SwitchWaterSupplier.com urges consultants & TPI’s to adopt OFWAT’s principles for voluntary code of conduct.
SwitchWaterSupplier.com says ‘step up and adopt the water regulations “Principles for Voluntary TPI codes of Conduct’. This is the request from the Directors of SwitchWaterSupplier.com the UK’s business water retail contract procurement site.
The company has already taken the lead and adopted OFWAT’s code of conduct and published them on the website.
Protecting-customers-in-the-business-market-principles-for-voluntary-TPI-codes-of-conduct (1)So why the request to the water consultancies and water procurement market?
Graham Mann, Director of SwitchWaterSupplier.com, says “It became apparent that a few online water switching sites had been identified as offering a business water supplier switching service and making claims that are simply not true, for example ‘Make an online business water comparison and save up to 45 percent’. Graham suggests “This is simply not true. Savings on switching from one retailer to another would not achieve a 45 percent saving on your water bills. The company concerned will also only give one price from one water retailer as they are using one water retail company’s pricing tool, so no comparisons are being made.”
Giving a further example of claims being made, Graham cited the use of ‘Compare business water rates, the best mains water quotes in as little as two clicks’. Graham suggested that again, “this company is also using a pricing tool from one specific water retailer, hence they are acting only for that one water retailer and no price comparison is being made there either!”
The most serious water market deception is again an online company which is claiming ‘Water retailers are participating in a blind bidding process’, also claiming ‘Business water rates comparison, finding you the best rate deals for your business and compare the top UK suppliers’.
Our research has shown this is untrue, and yet again, this company, as with the other two companies, use only one water retailer’s pricing tool and push only one retailer. Basically these types of broker – if they can be called that – are agents for one retail supplier, which is not what they say on their websites or on the telephone. In our research, in one particular instance, we weres given three prices, the top best price from the water retailer they are acting agents for and the other two prices from two retailers which were fictitious.
There is only one online services that compares the whole market and that is SwitchWaterSupplier.com and our code of conduct is published here.