Upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Oakleafe Group Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs C complained about Oakleafe Group Limited's service in handling their home insurance claim following water damage. They objected to fees charged, particularly for the contents claim, and were frustrated that they had to arrange their own temporary accommodation and storage despite Oakleafe's leaflet promising to handle these matters. The contents claim took approximately one year to submit to the insurer, with Mr C and his family doing most of the work rather than Oakleafe. Additionally, there were payment administration issues including delays in passing funds to Mr C and an erroneous payment. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding that while Oakleafe's fees were contractually justified and the claim was ultimately settled successfully, the firm failed to clearly communicate its role and manage expectations in line with its marketing materials, warranting £300 compensation for distress and inconvenience.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Oakleafe dealt with the claim reasonably in line with the terms of engagement, it failed to clearly communicate its role and manage expectations. The leaflet promised that Oakleafe would arrange alternative accommodation and provide a dedicated assessor to manage the entire process, but Mr C had to arrange his own accommodation and storage and do substantial work on the contents claim himself. Additionally, there were administrative issues including payment delays and an erroneous payment to Mr C. The ombudsman concluded that Oakleafe's fee charges were contractually justified, but the service delivery fell short of what was promised in the marketing materials.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website