Work recommended but ultimately proven not needed

[DickyRobbo]

So I switch from a unmetered rateable water supply to metered. 3 months later got a massive bill. Assume a leak. I have a meter on the path outside my property which matches the meter reading done by Severn Trent. Follow steps and diagnose a leak in the supply line to the house (leak indisctir still moving).

Ring up accredited company with my provider Severn Trent, comes out and says yep I think I can hear a small leak. Old lead pipe, recommends replacement.

Line gets replaced. Literally as they've back filled it all and connected it up, a few doors down comes out to say her water has gone off. They investigate further turns out it's a shared line. They dig up again, reconnect the supplies and connect my new supply capping of the old thought to be leaking pipe to my house (still live). Bascially a miss diagnosis on my part (not experienced) as well as the plumber. Turns out there is no leak, old pipe was fine.

The mistake seems to have primarily been driven by Severn Trent incorrectly fitting a meter on a shared line. The other 4 houses all have internal meters yet I'm being charged from the street meter. This is why the leak indicator was spinning during my diagnosis even though my house was isolated others were still live.

My question is, what should I do?

1.Suck it up and just pay? I can get a free connection from Severn Trent as its lead so will be off the shared connection. Will this give me any better water pressure etc or any benefit other than a new pipe? I had 32mm pipe fitted?

2. Argue that due to the issue not being investigated properly by the plumber, I've essentially paid for 23m of new pipe I didn't need?

3. Argue with Severn Trent that their mistake (they are coming out to review next week) has caused this issue in the first place

4. Combination of 2 and 3.

Sorry there's a lot of information and a lot I've probably missed ultimately I'm disappointed this wasn't spotted by the plumber whose accredited with Severn Trent.

 

[Mottie]

3.

 

[noseall]

So I switch from a unmetered rateable water supply to metered. 3 months later got a massive bill. Assume a leak. I have a meter on the path outside my property which matches the meter reading done by Severn Trent. Follow steps and diagnose a leak in the supply line to the house (leak indisctir still moving).

Ring up accredited company with my provider Severn Trent, comes out and says yep I think I can hear a small leak. Old lead pipe, recommends replacement.

Line gets replaced. Literally as they've back filled it all and connected it up, a few doors down comes out to say her water has gone off. They investigate further turns out it's a shared line. They dig up again, reconnect the supplies and connect my new supply capping of the old thought to be leaking pipe to my house (still live). Bascially a miss diagnosis on my part (not experienced) as well as the plumber. Turns out there is no leak, old pipe was fine.

The mistake seems to have primarily been driven by Severn Trent incorrectly fitting a meter on a shared line. The other 4 houses all have internal meters yet I'm being charged from the street meter. This is why the leak indicator was spinning during my diagnosis even though my house was isolated others were still live.

My question is, what should I do?

1.Suck it up and just pay? I can get a free connection from Severn Trent as its lead so will be off the shared connection. Will this give me any better water pressure etc or any benefit other than a new pipe? I had 32mm pipe fitted?

2. Argue that due to the issue not being investigated properly by the plumber, I've essentially paid for 23m of new pipe I didn't need?

3. Argue with Severn Trent that their mistake (they are coming out to review next week) has caused this issue in the first place

4. Combination of 2 and 3.

Sorry there's a lot of information and a lot I've probably missed ultimately I'm disappointed this wasn't spotted by the plumber whose accredited with Severn Trent.

Pay for the excess (neighbours) water? No.

Or pay for the wrongly diagnosed pipe replacement?

 

[DickyRobbo]

No I can claim back for the wrongly fitted overcharge and assuming they will correct by putting a meter in my property.I just don't know whether I should be asking for a discount from the plumber and complaining with Severn Trent.

 

[noseall]

No I can claim back for the wrongly fitted overcharge and assuming they will correct by putting a meter in my property.I just don't know whether I should be asking for a discount from the plumber and complaining with Severn Trent.

No one can see through soil. If diagnosis was by means of 'process of elimination' type investigations, then there has to be some guesswork involved. Not sure what was obvious to the plumber and what was not. On the other side of the coin, I'm not sure whether your plumber was up to snuff either.

It's not uncommon for lines to be shared. It's not a trade secret.

 

[DickyRobbo]

The plumber i have to say was good in the work carried out. The issue really is that there is a meter on the shared stop tap, which as far as I'm aware is not normal hence the assumption it was a single supply. As far as I'm aware he had expertise and should have checked that before completing work that wasn't necessary. I don't doubt his integrity, he has been honest and could have hid the fact from me that there isn't a leak.