Our Customer Complaints Charter
At United Utilities, we are committed to delivering excellent service. However, we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. When they do, we want to make it easy for you to tell us, and for us to put things right quickly and fairly.
Our Commitment to You
We are committed to:
• Listening to your concerns with empathy and respect.
• Be open, honest and transparent
• Taking ownership of the issue and resolving it quickly
• Giving you a dedicated case owner as a single point of contact
• Learning from your feedback to improve our service across the sector
1. What you can expect
• Understanding Your Complaint: We will listen carefully to your concerns, clarify what has happened and understand what you would like us to do to put things right.
• Resolution Timeline: We aim to resolve your complaint within 5 working days, or provide a clear plan of next steps within 10 days if more time is needed.
• Preferred Contact Method: You will be able to contact us in a way that suits you. We will always offer telephone as part of those choices as having a conversation can often help get the issue resolved quickly.
2. Dedicated Case Ownership
• Single Point of Contact: From the moment your complaint is received, a dedicated case owner will be assigned to manage your case from start to finish.
• Our People are empowered to make decisions, and challenge what has happened to help resolve your issue.
• Consistency and Accountability: Your case owner will be responsible for keeping you informed, coordinating any necessary actions, and ensuring a timely and satisfactory resolution.
• Direct Communication: You will have direct contact details for your case owner, making it easier to stay updated and ask questions.
3. Resolution Approach
• Clear Outcomes: We will either resolve the issue or clearly explain the steps we are taking to reach a resolution.
• Signposting: If your issue is outside our responsibility, we will direct you to the appropriate organisation for support.
• Accountability: if we haven’t got it right, we will apologise and where appropriate we will apply the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) without quibble and go further where necessary.
4. Communication Standards
• We will communicate with you in a helpful, friendly, clear, respectful, and jargon-free manner.
• You will be kept informed throughout the process, with regular updates on progress and a written follow up where required.
• We will ensure your preferred method of communication is respected.
5. Learning and Improvement
• Customer Feedback: We will ask for your opinion to understand your experience and identify areas for improvement.
• Executive Oversight: Complaints are reviewed at the executive level, with monthly reporting to ensure accountability and continuous learning.
• Training and Development: Insights from complaints will be used to improve staff training and service delivery.
• Industry complaints learning – we will share feedback with others to help improve service for all customers of the sector and build customer trust, coming together twice a year to set out best practice.
6. How to Make a Complaint
You can make a complaint via a variety of channels :
• Phone: [Insert phone number]
• Email: [Insert email address]
• Whatsapp [Insert phone number]
• Online: [Insert link to complaints form]
• Post: [Insert postal address]
• Note companies to include the channels they have available.
You can use AI to help write your complaint, but you do not have to. Simply tell us what happened, we will listen and consider your complaint fairly.
7. Escalation and Independent Review
• If you are not satisfied with progress, you have a right of appeal to a stage 2 for a further company independent review.
• If you are not happy with the final resolution, or your issue is over eight weeks old, or you just want some free, trusted, independent advice, you can contact the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) the independent voice for water consumers in England and Wales by calling 0300 034 2222 or use the online form at Make a complaint - CCW.