Warm Front Grant saved me a fortune!

margaretclare

Elhall, you wrote some time ago:

Installers get a MAXIMUM of 12 weeks to install/repair a job. This starts from the time they receive the job, to the installation. Rule of thumb = 2 weeks until you get a survey, 1 week to price up, 1 week to be approved by Eaga, 1-4 weeks for the materials then 1-4 weeks for install. Make notes on when you applied. If you are told that they are recommending you for a boiler change phone Eaga in a couple of days and ask them who will be installing and their contact number. Check when they passed the information to the installer and mark on your calendar. If you haven't heard anything within around 10 working day phone Eaga.

I am really, really concerned about all this, having read Lady_K's further catalogue of imperfections this morning. I've looked up these companies on the internet - Kershaws of Cambridge, wasn't it? They're mentioned here: http://wnii.co.uk/DirectoryProducts.aspx?Action=-1602677907&ID=762fa53e-45a5-4b51-b537-8e20816f70ce&cid= It would appear that they're a reputable company - as you said, there are many processes to go through before being approved as a WarmFront installer, so it's not a case of any local one-man-band, but a company with a reputation to uphold and a team to employ.

The timescale for us has been: I phoned to apply at the end of June. 3rd July - visit from the WarmFront assessor, who put us down for 'heating repair, cylinder jacket, and energy-saving light bulbs' and left a copy of his recommendations with us. However, it does state on this that 'I may have to wait up to 6 months for central heating work to be carried out'.

The light-bulbs, which we needed least because we have them throughout anyway, arrived. Cylinder jacket will not be needed because we want a combi boiler, so no hot-water-cylinder to keep hot. We don't need TRVs on the radiators either because this is a bungalow, we never close any of the internal doors so the temperature is the same throughout.

We were offered a surveyor's visit in mid-September but had to postpone because DH was in hospital having knee surgery from 25th Sept to 1st October. Surveyors arrived on Monday 9th October just as the District Nurse finished her visit - she was taking the staples out of his wound. It appears that it took the approved installer - Interglow of Royston, Herts - 2 months to send the quotation through to WarmFront. Here they are: http://wnii.co.uk/DirectoryProducts.aspx?Action=-1602677907&ID=762fa53e-45a5-4b51-b537-8e20816f70ce&cid=

As we're going to be away for a full week from 22nd December we're prepared to wait until we get back. 3rd January will be exactly 6 months from the WarmFront assessor's visit following my application the week before. That'll be the time to start writing, phoning and generally jumping up and down.

Oh how lucky I am to have DH around! And now his knee is better, he can get up into the loft to check on everything.

Margaret

Elhall_2

They have a time limit from when the installer recieves the job, not the time that WF goes out, that's why they say 6 months. However, that timelimit can be extended if the company can prove that they have tried to meet the time limit. In the case of the refused visit (not your fault, or theirs, just how it landed) they will prob add 2-4 weeks on because of expected hospital visits and not wanting to put press on to you. (At least, that's what we'd have done after discussing it with you.) (Hope he's on the mead btw)

The time taken to get a quote in was simply BAD and inexcuseable. We usually allowed 1-2 weeks for the quote to get to WF. That's getting the paperwork back from the surveyor, quoting, posting to WF. WF then had 5 days to approve (boiler change/pack) before the parts were ordered. For every job & every month they go over their target they'll be fined £25. It doesn't sound a lot but it soon adds up if there's more than one job, or if a job takes a lot longer, and soon there is no way to make money. Bear in mind that after they've paid everyone wages, paid for the consumables, the van all the other little bits that people forget they make very little money. The fines can soon cut that away.

Because they lost the paperwork (I am assuming) they will not be able delay the timeline.

Another note: I re-read the posts eariler (sorry, still not well myself and the concentration isn't good). Take photos and list al the damage. Get ahead of yourself and start getting quotes for putting work right. 3 quotes is usually the rule, though we did it on 2 before. Take photos. Complaint in writing, with the photos, and if you have the quotes list them. Don't be affraid to add a little for "Stress caused" or "phone charges/bus tricket" to get your quotes either. Complain to WF. Again, there are time limits for handling complaints, and companys don't like WF knowing that they have had a complaint... so it's better to go directly to them. It also helps because if there is a problem with this installer (as there seems to be a BIG problem given this so far) as WF can get carpets replaced and other installers to complete the work... then the orginal company gets the bill + approx 20% + £250 fine.
Get everything in writing... trust me, it helps.

Elhall_2

On the waiting front... it's up to you really.

This is not what you or WF expect. Remember that there's no news like bad news, and people only usually talk about something when something bad has happened. At my old place we had around 600 WF jobs being processed at any one time, we had between 10-25 boilers being installed for WF a week. And I only had between 10-20 complaints on my desk... only 1-5 of which actually needed a pay out as we had accidently done damaged anything, others would be complaints about time, prices or attitudes (some of which weren't justified)

[Deleted User]

I put my mum onto this scheme the other day and they have just been round to do the assessment on the house.

Mum gets quite confused so she's not sure what happens next - does she just wait for the quote?

I was expecting her to have to provide proof of her Disability Living Allowance - but all she was asked for was her National insurance number. Is that all they need to find out what benefits she gets?

After reading just the last couple of pages of this thread I'm wondering if I've done the right thing.

Mum is disabled and elderly and in need of a new boiler and insulation - she definitely qualifies for the scheme (according to what I've read) but I'm concerned she might end up with problems.

Hopefully someone can reassure me that despite numerous installations the majority are problem free. I realise mthere will always be a few who are not (hopefully hers won't be one of them).

[Deleted User]

ps - is there a similar scheme for double glazing? My mum cannot afford to have it installed.

margaretclare

Hi Deleted_User

The visit that your Mum has just had - was that the assessor from WarmFront? We had a similar visit on 3rd July. He should have left her a copy of his recommendations, then the likelihood is that WF will send her a letter. After that, a visit from the appointed installer's surveyor, surveyor will send a quote to WF, WF scrutinise and approve it and then it's waiting for the work to be done.

Can I strongly suggest, based on experiences of Lady_K and others, that you ask for a copy of the installer's quote which they send only if requested? And that you're there, if at all possible, when the installers arrive to do the work? Just as a precaution, if she's as 'confused' as you say. You say she gets DLA and then you say she's 'elderly'. If she's over 65 she won't get DLA, she'll be getting AA - that's how I qualify. The criteria are that you are on either a means-tested benefit like pension credit or a disability benefit like DLA or AA. I was awarded AA for 2 years up to next July, otherwise we were planning to get this done ourselves.

Margaret

Elhall_2

If your mum has proble,s then it's best to talk to the installers. There is also a Password scheme, to help with hoax calls... set one of these up. Try to make it that someone is there with her when it's installed and when she has the survey.

It is not unusual for relitives to be helping in these.

After the WF assessor has been out she'll get a letter saying what she has been awarded and who shall be doing the work. If the boiler is working at this point, switch it off for his visit, say it isn't working and that should do it. They aren't insured to be messing with boilers.

Then you'll get a surveyor coming around from the installing company. Remember, this inspector will be qualified to do work on the boiler and be able to tell you what can, and can not be done. Don't go by what the WF person said, they aren't qualified.

You will only get a copy of the quote if you ask for one, even if you are asked to contribute (and there are other schemes out there if you have to). Be sure to ask the surveyor lots of questions.

The next you will hear will be from the installers giving you a date for installing. As up in this thread, there can be an issue with the electrician coming after. Depending on where the elec point is there could be a wire across the floor. So make sure to ask about this and pester them to get it done asap.

Remember, not an emergancy scheme, so in reality, if the company gets your job today, you should be looking around March for the install.

margaretclare

Hi Elhall

A further update: I phoned WF again just now (phoned them yesterday, last Friday and last Monday!) Phoned them to say I wanted to complain - the installer had taken 2 months to send in their quote and 'I understand that there is a timescale that has to be adhered to - I'm not a happy customer'.

Vicky yesterday said that the quote had only just arrived and not been scrutinised, Chris today said that the parts had been ordered and they were looking at getting the job done before Christmas. Problems: we are away from here on the 22nd, probably their last working day. The boiler they've ordered is an Ideal ISAR 30E - here's a picture of it: http://www.idealboilers.com/isar_he.html and an electronic room thermostat which we assume will be something like this: http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/mia.asp?recordid=1632993&cid=880&afid=88888

DH became very assertive then (you can tell he's been MD of his own company) and insisted on having a copy of the schedule before we agree to any work being started. 'Otherwise we don't know what's going to be done, where, and when. We need to know - we're the householders and we don't agree to anyone coming here to do work that we haven't agreed on'. Chris on the WF helpline sounded a bit gobsmacked as if he hadn't heard of this before. To DH, it's just what he calls 'good business practice'.

So, Elhall, you were right. It does look very much as if we've been 'shoved up the list' because of the 2 months' delay in submitting their quote. They may think we're trying to complicate the issue, what with our being away from 22nd to 28th, and insisting on a schedule of work, but given what I've read about happening to other people, I think DH's super-caution is justified.

Thanks very much for your help. Elhall, because without reading your posts I probably wouldn't have picked up the phone again today and we wouldn't have got this further bit of information/progress.

I do hope you're continuing to make a good recovery. Your input into this has been of enormous value.

Margaret

Elhall_2

Glad to be of help. To be honest, unless they have another boiler from another job that can't be installed yet you're prob not going to be installed until you get back anyway.

They won't see it as a problem that you are off, my guess is that they will be doing very very few installs during that week anyway.

Phone WF on a daily bias (WF because it's free) let them chace the installers to find when the parts are in. It;s not just the boiler and stat, it's al the other little bits that go with it too.

Schedual of work: This is where Eaga fall down, under the old Powergen there was a triplicate sheet that the customer signed at survey stage. It showed a layout of the house and stated what would go where... Eaga don't have that unfortunatly.

A copy of the survey paperwork can be made available. You'll get a copy of the paperwork that WF get with the quote.

On the day of the install, (I'm sure I've said this before - sorry, before the engineers even get out their tools... put a cup of tea in their hands and say "Tell me everything that you're going to do. What floorboards are coming up? Where are pipe drops going? Where is boiler/rads going?" Anything you don't like or want to know ... ask about.

Don't be affraid to watch them as well, and ask questions about what they are doing.

Elhall_2

Sorry, just re-read...

They want to do it beofre Xmas? That's good, which means before 22nd, before you go away. Great news.