Castle Water is committed to providing the highest level of customer care and this includes an effective process for handling complaints. Our complaints procedure has been created to make sure all complaints are fully investigated and satisfactorily resolved as quickly as possible. This document sets out how you can make a complaint, how Castle Water will handle it, and your right to appeal if you are not satisfied with our response.
If you are concerned about something, please let us know. We will always try to resolve things straight away.
Our customer services are available 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday.
You can reach us on 01250 718700.
For Key Accounts and Trade Effluent call 01250 718718.
Get in touch with us via email at support@castlewater.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can use the form on our contact us page.
If you wish to make a complaint, we will handle your complaint in line with the three stages of our complaints procedure.
If you wish to make a complaint, please contact us in one of the following ways:
Your complaint will be reviewed by our complaints team who will look to acknowledge your complaint by 6pm the following business day. We will investigate and may call you to discuss your complaint. We will provide a proposed resolution to the complaint or a substantive update on the progress of resolving the issue, as sometimes a resolution may require us to liaise with other organisations. In responding, we will;
We endeavour to provide a substantial response within 10 business days of receipt of your complaint.
If appropriate, we will place your account on hold while we investigate your complaint. If the complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, then you may proceed to the next stage. Please note that if you do not reply to our response to your complaint within 30 days, we may treat any appeal as a new complaint.
Following Stage 1, if the complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction you can appeal the decision. If possible, please set out your appeal in writing and send it to us using the contact details above. This helps us to ensure that we have properly understood the details of your complaint and appeal. Your appeal will be considered by Castle Water’s Executive Complaints Team who will undertake an independent internal review and will aim to reach a resolution within 10 business days.
If you have completed Stages 1 and 2 of this procedure and are not satisfied with our response to your appeal, or if you have not received a satisfactory response from us within 10 business days, you can take the matter to an independent body who will consider your complaint and may investigate.
Please be aware that you may be referred back to us if you have not escalated your complaint via our formal complaints procedure outlined in Stages 1 and 2.
Complaints relating to services in England
Contact the Consumer Council for Water. The Consumer Council for Water is the final stage for complaints about Castle Water and their service is independent, free and confidential.
Complaints relating to services in Scotland
Contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about Castle Water and their service is independent, free and confidential.
The SPSO will normally not look at complaints relating to issues you have known about for more than 12 months, or that have been or are being considered in court.
If you are a customer in England and remain unhappy with the outcome of your complaint after it’s been through Steps 1, 2 and 3 of our complaints procedure, you can take your concerns to an independent redress scheme with the ADR Group, who can provide an independent decision, subject to the rules of the scheme and being eligible for referral to ADR.
Website: www.consumer-dispute.co.uk
The ADR scheme can be used to settle disputes relating to:
Castle Water may agree to refer other issues which are outside those included in the Scheme at its discretion. In such circumstances (including in relation to any complaints by former customers of Castle Water), additional charges to use the Scheme may apply and would have to be agreed between the customer and Castle Water prior to the acceptance of such an application by the Scheme.
The Scheme cannot be used to adjudicate disputes which fall into one or more of the following categories:
If you wish to complain about an emergency situation such as concerns about water quality, loss of water supply or sewer flooding, please contact your water network owner using the contact details available on our website at https://www.castlewater.co.uk/contact/emergency-contacts. Between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday you can obtain this information by calling 01250 718700. Alternatively, we can transfer you through to your water network owner.