British Gas HomeCare is the UK’s worst insurance product in terms of the number of complaints about it, according to the latest figures.
More than 160,000 complaints were made to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the first half of 2022 – accounting for 22 percent of all those lodged about insurers in the UK.
Figures for the second half of last year are due to be released shortly.
The number of complaints about British Gas HomeCare for the first half of 2022 was three times higher than the next most complained about firm – Aviva Insurance – which had 52,970 during the same period.
Axa PPP Healthcare came third, with 41,086 complaints in the first half of last year.
It came as Chris O’Shea, the boss of British Gas’s parent company Centrica, was handed a £4.49million pay package last year as the firm’s operating profit tripled to a record £3.3billion.
More than three million customers pay the energy firm for its HomeCare insurance, a policy that promises to promptly fix boilers and heating.
The latest FCA figures reveal there were a total of 743,147 complaints about insurance products in the first half of 2022.
Complaints about the British Gas boiler breakdown and servicing cover have risen in recent years, accounting for 22 percent of the total lodged last year, 17 percent in 2021, five per cent in 2020 and just two percent in 2019.
The data also revealed 99 percent of all complaints made about British Gas HomeCare in the first half of 2022 were upheld.
The figures include those from firms that report 500 or more complaints within this six-month reporting period, or 1,000 or more for an annual reporting period.
When contacted by the Sunday Express, Centrica declined to comment on the FCA complaints.
An Aviva spokesman said: “We take complaints about its customer service very seriously and we are committed to providing an excellent service for all our customers.”
“Where we fail to meet customers’ expectations, our first priority is to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and to act on the feedback we receive.”
“Although we aim for no complaints, the ones we get represent just 4.08 per 1,000 general insurance and health policies in the UK.”
“Where a customer still has concerns, we advise them of their right to approach the Financial Ombudsman Service.”
A spokesman for AXA Health said: “We are committed to improving and providing a good service to our customers and part of this process is ensuring that we log all examples of dissatisfaction that meet the definition of a complaint.”
“We also ensure all complainants receive details of their right to refer their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service.”
“This process ensures we are provided with feedback and given an opportunity to learn and adapt, helping to reduce the number of complaints going forward.”
