Scottish Water/Business Stream Unfair Charges

[acewoodturner]

I run a small business in Scotland from rented business premises. I have recently changed my water supplier over from Business Stream to another supplier. I asked for a copy of my statement from Business Stream who sent me out a copy.
I have sometimes struggled to pay my bills (which I think are extortionate anyway) and they regularly sent me reminders in pretty quick sucession. For each letter sent out they charged me £30 despite the fact that it was nowhere near the cost of communicating with me. I counted up the charges and on 21 times they have marked the 3 charges down at £90 (a total of 63 letters at a cost of £1890) They have also sent the small debts to a collection agency and have applied a variety of charges ranging from £86.25 to £154.89.
In total the charges from 11/12/2008 have accumulated to £3101.49
I have complained several times about the excessive charges and they waived some fees but that leaves £158.86 that I have paid out to them or about 3.5 years worth of water supply. For many of those years they were a monopoly supplier and I feel they abused their position
I do remember the banks several years ago being told that they were not allowed to charge rip off amounts such as £30 or £25 for sending out letters telling people that they had exceeded their overdraft limit. I dont think that Scottish Water/Businees Stream should be allowed to either.
What I am looking for is some guidance/advice to help me put my complaint together in order that I might get some of this money back from them, or am I just barking up the wrong tree.

Mike

 

[GLAbusiness]

In total the charges from 11/12/2008 have accumulated to £3101.49

It would appear that you have an 8 year history of failing to pay your bills. I am not surprised that they need to keep sending letters and charging you for the considerable admin involved, not to mention the fact that they have not received the payments they are owed.

How would you react of one of your customers had such a bad payment record.

 

[The Byre]

Business Stream is about as close as you can get to a criminal organisation as you can get, as a public service. Everybody who has dealings with them, has problems.

 

[acewoodturner]

Hi GLA
I am not disputing the fact that I was a bit late sometimes in paying my bills. What I dont like is a monopoly organisation send ing me reminders that I didnt need reminding about, at a cost of £30 a time. I would jettison a customer who behaved like that. Or maybe I wouldnt, if I knew that I would be the only business who could sell them a product they couldnt function without, and make good money by legally extorting from them surcharges of which I could set the rate at, and a tortuous complaints system which was set up not in the customer's interest.
The banks arent allowed to charge £30 a time and it was considered unfair. They were made to change it.
I didnt get a contract from them either, I just took over the building, and the name was changed on the bill.