Upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Oakleafe Group Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs F appointed Oakleafe Group Ltd as loss assessor following fire damage to their property in 2022. Although Oakleafe's terms stated it would not be responsible for specialists it introduced, it failed to clearly communicate this limitation, leading Mr and Mrs F to believe Oakleafe was responsible for contractor N's actions. The repairs experienced significant delays and problems, and Oakleafe itself made delayed payments without clear explanation and had a four-month communication gap during a crucial period. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding Oakleafe's lack of transparency about its role, combined with its own service failures, caused Mr and Mrs F substantial distress during an already stressful time. Compensation of £1,500 was ordered.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Although Oakleafe's terms of business agreement stated it would not accept responsibility for errors by introduced specialists, this limitation was not clearly communicated to Mr and Mrs F from the outset. Oakleafe represented that it would handle all communications, negotiations and payments, creating a reasonable expectation that it would oversee the entire process. The lack of transparency about Oakleafe's actual role and limitations, combined with Oakleafe's own failures in making timely payments and maintaining communication, caused Mr and Mrs F substantial distress and confusion during an already stressful period when their alternative accommodation was running out.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website