Upheld: poor service - inadequate communication and failure to provide information complaint against British Gas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P complained about poor service from British Gas Insurance Limited regarding his home emergency insurance claim. He had requested the engineer attend after 1pm due to his tenant's vulnerability, but British Gas's agent did not clearly communicate that the engineer might attend earlier. Mr P unnecessarily travelled to the property when the engineer attended before 1pm. Additionally, no job sheet was left at the property and the engineer's report was not provided when requested, forcing Mr P to obtain a second opinion. The ombudsman upheld the complaint and awarded £150 compensation for distress and inconvenience caused by these service failures.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that British Gas's agent was not sufficiently clear in either the telephone call or confirmation email that the engineer might attend before 1pm, despite Mr P's explicit request for after 1pm attendance due to tenant vulnerability. The ombudsman accepted Mr P's assertion that no job sheet was left at the property, as evidenced by the case handler never referring to it when Mr P chased for the engineer's report. These service failures caused Mr P distress and inconvenience, warranting compensation.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website