Argos Gas cooker connection problem

uncouthkitten

Mid January 2010 I bought a replacement Stoves cooker from Argos, for a letting property, it seemed ideal, as the price included connection by a gas engineer. The cooker was delivered and connected and I thought that was the end of it.

Then I had my yearly Landlord Gas Safety Check done - the cooker passed but only just, the gas engineer who did the check made a point of phoning me as he said that the installation was sloppy and detailed three faults on the LGSC (the cooker had been set too low so it wasn't even cooking properly, slab chain too long (?), minimum distances to wall not observed) and spoke of some others that were not pertinent to the check but were also problematic (cooker not adjusted correctly to counter height, electrical supply by extension lead etc). :eek:

I'm hoping that somebody can tell me where I stand on this or does anybody know the current Argos email address please, I sent an email to enquiries@argos.co.uk but it was bounced and I'm not sure where to go from here.:mad:

wealdroam

Email customer services.

forgotmyname

Set too low and doesnt cook properly? I cannot understand that one.

Chain too long, The cooker should have a small chain fixed to the wall to stop it tipping forward and falling on you, Providing
it does that i cannot see why a chain thats longer than needed should be an issue. Providing the chain it short enough to
do its job when fitted.

Cooker to counter height, Not sure on the safety aspect but they feet will only adjust so far and are meant to level the
cooker rather than get ot 100% accurate to the worktop surface.

My FIL got his worktops lowered so the cooker stands taller than them, The council's gas inspection didnt note any problems
with that.

Ramearess

If it passed it passed so argos have done atleast the minimum they were required to but I'd still contact customer services they have a reputation to uphold they should be more than willing to put theissue right if you can show that there is an issue.

uncouthkitten

Hi Forgotmyname,

Basically the cooker should have been callibrated to the gas supply when it was fitted. Being set too low means that everything has to be cooked on the highest setting for longer.

The reason that I wanted and paid for the complete package is that Argos said that it would be a full profesional installation, I am disabled and was unable to be present to oversee the connection, which I explained to Argos, it was a relief to be assured that the fitting would be done properly, especially as my tennants have two small children (under the age of 5).

However the fitting was not done to a high standard and the cooker does not work properly because of that. If the chain is too long then surely that would provide a tip hazard, whilst the cooker may not fall completely anything on the hob would probably slide off (burn/scald hazard). If the cooker is lower than the worktop I presume that would constitute a hazard for heat/burning from the rings and spillage of hot items.

But the main point is not our understanding of what is at fault but that a qualifed engineer felt the need to flag these items as substandard on the Landlord Gas Safety check.

molerat

The cooker should have been installed by a gas safe registered engineer. If the work is not up to the standard required by the regulations rather than "not how I would have done it" he should be reported and your own engineer should know how to do this, after all it is in his interests to protect the good name of his proffession.

Apples2

Sounds like these are more observations than grave issues.

Maybe if the Gas Safety guy had failed the inspection, you would have had some recourse.

It did pass so surely must be considered safe to use.

uncouthkitten

An unremedied notification on a landlord gas safety check would surely be used as evidence in any litigation should any of those notifications cause accident and or injury, also and even more to the point, in my opinion, a gas cooker that can only cook on the highest 'heat' setting cannot be considered fit for purpose.

uncouthkitten

Just wanted to get this story up to date, once I finally got the right email for the correct department of Argos everything moved very quickly. Argos rang me and sorted out an engineer to come out before Xmas and fix the problems at no charge. Would happily use Argos again but wish that the site was clearer for contact details. Thanks to everybody for their help and advice.

Esqui

Glad all is OK. Thanks for coming back to update...it's nice to know when things go well