Barbel Bob Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Hi,We have just received our 2nd bill of the year and we were shocked to find it was just short of 1000e!!! The first 6mths was 161e and neither are estimates, the first was for 25cubic metres, the 2nd 268 cubic mtrs!!!!!!!!!I know this bill is not correct and was wondering if anyone has had a similiar problem and how they tackled it? Our French is certainly not good enough to discuss it all over the phone so will probably get a friend to ring on our behalf!Our last electric bill for 8wks was 300e and we are feeling the pinch [:'(]Any help or advice would be appreciated!Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 [quote user="Barbel Bob"]We have just received our 2nd bill of the year and we were shocked to find it was just short of 1000e!!! The first 6mths was 161e and neither are estimates, the first was for 25cubic metres, the 2nd 268 cubic mtrs!!![/quote]It sounds to me as though you have a leak! My advice switch off all water and then watch your water meter - if the numbers continue to go round then you really do have a leak. Next step try to find where the water is being lost from - not always easy as we had an underground leak to the pipe supplying our wash mach; wr did not notice anything until the garage floor - our laundry room - started 'crazing' because it was damp.[quote user="Barbel Bob"]I know this bill is not correct and was wondering if anyone has had a similiar problem and how they tackled it? [/quote]Edit: You do need to ring the water company asap - or get a friend to ring on your behalf - and explain that you think you might have a leak and ask for advice.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsnips Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 [quote user="Barbel Bob"]Hi,We have just received our 2nd bill of the year and we were shocked to find it was just short of 1000e!!! The first 6mths was 161e and neither are estimates, the first was for 25cubic metres, the 2nd 268 cubic mtrs!!!!!!!!!I know this bill is not correct and was wondering if anyone has had a similiar problem and how they tackled it? Our French is certainly not good enough to discuss it all over the phone so will probably get a friend to ring on our behalf!Our last electric bill for 8wks was 300e and we are feeling the pinch [:'(]Any help or advice would be appreciated!Julie [/quote]Hi, Re water bill-make sure you don't have a leak somewhere your side of the meter. Turn off all water in house and watch the meter dial, if it still turns , get a plumber in, your side is your responsibility. Re electric, make sure you are on a suitable tariff, some older houses are on 3-phase which leads to a higher standing charge. You can go to the electricity office taking a list of all your electrical appliances, and they will advise. Take a french-speaking friend if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbel Bob Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Hi,Our metre is outside on the pavement so once day light i will try to see if the metre is still turning when no water being used inside.....if it does turn out to be a leak internally is this usually covered by house insurance, we are with credit agricole and will pop along in the morning to ask also.Our electricity is the cheap nightime one, and we do have an awful lot of appliances, lap tops, computers, tele's etc....we are cutting back and being careful and hopefully it will reduce!!!I cant believe we have received a bill for this amount i have been in shock all day and hope we find out why? if we have to pay i hope we can do it monthly as we really cannot find that much money to pay in one go!! also if we do not find a leak i will be worrying about the next bill!!!!Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I had a huge bill (over 1200 euros ) a few years back.I was able to pay it off over a year with the estimated monthly payments for the next year.Made a total of about 160 a month that year, but at least I didn't have to find the lump sum all at once.I am with a different company though.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbel Bob Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thanks Norman,Did you find out why your bill was so huge? was it a leak? Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 No, didn't seem to be, but I had somebody sharing my house, and living there while I was away who was taking in washing (lots of it!!) without me knowing. ( I used to work 200 kms from home and commute weekly).Washing Machines and baths as opposed to showers seem a major cause of higher consumption.My bills are still highish (600-700 a year 2 people) , At the moment I pay 62 euros a month over 10 months,so I have taken out a separate insurance to cover me for repairing any leaks after the meter.This is a separate deal from the water company who claim that most contents policies don't cover repairing leaks, just the damage done by the water.At least if I find one I should be covered for repairs.I would be interested to know if anyone has any knowledge of cases where water meters have been found to be faulty, and how that was shown and the matter resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Roy Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 There was a similar posting on French Entree Limousin recently:http://www.frenchvie.com/limousin/viewtopic.php?t=4138Just co-incidence or a problem with the billing department? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thanks for that link. As I said previously I am in a different area with a different company (Lyonesse des Eaux) I don't think in my case their is a problem with the very detailed bill, but I am not convinced that the meter is accurate.I'm not sure how to go about challenging that.That could also be a problem for the OP.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Pat Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 In case of a dispute over metering accuracy, I would expect the water company to replace the meter with a new one and send the old one back to the manufacturer or a lab for testing. If I suspected a problem with mine my first step would be to read the meter then run off, say, 100 litres measured as accurately as I could manage. A second reading should be pretty close to 100 litres more, if not then a call to the water company is suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Thanks for that suggestion.I have never been confident enough to demand that, but I do feel I still have excessive consumption with no obvious leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbel Bob Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hi,I have read the post from the french entree forum and will definitely be challenging our bill!! fingers crossed its that simple! OH read the meter this morning and worked out we have used 7cubic mtrs since the metre was read 22 days ago, if this is correct this will work out our next bill will be on average around 10 cubic metres a month so our next bill should be for around 60cubic mtrs (175e). As this bill is for 268cubic mtrs then there must of certainly been a problem? but how can i prove this???? As the metre reading is correct then I can't see us getting very far with this, we are still waiting to find someone locally who can speak on our behalf .Thanks again!J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 [quote user="Barbel Bob"]As the metre reading is correct then I can't see us getting very far with this, we are still waiting to find someone locally who can speak on our behalf .[/quote]Have you checked the actual numbers of their reading on the bill - has the meter reader transposed any figures ie misread the meter? That would be easy to prove by taking a photo of the present meter reading.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbel Bob Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hi Sue,It seems the reading was correct, it is what they say it was 22 days ago plus 7 more cubic mtrs!!! We just can't believe we would of used this much water in 6mths, we use the well to fill the pool and to water the garden most of the time, we do not have baths, however we are a family of four and do have the dishwasher & washing machine going every day, also we were steady with guests during june, july and aug.??? It just seems an awful lot more than the first 6mths usage when we did not do anything different [8-)]Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqui Too Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 [quote user="Barbel Bob"]Hi, we are still waiting to find someone locally who can speak on our behalf .Thanks again!J[/quote]I have sent you a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 [quote user="Barbel Bob"]It just seems an awful lot more than the first 6mths usage when we did not do anything different [8-)][/quote]Definitely puzzling.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbel Bob Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Jacqui,I have PM'd you alsoThanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJSLIV Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I suspect that the two bills taken together are about right.Three points:1)If you visit any of the UK water company's Websites you will find calculators which allow you to estimate how much water you would use if you were to choose a water meter.This is one of the easiest to use.......... http://www.unitedutilities.com/CalcUnmeteredChecklist.htm300 cubic metres isn't an impossible amount for a family of four using a washing machine every day. In fact its lower than most would suggest if you use a washing machine every day.2) Are you sure that your first bill really was based on readings? Most French water meters are only ready once a year.3) If you take your recent readings that would indicate usage of about 116 metres per year. Winter usage is usually lower, fewer showers, less washing etc etc, and also fewer guests. Its amazing how much water people get through with twice daily bath and showers especially if it's not their water! Incidentally the fact that your current usage pattern is higher than the usage implied bythe first bill also suggests that the summer bill was an estimate and would mean an amount was carried forward to the second bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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