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Excellent service from BG engineer
Our heating pump started playing up just before Christmas (We have Home Care 200) and produced some interesting drum effects in the pipework. We booked an engineer online but had to wait a few days (not surprising considering the weather at the time!).
Engineer turned up on December 21 during the agreed time slot and "eased" the sticking pump. We guessed it would be only a short-term fix, but we have a gas fire and an immersion heater, and an awful lot of people were much worse off than us, so we didn't want to hold him up.
It got us through until this weekend when it seized up completely. Sunday afternoon, made an online booking, taking the earliest available - yesterday (Monday) afternoon. At 4.50 we got a call that he was on his way, then "Sorry, I've called the wrong job - we've had to reschedule yours and another chap's doing it. Should be with you shortly." I'm a natural cynic so I assumed we would see nobody that night.
By 6.10pm there was still no engineer so I called the 0800 number and spoke to a very Scottish person who assured us he was on his way. She must have picked up the doubt in my voice - she asked me to hang on and eventually came back to say she had spoken to engineer and he should be with us in a few minutes.
True to her word, he arrived before 6.30, apologising because his sat-nav had sent him to the wrong side of the road (our Garmin, too, is convinced we live across the road, so it was true). I told him the pump had seized, he went to his van and brought in a pump. Presumably he knew about the earlier call from his laptop records.
He got to work in the awkward corner of the airing cupboard. When he'd finished he went round all the rads making sure they were warming up, got us to feel them too, then explained the best speed to use the pump and why. He was concerned that there seemed to be no fuse for the boiler isolator switch but was happier after he traced the wiring and found another fused switch in the airing cupboard upstairs.
He took the time to answer our questions and never gave the impression he was in an unseemly rush to get away, although he was helping "out of area" and we were an extra job.
Even if he is paid overtime, I'm sure that like anyone else he still wanted to get home for the evening. A good ambassador for the company. Yes, he was "just doing his job" but it's not always just what you do, it's the way that you do it.
Don't know what it would have cost if we'd had to pay, but I'm guessing the best part of what we pay annually for the HomeCare cover.
Disclaimer: I do not and never have worked for British Gas. Just a satisfied customer who wanted to put a bit of good news in this section :beer:
Engineer turned up on December 21 during the agreed time slot and "eased" the sticking pump. We guessed it would be only a short-term fix, but we have a gas fire and an immersion heater, and an awful lot of people were much worse off than us, so we didn't want to hold him up.
It got us through until this weekend when it seized up completely. Sunday afternoon, made an online booking, taking the earliest available - yesterday (Monday) afternoon. At 4.50 we got a call that he was on his way, then "Sorry, I've called the wrong job - we've had to reschedule yours and another chap's doing it. Should be with you shortly." I'm a natural cynic so I assumed we would see nobody that night.
By 6.10pm there was still no engineer so I called the 0800 number and spoke to a very Scottish person who assured us he was on his way. She must have picked up the doubt in my voice - she asked me to hang on and eventually came back to say she had spoken to engineer and he should be with us in a few minutes.
True to her word, he arrived before 6.30, apologising because his sat-nav had sent him to the wrong side of the road (our Garmin, too, is convinced we live across the road, so it was true). I told him the pump had seized, he went to his van and brought in a pump. Presumably he knew about the earlier call from his laptop records.
He got to work in the awkward corner of the airing cupboard. When he'd finished he went round all the rads making sure they were warming up, got us to feel them too, then explained the best speed to use the pump and why. He was concerned that there seemed to be no fuse for the boiler isolator switch but was happier after he traced the wiring and found another fused switch in the airing cupboard upstairs.
He took the time to answer our questions and never gave the impression he was in an unseemly rush to get away, although he was helping "out of area" and we were an extra job.
Even if he is paid overtime, I'm sure that like anyone else he still wanted to get home for the evening. A good ambassador for the company. Yes, he was "just doing his job" but it's not always just what you do, it's the way that you do it.
Don't know what it would have cost if we'd had to pay, but I'm guessing the best part of what we pay annually for the HomeCare cover.
Disclaimer: I do not and never have worked for British Gas. Just a satisfied customer who wanted to put a bit of good news in this section :beer:
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Comments
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Was he a BG RGI or was he an independent sub-contractor?No free lunch, and no free laptop
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BG van, BG uniform, BG laptop so I assumed he was an employee. The HomeCare checklist shows Engineer ID as a five-digit number, but guess that could apply to either.
Edit: RGI? :huh:0 -
Our heating pump started playing up just before Christmas (We have Home Care 200) and produced some interesting drum effects in the pipework. We booked an engineer online but had to wait a few days (not surprising considering the weather at the time!).
Engineer turned up on December 21 during the agreed time slot and "eased" the sticking pump. We guessed it would be only a short-term fix, but we have a gas fire and an immersion heater, and an awful lot of people were much worse off than us, so we didn't want to hold him up.
It got us through until this weekend when it seized up completely. Sunday afternoon.......................
I would say that the pump should have been replaced on the first visit. If the job had been done properly the first time, there would have been no need for another visit!:doh: Blue text on this forum usually signifies hyperlinks, so click on them!..:wall:0 -
Under normal circumstances, so would I - but everything was so chaotic with the snow at that time, we made allowances. The engineers were obviously way beyond being up to their eyes in work. And without casting any aspersions, we might not have got such a good job done by someone who was obviously under considerable stress.0
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I think it makes a change for someone to post some good news for a change. Whether it is BG or not, there are loads of good engineers out there, just that the bad publicity always finds its way to the surface first.
Sadly as it is the luck of the draw who you get out, there will always be a chance of a 'wrong 'un turning up'0 -
Did you phone BG to praise the engineer? Such things are used in their appraisals by their managers It's what is inside your head that matters in life - not what's outside your window
Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory. - Ghandi0 -
Haven't done yet - but good idea. I will.0
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I am not with BG Homecare now as decided to 'self insure'.
However in the many years I used BG I always had excellent service from them and had no complaints.
Incidentally, much is said on MSE about them only doing a safety inspection instead of a 'proper service'. Well I have the full servicing schedule for both my boilers and they always carried out this properly. That said the service consists of little more than cleaning and visual inspection.0
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