British Gas sold 86 year old pensioner £3k boiler

tallmum

Sorry if this isn't the correct forum.

My very independent 86year old aunt has become confused over recent months, and I've been horrified to find out she has had a new central heating boiler installed by British Gas at a cost of £3k.

She signed up for Homecare 400 this summer and when the boiler service was carried out received a "Safety Warning / Advice Notice" note - not immediately dangerous, not at risk, but not to current standards. This worried her (as she thought the system was dangerous) and arranged to have BG supply and install a new boiler for a cost of £3000. This to replace the existing boiler which was only 8 years old and already a high efficiency combi boiler.

I feel my aunt was taken advantage of by BG who should have considered whether it was ethically correct to encourage her to replace the boiler (which has taken half of her savings).

Is there any anything which can be done to challenge the total cost (she has already had it installed and paid for it), anyone I can contact?

I feel her vulnerable position has been abused by these people who have now left her in a very vulnerable financial position.

1carminestocky

This really is disgusting IMO. This is what you get when you allow private companies to supply an essential service, this sort of malpractice and the doorknockers/liars crop up increasingly. Not sure what the legal situation is with old people and contracts but I suppose it would depend on her level of confusion and if she was receiving medical attention for it. I think your first port of call is to write to the CEOs office with your concerns and warn him you will be taking this up with Consumer Focus, who i'm sure will be interested in any reply received.

Edit: Lots of useful Centrica/British gas contact info in this thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1234191&highlight=high+level+complaint

DirectDebacle

tallmum wrote: »

Sorry if this isn't the correct forum.

My very independent 86year old aunt has become confused over recent months, and I've been horrified to find out she has had a new central heating boiler installed by British Gas at a cost of £3k.

She signed up for Homecare 400 this summer and when the boiler service was carried out received a "Safety Warning / Advice Notice" note - not immediately dangerous, not at risk, but not to current standards. This worried her (as she thought the system was dangerous) and arranged to have BG supply and install a new boiler for a cost of £3000. This to replace the existing boiler which was only 8 years old and already a high efficiency combi boiler.

I feel my aunt was taken advantage of by BG who should have considered whether it was ethically correct to encourage her to replace the boiler (which has taken half of her savings).

Is there any anything which can be done to challenge the total cost (she has already had it installed and paid for it), anyone I can contact?

I feel her vulnerable position has been abused by these people who have now left her in a very vulnerable financial position.

I think it may be difficult to prove they have done anything illegal. However it seems bereft of morality. I would contact local Trading Standard, Consumer Focus (their remit is to prioritise the vulnerable) and Help the Aged for advice/assistance. You may be able to get some sort of rebate for her.

Under a different scenario/company it seems like a subject you would see on Watchdog etc for dodgy roofers/builders frightening the eledery into paying for unnecessary work. How come you weren't aware of it before it was done if you don't mind me asking.

Good luck.

tallmum

Thanks for the guidance.

DirectDebacle - I think my aunt was feeling a trifle foolish about having the work done and didn't mention it to me until last week. It was only this last weekend when I felt I needed to have a chat with her and suggest helping her with her finances that I realised just what the situation was. I hadn't wanted to pry into her affairs earlier as she has always been very proud and independent.

I will contact help the aged as I'm sure there will be others who've been conned like this.

DirectDebacle

tallmum wrote: »

Thanks for the guidance.

DirectDebacle - I think my aunt was feeling a trifle foolish about having the work done and didn't mention it to me until last week. It was only this last weekend when I felt I needed to have a chat with her and suggest helping her with her finances that I realised just what the situation was. I hadn't wanted to pry into her affairs earlier as she has always been very proud and independent.

I will contact help the aged as I'm sure there will be others who've been conned like this.

Nearly forgot. Strong letter of complaint to B.G. too. Ask them if they allowed a part exchange on her perfectly serviceable boiler and if not why not? Ask what policy they have in protecting the elderly and vulnerable from their staff exploiting the vulnerable etc.

I know exactly where you are with a stubborn mum. Same for me with my dad. They get scared you are gonna put them in a home so if they make a mistake try to hide it.

Don't be hard on her. Be tough with B.G. Local paper even nationals and Watchdog would probably be interested in this. Tell B.G. your going to tell the press (whether you do or not)

Cardew

I would first contact someone high up in BG asking for a refund or rebate; making veiled(or not so veiled!) threats that you will get the situation exposed in every newspaper/TV programme.

The threat of bad publicity will hopefully get some action.

mike_the_bike_2

So the up to date rules on ventilation (easily modified) or maybe a flue (again easily modified) have changed and their answer is to flog her a new boiler..all to predictable when it comes to BG i'm afraid..

And I suspect your dear Aunt thought she was dealing with the "Gas Board"

1carminestocky

And don't be put off writing to the very top of Centrica/BG! The thread I linked to in my earlier post contined a few naysayers stating writing to the CEO would get the person nowhere etc. Nonsense, as proved by the resolution to that case in double quick time. This is an emotive case and JUST the sort of story the newspapers would be willing to run, especially as the energy suppliers are such generally mistrusted organisations at the moment. We all know it isn't the CEO/chairman who replies personally, it's normally their PA but that person is held in very high regard in any company because of who's ear they have. Good luck!

1-10-2008, 1:22 PM #11
el gringo
MoneySaving Convert


Join Date: Mar 2008
Post Count: 31
Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts High
Hello

The matter is now sorted just thought i would tell you how.

On Monday e-mailed the Centrica Chairman, Sam Laidlaw with the full dets of the complaint. Within 20 mins got a e-mail back from him apologising & promising to investigate. An hour after that got a call from a manager saying they now had the part & would fix the fire the following day.

Sure enough on Tuesday the part was deliverd by courier & the manager called later & fitted it. The fire now works fine. My mother is also getting compensation.

So it would seem that high level compaining does work.

Thanks for all the advice.

Eydon

mike_the_bike wrote: »

So the up to date rules on ventilation (easily modified) or maybe a flue (again easily modified) have changed and their answer is to flog her a new boiler..all to predictable when it comes to BG i'm afraid..

And I suspect your dear Aunt thought she was dealing with the "Gas Board"

The updated ventilation rules are a joke. When my boiler was installed it was fitted inside an eye-level kitchen cupboard. To provide ventilation we cut out the majority of the base of the cupboard.

Two years later my boiler failed it's safety checks because the rules said that when a boiler is fitted inside a cupboard there must be a ventilation grill installed. I had a ruddy great hole instead of a grill, but that didn't meet the rules! The engineer (from BG) even admitted that the rules were a joke, but rules is rules.

Kez100

Same here. I get a safety notice every year due to ventilation grill. We do have one but the regulations 10 years ago were for smaller grills than the regulations now. The BG engineer always tells us it is nothing to worry about and if we want to put it right it's a grill we need not a new boiler.

darktrader

Forgive me if I am not sure what I am supposed to be outraged at here. Though no fan, in general, of BG or other Big Energy companies

British Gas sold 86 year old pensioner £3k boiler

Reads like a Sun Headline.

Is the problem:-

The lady bought a boiler she did not need?
The lady bought a boiler she may/may not need but paid too much.
The lady bought something she now regrets? (And if so, was this before or after others told her she had made a mistake?)
Or that anyone should have sold an 86 year old anything without another adult be present. (As much of the media, unlike myself, assumes everyone over 60 is senile.)