant authority.
(10) In this regulation—
“a change to payment arrangements” includes a change to the frequency of payments (including instalment payments);
“payment arrangements” means the arrangements by which a customer makes payments (including instalment payments) to the English service provider; and
“relevant authority” has the meaning given by section 97(5) of the WIA.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/594/regulation/17D (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/water-supply-and-sewerage-services-customer-service-standards-regulations-2008/regulation-17D
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.