The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a cancelled pest control appointment and incorrect advice about when a refund for that service would be made. This is because the Council has resolved the matter to the satisfaction of the complainant.
The complaint
Mrs X complains the Council failed to provide a pest control service that she had paid for, and that it gave her incorrect information about when a refund would be paid, which resulted in Mrs X going overdrawn.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X has told me that the Council has apologised for not providing the service and for failing to communicate with her properly about this. It has offered Mrs X a payment of £50 in recognition of what went wrong and made a commitment to ensure correct information is given in future.
Mrs X is satisfied with the action the Council has taken and as such, there are no grounds for our further involvement.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the Council has taken action which resolves the complaint for Mrs X.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman