Receiving help in vulnerability

Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 17:00,
Saturday - Sunday: Closed (Emergency 24/7)

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020 3808 6608

Introduction

Vulnerability can impact any business customer at any time, whether in the short or long term. Exposure is not always visible or permanent and may arise unexpectedly at any stage of the customer journey. Additionally, vulnerability may result from personal, financial, operational, or environmental factors and can affect a customer’s ability to manage or engage with their water services effectively. As a retailer operating within a competitive market regulated by Ofwat, we are committed not only to delivering high-quality services but also to ensuring that no customer is disadvantaged due to their circumstances.

Our Vulnerability Strategy reflects a structured and proactive approach to identifying, supporting, and responding to customers who may need additional assistance. We prioritise early engagement, personalised account management, and tailored support measures that are proportionate to individual needs. We aim to create an environment where customers feel comfortable disclosing their circumstances, enabling us to respond quickly and appropriately. This commitment is based on principles of fairness, confidentiality, and continuous improvement across all customer interactions. It ensures that all customers, regardless of size, sector, or complexity, receive equitable treatment and appropriate support throughout their relationship with us.

Identifying and understanding vulnerability

We define vulnerability as any circumstance that may impact a customer’s ability to effectively access, understand, or manage their water services. This may include financial hardship or cash flow constraints, health conditions or disabilities affecting key personnel, language or communication barriers, limited internal resource or capability within a business, temporary operational disruption such as site closures or emergencies, lack of digital access or poor connectivity affecting bill payment or account management, sudden change in business ownership or key decision-making roles, mental health challenges or high stress levels within the business leadership, dependency on water for critical daily operations such as healthcare, food, or childcare, geographic isolation or lack of local support networks, previous negative experiences with utility providers causing confusion or distrust, caring responsibilities that reduce time or capacity to manage business accounts, or inconsistent or unpredictable cash flow due to seasonal work or late payment from own customers. We recognise that vulnerability is often dynamic and may not always be visible or formally disclosed.

We take a proactive and flexible approach to identifying customers who may require additional support. This includes ongoing engagement through dedicated account managers, monitoring of account indicators such as payment patterns or sudden changes in consumption or contact behaviour, encouraging open dialogue with customers to disclose support needs, and training staff to recognise potential signs of vulnerability. We also consider inconsistent or infrequent communication from a customer, requests for repeated payment extensions or plan renegotiations, changes in business address or site operating hours without explanation, notifications from third parties such as debt advice agencies or social workers, reduced engagement with digital or automated services after previously active use, abrupt changes in authorised contact persons or signatories on the account, expressions of confusion, frustration, or distress during routine interactions, and unusually high or low usage patterns that may indicate equipment failure, theft, or business closure. Customers are not required to provide formal evidence to access support as we adopt a trust-based approach wherever appropriate.

Our support strategy

Support is provided on a case-by-case basis, ensuring solutions are aligned with the customer’s specific needs.

Account management support includes dedicated points of contact, adjusted communication frequency and methods, clear and simplified explanations of services and charges, regular check-ins to anticipate changing needs rather than reacting to crises, a named support liaison who remains consistent over time, proactive notifications about upcoming changes to services or bills, longer call handling times without pressure to conclude quickly, and joint calls with third parties such as interpreters or business advisors where the customer requests this.
Financial support includes flexible payment arrangements, support with understanding billing and consumption, temporary payment holidays or reduced instalments during known periods of hardship, consolidation of overdue balances into manageable repayment plans, access to water efficiency advice to reduce future bills, referral to charitable or hardship funds available for business customers, and assistance with applying for grants or emergency funding from local authorities or industry bodies.
Operational support includes priority handling of service-related issues, assistance during periods of operational disruption, coordination with wholesalers or third parties where required, rapid escalation routes for vulnerable customers facing supply interruptions, temporary alternative water supply arrangements during emergencies, advance warning of planned maintenance or outages, dedicated out-of-hours contact for urgent operational issues, site visits from field staff trained in vulnerability awareness, and help with reapplying for services following a site closure or change of ownership.
Digital and administrative support represents support for customers excluded by standard digital processes, including alternatives to online-only account management, help setting up and using online services if capability is the barrier, extended timeframes for responding to automated requests or reminders, and manual processing of requests where digital channels are inaccessible.
Third party and representative support includes assistance for customers who cannot manage their account alone, including permission to speak with a trusted adviser, family member, carer, or support worker, recognition of power of attorney or court-appointed deputy arrangements, acceptance of agent-authorised letters from recognised support organisations, direct liaison with business recovery specialists or insolvency practitioners during company distress, and collaborative working with local authority business support teams or enterprise agencies.
Accessibility adjustments include alternative communication formats, support for customers with language barriers or additional needs, large print or audio versions of bills and correspondence, email or SMS as an alternative to written letters, translation services via telephone or online tools, communication via a nominated third party with the customer’s consent, accessible digital portals designed for users with visual or cognitive impairments, paper bills sent to an alternative address where needed, and face-to-face meetings arranged at accessible locations or via video call.
Temporary crisis support are short-term measures for sudden or unexpected difficulties, including emergency payment deferrals while a customer stabilises following bereavement or sudden illness, fast-track reconnection of services following temporary site closure, temporary changes to billing address or contact details without standard administrative delays, suspension of debt collection activity during an agreed crisis period, and protection from referral to enforcement agencies while a support plan is being established.

How can we help?

We ensure that all customers can engage with us in a way that suits their needs by offering multiple communication channels such as phone, email, and digital forms, providing clear jargon-free information, and adapting communication styles based on customer preferences. Where required, we will take additional steps to ensure information is understood and accessible. All relevant staff are trained to recognise and respond to signs of vulnerability, handle sensitive situations with professionalism and empathy, and apply this strategy consistently and appropriately, with training reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with regulatory expectations and best practice.

We treat all information relating to vulnerability with strict confidentiality and in accordance with data protection requirements, meaning customer information is only used for the purpose of providing appropriate support, stored securely and accessed only by relevant personnel, and managed in line with applicable data protection legislation. We are committed to continually improving our approach by reviewing customer feedback and outcomes, monitoring the effectiveness of support measures, and updating our strategy in line with regulatory guidance and industry best practice. Customers can request additional support at any time by contacting their dedicated account manager, using our website contact form, or calling our team.

We encourage customers to get in touch as early as possible so we can provide timely and effective assistance. For further information, feel free to contact us via the Online enquiry page, where our team is ready to assist you.