Dean Dunham asks the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman what LBC listeners want to know
17 March 2023, 14:42 | Updated: 20 March 2023, 09:28
Dean Dunham asks the Furniture Ombudsman what LBC listeners want to know
In Dean Dunham’s ‘Ask’ series, he asks key individuals and organisations (such as regulators, consumer organisations, ombudsmen, alternative dispute resolution providers, energy providers, online marketplaces and other retailers) the burning questions LBC listeners are asking.
ASK THE FURNITURE & HOME IMPROVEMENT OMBUDSMAN
This week I ‘Ask The Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman all the key questions LBC listeners have been asking and need to know. Judith Turner, the Deputy Chief Ombudsman from the ombudsman joined me to provide answers to your questions.
As my regular listeners know, I’m often asked questions about faulty sofa’s and other furniture on the LBC Consumer Hour so I spoke to the Ombudsman about these complaints.
I asked:
“How does the Ombudsman approach and assess a claim where the consumer says a sofa is faulty, but the retailer says the issue was caused by accidental damage?”
“How does the Ombudsman approach complaints from consumers about the comfort of the sofa or mattress”
We also discussed common problems consumers encounter when buying flooring. In this respect lots of listeners wanted me to ask about fitting costs. So I asked:
“When you determine that flooring is faulty and a replacement or refund should be provided, do you also award compensation for the fitting costs?”
Another popular issue raised on the LBC Consumer Hour in relation to furniture is delivery. We discussed common delivery issues including how the Ombudsman deals with complaints where:
• Delivery has been late
• Delivery is late and the consumer has already disposed of their bed/mattress/sofa
• Consequential losses are claimed
Finally we spoke about what evidence and information the Ombudsman needs to see in order to uphold a consumer complaint.
I also asked:
“How much reliance the Ombudsman places on a retailer’s internal reports/opinion?”
“How the Ombudsman deals with conflicting reports (one from consumer, one from retailer) and he/she decides what weight to put on each report and ultimately which report to place the greatest reliance upon?”
If you have an issue with furniture you have purchased or any home improvements you’ve had done this is a must watch interview.