Simon Whipple faced a frustrating wait for plumbing help after a leak disrupted his home life
Woodgreen: So, Simon Whipple, a semi-retired solicitor, discovered a leak in his bathroom that was dripping into his kitchen. This all started on Saturday, January 4.
He was already having a tough time managing on his own after knee surgery, and this leak made things worse. He couldn’t use hot water in the bathroom or the kitchen lights, which meant cooking after dark was out of the question.
Since he had insurance with Hastings Direct, he called them up around noon on Sunday, January 5. The person on the line assured him it would be fixed within six hours.
But Simon felt uneasy about using electricity or hot water with the leak. He said, “It’s just another hassle when life is already hard.”
The only person who could help him mentioned that they had contacted a plumbing firm that works nationwide. But guess what? They replied saying they didn’t service Woodgreen.
Hours went by before anyone even looked at that email. When Simon spoke to the call handler later that night, he was told they wouldn’t send anyone out until the next day.
The call handler suggested that if Simon could find a plumber himself, they would cover the costs. But Simon thought, “Isn’t that the point of having home insurance? I shouldn’t have to hunt for a plumber.”
He felt that insurance should handle these unexpected issues, especially during busy times. Finally, a plumber came to fix the leak on Tuesday, January 7, in the afternoon.
A spokesperson from Hastings Direct later apologized, saying they recognized the service Simon received wasn’t up to their usual standards. They confirmed that a technician had resolved the issue.
