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I think British Gas (Home Care) are ripping me off.
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I have a Home Care contract with British gas and pay about £16 a month every month to renew it, we have had this contract for the last 6 years at least.
We had our annual service on monday and mentioned that the hot water out of the taps wasn't as hot as usual in the last 2 weeks or so, yet the radiators were still as hot as ever.
The engineer changed the gas valve(at no cost to ourselves), and still couldn't suss out the fault.
He then did a meter check and realised that only 6mb of gas was going into(or maybe out of - i dont know) my boiler... apparantly the figure should be around 19mb?
anyway, he basically said that unless we upgrade our pipes to 22mm from 15mm pipes then the situation aint going to improve.
As it happened he managed to disconnect a wire that cut off our central heating last night, so we called them out again.
Following this visit he then said that he could get us a price to connect 22mm piping from our meter to our boiler and therefore improve the pressure and guarantee hotter water......
here's where the story gets a bit daft..
he quoted a gas pipe going up the front of our 2 bed terraced house and through the wall into the main bedroom ABOVE floor level, and onto the rear bathroom alongside the skirting boards but with a white plastic cover over the pipe!! - he pointed out that this is the cheapest option!! - your telling me it a cheap option, its the kinda botch up job i might try and get away with but wouldn't charge anyone for it!!!
He then quoted us 8 and 1/2 hrs labour at £78 an hour!!!
oh yes, he also said (and its here on the form infront of me), that he would only charge for 5m of 22mm tube despite needing 10m!!!
this is all here on official BG paper!!
tha total cost of running a 22mm copper pipe from the front of a 2 bed terrace house to the boiler in the rear bathroom is £763!!!
The hot water supply was fine 2 weeks ago, and has only gone a bit cooler in the last 2 weeks, so why the need to change the piping from meter to my boiler?
Why has no other service engineer said this was an issue in the last 6 years?
seems a total rip off IMO.
We had our annual service on monday and mentioned that the hot water out of the taps wasn't as hot as usual in the last 2 weeks or so, yet the radiators were still as hot as ever.
The engineer changed the gas valve(at no cost to ourselves), and still couldn't suss out the fault.
He then did a meter check and realised that only 6mb of gas was going into(or maybe out of - i dont know) my boiler... apparantly the figure should be around 19mb?
anyway, he basically said that unless we upgrade our pipes to 22mm from 15mm pipes then the situation aint going to improve.
As it happened he managed to disconnect a wire that cut off our central heating last night, so we called them out again.
Following this visit he then said that he could get us a price to connect 22mm piping from our meter to our boiler and therefore improve the pressure and guarantee hotter water......
here's where the story gets a bit daft..
he quoted a gas pipe going up the front of our 2 bed terraced house and through the wall into the main bedroom ABOVE floor level, and onto the rear bathroom alongside the skirting boards but with a white plastic cover over the pipe!! - he pointed out that this is the cheapest option!! - your telling me it a cheap option, its the kinda botch up job i might try and get away with but wouldn't charge anyone for it!!!
He then quoted us 8 and 1/2 hrs labour at £78 an hour!!!
oh yes, he also said (and its here on the form infront of me), that he would only charge for 5m of 22mm tube despite needing 10m!!!
this is all here on official BG paper!!
tha total cost of running a 22mm copper pipe from the front of a 2 bed terrace house to the boiler in the rear bathroom is £763!!!
The hot water supply was fine 2 weeks ago, and has only gone a bit cooler in the last 2 weeks, so why the need to change the piping from meter to my boiler?
Why has no other service engineer said this was an issue in the last 6 years?
seems a total rip off IMO.
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Comments
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Get an independent gas safe engineer to give you another quote, then.0
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but 6 other service engineers didnt see this pipe issue as a problem, why should this one see it as a prob then try and do a botch up job(my opinion, by going outside the house and over the carpet)Get an independent gas safe engineer to give you another quote, then.
and quote a figure of £763 to supply and fit 10m of piping!!!
IMO - its a rip off and maybe even a total con.
If this was filmed on rogue traders then IMO there would be a fuss about it... the smug engineer tried to rip me off IMO0 -
If you boiler required a 22mm supply pipe then it should have been installed at the time the boiler was installed. if the boiler is a combi boiler then they do need a 22mm pipe. That is the size in the installation manual.0
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Either way, get some other quotes before shelling out so much money!0
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my boiler was working fine until about 2 weeks ago and then the hot water didnt seem to be working so good out of the taps. -the central heating was as hot as ever?karatedragon wrote: »If you boiler required a 22mm supply pipe then it should have been installed at the time the boiler was installed. if the boiler is a combi boiler then they do need a 22mm pipe. That is the size in the installation manual.0 -
Definately get a second opinion.
Sorry to OP as I know this doesn't help you much, but I have heard so many bad stories about BGHC that I wouldn't bother.
My view on anything to do with 'insurance' that you don't legally have to have is to work out a sum somewhere near market rate/what you are prepared to save each month and put it into an account that is a bit trickier to access that a current account - be it a saver or something that is looked after by someone else. Then if anything does come up you pay, if nothing does you just keep saving.
Good luck0 -
joolsybools wrote: »Definately get a second opinion.
Sorry to OP as I know this doesn't help you much, but I have heard so many bad stories about BGHC that I wouldn't bother.
My view on anything to do with 'insurance' that you don't legally have to have is to work out a sum somewhere near market rate/what you are prepared to save each month and put it into an account that is a bit trickier to access that a current account - be it a saver or something that is looked after by someone else. Then if anything does come up you pay, if nothing does you just keep saving.
Good luck
what does OP mean in your first sentance?
cheers for other advice:)0 -
OP means Original Poster Mike0
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Mike, this is quite simple to sort out. Call British Gas and ask for a second opinion on the enigneer's diagnosis, and tell them why. If the next engineer says the same, tell him or her when they are in your house that you'd like it to be referred to their line manager for the reasons you've stated above. I know people think British Gas are in the business of ripping people off, but engineers are only human, and do make mistakes, get them to justify what they are telling you.It's what is inside your head that matters in life - not what's outside your window
Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory. - Ghandi0
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