Not upheld: claim handling delay and dispute over adequacy of proposed remedy complaint against British Gas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Ms A complained about British Gas Insurance's handling of a home emergency insurance claim relating to bathroom facilities. The claim took longer than expected to resolve, with a dispute arising over whether a polishing remedial repair was offered in August 2025 and subsequently rejected by Ms A, or whether it was only a preliminary visit. British Gas maintained they offered polishing with a 12-month warranty, which Ms A rejected because she believed the problem would recur. The ombudsman found that British Gas acted reasonably in offering this repair and that the six-week delay between August and October, while at the upper end of acceptable, did not warrant compensation as the repair was always unacceptable to Ms A and she retained bathroom use throughout. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that British Gas acted in a timely manner after the previous complaint was closed and made a reasonable offer of polishing remedial work with a 12-month warranty. Although there was a dispute about what was offered in August, it was clear that Ms A found the proposed resolution unacceptable because she did not believe it would be lasting and effective. The six-week delay between August and October was at the upper end of acceptable claim progression, but did not delay the repair as it was always unacceptable to Ms A, and she retained use of her bathroom throughout. The ombudsman concluded that while the service did not meet expectations of either party, it was not poor enough to warrant compensation.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website