Warm Front Grant saved me a fortune!

Elhall_2 · 6 November 2006 at 12:53PM

Lady_K wrote:

Thankyou Elhall

I will wait the 2 weeks then ring warmfront to see if they have recieved the quote like they suggested on Friday and if they have I will ask if they know the kind of boiler is being fitted from that. If I need to know anything else I'll call the installers seeing as the quote will have been done and they will have all the info

The surveyor did not say I had to remove the cupboards myself but that prob is because he didn't know exactly how many have to be removed as he wasnt sure how far the flu has to be from the window near it. He said only the installers would decide that so I'm pressuming they will do it on the day

He said What?!?! A surveyor should be corgi qualified, or at least have the normal information like flue exits to hand! Call the installers now. Ask if he was corgi qualified. Tell them that you need the information so that you can help them by removing the cupboards. The surveyor should also know how big the boiler is! You don't want the installers turning up and finding that even though you've removed the cupboards the boiler can't go there. Get them to send out someone who CAN tell you exactly where the boiler will go, that it will comply with building regs and CORGI regs and tell you what you will need to do to help with the install.

Elhall_2 · 6 November 2006 at 1:00PM

And phone Eaga as well... that is stupid!

Lady_K · 6 November 2006 at 1:06PM

He said I needed 50cm width or something like that but he did say that he wasnt sure about the fitting from the window flu wise. I'm hoping it will just be 1 cupboard they will have to remove which will just mean unscrewing it from the adjoining one and the wall, the top cornice will have to be sorted later.

I rang them on Friday so I didnt really want to pester them too much in case they think I'm a nuisance and delay my installation. The girl who answered wasnt very nice and just didnt have the time to be bothered. I just know the quote hasnt been done yet so I don't think they would be able to tell me. I could ask the questions about the cupboards once its through and either get someone to help me get them down or leave it for the installers to do depending on what they say

Lady_K · 6 November 2006 at 1:16PM

I just rang the installers again and she was a little nicer today. She said it has been passed to the contracting manager who will be able to answer these questions but he isn't in till after 2pm she said she could ask him to ring me or I can ring him I just said I'd ring them. I don't know if its the same man that came round to do the survey or what but I think its prob a different man

margaretclare · 6 November 2006 at 1:17PM

Elhall wrote:

Ok, if your boiler was working it should never have gone through to the installers, you said that the installers have been out? What did they recommend? Once an installer has come out they usually find something to be done to the property. This helps you (as you get a new system) and them as they get paid if they do nothing. Phone and ask what the installers are recommending. Like-for like, again, is the usual way of processing a grant. However, under Eaga, it is possible to upgrade your system. This is at your cost, however. Don’t start complaining straight away. Most installers will be happy to help you, if you don’t get the answers to their questions then phone Eaga. Only start complaining when you need to, don’t start complaining too early.

Not sure if you were talking to me here, or to Lady_K. I said that I thought she had reason to complain because of the hurried visit, the fact that she was given papers to sign without having time to read them, the fact that she doesn't seem to have been given the information she needs, otherwise she wouldn't be asking all the questions on here!

The surveyors for our installer asked where the boiler was - we showed them the fireplace (boiler not visible as it's in the fireplace with an integral gas-fire in front of it), asked if it was working, we said 'yes' but the heating control needs repairing, they immediately said 'we don't repair those any more, not worth it' and they offered a Baxi condensing combi boiler.

“I think you have every reason to complain, Lady_K. You don't seem to have been told any of the things that I would regard as essential to know, before you allow a team of installers into your house and allow them free rein to do what THEY think, not what you would like!

Margaret”

Hold your horses. She said that they had originally agreed to put it back into the loft, but there are other consideration before you start complaining straight away.

I said I felt she had reason to complain because she seems to have been given the 'run-around' and not given the imformation she needs.

Keep an eye on what the installers are doing through the day, don’t feel that you have to leave them alone.

I would agree with all of this. It's your house after all!

Before the installers actually get out their tools ask them to show you exactly what they will be doing. Don't let them even start until you are happy.

Absolutely!

Margaret

Elhall_2 · 6 November 2006 at 1:39PM

Ok, I'm not one for starting complaints this early on into the project, but this is hitting all of my alarm bells.

Write a letter to Eaga and copy in your installer (Kawshaws wasn't it)and a copy to Malcome Pirks. Malcome is one of the contract managers for that area, but don't tell him where you got my name. Be sure that each copy of the letter let's every body know who else has a copy. Malcome Pirks can throw a lot of weight about. The letter should go something like...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am writing initially for information as the installers are not very forthcoming. I was given a survey by them on ##/##/## and they have told me that their quote will not come into yourself for at least another 2 weeks, which seems like a long time to me.
The installers advised me that a number of my cupboards would have to be taken down to accommodate the boiler, however the surveyor did not know how many as he did not know how close the flue of the boiler could get to the doorway. Surely as a surveyor he should be able to answer these questions. Is he CORGI qualified? He was only in my property for about 10-15 minutes, which wasn't very long for me to ask question. The questions I did ask didn't seem to be answered.
The unhelpful nature of Kurshaws(?) has left me feeling very nervous about the installation. How much I will need to alter my kitchen is a very big question. As the office staff and the surveyor were so unhelpful I am concerned about the installing engineers.
I do not want to complain too much at this point, but a lot of alarm bells are going off about the method of the scheme so far. Should the install not go well I have been advised to contact my M.P., a step I dearly hope shall not be needed.
The Warmfront Scheme is to help the old and venerable, and if I can not get a straight answer out of them how are others suppose to cope.
I must stress how concerned I am and hope that you can answer the simple questions that I have.

Yours
#####
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They should get onto the installers and get the information from you. Put it all in your own words of cause, I'm not great at letters. But insist on the information, and insist on ID cards before you let anyone in.

Elhall_2 · 6 November 2006 at 1:47PM

Lady_K wrote:

Its not the floorboards I'm so bothered about its the carpets some are nailed down and will get wrecked by taking them up but I guess if it has to be done it does. Hopefully not too much will be disrupted there is a couple of long pipes right from the gas box to the roof at the moment on the outside wall.

What happens if anything is wrong after installation? is oit covered by any guarantee?

Under the scheme you are responcible for the carpets... HOWEVER... the installers will usually help you however they can. I think I can count on one hand the number of people that actually pulled up their own carpets. If you are not capable of taking the carpets up they will help you and be as careful as they can, but some damage may occur. You have to decide what is accable and what not. Damage done to carpets are usually upheld complaints, which means if they damage them they'll replace them. But if this has happened a lot the engineers may refuse to lift them.

If anything goes wrong with the installion you have a years guarantee. Water/Gas leak = covered. If it's a leak on existing pipework it gets a little bit sticky on who covers it, but complain anyway. Hopefully you'll have no problems

Any probems r damage, get on to Eaga straight away and take photos.

Lady_K · 6 November 2006 at 2:12PM

I was issued a password to be used by anyone that came to see me or called but no one has mentioned anything about that as yet. The assessor from the begining I think had an id badge on but the surveyor did not.

Bit scary to write a complaints letter just now but maybe I should wait to see what the contact manager has to say to me when I ring after 2pm. I will ask him if the surveyor was corgi registered and I'll double check on the documents I signed. I'll ask the make of boiler, size etc and anything else I can think of. Even if the surveyor wasnt corgi registered there is no real proof who came round because I don't know his name. They could tell eaga it was someone else that came who was corgi registered. He rang me on the weds night about 6pm from what I remember to say he was coming the next day, I would have felt uneasy about letting someone into my house without written notice or at least a bit more notice but I had someone coming round that day who was with me so I didnt feel so bad.

The surveyor did a few other surveys in the same area that day so I thought it a bit strange that he would inform people the night before unless he just added me on as a last thing

Oh yes and it was Kershaws from cambridge not Kurshaws

Elhall_2 · 6 November 2006 at 2:24PM

Only complain if you feel comfortable doing so, but a letter asking these questions is better than a phone call. Eaga make a note of all calls, you installers may not. Therefore if a complaint happens in the future you need the proof. Letters and Eaga will do that.
It's not that unusual to only get a phone call, but that lateness of the call is upsetting too. There are guidlines that they are suppose to follow on when and how you can be contacted as well. 9-5 with 24 hours notice that they are coming!
In future ask for ID at the door, if no ID don't let them in until you have contacted Eaga (and that's the important thing) because one of the requirements for them to remain an installer for the scheme is to have ID and show it. They will check with the installers that it is there engineers on the door step and there you go. When any appointments are made ask who is coming and make sure that they will have PHOTO ID. For the installers, ask for their CORGI ID as well.

margaretclare · 6 November 2006 at 5:41PM

Hi again

After reading this thread, and adding to it, earlier today, I thought I would check up on the state of play of our application. The surveyors from Intaglow came on 9th October which is just a month ago. They said we would hear something in 'a couple of weeks'. I thought they were being a bit optimistic in their time-scale!!

I phoned WarmFront who put me on 'Hold' and phoned Interglow. They are formulating their quotation, will send it to WarmFront, WarmFront will decide on it and decide whether there is anything extra to pay, if there is they'll write to us, we'll inform then that yes, we're willing to pay whatever is extra (after all we're saving £2,700!!) and it will progress from there.

I told the man at WarmFront that the surveyors had told us it would be done before Christmas. Apparently not - why does that not surprise me?

We are not in the parlous state that Lady_K appears to be, with no heating at all, but I had rather fancied the idea that when this job is done I'll have the hall re-carpeted - the last job to be done indoors and the heating work will be the last time we need installers/technicians coming in and out. So, I thought, new carpet down in time for the family party on 14th January, our 5th wedding anniversary? No such luck, silly me.

It appears that all this bureaucracy and to-and-fro-ing can take something like 6 to 9 months. I made the initial application at the end of June, and we may get it done by spring.

I just hope there are not too many older people out there who're in a far worse state than we are and who might have been looking forward to getting their heating upgraded before winter sets in, because they may be very disappointed.

Margaret

Warm Front Grant saved me a fortune!

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