Paul Smith

Investigator ignored evidence and refused to investigate on incorrect facts
My experience with the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman was extremely poor and has seriously undermined my confidence in the service.
The issue was not simply that my complaint was rejected — it was the way the investigator handled it.
I provided a fully evidenced complaint about a council’s failure to comply with agreed Flood Risk Assessment safeguards, causing ongoing flood risk, loss of amenity and significant distress. I supplied:
• a detailed chronology
• documentary evidence
• written confirmations from previous Ombudsman investigators
• and a formal Council letter explicitly accepting my complaint for investigation after review
Despite this, the investigator refused to investigate on the basis that the issue had “already been investigated”.
This was demonstrably wrong.
The Council itself had confirmed in writing that the complaint was new and would be “thoroughly investigated” and a “comprehensive response” provided. Yet this key document was simply ignored.
The investigator:
• disregarded relevant evidence
• failed to address determinative submissions
• relied on incorrect factual assumptions
• mischaracterised the scope of the complaint
• adopted the Council’s position without scrutiny
• and provided reasoning that directly contradicted the documentary record
There was no meaningful engagement with the evidence I provided. It felt like the conclusion had already been decided and the facts were made to fit.
Most concerningly, the Ombudsman refused to investigate because it claimed the Council already had — while the Council said it had not and had accepted the complaint for investigation. Both positions cannot logically be true, yet the investigator did not address this contradiction.
The result is that neither the Council nor the Ombudsman has actually examined the substantive issue. The complaint has simply been pushed away on procedural grounds.
That is not independent oversight.
It is not impartial.
And it is not what the Ombudsman service exists to provide.
I expected a fair, evidence-based review. Instead, I experienced a process where key facts were overlooked and the investigator appeared to side with the authority being complained about.
Very disappointing and far below the standard of accountability the public should expect.

Excellent service and fantastic contemporary high quality handles. Arrived really well packaged. The handles have totally transformed the look of our kitchen . Would have no problem recommending the company and the products based on my experience

Im a long standing customer . Earlier this year Many Pets made changes to my online accounts without prior notice . These changes prevent me from using the customer online claims portal via My Account .This has caused considerable inconvenience. I now have to email all my claims to the claims team .I can longer track the progress of my claims online either . I have been informed this unacceptable situation will continue until my policies renew next year . Come on Many Pets get your act togethor please.

Complete waste of time. They do not impartially consider the evidence provided when reaching a decision to investigate or not but take the side of the local authority who do not provide any factual evidence to support its position. The LGO are totally unfit for purpose , biased in favour of local authorities and incompetent. Don't bother wasting your time complaining to this unaccountable quango who are funded by the local authorities they are supposed to investigate impartially .Take legal civil action instead.

Recently purchased a Concept 2 Rowing Machine. Service and communication was excellent, equipment was delivered on time and in excellent order. I will be returning to purchase further equipment online from Fitshop the near future. Thank you

Buyers Beware. Will not refund or answer emails . Exercised my right to cancel the order of a paint sprayer. Contacted company to ask for return details. After sending numerous emails they requested I send the item to another UK customer !! Still not received a refund of £97.99 despite complying with all instructions. Have raised a dispute with PayPal to get my money back .Avoid at all costs. Update- Received a full refund eventually via PayPal Dispute.

Order Number 9449591

We ordered three electric roller blinds for our bifold doors. On fitting the blinds they were all faulty as they were tracking significantly to the left causing the blind material to chafe against the blind brackets. The fitter pointed this issue out to us and made us aware that this had also been a problem on his last job. Both the fittter and ourselves spoke to customer services but they were unable to offer any solution to rectify the issue.The fitter also spoke to his manager who stated this problem had been discussed at their management meetings but was again unable to offer a solution. As a result we instructed the fitter to remove the blinds which left 6 holes in the plaster wall which we have had to fill, sand and repaint . Customer services were rude obstructive and unhelpful and we had to argue to get a full refund despite the fitter confirming to them the blinds had a problem which he was unable to resolve.Despite management being aware of this tracking problem Hillarys continue to sell the electric roller blinds. The fitter stated the blinds used to have a clip on the roller mechanism to prevent the material tracking to one side rather than evenly in our case the blinds were tracking from right to left as they were going up causing the blind material to catch and chafe on the bracket.
We will not use Hillarys again and would not recommend their products or services. Avoid if you don't want to have a load of hassle and disappointment.

Update .. The order was placed in my wife's name. Your notes are not correct as the blinds were rejected on the day of installation due to the problems highlighted in the review. We have received notification from Hillarys that a full refund has been issued due to the unacceptable problems we encountered. An apology would have been nice but its not surprising this has not happened. We have since placed an order with a local company who have superior UK manufacturered products at a far better price. I note you do not dispute the review as its a totally true account of the problems we have experienced with your company .

Green People sensitive Skin factor 30. Poor quality product, very difficult to absorb into skin. Product is very uncomfortable to use and remains sticky and claggy on your skin. Would not buy again or recommend this product. My daughter my wife and I all tried this product and drew the same conclusion .

If I could give 0 stars. I would do. The DPS are totally unfit for purpose . They do not adhere to their own terms and conditions , do not answer emails and their advisors are rude, unprofessional and lack knowledge of their own policies, procedures and terms and conditions. Their complaints dept do not adhere to their time frames for replying to complaints and cannot be contacted to discuss your complaint in person. What ever you do if you are a landlord please please stay away from this organisation and protect your deposit elsewhere.

Reported a problem with water dispenser on our fridge freezer under our Homecate Agreement. Engineer failed to check for frozen pipes . This resulted in a water escape and significant damage to our solid oak floor and kitchen units all of which need to know be replaced. British Gas accepted full liability. Complained to British Gas in August and this is still ongoing in January 2023. British Gas referred my complaint to their insurance claims department who commissioned independent contractors to assess the damage and provide a quotation and schedule of works. British Gas claims department made a cash offer to settle which was 25 % less than the quotation costs leaving me out of pocket to the tune of nearly £2000 to rectify the damage caused through British Gas negligence. They offered the poultry sum of £200 for the inconvenience
which is totally unacceptable. I will have to rip up the oak flooring and beadng in the kitchen, lounge and hall, remove a granite hearth and take out and replace a number of damaged kitchen units which will take over a week. British Gas will not increase their offer to put us back in the same position as we were prior to the water escape. In light of the above now looking likely I will have to instigate legal action to recoup my losses. This is a company which is making billions of pounds of profits off the back of loyal customers like myself and despite accepting full liability will not act fairly and responsibly when they get it wrong . Truly dreadful experience.

In response to the reply from British Gas . I do not use Facebook or Twitter . British Gas Services Complaints are full aware o of this matter . Please contact them for details of my complaint.

Great service .. order for a canvas was processed quickly and arrived well packaged and undamaged Would recommend and will use again in the future ..

We have used Archers recently to advertise our rental property on a tenant find let only basis. The service we have received was first class from the initial accurate market appraisal via Adam , through to the advertising and marketing and viewings of the property. Shelley and the team kept us regularly updated throughout the process and the associated administration was completed very quickly. We would highly recommend this agent 👌

Contacted Octopus this morning and spoke to Emily re a change of tenants at our rental property. Emily was exceptionally competent, professional and friendly . She was able to resolve my enquiry very quickly and as such J was delighted with the service I received. Many thanks

This process is a complete joke. My complaint referred to the poor standard of a Building Survey Report . The adjudicator R Dawson ignored the significant and detailed evidence I produced in my complaint and found in favour of the company who provided next to no evidence.There is no accountability and the process is far from transparent. Be very aware if you use this "impartial" complaints resolution process as it's far from impartial and there is a clear bias from the adjudicator in favour of the large corporate companies who no doubt fund their organisation. Avoid if you dont want to be left feeling disappointed and very frustrated .

This company is truly shocking. Please ensure you check every last detail of your application for life or critical illness cover as in the event of a claim they will go through it with a fine tooth comb looking for any reason whatsoever to avoid paying out. When you try and speak to a representative they verge on being passive aggressive and do not listen to your concerns. We asked for details of their complaints policy which was declined and was told on more than one occasion the only method of making a complaint was over the phone. Having checked their complaints policy online you can make a complaint via email which was more appropriate to ensure our concerns were recorded accurately. Would not recommend this company in any way.

The customer service and communication received from Abigail Sharp was outstanding. I was kept fully informed throughout the application process from start to finish. I would not hesitate to recommend this service .