High water bills

EWON can help if you disagree with the amount of your water bill. In some cases we may identify an error made by the water company. In other cases we can provide information to help consumers understand and manage their water usage.

Generally, we would expect you to have tried to sort out your high bill complaint with your water supplier first. Before contacting them, have a look at some of our tips for dealing with your supplier.

If you dispute your high bill and require help after contacting your water supplier, contact us or use our online complaint form.

For information on how we will conduct high bill investigations, download our factsheet.

The case study below shows how we helped one customer with a higher than normal water bill.

Case study: all wrung out

Mrs S's water bills are usually around $100. When Mrs S received a high bill, she asked a plumber to investigate the cause of the high usage. The plumber inspected the pipes and told Mrs S that he had fixed the problem. Three months later, Mrs S received another high water bill, bringing the total amount owed to $840.

When a second plumber found a concealed leak under her house, the supplier offered to credit $300 to her account to help make repayment more manageable. Mrs S was not happy with this offer, as her pension would not cover the required repayments on the balance owing without placing her under significant financial strain. Mrs S felt she had done everything she could to address the problem, including calling out two plumbers.

After contacting her water supplier three times to discuss the high bill, Mrs S's daughter contacted EWON for help negotiating a more acceptable arrangement. EWON spoke to the water supplier to discuss the issues surrounding the concealed leak, and to inform them of Mrs S's financial situation. The supplier was unaware of her situation and reviewed the charges. They found that as a pensioner Mrs S qualified for a financial hardship provision under their concealed leak policy. Her supplier reduced the bill so it reflected Mrs S's usual water usage.