TWO British Gas TV ads for suggesting customers could get emergency call outs at short notice when some customers claim to have been waiting months.
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned two TV ads, as well as a website advert and tweet by British Gas for its HomeCare Cover service.
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Some 24 complaints were registered by British Gas HomeCare Service customers over the adverts.
Of these, 21 customers said they had been waiting for up to three weeks for their emergency call-out or were told one could not be provided.
Limitations on services because of Covid and strike action were given as the reasons for lack of service, they claimed.
A further 13 people complained they had been waiting several months for an annual boiler service or had been told one could not be provided.
In the first TV advert, shown in February 2021, a voiceover stated: “But no heating or hot water? We can solve that and help you avoid any nasty repair bills.”
Small print in the ad claimed the service was available for 98% of UK mainland households.
It showed someone using a British Gas mobile app and a British Gas engineer inspecting a boiler, before stating: “All done”.
The second advert, screened in the same month, showed a man filling a hot water bottle from a kettle and covering sleeping children with extra blankets.
A voiceover stated: “Boiler playing up? Dreading waking up to a freezing home and an unexpected repair bill? Not when you’re covered by British Gas HomeCare.”
Viewers were told they could get one month free cover if they signed up by 29th March and both adverts carried the slogan: “British Gas, here to solve.”
The HomeCare Cover service is an extra cost to customers that promises cover for blockages, breakdowns and burst pipes among other things.
But many households may be reluctant to pay for extra cover as they’re already feeling the pinch from spiralling energy costs.
Some customers have recently challenged their energy provider as they have seen their bills hiked. But those using heating oil face the biggest price rises.
It comes as at least 12 energy firms have collapsed since August.
We have looked at the seven appliances adding to your energy bills.
What has the ASA said about the ads?
British Gas said it had followed lockdown and safety guidance and maintained essential services, but temporarily suspended non-essential services such as annual service visits in order to protect customers and staff.
The firm said it had taken steps such as paying for customers to purchase heaters up to the value of £50 or to cover the cost of transport to a friend’s or relative’s house.
The ASA said that customers would understand from the adverts that they would be able to call out engineers at short notice to deal with urgent issues.
It pointed out that while customers may have expected some level of disruption or delay to normal services because of strike action and the pandemic, the TV and website ads “were run in February, some time after those events were already under way and affecting services”.
British Gas said that in January 2021 it responded to 97.53% of jobs within one day where customers were vulnerable or whose health could be a risk without heating and hot water, or who had an uncontrollable leak.
This fell to 96.46% in February, and was 97.04% in March.
However, the ASA said these figures did not account for customers not classified as vulnerable but who had experienced issues which could still be considered as emergencies.
The ASA said: “The ads implied that all British Gas HomeCare customers would be able to call out engineers to attend urgent issues at short notice.
“However, we understood that the company’s ability to maintain services levels for all but the most vulnerable customers had been significantly disrupted by a combination of Covid-19 lockdown and industrial action by their employees.
“Given the timing of the ads relative to those events, we considered that they were misleading.”
A British Gas spokesperson said: “We’re disappointed at the outcome and are seeking an independent review of the Council’s decision.
“We actually completed more emergency and vulnerable customer visits in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter last year.
“We know there will have been some customers who felt let down by our decision to push back non-essential services, which was necessary to protect customers and colleagues as we worked under the government’s Covid restrictions at the time.
“We have since caught up on any non-urgent appointments and are up to date with urgent appointments as our engineers continue to work around the clock to look after our customers.”
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