Am I being conned? Advice needed the possible need for replacing a boiler

worried-abt-being-conned

Hi everyone, :wave:

I am wondering if anyone could help me out please.

I moved into my new mid-terrace town house just over 2 years ago and had a Gledhill Combi boiler GB35c fitted in.

2 weeks ago, my boiler stopped working with no gas heating and hot water. A CORGI registered engineer came few days ago and called the Gledhill Response technical helpline to identify the problem of my boiler. The reason for calling the technical helpline was because the engineer had not seen this type of boiler before despite reported to have been in this business for 25 years. The engineer also said he never knew Gledhill produces combi boilers. ‘They usually produce cylinder type boilers, not combi type’. After 30 minutes of telephone advice (premium rate number being charged by Gledhill Response) and probing around, the fault was down to a faulty Diverter Valve.

Unfortunately, Gledhill Response did not have this spare part available and the company that manufactures this specific Diverter Valve for this specific model of Combi boiler ceased to trade as it has gone into administration. The only way out is therefore to replace my existing boiler.

The engineer was quick to give me a quote on this. The total cost is estimated to be around £2000 including VAT. The cost includes a new combi boiler Valliant Eco-Tec Plus 831, a timer, magnaclean, ‘chemicals’ and few other little things. The price also includes labour which is £705 – 2 engineers to install. :shocked:

I’ve visited the website (newboiler.com) as mentioned in this forum by others. The pricing for the new boiler is about right and so does the little other things. However, I feel that the labour cost is quite expansive.

This is not all. As my house is a 3-storey town house, it is against health and safety regulation to use a ladder to go up and I need to independently hire a ‘cherry-picker’ :eek:(a machine operated lift like one commonly use by fire brigades) to lift the engineers up. According to the engineer, it costs somewhere around £400-£700. _pale_

:think:Questions I have in mind (and would be grateful for any advice) are:

• Does a straightforward swap for a new boiler require 2 engineers? One engineer costs me £357.5 including VAT. Two engineers is £705. What is the average pricing for labour?
• What are my other options (which is hopefully cheaper) instead of hiring a ‘cherry picker’?
• Most importantly, am I being conned at all in anyways? The worse thing about being conned (if I am) is not even knowing it.

Thank you.

macman

I find it hard to believe that a standard part is not available for a 2 year old boiler. Suggest you do a bit of Googling on independent boiler spare providers and you should be able to track one down yourself.
Where on earth is the boiler positioned in your house that it needs a cherry picker to lift it into position?
Lastly, if your installer is describing himself as CORGi registered, you are most certainly dealing with a cowboy. CORGI no longer controls the gas registration system and hasn't done for over a year. The new system is called Gas Safe. You did ask to see his reg, and then checked it online, didn't you?

samtheman1k

If you know the part number (which may be in your manual), you could try visiting http://www.segel.co.uk/ and see if they have the part. Part of Gledhill did go bust a year or so ago, so he may be talking some truth, but try segel, they sometimes have old parts.

Yes it would normally require two engineers for a new boiler, even if just to lift the damn things up!

Where is the boiler that you need a cherry picker for??? Very unusual!!!

gas4you

Health & Safety rules are not enforcable on 'one man bands'. Usually they apply to business that employ 5 or more staff.

If I needed 2 people to fit a boiler, then I would never be doing any work!

Gas engineers charge about £300 + VAT/man day

samtheman1k

gas4you wrote: »

Health & Safety rules are not enforcable on 'one man bands'. Usually they apply to business that employ 5 or more staff.

Absolute rubbish.

gas4you

They don't apply to me, have investigated it thoroughly.

If I employ 5 or moe then I have a legal duty to comply and have a H & S policy etc. I couldn't send an employee up on a roof without a proper risk assessment and safety gear, but there is nothing to stop me doing by whatever means I choose. I wouldn't work this height off a ladder, always use scaffold, but the point is I have a choice.

All I have to do is to work safely to the terms/conditions set by my insurance policy/company.

So I suggest you check it out before spouting your mis-informed gob off

samtheman1k

If you have less than 5 employees, then you do not have to document your policy/RAs etc. However, you do still have to comply with the H&S at work act...I suggest you re-do your investigations!!!

I'm glad I don't work for you!!!

worried-abt-being-conned

Hi guys,

Thanks for your suggestions. They were helpful.

1. I'll check with segal.co.uk tomorrow about the spare parts. Earlier on, I did try Gledhill Response which is the company in-charge of aftersales maintainence. They said the Diverter Valve for this model GB35c is no longer in stock and the factory that makes the valve has gone bust too.

2. I did have a look at his CORGI card and it was in date (valid from 2010 until sometime in 2011). The picture on the card confirms the idendity of the engineer. The back of the card also says he is certified to do gas boiler. The only thing I didn't do is check his registration online. I did notice his CORGI registration is about 5-6 digit long. Maybe I should have checked online as well.

3. Sorry that I did not explain clearly why a cherry picker was needed. Its because the flue is on the 2nd floor and that its against health and safety to use a ladder. The engineer told me that a new flue needs to be put installed and can't used the existing one as it is originally placed too near my neighbour's wall. He told me that it is against safety regulation to have a flue within 300mm from a wall. I have doubled checked this fact online and indeed it is true. I will be making a complaint to my developer about this breach of safety issue and see what their response would be.

4. Seems like the labour cost is gonna be around £700.

macman

Gas Safe replaced CORGI back on 1/4/09. So if he had a CORGI card dated from 2010 he is not only a cowboy but an incompetent one.
If the original supplier has gone under then surely there will be another source of supply? We're only talking about a 24 month old boiler, not an obsolete model!
You'd be better off finding another GB35C just to use the diverter valve from that!

samtheman1k

worried-abt-being-conned wrote: »

This is not all. As my house is a 3-storey town house, it is against health and safety regulation to use a ladder to go up and I need to independently hire a ‘cherry-picker’ :eek:(a machine operated lift like one commonly use by fire brigades) to lift the engineers up. According to the engineer, it costs somewhere around £400-£700. _pale_

While his labour costs may be a little high (don't forget the second person won't be skilled, so he won't be getting £300 per day!!! However, the cherry picker is where he is fleecing you. Cherry pickers should only cost maybe £100 or at worst £200 per day. Check out speedhire or others. You could even hire it yourself.

Can he also not do the flue from the inside?


Cherry picker for £125 per week:

http://www.speedyhire.com/Access/Platforms/Pop-Up-Plus-Platform/p-1-1-5-41/

macman

I strongly suspect that this 'CORGI' installer has a brother/cousin/mate who conveniently runs an access machinery hire business...
If the guy is genuine, tell him that you have tracked down a replacement diverter valve on the net and if you purchase that, how much will he charge to fit it?
If his enthusiasm for the job wanes noticeably, you'll know that you're being scammed.