The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a bulky waste collection because the Council has provided a fair remedy.
The complaint
The complainant, whom I refer to as Mr X, complains the Council did not take all the rubbish when he booked a bulky waste collection. Mr X wants the Council to complete the job or provide a refund.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Ombudsman investigates complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if the Council has provided a satisfactory response. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council. This includes the complaint correspondence and information from the Council saying it will make a refund. I also considered our Assessment Code and invited Mr X to comment on a draft of this decision.
My assessment
Mr X booked two bulky waste collections in January. He paid £33 for each booking. The booking included 36 bags of rubbish. The Council collected the waste in January and marked the job as complete.
Mr X contacted the Council in April to complain the Council had not collected all the bags and he had been left with 24 bags of rubbish. The Council said its records show the job had been completed. It said Mr X had waited until April to complain and there was an expectation people would get in touch promptly if there was a problem with a collection. The Council said Mr X would need to make alternative arrangements for the rubbish.
In response to my enquiries the Council decided to collect the outstanding waste. Mr X then explained he had arranged for a private contractor to remove the waste. As a gesture of goodwill the Council will refund the £66 Mr X paid for the bulky waste collection.
I will not investigate this complaint because the Council will refund the £66 that Mr X paid for the collection. I do not know what happened regarding the collection but a refund is a fair way to solve the complaint and is one of the outcomes Mr X hoped for.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint because the Council has provided a fair response.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman