Decision report 201102249

Summary
Mr C complained that Business Stream's bills for his business premises were inaccurate. He did not have a water meter in the business premises he rented and the original bills were calculated on what Business Stream considered to be the rateable value of the property.

Mr C queried the bills he received and Business Stream referred the matter to Scottish Water for reassessment. Scottish Water told Business Stream that a water meter could not be installed in the property, as Mr C had a shared water supply with another business. However, Scottish Water agreed that he could move to a system of charging based on the estimated consumption at the premises from the date Mr C had written to Business Stream to query the bill. Business Stream also amended the account to reflect the correct rateable value of the property when Mr C informed them that he was only on one floor of the building. This further reduced the bill.

The bills issued by Business Stream correctly reflected the information they held at that time and were in line with the appropriate legislation/guidance. We did not uphold the complaint. However, in view of Mr C's complaint and a previous agreement between him and Business Stream that the account would be put on hold, we asked Business Stream if they would remove a recovery charge of £90 that they had added to the account. Business Stream told us that they are willing to do this.