Payment for Unnecessary Service
In August 2022 I bought a gas cooker from Currys and they recommended Gaslec Kent to install it (a service I paid extra for). Gaslec Kent did a gas safety check, I presumed to ensure safety before installing the cooker, and issued me with a certificate at no extra cost.
I received an email from Gaslec (18/07/2024) reminding me that my Annual Service / Gas Certificate was due. I have been a tenant for nearly 20 years, and expect to receive such reminders from a landlord annually. I usually make an appointment, the certificate is issued, and I receive it at no extra cost.
I made an appointment with Gaslec Kent as I presumed it was the company sent by my landlord, and Gaslec Kent did the service 29/07/2024. I was then shocked to receive an invoice from Gaslec Kent for £90 for the cost of the service.
I contacted Gaslec Kent and was told that everything was under my name, and if I was a tenant, I could pay Gaslec Kent then ask the landlord to refund me, because as a tenant, I should not have to pay for this service. I informed them that I was not at all happy with the £90 charge, as I had not requested a service from them, and I had assumed that it was the usual service check provided by the landlord. They said that as I had contacted their office and arranged the appointment, I was responsible for the payment. I told them that I contacted them because I was doing what I always do when I received the annual reminder; I was not expecting it to be from a completely different company that I had not requested a service from. I told them that I feel as though I have been ‘conned’ into this payment, because I did not ask them to contact me on this occasion, nor to keep in contact with me at all, and I am now expected to pay for a service that I am entitled to free from my landlord. The operative told me that the email is automatically generated, and I replied that this was no excuse, and I would have no way of knowing if my landlord was using a different supplier. I feel as though I have been tricked into having to pay £90 for a service that I did not request, or need.
The person I spoke to on the phone was courteous and polite throughout the conversation, as was I. I asked if they could consider reducing the amount as it was not made clear to me that it was not sent by the landlord. I told them that I cannot afford such a payment, and that it was disgusting what they were doing. The operative said that she would talk to someone about it, however I got the strong impression that nothing will be done, and that I will be asked to pay the £90. I again made it clear that I was not at all happy with the payment, and that I believe that I had been ‘conned’ into making a payment for a service that I did not request from them.
I am particularly disgusted because in order to install the cooker, I recall that I had to get specific permission from the landlord, because I was a tenant, and that Gaslec Kent would not install the cooker without that permission. Gaslec Kent was therefore well aware that I was a tenant, not the owner. (The landlord required that the cooker be installed by a reputable company.)
I contacted my landlord 31/07/2024) and was informed that they did not send Gaslec Kent to do the service; they use a different company, so they were not responsible for payment.
As I have just become a pensioner (19/07/024) I know that I will have to be very careful with my finances. I am disgusted by Gaslec Kent’s behaviour.
LdB
UPDATE 01/08/2024:
Following on from my complaint above, and Gaslec Kent’s response below, I would like to confirm that I did receive an email response from them this afternoon (01/08/2024), stating that on this occasion, they will settle the matter from their ‘charity and discretionary fund’. They also went on to state that they have removed all my details from their records and that I ‘will not receive any further communication from [them]’. Therefore, the matter is now resolved.
I am obviously extremely relieved, and I appreciate Gaslec Kent’s quick response to, and resolution of, this matter.
LdB

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