Gas engineer refused to turn boiler on, now have no heat/hot water. What do i do!!

cheap_charlie

kittie wrote: »

the nanny state has bred the self-help gene out of a lot of people and we cannot expect those people to have any common sense

This is the kind of thing I hate on MSE - the unhelpful sweeping statement on a thread written by someone in a very bad situation. Ugh.

duchy

Take no notice.....some people feel so inferior in their real lives that they use forums to make themselves feel self important. They are usually as useful as chocolate teapots to the majority of members here. You certainly shouldn't let losers like that make you cry !

Make sure you keep records of all the extra expenses this mess is causing you-any extra fuel costs, phone calls etc and as well as envoromental health at the council -have you spoken to housing for advice ?

I'm a bit unclear why you have a lettings agent as they don't appear to do anything-I would definitely inform them in writing about the fact your boiler has been condemmed on safety grounds -it might wake them up ....and they may have other contact numbers for your landlord that you don't have.

cheap_charlie

petridish wrote: »

Sorry for my self-pitying post above. I don't know what's come over me. I am really grateful for the help i've received so far, it has been a huge help. I think it would be best to just let this thread disappear into oblivion so i don't have to see any more mean comments!

Having read this post and the one above I think most people will forgive you feeling a bit sorry for yourself - some of the people on here could do with walking in your shoes before having a pop at you.

I hope you get things sorted out soon - I really sympathise with you not having hot water - having been there myself it's not funny.

As a widowed single parent myself I also understand how hard things must be for you with your child. I am just sorry that other people have sought to judge you rather than help you.

I hope that the landlord gets the boiler fixed for you ASAP.

ladymarmalade1970

I sympathise with you as well. It must be REALLY hard being on your own with a small baby ,no heating and a next to useless landlord.
I hope you get it sorted out very soon.

evoke

petridish wrote: »

Evoke - thanks for the mean comments. Im not just sitting around expecting everyone else to help me. I have an extremely unhelpful LL and i find most of the people on this site are really helpful with giving advice which i appreciate.

I have gone out and bought myself two heaters today. Still not exactly a warm house and im still stuck with no hot water thanks to a broken immersion switch that the LL has refused to do anything about for months.

Im not a bad mum and your comments have really upset me insinuating that im not responsible enough to have a baby. Yes, i am on benefits at the moment, i feel like i should be ashamed to even admit that. My baby's father sadly passed away in an accident before we even knew that i was pregnant so i don't have any other means of help with money, not that i expect to at all, so yes, i am solely responsible for my baby. I was made redundant after 4 years working at the same place as it went bust in the same month that i also found out i was pregnant and no employers wanted to touch me with a barge pole while i had a huge pregnant bump!! Im so sorry that i have chosen to look after my baby for a year before i return to work and dont worry, i WILL be returning to work in few months hopefully to try and give my baby a decent life so we wont be wasting much more of your tax money.

Maybe i need to grow a thicker skin. I suppose i must be an incredibly pathetic person because i feel really sad now and your comments have actually made me cry.

Thank you everyone else for the help. Still no word from my LL so i have spoken to the environmental department at the council and they told me to ring back in a week if i still have no heat/hot water and they will attempt to chase my LL. Not exactly what i expected to hear but never mind. In the meantime i will be trying to find a LL who will take me without a guarantor so i can get out of this place asap.

Right, so you actually did what I suggested in the end? Now one of your two problems is less severe than it was before. Result.

Do you have emergency cover on any insurance policies? Or has your landlord left you the phone number for an emergency call-out company? Perhaps if you can find one they may be able to assist.

Your main priority is to ensure the well-being of your baby and yourself. Everything else is secondary.

I tend to speak my my mind and say things as they are. I call a spade a spade. I'm not an emotional or sensitive person.

However, on this occasion I am happy to take back my comments and apologise to you. I am sorry if my comments upset you.

petridish

evoke wrote: »

Right, so you actually did what I suggested in the end? Now one of your two problems is less severe than it was before. Result.

Do you have emergency cover on any insurance policies? Or has your landlord left you the phone number for an emergency call-out company? Perhaps if you can find one they may be able to assist.

Your main priority is to ensure the well-being of your baby and yourself. Everything else is secondary.

I tend to speak my my mind and say things as they are. I call a spade a spade. I'm not an emotional or sensitive person.

However, on this occasion I am happy to take back my comments and apologise to you. I am sorry if my comments upset you.

Thank you, that actually means a lot to me.

I have no insurance or anything but have managed to finally get hold of LL by calling him from a different mobile so i am wondering if maybe he was ignoring all my calls! He is now telling me that he will send someone round to do a gas safety certificate which has just about run out from last year and he can check ventilation too. Only problem is, its the same person who has done it for about 5 years running so he obviously doesn't agree with what the other gas man says about the problem!

I am considering calling back the emergency gas company who came out originally and asking their advice on the matter because it is two different opinions and i know they are both CORGI (??) registered so i am really confused now. Even if it means i need to pay another person to do an inspection just to be double sure.

I will just have to wait and see now i guess! And continue looking for a new home as soon as possible.

Thank you again for advice. And everyone else also

franklee

petridish wrote: »

He is now telling me that he will send someone round to do a gas safety certificate which has just about run out from last year and he can check ventilation too. Only problem is, its the same person who has done it for about 5 years running so he obviously doesn't agree with what the other gas man says about the problem!

I am considering calling back the emergency gas company who came out originally and asking their advice on the matter because it is two different opinions and i know they are both CORGI (??) registered so i am really confused now. Even if it means i need to pay another person to do an inspection just to be double sure.

Look the gas engineer up on the gas safe register:
http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/about/how_to_check_the_id_card.aspx

Look at the card and then also check the information on it is the same as that online. You need to be sure the engineer is properly trained and registered.

poppysarah

Do not be afraid to check their details - should be on previous gas check anyway

clutton_2

do read the card carefully.. not all gas engineers are authorised or qualified to deal wiht all gas appliances... some may only do fires and cookers.. some may do everything.....

then when he is gone check his GASSAFE registration on their website

when i lived somewhere with no heating and holes in the ceiling, i used to sit in my sleeping bag with woolie hats on .. some nights it was a 4 hat-night.. so i can really understand your discomfort...

are the new fires making a difference ?

petridish

clutton wrote: »

do read the card carefully.. not all gas engineers are authorised or qualified to deal wiht all gas appliances... some may only do fires and cookers.. some may do everything.....

then when he is gone check his GASSAFE registration on their website

when i lived somewhere with no heating and holes in the ceiling, i used to sit in my sleeping bag with woolie hats on .. some nights it was a 4 hat-night.. so i can really understand your discomfort...

are the new fires making a difference ?

I will definitely be checking. Thanks for the link to website, thats great, i cant wait to check out his details now!

Its not cold enough for me to have to resort to 4 hats!! Brrr that must have been awful! The heaters have made a bit of a difference, been on full blast for a few hours in the bedroom and its now 12 degrees (although electric is going down faster than ive ever seen!!) but temp not going up anymore which is a bit annoying as its recommended to keep a room between 16 and 18 for a baby but obviously its impossible so have put extra blankets over him. Im not worried about me being cold, i just dont want my baby to feel it!

Im surprised at how much warmer the radiators make the rooms as opposed to a heater, i thought a heater might make the room too hot!

Hopefully the guy tomorrow will know what he's talking about and might be able to do something.