I spent 22 days without any gas supply

hearmeplease

Everyone,

I rent a house of Defense Estates, working in the Royal Air Force. After smelling gas on 1st March this year, My gas supply was capped immediately. Because of Modern Housing Solutions very poor management of the situation, I then spent a further 22 days without any gas until a new boiler was fitted. 28 days after initial cut-off I finally had my thermostat connected to the boiler.
I was contacted yesterday by the director of complaints from MHS who offered me a £200 cheque. I was a little disgusted as it cost me £100+ in electricity over the 28 days to heat myself a my family, including a 7 week old baby. I told him I would expect more and I am waiting for a phone call back on Monday,

Does anyone have any ideas on how much I should realistically be asking for as compensation as £200 barely covers the bill. Things I triied to take into consideration were:

1. 7 week old baby, having diaoreah for 10 days because of a viral infection
2. 2 year old son, becoming ill with the same infection. Both of these caused by the cold in the house. 10 degrees in the morning.
3. £100+ electricity bill
4. 1 x missed appointment after 20 days without gas
5. over 20 phone calls to them and 6 recieved within 28 days
6. Expensive fleecy pyjamas had to bought for both kids
7. mental anguish etc.

Any advice gratefully recieved

Keith

Derivative

I would put the emphasis on compensation for your time, not for an infection which can't be proved to be a result of cold either way. And a defence for that would basically be, well, leave an electric heater on.

Why was the appointment missed? Probably something worth emphasising.

The company will probably respond better to hard numbers than a sob story.

Premier_2

hearmeplease wrote: »

...I was contacted yesterday by the director of complaints from MHS who offered me a £200 cheque. I was a little disgusted as it cost me £100+ in electricity over the 28 days to heat myself a my family, including a 7 week old baby. ...

Does anyone have any ideas on how much I should realistically be asking for as compensation as £200 barely covers the bill. ...

What else are you wanting to be compensated for, and by how much? :huh:

The £200 more than covers the extra you spent on using electrical heaters for the period involved.

As to the numbered items:
1. You can't prove it was related
2. You can't prove it was related
(Cold temperatures do not cause viral infections. Young children get ill all the time for any number of reasons and where siblings are involved, when one catches something they usually transfer the virus to the other very rapidly)
3. Covered by the £200 offered
4. Theres normally a typical service guarantee for this - usually about £20. Check this has not been included in the £200 offered
5. You don't get compensated for receiving phone calls!
6. That was your decision to buy your kids expensive night clothing.
At this time of year, just throw the winter 15 tog duvet back on if it's that cold at night. We don't have any heating on at night this time of year, and the 15 tog duvet was in the cupboard at the start of March. How did you spend £100 extra on heating if it was so cold extra clothing was required too?
If extra clothing really was necessary, you should have given them an old trackg suit or t-shirt/jogging bottoms to keep warm in at night.
7. As J.J. would say, yours or mine?!

Gothicfairy

hearmeplease wrote: »

Everyone,


7 week old baby, having diaoreah for 10 days because of a viral infection This would have nothing to do with the lack of gas I should think so maybe best to leave this one out

2 year old son, becoming ill with the same infection. Both of these caused by the cold in the house. 10 degrees in the morning. It is March you are talking about so hardly the outer reaches of Scotland ( unless that is where you live) 10 degrees on getting up is really not that cold and can be managed perfectly well, might think differently if we were talking about the middle of winter with inches of snow on the grown but we aint.

£100+ electricity bill is that just for the heating ? Could it have been cut down or turned off ? I am not really trying to be as difficult or mean as I sound but it has not been that cold and I think although they should help out and pay something they might not want to pay for all of your electric if you have had the heating on for hours

1 x missed appointment after 20 days without gas You should get something for one missed appointment but I think it is about £20 per missed or something like th

over 20 phone calls to them and 6 recieved within 28 days You can of course ask them to cover the cost of calls

Expensive fleecy pyjamas had to bought for both kids. Why did they need expensive pj's ? You can get cheap ones that do the job ? Also when asleep it really can't be that cold, ie under blankets ..I grew up like thousands without heating and did this whole winter with no heating and we actually coped really well

mental anguish etc.Any advice gratefully recieved Never sure about this as how can it be proved ? and what figure would you want?

Keith

I think £200 is not a bad deal to be honest but if you want more then ask for more and see where you go from there, I would leave the personal stuff out cos they are really not going to care and also having a 7 week old this time of year does not give you a "right" to heating ..sorry so as EdgEy said, stick to cold hard facts and figures and see what they say.

HappyMJ

March.. £200 additonal cost to heat a house @ 10p a unit. Well that's about 2000kWh. 64kWh per day. That's 2 heaters running constantly for 16 hours per day. The thermostat would cut in and out so it's more likely 4 heaters on for 16 hours a day. How warm was it you say 10 degrees. That's one bad uninsulated house. According to my chart for March I used an extra 150kWh for the whole month on electrical heating for 1 room. You'll be heating let's see 3 bedrooms for 2 hours a day (a bit in the morning and a bit in the evening) and a lounge for a few more hours we'll give that 16 hours cutting in and out. So that would be about 600kWh...An extra £60 on heating for 4 weeks. But less what you would have spent on Gas for the same period at about £20 so an extra £40 on the duel fuel bill.

Farway

OP, correct me if I am wrong, but you are in RAF Married Quarters, provided by us taxpayers and because you had no gas for 20 days you want us to pay you more?

I suggest you take the offer, get real, and hope you are not in Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya next week

I am ex matelot and also lived in MQ, you take what what you get & put up with it, that is Service life

Dreamnine

Geez... some people are never happy... I wouldn't even offer you the £200.