Council not carrying out repairs

SherrieWelch

I made a report to my council that my toilet was broken.
With no response after 6 days I phoned them.
2 days later, a plumber visits and tells me they will fit a new one.
With no action after 12 days I phone them, requesting a call back from the repair team.
With no response after 5 hours I call back, only to be told that the only thing they can do is pass it to the repair team. I request a call back again.
I didn't get a call back so made a formal complaint.
Still no response!
I can't afford to take them to court so I now don't have a flushing toilet.

Alex_Alumni

Hello @SherrieWelch I'm so sorry to hear what's been happening, have you had any acknowledgement of your formal complaint? 

I can understand how frustrating it must be, but do keep contacting your council and the repair team in the meantime. Do you have neighbour or any public toilets nearby you can use at the moment?

SherrieWelch

Hi,
I've had an automated acknowledgement of having raised a complaint but the relevant manager has a week to acknowledge it, according to the website that is.
I have phoned the council  again this morning and was told that it would be referred to one of the senior team who would call me, still waiting though.
I can use my toilet if I use a bucket to flush it.
There is no direct number for the repair team so I have to ring the main council number every time and they simply say that they will ask them to call me, which they never do.

rebel11

If you don't get a call today, contact your local Councillor. 

https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors

Also if you have gone through the Council's complaints procedure, then if you still aren't happy, lodge a complaint with the LGO.  

Alex_Alumni

You can find out more about the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman on their website @SherrieWelch, I'm sorry you're not having much more luck today.

SherrieWelch

Update.
The council booked an appointment for the 10th. At lunchtime on the 10th, they phoned to cancel and rebook for the following week.
I lost the plot a bit but they said somebody would call back.
I got a call back to say someone would come and they did.
It is all working again now.
The formal complaint that I made on 20th April has been ignored completely.

Alex_Alumni

Ah, I'm glad it's working again now @SherrieWelch that must be a relief after all the chasing you've had to do!

I'm sure the council will have an obligation to respond to a formal complaint within a given time period, so you may well receive a response.

You can always reach out to the LGO as mentioned above if you're still unhappy with the response or actions taken by the council. 

SherrieWelch

I have had a response now and the council upheld my complaint which surprised me as last time they simply dismissed it.
My council was taken over by the Green Party at the last election so maybe it will be better next time I need a repair.

Alex_Alumni

That's good to hear @SherrieWelch let's hope any future repairs will go more smoothly now! Thanks for keeping us updated