We’ll always aim to provide the highest standard of service and ensure our customers are completely satisfied. However, we understand that issues may occasionally arise. If this happens, we are committed to resolving your complaint as quickly and fairly as possible.
Scotland Water complaints procedure
Your water and/or waste services (including drainage) are provided by Clear Business Water Limited, a licensed supplier in Scotland. This licence is issued by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland.
Clear Business Water Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verastar Limited. Verastar Limited handles your billing, and Clear Business is a trading name of Verastar Limited.
Need to make a complaint?
If you’ve had a problem with your water supply in Scotland, please follow the steps below to raise a complaint. You can also use this process to raise an issue with your bill.
If your issue is in England, you can find the right complaint process here: England Water Complaints Procedure | Clear Business.
- Your contact details (name and address) or your account number
- Background information about the issue
- The impact the issue is having on you
- What you would like to happen as a resolution
How to make a complaint
The quickest and most effective way for us to resolve your complaint is by contacting us via WhatsApp or Live Chat or by calling us on 0333 014 3131.
To help ensure your complaint is handled quickly and efficiently, please follow the steps below.
What we'll need from you
No matter how you get in touch, we'll need a few details from you:
You can expect to receive acknowledgement of your complaint within 8 business days and a response to your complaint within 10 business days. Where possible, our response will include a resolution to your complaint (as detailed below).
Step 1
Letting us know
Our teams are empowered to resolve complaints at the first point of contact whenever possible.
If you contact us in writing, we may need to speak with you by phone to gather additional information before investigating your complaint. In some cases, we may also need to contact a third party before we can resolve the matter. If this happens, we will keep you updated on the progress.
- Explain what has happened
- Offer an apology where appropriate
- Take action to put things right
- Offer compensation where it has not been possible to fully resolve your complaint with remedial action. Where an offer of compensation is accepted in resolution of your complaint, this will be issued within 20 business days.
When resolving your complaint, we will:
If our team cannot resolve your complaint, it will be escalated to a Team Manager.
Step 2
If your complaint needs further review
If we're unable to resolve your complaint straight away, it will be passed to our specialist Complaint Team.
A member of the team will get in touch to acknowledge your complaint and carry out a full review. They may need to look into things further, but we'll keep you informed and updated every step of the way.
You can usually expect an initial response from our Complaints Team within 14 days. In this response, we may resolve your complaint, let you know if we need any further information (from you or a third party), or provide you with our final decision.
Step 3
If things haven't been resolved to your satisfaction
If we have completed our review and investigation and you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).
The SPSO is a free and independent service that helps resolve disputes between customers and water suppliers.
You can contact them using the details below:
Online - www.spso.org.uk/contact-us
Phone - 0800 377 7330
The SPSO may not be able to look at your complaint if:
- You haven't completed all stages of our complaint process yet
- More than 12 months have passed since you first became aware of the issue
- The matter has already been considered, or is currently being considered, by a court.
If you're unable to contact us by WhatsApp, Live Chat or by phone, you can write to the Customer Care Team at:
Clear Business, PO Box 156, Blyth, NE24 9GH. Written enquiries may result in longer response times.