We have a leaking water pipe in our garden.
It took a while to spot the leak because we had experienced a lot of rain and the whole garden was wet.
We identified via Thames water a local firm that might be able to fix it.
Their team came to visit us very promptly.
The technician lifted the cover hiding the stop cock on the pavement outside our home. They concluded they could not fit their gas testing leak equipment because the stopcock was very old.
I contacted Thames Water and explained the above.
A few weeks later, an engineer from Thames Water called. He was very efficient and engaging (we had a long chat about football) whilst he cleared many years of accumulated debris around the stopcock.
Having tested to ensure the water supply worked, he departed.
The local firm asked me to photograph the stopcock and send it to them, which I duly did. They told me the type of stopcock Thames Water needed to fit to proceed with fixing the leak was called an Ebco stopcock.
I informed Thames Water of the need for this new stopcock, but I have no idea what it is.
Some weeks later, I sent a reminder to Thames Water as I had not heard from them. They responded by telling me that they had cleared the stopcock pit and had no outstanding action.
So we are back in the loop. I am still waiting, and this could be for up to 10 days to respond to my latest missive to them.
The pipe is still leaking.
I have concluded from this experience that our clients probably want the following from us;
-Solutions to the financial challenges that you face, the equivalent of stopping your financial leaks
-Communication in plain English without jargon. I still don’t know what an Ebco stopcock is and you are probably equally confused by UPFLS.
-Delivered in a timely fashion so that you can stop your financial leaks
In simple terms, we need to make things easy for you, our clients.
