British Gas - new boiler.

PaulJM

Thought I'd write some comments on this - still confused!

We've had a really problematic boiler in the house since we moved in - it's a 5 year old Combi (a "SIME" condensor, if you're interested)
When we came to see the house, it was broken, and we found the same issues every few months when we moved in.
I took out first an EON boiler contract, which was disasterous - they were terrible, but ultimately changed everything in the boiler, and did give me all of my money back, so it worked out ok.

Latterly I got a British Gas contract, and they've changed out everything again - incidently, they've been absolutely brilliant. I still have issues with it though.
I NEVER buy extended warrantees - they're a waste of money, IMO, but this has paid out double or more what I've put in - and also I've access to a quick, accountable engineer, each time - I always find it hard to get a trustworthy plumber....anyway...

I decided to get price from BG for a new Worcester Boiler - one which wouldn't give me as much hassle.
The guy came today, really nice chap, not at all pushy, and they want...
£950 for the boiler (our water pressure is rubbish, so no point in a big beggar) and...
£1890 for labour!!!
He reckons it'll take a day, and says that labour includes copper pipes, etc.
But £1890 for an electrician and a plumber, for one day!!!!! I always think that £250 per tradesman per day is a very high rate (if they worked that - £1250 per week!?!?!?!)
So how the hell do they justify this? The guy from BG couldn't, but maybe someone else can?

ollski

Not really but as a touch of perspective your 250 would cover my solicitor for 1 hour or a mechanic at my BMW garage for 1.75 hours. Bigger firms have higher overheads, but get a few quotes so you can make a more accurate comparison. I would imagine you would find 2 or 3 bg guys working on your install most of the day if it's going in as a 1 day installation.

PaulJM

Thanks...I agree - but I consider both of those trades to be exploitative

There are mechanics working for a the minimum wage, and the garages are creaming it in. It's probably a lesser example, but I bet the BG guys don't get a decent cut of that £1800 per day.
But before anyone says anything, I do agree that any business can charge what the hell they like - it's their own choice, people will pay what the want to pay.

But I really think BG trades on their reputation, and there are probably more vulnerable people paying a hell of a lot more than they should.

However...BG have been good with me on the homecare thing...so maybe I'm the one with the wrong feelings about this?

C_Mababejive

I'm sure you appreciate that your free to choose and you could always get quotes from independent contractors.

Bear in mind that BG have to..
Pay the wages of all their staff
Pay for vehicles
Pay for fuel/materials
Pay for pension schemes
Pay for tools
Operate a sick pay scheme
Train and equip their staff
Operate offices

feel free to add other costs..


Now if you get a quote from Bert the plumber round the corner,he doesnt have those overheads.

Its easy to be swayed by Red Top journalism about BG and Tradesmen/Engineers in general but you only hear the bad and rarely the good.

As you point out, they have invested fortunes in trying to breathe life into your boiler which in reality is not one of the best and needs binning.

yabbadoo

Have you tried asking around locally for a reliable plumber? I needed a boiler change, asked around, and heard of a local "father & son" firm - they don't advertise (don't need to!)
They gave an all-in quote, approx £700 for the 25kw boiler, and £600 for labour and all additional parts - just added £25 (the cost of a timer switch, optional extra on the boiler). Job was not a straightforward, as I wanted to move the boiler from the kitchen into the upsatairs airing cupboard (gas supply extension and major water pipe changes). Took 2 days to do the work, added bonus was he took away the cast-iron boiler, but left me all the old copper pipe, cistern and fittings, for which the scrapyard gave me over £100. He's fully "gas safe" certified, reported the installation to the boiler manufacturer and I've received the guarantee direct from them.
I called him out once since for a minor problem, solved, no charge.

Supporting local business has many obvious benefits - why inflate BG's already excessive profits when you can get the same work done locally at an honest price? You can still get the cover if you need it, without paying the extortionate installation price asked by BG (I discount the argument about BG's costs - they are more than covered by their energy prices, just look at their obscene profits AFTER all those "costs"! Your local plumber has similar costs to cover within his business, and includes them in his pricing.

Incidentally I had googled for boiler price, couldn't beat his quoted price. Doubt the same could be said of BG.

PaulJM

Totally agree with the above - it's stupid to blindly defend these companies, stop the whole conversation by saying they are in their rights to charge what they will. Course they are, and course we are, as comsumers.
But some people will choose BG because they are the only ones they trust, and this is why BG can charge a fortune.
And it's fine to go on about more overheads. But there again, BG also have massive economies of scale - favourable rates with the manufacturers, the ability to divert staff to other stuff when they're not busy. Don't feel sorry for them. I reckon they're charging double what they should here.
I'm not bashing BG - they've been great fixing my boiler, and the guy doing the quote was not at all pushy, in fact he seemed as frustrated by their labour charges as me.
Before someone comes back in - I didn't waste their time - they wanted to come to quote - infact I'd have paid a hundred or so quid more for them. Not a thousand or so more though.

I'll choose to go somewhere else for a new boiler, and BG won't miss me, as there are plenty of people who just get BG, and won't shop around, so won't realise the ridiculous over charging. I'm mearly making a point about this.

Pincher

yabbadoo wrote: »

Have you tried asking around locally for a reliable plumber? I needed a boiler change, asked around, and heard of a local "father & son" firm - they don't advertise (don't need to!)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2011/09/rogue_traders_first_active.html

"1st Active Drainage Ltd (not to be confused with other firms with similar names) tell customers they're a local family run business who'll clear your drains fast. They also claim to have been running for 35 years. They sound just like your perfect drainage company.
Sadly, all is not what it seems. We've spoken to some unhappy customers who have had far from the perfect experience. "

Unfortunately, anything trustworthy soon gets hijacked by the unscrupulous.

C_Mababejive

yabbadoo wrote: »

why inflate BG's already excessive profits when you can get the same work done locally at an honest price? You can still get the cover if you need it, without paying the extortionate installation price asked by BG (I discount the argument about BG's costs - they are more than covered by their energy prices, just look at their obscene profits AFTER all those "costs"! BG.

I expect that BG has separate accounting for its various departments and each has to stand and fall on its own merits . I doubt there would be cross subsidy from the retail energy section to the operations section.