Overcharged for boiler repair

caradoc3

Had my oil fired-boiler serviced on 10th December by oil supply company's engineer(?). It was working OK before he came. He cleaned everything, fitted a new nozzle, re-assembled but it would not ignite. He then fitted a replacement control box and the unit fired up OK. I asked how much the new part would be but he simply said "No idea - I just fit the things".

I sent the old part to the manufacturer and received the following reply:

I received the control box code: xxxxxxx which was replaced during your boiler service. I have tested it at xxxx and the item was indeed faulty. I also cannot explain why it failed post servicing but control boxes do fail suddenly if faulty so it was probably just a coincidence. The date code on the control box was 0528 which translates as week 28 2005. Thus it is over four years old and well out of any warranty period. I hope this is satisfactory to you on this occasion.

Resigned to having to pay up I awaited the bill. This arrived today and I have been charged £102.90 + VAT for a part which is widely available on line at prices ranging from £62.10 to £74.51+ VAT.

There are no terms & conditions on the enginneer's work sheet which I signed to confirm the work had been done. Do I have any redress against the oil company or can they simply charge what they like for parts supplied??

david29dpo

But the £102.90 includes fitting?

caradoc3

david29dpo wrote: »

But the £102.90 includes fitting?

No!!!

Labour is £74.50
Nozzle is £10.52

BOTH + VAT

TOTAL WITH VAT IS £216.12

caradoc3

I have now checked back and found that the control box was replaced by the same guy on 24th April 2006. Price then was £88.22 + VAT (Part only) plus 59.50 = vat for labour.

Should this box have a life > 3yrs 8 months?? After all, the original part lasted 8 years.???

mikey72

If you had ordered it, paid delivery, waited in for the day for it to arrive, paid for the engineer to re-visit and fit it, and been happy not to have had heating for several days, would it have been worth it?
If yes, complain.
If no, think yourself lucky he had the right part with him, and you have been warm recently.
3 years plus isn't too bad, new ones don't seeen to last as long as the originals did, same with most things I'm afraid.

Cardew

It is surely standard practice for all tradesmen(plumbers/electricians/motor mechanics etc) to charge the full MRP for any part they fit.

keystone

Cardew wrote: »

It is surely standard practice for all tradesmen(plumbers/electricians/motor mechanics etc) to charge the full MRP for any part they fit.

No it isn't and don't call me Shirley.

Cheers

newbie1980

Cardew wrote: »

It is surely standard practice for all tradesmen(plumbers/electricians/motor mechanics etc) to charge the full MRP for any part they fit.

dont u mean cowboys do

im a self-employed electrician and never charge more than i pay for a part
that is where my labour comes in

Andy_WSM

newbie1980 wrote: »

dont u mean cowboys do

im a self-employed electrician and never charge more than i pay for a part
that is where my labour comes in

I've never known a trades-person not put a mark-up on parts! Some charge you invoice price to them, but get a 20% discount or so at the supplier anyway.

mikey72

newbie1980 wrote: »

dont u mean cowboys do

im a self-employed electrician and never charge more than i pay for a part
that is where my labour comes in

I'll only buy from places I know and trust. An internet company may be cheaper, but it's no good to me if I have to wait two weeks, or it does not work when it comes.
I don't normally charge a lot more than I pay, but I charge from 5% upwards mark up.
I know customers can always look elsewhere and get a better price, but it has to pay for me collecting it, and if it goes wrong, it'll cover me going back, fitting a new one, and than claiming back the cost of the first part.
If the customer has a part to fit, I'll do it, then if it goes wrong, I'll charge to take it back off, they can send it back, get a replacement, then I'll charge again several days later to re-fit the part again.

clockworks_2

mikey72 wrote: »

I'll only buy from places I know and trust. An internet company may be cheaper, but it's no good to me if I have to wait two weeks, or it does not work when it comes.
I don't normally charge a lot more than I pay, but I charge from 5% upwards mark up.
I know customers can always look elsewhere and get a better price, but it has to pay for me collecting it, and if it goes wrong, it'll cover me going back, fitting a new one, and than claiming back the cost of the first part.
If the customer has a part to fit, I'll do it, then if it goes wrong, I'll charge to take it back off, they can send it back, get a replacement, then I'll charge again several days later to re-fit the part again.

It's for those reasons i prefer paying a tradesman more to do it all for me. Had to have my lock changed , ingersoll on the net was 51 pounds - trades man charged me more but he picked it all up and would have dealt with any problems if they arose.