No boiler for 7-10 days...can I do anything?

first78

Have just received a message on my answerphone from British gas who came out to look at my boiler yesterday. They told me yesterday they would order the part they needed and come back to fix it today.

The message on my answerphone was that their supplier is out of stock for the part they require and it could take 7-10 days to get it!! :mad:

I have no friends or family close by and have no hot water or heating other than the small electric fan the engineers left me yesterday. Is there anything I can do? Surely they can't leave me without a working boiler for this long?!

jcorbygas

What is the make and model of the boiler and what is the part required?

first78

jcorbygas wrote: »

What is the make and model of the boiler and what is the part required?

It's an Ideal mini C24 and they've written PCB on the paperwork which I assume is the part they need.

spiro

first78 wrote: »

Surely they can't leave me without a working boiler for this long?!

You have no legal entitlement to heating or hot water, just electricity and fresh (cold) water. They have at least left you with a fire.

The problem may be that because of the very high boiler call outs to BG and others that some parts are in short supply. I heard BG alone were repairing 30k boilers a day the week before Xmas, that a lot of call outs and parts.

gas4you

Ideal will supply the part over night for an extra £15 delivery charge

Pincher

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1342357/Central-heating-break-big-freeze-Heres-.html

"However, the recent cold snap has revealed a major problem with them. Tens of thousands of people found themselves shivering as their shiny new boilers cut out without warning.
British Gas is understood to have had 60,000 call-outs in Yorkshire alone. And the cost to call out a plumber? It can be between £200 to £300 on a bank holiday. And don’t forget about VAT."

gas4you

This is a SE boiler with no condensate pipe to freeze.

I can't see why the cost should be more than about £60 + board + VAT for any local chap to supply and fix.

BG are not as good as their ad campaigns make out they are.

Pincher

gas4you wrote: »

This is a SE boiler with no condensate pipe to freeze.

But the OP is competing with them to lure a plumber to come.
My guy would have come earlier in December, but he worked in -5 degrees conditions, came down with swine flu (H1N1), and his doctor told him not to leave the house. Me and the builders survived by burning Calorgas and using fan heaters.

gas4you wrote: »

I can't see why the cost should be more than about £60 + board + VAT for any local chap to supply and fix.

My guy IS local, and IS reasonably priced, so much so that I just pay what he wants afterwards, without a quote first. The problem is, I asked him to fill the radiators in November, and he turns up on 20th December!

Thank God I waited for him, because we went from open vented to pressurised, and a joint started leaking under the higher pressure.

Not all rosy though. His assistant wired up the new two wire 24V Climastat digital thermostat to the 240V Heat Output on the Honeywell programmer as if it was an analogue relay thermostat in an S-Plan+! I went away for ten days, setting the digital thermostat to 16 degrees. When I came back, the house was 28 degrees! The boiler never stopped for ten days! £72 of gas for ten days! He totally ignored my painstakingly produced wiring diagram, with true wire colours. Neither of them know what the Glow worm low voltage E-Bus does!? The RGI passed the Gas Safe exam about two years ago, after 30+ years of CORGI. The digital thermostat died after 11 days. Waiting for a Glow worm ClimaPro, which has timer as well, so I don't confuse them with the old Honeywell programmer.

gas4you wrote: »

BG are not as good as their ad campaigns make out they are.

I hate them, but you can only suicide bomb one place, when there are so many people and companies that should be consigned to hell fire. Problem is, if you try to invite them all round to the O2 Arena for a mass destruction, you can't get through to the call centre. :rotfl:

KimYeovil

first78 wrote: »

I have no friends or family close by and have no hot water or heating other than the small electric fan the engineers left me yesterday. Is there anything I can do? Surely they can't leave me without a working boiler for this long?!

Gosh, how terrible. Fancy having to make do when your boiler breaks down and are waiting for a repair. What planet are you from? What is the big deal? It really is shocking the number of petulant weirdos who post sob stories like this. Completely bizarre.

pandora205

We should start a club! My boiler went on Monday but being Bank Hol and busy, I couldn't get a visit until Tuesday when I had work commitments. My 19 yo son was here when the engineer called but he wouldn't do anything as he couldn't access the boiler (ie new kitchen cupboard was in the way). I managed to get someone later to remove the door - a five minute job (which is all that was needed) and rebooked, eventually after much discussion for this morning. The engineer called and found that a new valve was needed - he went off to order one and arranged to come back tomorrow. I had a phone call this evening to say the part is out of stock and wouldn't be here tomorrow (bearing in mind I've had no heating nor hot water since Monday morning and it's freezing. I've borrowed a fan heater from work and had to go to the gym at 7 in the morning to shower). I had to kick up a fuss and the operator said she'd speak to a manager to see what can be done. They've now said they've located a part 50 miles away which they will courier tomorrow afternoon - and it will be delivered here. Although this is very difficult with work as I have commitments, I have no alternative but to go with this.

So, once again I'm here with no hot water and only a fan heater for the house. And it's my birthday too (though we have been to the pantomime so not all doom and gloom).

Fingers crossed that mine will be fixed tomorrow... Good luck first78 - I suggest you call BGas back and get a bit heated (if you'll excuse the pun).

KimYeovil

No boiler for 7-10 days...can I do anything?

Warn Foxy Loxy and Henny Penny. Call Scott and Virgil Tracy. Inform Ban Ki-moon.