How to Find Reliable, affordable, Gas engineers

ajd2415

Hello, having been ripped off just yesterday, and we still have the fault in our hot water only gas boiler. I now had to turn off the pilot light as the boiler may not be safe!! The man charged us for two hours work, and he was only on site for 45minutes..and he overcharged on the materials..
ok that seems to be par for the course many times in this country now!

How do I find a someone who is well qualified, won't rip us off, and is willing to either fix this fault, or fit us with a new boiler..hot water only.?

Yellow pages has a PLAGUE of plumbers gas people..but the company that ripped us has a website and is in the YELLOW pages..so we cannot chance another rip off. We are West Kent based..and had not hot water for coming up to the 4th day now! We don't like being dirty:(((

Any suggestions for sites where genuine real live people can rate the service people for Kent?

many thanks.

macman

If they failed to rectify the fault, get them back to fix it properly at their expense.
Having a website and a Yellow Pages listing is no guarantee of reliability, anyone can do that. I assume you did you use a GSR engineer and checked their reg?

Blackpool_Saver

http://www.findagoodone.com/

hethmar

Have a look at a site like My Builder - you put the job on there and local plumbers will bid for the work. You can check out their references on there and then choose a couple to quote for definite.

http://www.mybuilder.com/

My son had to do that when he moved into a new flat in London, didnt know any local builders or anyone to ask. He was very pleased with the responses he got from the site and it was done and dusted within a few days at half the price of the first yellow pages quote.

blossom30

ajd2415 wrote: »

Hello, having been ripped off just yesterday, and we still have the fault in our hot water only gas boiler. I now had to turn off the pilot light as the boiler may not be safe!! The man charged us for two hours work, and he was only on site for 45minutes..and he overcharged on the materials..
ok that seems to be par for the course many times in this country now!

How do I find a someone who is well qualified, won't rip us off, and is willing to either fix this fault, or fit us with a new boiler..hot water only.?

Yellow pages has a PLAGUE of plumbers gas people..but the company that ripped us has a website and is in the YELLOW pages..so we cannot chance another rip off. We are West Kent based..and had not hot water for coming up to the 4th day now! We don't like being dirty:(((

Any suggestions for sites where genuine real live people can rate the service people for Kent?

many thanks.

Hi ajd 2415, I found a great engineer through the gas safe register. You put in your post code and it comes up with all the gas safe engineers in your area. It posts their photo so you know who they are. I phoned a few for quotes and ended up with a great engineer who I use regularly. I just have to phone now and he comes out the same day.If you google gas safe you will find the register. shrewdal

C_Mababejive

The gasafe register is not a guarantee of competency or of quality of work and should not be taken as such. It is simply a registration scheme.

The only thing that really counts is quality training,a good sound grounding and understanding of engineering principles which can easily be applied to different areas of engineering and with overlap,and a willingness to do a good honest job.

I have come across many GSR engineers who are unsafe,useless and plain bad mannered with customers.

ajd2415

I agree about the gas safe registered..its pretty meaningless..if the person intends to rip you off anyway.. The guy who came was in a rush, he should have stayed longer to make sure the fault was completely clear.
I returned about 30 minutes later to test it again and found the fault had changed and was worse!! Also he did over charge us by at least £70.00

The company asked for our credit card up front..I know ..I should know better! he as all the correct literature, he is on the Gas Registered site, his invoices look kosher..but at the end of the day you are not going to know if the person is decent, polite, genuine, good at their job, until they have been at least once! I prefer to go by recommendations in my area from real people! saying that our local council said to try and find someone recommended by trading standards..which we have done, they will come tomorrow to look ..no charge for that.

Many thanks

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: I know at least one excellent, reliable RGI/plumber in Kent..I'm confident there are many more in our county.;)

Let us know how you get on.

Canucklehead