British Gas misled customers with advert claiming it attends all emergency callouts swiftly, watchdog rules
- British Gas’ HomeCare cover advert said it attends all emergency callouts swiftly
- However, lockdown and an engineer strike caused a major backlog this year
- The Advertising Standards Authority banned the ads, calling them ‘misleading’
- British Gas said it would seek an independent review into the ruling
British Gas has been censured for misleading customers with claims it attends all emergency callouts swiftly.
The energy giant’s TV HomeCare cover adverts first aired in February, but lockdown and an engineer strike resulted in a major backlog earlier this year – with many families left without heating and hot water for weeks.
After receiving 24 complaints from customers, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled the adverts were ‘misleading’ and banned them.
British Gas said it would seek an independent review.
British Gas has been censured for misleading customers with claims it attends all emergency callouts swiftly. The claim was made in its HomeCare cover adverts which first aired in February, but lockdown and an engineer strike resulted in a major backlog earlier this year – with many families left without heating and hot water for weeks
In one ad, a voiceover suggested that policyholders did not have to dread ‘waking up to a freezing home’ if their boiler was ‘playing up’.
‘Not when you’re covered by British Gas HomeCare.’ it added.
The watchdog also upheld complaints against the firm’s website for claiming HomeCare would help customers avoid the cost of unexpected breakdowns.
The regulator said: ‘The ads implied that all British Gas HomeCare customers would be able to call out engineers to attend urgent issues at short notice.’
Around 3.4million HomeCare customers pay the energy giant hundreds of pounds a year to insure and service their boilers.
But lockdown restrictions and an engineer strike resulted in a major backlog earlier this year.
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