what is going on with British Gas and the condeming of boilers

lilbet_2

What on earth is going on with British Gas and how they are condeming boilers even though they have been passed the year before and the year before that etc.,
My parent had their usual service this year, they pay for the home care product and this is part of the service. Same people who have been before have suddenly condemned every part of the system. From the boiler to the flue to the pipes, the heating progrmmer everything. It can not have all become dysfunctional just like that.
£4,000 was their quote for replacement Even though my parents are in their late 70's, and so were entitled to some kind of rebate but even though they tried to claim as much as they could they are still left with a bill of over £2,700. They have used up what was left of their savings and taken out a loan..(.Mom suffers with Alzheimers and Dad is recovering from Cancer). How on earth is this scam being allowed?
I am disgusted.
I say scam because they aren't the only ones, people local to myself have been pleading on freecycle.com ( a recycling group) to ask has anyone got an old ser gas heater they can use as they are freezing and have no heating now for a month, as they have had their boiler condemned when it was 'serviced' by Homecare.
I thought I would look into it a bit further and googled it, well there are others too using Homecare and had their boilers condemned, left wondering if this is just a scam.
Anyone else been taken by surprise with this from British Gas?

Reformed

I don't know of anyone so far having their boiler condemned but it would be interesting to see if its a widespread problem....

morganb

I think there are other posts on MSE that also back up what you are saying.

Perhaps it would be an idea to get a second opinion from another CORGI registered installer before taking BG's word that the boiler should condemned - I assume BG are not the only ones with the power to condemn boilers?

withabix

British Gas are very good at claiming that parts are no longer available for your boiler or system.

Ignore them and phone your local gas fitter - he will tell you otherwise.

I was told a special valve for my Boilermate system was obsolete and BG man said there were none in the country...so why did my local Graham depot have more than TEN in stock ?:rolleyes:

The British Gas scam then continues whereby they they give you a quote for a new boiler. It always seems to be £4000.

If you DO need a new boiler, it will be about half the price via your local Corgi man.

Cardew

I doubt it was condemed; have you got this in writing? I always used to get a full printout from BG fitters - advisory/mandatory work that was required.

Certainly there is anecdotal evidence that BG are applying pressure to get people to get a new boiler, which they will fit at about double the going rate.

The normal trick is, as stated above, to say that parts are difficult to come by. They tried that tactic on me - I left.

What is a fact, is there a whole stack of new regulations on boilers - ventilation, flue etc and unless some mandatory work(mainly ventilation I believe) is carried out, BG or any other Corgi fitter cannot work on the boiler.

They can(must) condem the system if it is unsafe - but that is rare.

globbits

It might be 'advantageous' to have a boiler condemned, if you meet certain criteria (see link below) as you could possibly get a new one, free of charge (England). We recently had loft insulation, draught-proofing and water-tank jackets supplied, gratis of Warmfront, who install heating improvements for people with disabilities and/or claiming benefits. Although there's a maximum grant of c. £2700, they will endeavour to help you with more than this, if necessary. Although our boiler works well, the grant has an expiration date some years ahead, so if anything FUBAR's the boiler between now and then, they'll replace it. Worth a decko...
http://www.warmfront.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm

Pssst

Lets get this condemned stuff straight.

The only time a CORGI registered engineer can physically disconnect an appliance is if he/she considers that it is dangerous or could constitute a danger if it were used. Again,the applaince can only be disconnected with the agreement of the owner.

The only people who have legally enforceable powers to enter,inspect and disconnect gas fittings and appliances are authorised officers of a public gas transporter. For most people this will be the likes of National Grid or whoever is your emergency service provider in your area. If such an authorised person has reason to believe that a situation exisist which could present a dager to life and/or property,they can enter and take the necessary actions. They do not need the agreement of the Police and indeed,do dot even have to tell the Police.

Any "condemn" notice issued by a CORGI engineer is what it is,i.e an expression of his opinion based on his skills,knowledge and experience.

When you say condemened do you mean he said "well its a bit worn this boiler now, how about a new one?" or do you mean he physically disconnected or turned off and issued an official notice stating that the appliance was AT RISK or IMMEDIATELY DANGEROUS ?

Either way,he may be perfectly correct but you may feel free so seek a second opinion from and equally qualified and certified engineer.



It may well be that the situation IS as bleak as declared but then again,it may not be.
Not saying BG are bad. There is good and bad everywhere and there are probably more independant operators who would fleece you than there are at BG.

globbits

I believe (from contacts who work with gas installation) that engineers can disconnect an appliance, without the owner's consent, if they consider it dangerous. I stand to be corrected, of course!

Pssst

Unfortunately that is not the case. The official line is that a CORGI reg eng can only disconnect a supply/appliance with the owners consent. If that consent is not given then they must refer the matter immediately to the Gas Emergency service who will take the necessary action without consent if necessary. It is often the case that CORGI engs will just disconnect and label without asking the customer as it saves any potential conflict issues.

jamstar.uk

intresting thread like other poster say they always quote 4k+ yet new boiler supplied and ftted should be around 2.5k imo they get away with it because of the name brittish gas and most older people grew up with them as the only gas supplier around

Joyful

If British Gas advise they are unable to get parts for it the option is to stop paying them for cover and as has been suggested try a local corgi engineer to see if they have any better luck. They are not scamming on this point. They have a large database of places they get parts from but cannot meet everything. You are no worse off.

If they advise a new boiler is needed then do your homework and get at least 3 quotes but remember the cheapest is not always the best. Ask around for recommendations.

As Cardew has said regulations have changed. I am not covered if there is a problem connected to the outlet flow on the external wall as the Cowboys who fitted it ( not BG) did not do the job correctly. At least BG are upfront when they check and advise you of this.