De Watergroep received 1.015 justified complaints per 1,000 customers in 2025, against a target of below 0.9. It was the third year in a row that the Flemish utility missed its complaints target, even as overall customer satisfaction with drinking water rose to 7.4 out of 10.
A business system problem
Complaints had been 0.685 per 1,000 customers in 2023, against a target of below 0.6, before jumping to 1.48 in 2024. The utility traced the peak, which came in January 2025, to continuing problems after a new business system went live at the end of 2023. Complaint numbers then fell markedly compared with 2024.
Scores improving
The Net Promoter Score climbed from −6 in 2023 to −4 in 2024 and +1 in 2025, reaching the target of 0 for the first time in the three years reported. Satisfaction held at 7.2 out of 10 in 2023 and 2024 before rising. The share of customers receiving their invoice digitally rose from 56% in 2024 to 60.50% in 2025.
A higher bill to explain
The 2025–2030 tariff plan raised tariffs by 11.6% in 2025, and with indexation the price rose 16.46%. For 2026, De Watergroep says an average household of about 2.3 persons using 72 m³ pays €252 a year for drinking water including VAT, €12.49 more than before. Sanitation charges come on top.
The utility serves 3,398,870 customers in its service area across 167 municipalities, through 1,552,455 connections in 2025. Since January 1, 2026, its operations have been run by Waterunie Operator, a company it owns equally with Farys, while customer relations stay with De Watergroep.
How the tariff regime, the change of regulator and the pending 2027 tariff decision bear on customers, and how De Watergroep's finances, networks and projects compare, are set out in the full report. The full report, Utility Intelligence Profile: De Watergroep, is available for USD 99. For a free overview, read the De Watergroep Utility Snapshot.