Anyone actually had success with the Property Ombudsman? Letting agent driving me a bit mad

I’m at the point where I just need to sanity-check this with other people.

I’ve been renting for a few months now and the letting agent has been consistently… useless. Not dramatic blow-ups, just endless slow, avoidant nonsense that somehow takes months to resolve.

Examples:

Took over 4 months (and counting) to provide access to utility meters

Back garden key took about a month - had to go there twice to get it. Took them three weeks to find it and one after I pestered them to cut it.

Furniture left in the property took around two months to remove - were asked if we wanted it to stay the day before we moved in. One of the furniture was a bed without a mattress - ours was the wrong size for it so what even was the point, they expect us to buy a new mattress?

Every single thing requires repeated chasing — dozens of emails just to get basic actions done

The one that’s really tipped me over the edge is the garden. It was unmaintained when I moved in. I asked a simple question at the start: either clear it, or confirm I can return it in the same state.

Instead I’ve had months of contradictory wording along the lines of “it’s on the inventory so don’t worry” but also “it’s the tenant’s duty to maintain it”. When I’ve asked them to clarify which one actually applies, they just re-word the same thing and avoid answering. It’s left me feeling exposed re: my deposit.

I’ve tried to resolve everything directly, calmly, in writing. Nothing gets fixed without chasing, and some things still aren’t fixed at all.

I’m now considering escalating to the Property Ombudsman, but before I do — has anyone actually been through that process?

Did it feel worth the time?

Did it result in anything meaningful (clarity, apology, compensation), or is it mostly symbolic?

Not looking for legal advice here, just real-world experiences. At this point it’s as much about the principle as anything.