The Gas man Cometh! But not no more he don't.

WillowTheWhisp · 10-10-2006, 13:29

For the past umpty gazillion years (or at least since we moved here in 1989) we have had a British Gas service contract for the central heating system and water heater.

About a fortnight ago BG phoned to say the service enginer was coming some time before 6pm that day. 6pm came but the service engineer didn't. I phoned BG basically to confirm that he wouldn't be coming as it had gone 6 o'clock and find out when he was likely to show up. Oh he's definitely on his way says the woman on the phone. He will definitely come today.

Now our CH boiler is in the kitchen and so as to not be in his way I hadn't done anything about cooking any food (thinking I could do something after he left) and the kids were hungry. But we continued to wait. Then Busman came home and he too was hungry - but we continued to wait. After all I had been assured that he was 'on his way' this gas man.

Hunger got the better of us and we sent for a take-away.

The gas man never came.

The following day I made a phone call to find out what had happened and the response I got was that they had no idea where he could be but they made another appointment - for today. They also persuaded me add two gas fires (which we rarely use) to the contract at an additional cost of about fifty quid and they'd service each one on alternate years. I said OK. They said they'd do the front room fire this year and the dining room fire next year. I said OK.

Today the engineer came - somewhat reluctantly as he barely gave me chance to get to the door before he was of out the garden gate and halfway back to his van, having decided I wasn't in. Not a good start.

"Service yer boiler" he annnounced.
"Central heating system, water heater and a gas fire." I said.
"That fire's too old." he said and did nothing.

He then went on to look at the boiler and announced that the flue was in the wrong place. It's exactly where it's been ever since we bought the house in 1989 and every service engineer every year has seen it there serviced the boiler with it there and it has never been in the wrong place before.

Then he said "When you go to get your new gas fire see if they do boilers as well."

Off he went upstairs to the water heater in the bathroom, which he has basically 'condemned' for having the wrong sized pipes!! These are the same pipes every other service engineer has encountered. The same pipes which have always been there. When I pointed this out to him and asked if he was implying that for 17 years the sevice engineers have not known what they were doing he simlpy said "17 years maybe, but not 18"

I'd already decided I was taking the gas fire addition off the contract again but by the end of all this I decided to cancel the whole thing. After all I'm either now lumbered with an engineer who doesn't know what he's doing - or worse still he is the only one who does know what he's doing and every other emplyee of the company who has been here in the past doesn't know their elbow joint from their u bend! Either way it doesn't exactly fill me full of confidence.

So after he'd left I phoned British Gas Service Department and told them I wished to cancel the contract. "You can't do that." I was told. "It's a contract." "Oh can't I?" After several attempts to explain why, during which the guy on the other end of the phone talked over the top of me about how efficient their staff were I finally managed to point out that I'd been asked to add my fires to the contract by them and that the guy had refused to service them because of their age. Chap on phone said the age of the fire didn't come into it. They service any fire no matter what its age. He admitted the engineer should not have refused to do so. Willow 1 - British Gas 0

There then followed a long winded discussion about the merits of removing just the fires and keeping the original contract so I pointed out to him that either the guy who came today didn't know his job because he has reported faults with pipe sizes and flue locations which other engineers in the past have not reported OR the other engineers in the past didn't know their jobs and passed things as fine and dandy when they weren't. He suggested sending out another engineer to which I asked what would be the point? How would I know whether this one knew his job or not? The guy today had implied that he was the only one who did.

Finally he got the message that I didn't want BG to service anything any longer and that I'd get it done by someone else (corgi approved)

"We will have to charge you for today's visit." Says he.
"Why?" I've already paid for them to come and do nothing. Now they want to charge me extra for making it official! He went to speak to someone else (during which interlude I was entertained by advice on how to save water by turning off taps!) and then returned to inform me that the contract was cancelled and I would not be billed further. Willow 2 - British Gas 0

Now off to find someone who can be civil and do the job properly.

slinky · 10-10-2006, 13:46

OMG what a ball ache!! Honestly they are all very THICK at BG... I gave up on them lot about 3 years ago. I am with powergen now and I have never had any problems with them, THANKGOD>

That advert sums them lot of idiots up .. GRITTISH BAS

Less · 10-10-2006, 13:50

entwisi recommended a plumber in hints and tips Willow.

Neil · 10-10-2006, 13:55

Maybe you should ask them for 17 years worth of money back because, if they are saying this man is right then the other 17 must have serviced you incorrectly.

WillowTheWhisp · 10-10-2006, 14:12

I should have suggested that one Neil.

Ber999T · 10-10-2006, 16:41

Just make sure you cancel standing orders/DD and back them up with a letter and request a reply ASAP and send copy to bank so that they aware and then not CHARGE you for failed payment

WillowTheWhisp · 10-10-2006, 19:57

Don't worry Ber, I'm covering all avenues but thanks for the advice.

West Ender · 10-10-2006, 20:42

I had my boiler serviced on Monday, by British Gas. No problem here as it is only 4 years old and a combi/condenser boiler. Could I hazzard a guess your engineer was on the way to suggesting you had your boiler replaced? I bet they get commission if they can persuade you into it - not that I'm cynical, you understand.

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Slightly off topic. - My daughter works for MANWEB. She supervises emergency calls and it had been arranged with the engineering dept. for an electrical engineer to call, this morning, at a house where the electricity was off (reason unknown). The customer rang this afternoon to say the engineer hadn't been, so my daughter got in touch with their dept. They said the engineer had called but couldn't gain access because - wait for it - his notes said he had tried the electric intercom but got no answer! An electrical engineer going to a house where the electricity isn't working and he tries to use an electric intercom?

He was sent out again, with instructions to knock on the door.

WillowTheWhisp · 10-10-2006, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Then he said "When you go to get your new gas fire see if they do boilers as well."

Couldn't have been on a commission because he was telling me to go to Viva!

Neil · 10-10-2006, 23:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by West Ender

No problem here as it is only 4 years old and a combi/condenser boiler.

No thanks i will stick with my 25 year old inefficient back bolier. Only 4 components in it to go wrong and no fancy electronics that cost a fortune.
I priced up replacing it on gas saving alone. I decided that the new boiler would need replacing again before I had saved enough money in gas to pay for the first new one.