£500 boiler repair! Can I do anything?

ilovemycats

True true

I hate technology and stuff.

Aly

RobCrin

Hey all! Ive been away for the past couple of days, just checked back and had some good responses!

Im going to ring up on monday and try get this sorted. Im going to ask what was wrong with the fan, if it is a bearing failure I am going to ask why it wasnt picked up in the service. I am also going to ask for for the parts back as well, I expected them to be left, but when I looked for them they were not! (Surely that is theft?) However I am sure if they didnt need to replace the circuit board they will just give me an old one they have lying around any way.

About not asking how much, it was the first time I have ever had to deal with somthing like this, I rang them up and asked them to have a look at it and before I knew it he was out the door buying bits. Surely he should tell me how much it is going to cost before hand? I know someone said it but if they are just rude to me, will not give me itemised bill and parts back etc can I tell them to come and remove the things they replaced? Ile keep you updated on what they say!

And robby, I know you think I shouldn’t moan because I didn’t ask how much it would be, but I don't think that if someone doesn’t ask something is it gives them a right to put the price up, where is the fairness in that? And plus it was a bad job! I have to work so hard to earn £500, and for someone to then take that off me by doing a couple of hours work driving around picking up parts (that they may not even need) seems very unfair to me...

ormus

how did you pay them?
if you paid via a CC then you are in a strong position.

another reason to make sure you pay for everything (say 100 quid or over) you can via a CC.

RobCrin

Well I havnt paid yet...I have been out the country for the past few days, I am going to ring on Monday and see what they say before I even consider paying.

What could I do if I were to pay with CC?

ormus

a CC always give you the uper hand. cause you can claw back any payment if the goods/services were faulty etc..
then you can argue from a position of strength, with the supplier. and get the job fixed/item replaced, or get a partial rebate etc..

much more difficult when you have already paid them in cash etc...

ollyk

RobCrin wrote:

Hey all! Ive been away for the past couple of days, just checked back and had some good responses!

Im going to ring up on monday and try get this sorted. Im going to ask what was wrong with the fan, if it is a bearing failure I am going to ask why it wasnt picked up in the service. I am also going to ask for for the parts back as well, I expected them to be left, but when I looked for them they were not! (Surely that is theft?) However I am sure if they didnt need to replace the circuit board they will just give me an old one they have lying around any way.

About not asking how much, it was the first time I have ever had to deal with somthing like this, I rang them up and asked them to have a look at it and before I knew it he was out the door buying bits. Surely he should tell me how much it is going to cost before hand? I know someone said it but if they are just rude to me, will not give me itemised bill and parts back etc can I tell them to come and remove the things they replaced? Ile keep you updated on what they say!

And robby, I know you think I shouldn’t moan because I didn’t ask how much it would be, but I don't think that if someone doesn’t ask something is it gives them a right to put the price up, where is the fairness in that? And plus it was a bad job! I have to work so hard to earn £500, and for someone to then take that off me by doing a couple of hours work driving around picking up parts (that they may not even need) seems very unfair to me...

Good luck Rob, can you not go to their premises and ask for the parts back? I say this because they will almost certainly have thrown them away but if you ask 'blind' then that could give them time to arrange 'your' old parts back.

Bossyboots

Grumps wrote:

And if anyone is in the process of scrapping a Potterton Netaheat, I'd be grateful if they could salvage the Air Pressure valve for me.

Are you just money saving or having trouble sourcing the part? My OH changed our air pressure valve just before Christmas and we were able to source one not too far away immediately so I can give you details of the shop if you need it.

We then had to change the fan in January.

The shop that sold the parts told my OH not to expect the same number of years of life out of the new parts and that when we come to change the boiler, to steer well clear of Potterton.

RobCrin

Hey all, just to let you know if your reading this and want to know how its going...

I rang the gas people up and spoke to the secretary (Wife). I was told that they didn’t need to leave the old parts for me (even though I still think its theft!) as otherwise people can then claim they havnt finished the job and then not pay, and also she cant send receipts of the parts fitted as they need them for the accountants, however she can give me an itemised bill.

When I asked why, when it was a bearing fault on the fan, wasn’t it their responsibility as they serviced the boiler, she said no as they don't touch any components, they only make sure it’s clean... is that correct? Or should they be liable? Basically though she didn’t know much about it so she is getting the bloke who fitted it (her son) to ring me...

Do I have any right saying that it is unfair that he spent most the time driving to pick up parts? As he drove somewhere to pick up the circuit board then when he got back had to go out to the same place to get the fan. After all their charging £300 labor, she said their fee is £60 an hour and I thought he was only here 3 hours max!

Can I send them an invoice for the parts that they took away from me? Also as she was pretty much just rude to me could I just tell them I am not happy with the work, will not pay and they are free to come and take their parts back, or will I end up getting sued? Thanks for any help!!

robby-01

If you were a customer of mine you would be halfway to the county court by now.
Allways wise after the event you people.
How is taking away old parts theft,If he had left them you would have been moaning that he had left HIS rubbish lying about.
If anyone is a thief here it is you.Pay the bill.You asked for the boiler to be fixed and it is fixed so pay up.
Why should the plumber have to jump through hoops to get his money.
What gives you the right to determine when or if you pay.
I would be charging interest on this outstanding invoice at 2% above base and charging you 15 pound for every reminder I sent out.
You are nothing more than a thief

Dandirt

Difficult one this Rob.

Under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 tradesmen have a duty of care to those who they provide services to, and work must be carried out to a reasonable standard and at a reasonable cost. If you think they are charging too much then you have a right to pay them what you think is reasonable - it's then up to them whether or not they take it further.

It is very likely that they have charged you for a circuit board that did not need replacing, but, putting that aside, I think that any firm that carries out even a legitimate £500 repair without discussing it with you first and making you aware of the cost before doing anything is a dodgy outfit.

If I took my car in to a garage 'cause it was running a bit rough and when I went to pick it up they had carried out a £500 repair without my authorisation I would play merry hell with 'em.

At the very least, they should have shown you the blown pcb and duff fan and said "look mate, these parts are goosed and it's gonna cost a few bob for the repair". To just take everything away and then hit you with that bill is suspicious to say the least.

Why don't you 'phone Worcester customer services up and explain the situation to them and ask if a failed fan is likely to cause the pcb to burn out. If they say yes, then you'll probably have to pay the bill and learn from the experience. If they say no, then tell the firm that you don't think they have carried out the repair in a reasonable manner and you'll pay for the fan but not the pcb.

Just to rub salt in a bit as well, I reckon a good 50% of boilers I fix with failed fans usually just need the fan cleaning and a drop of machine oil on the bearings, tho' obviously I can't say that was the case here.

Good luck

Dan