Boiler service £49 till 31st Aug.

C_Mababejive

I often meet members of the public who have BG service contracts and are told how their boiler is getting old/soon wont be able to get parts etc etc. Only recently i found a Baxi floorstanding boiler (CF) in good condition save for the honeywell valve that was passing gas to main burner when powered off due to worn valve seating. It only required a new valve. A week later the lone elderly customer had been flogged a new combi for big money after a BG contractual visit to repair same.

ollski

But of course there is an obligation for anyone with the energy efficiency certificate to advise on parts and efficiency and make recommendations. Then of course the customer is perfectly entitled to do what they want.

Doc_N

ollski wrote: »

But of course there is an obligation for anyone with the energy efficiency certificate to advise on parts and efficiency and make recommendations. Then of course the customer is perfectly entitled to do what they want.

You're flogging a dead horse, I'm afraid. Too many people have been ripped off by BG for anybody ever to trust them again. They're reputation's about on the same level as Rolf Harris's - and I doubt they'll ever retrieve the situation now.

Ripping of their gas and electricity customers at the same time doesn't help, of course, but on the bright side (for them) their fat profits continue.

ollski

Doc_N wrote: »

You're flogging a dead horse, I'm afraid. Too many people have been ripped off by BG for anybody ever to trust them again. They're reputation's about on the same level as Rolf Harris's - and I doubt they'll ever retrieve the situation now.

Ripping of their gas and electricity customers at the same time doesn't help, of course, but on the bright side (for them) their fat profits continue.

I dont think it will take long when people use other companies, I've worked for most and bg was by a million miles the tightest ship. AA seem to be the only one close and they are trying to lure away bg engineers.

I got no time for thse 'ripping off gas customers' media sheep. Seriously, try using lpg or oil like hundreds of thousands of others are forced to and then see then how hard done by you are on natural gas. OFGEM have been most responsible for the rise of energy bills in the last couple of years with their brainless interventions.

Doc_N

ollski wrote: »

I dont think it will take long when people use other companies, I've worked for most and bg was by a million miles the tightest ship. AA seem to be the only one close and they are trying to lure away bg engineers.

Puzzles me why anyone would use any of the big companies when local Gas Safe registered engineers are usually so much cheaper - and better.

I've just paid £45 for a full boiler service (not the usual BG etc 5 minute job) from a guy that I can absolutely trust.

ollski

Doc_N wrote: »

Puzzles me why anyone would use any of the big companies when local Gas Safe registered engineers are usually so much cheaper - and better.

I've just paid £45 for a full boiler service (not the usual BG etc 5 minute job) from a guy that I can absolutely trust.

I think it's generally that people know that there is huge backup, hugely trained and assessed engineers, flexible hours, emergency callouts, in bgs case an enormous and next day part delivery service, a complaints process if needed, knowledge that the phone will still get answered even if the engineer doesnt fancy the job. etc.

Bg expect about 6 services to be done a day in 8 hours and monitor and track the guys to do that...if there was a 5 minute service that would be a clear disciplinary for the guy responsible. The majority of this rubbish comes from customers who were cut off for safety reasons.

That said there are plenty of exceptional indepenent guys around, although if you look hard enough you'll find customers who whinge about them too.

Southend1

ollski wrote: »

I think it's generally that people know that there is huge backup, hugely trained and assessed engineers, flexible hours, emergency callouts, in bgs case an enormous and next day part delivery service, a complaints process if needed, knowledge that the phone will still get answered even if the engineer doesnt fancy the job. etc.

Bg expect about 6 services to be done a day in 8 hours and monitor and track the guys to do that...if there was a 5 minute service that would be a clear disciplinary for the guy responsible. The majority of this rubbish comes from customers who were cut off for safety reasons.

That said there are plenty of exceptional indepenent guys around, although if you look hard enough you'll find customers who whinge about them too.

Used an independent gas safe "engineer" last year. He was a complete cowboy who did nothing bar a quick Hoover. 5 minutes "work" then tried to charge more than he quoted. This year I went with BG for £49. He checked the flue gases, meter flow and all the seals etc. I felt confident that he left my boiler in a safe condition whereas last year I was panicking that the cowboy had overlooked something dangerous or put things back together incorrectly. I was more than happy with BG and will definitely use again next year.

Richie-from-the-Boro

A fictional bedtime story

A BG fitter came out to do a service & new certificate. Nearing completion he claimed he could not get the boiler to relight, having already mentioned three times prior to even starting the work concerns that "the boiler is old & may not come back on!" He still continued to do the work.

He continued to try & relight the boiler for three loooooong hours, during this time he blamed the following components :

(1) The piezo spark gap [he tried his hand held lighter with no luck]
(2) The thermocouple [replaced with a new one apparently]
(3) The gas valve [no parts available]

Apparently he tried a new thermocouple [it did not look like anything had been replaced to me] without luck, this seems strange as he has previously blamed the piezo-if that was at fault then there would be no spark to even light the pilot! He then went on to say no parts were available, removed the fuse, turned off the gas supply to the boiler, wrote me a voucher for £200 off a new boiler & left.

He did however arrange for a BG salesman to come out the very next day to quote £3700 for a replacement boiler!, I've since had quotes for £1700- a bit of a difference. The following day I inspected the boiler, I found the following :

(1) The piezo terminal bent to earth-no spark present. Corrected and spark was fine.
(2) Thermocouple not tightened, corrected.
(3) Gas valve-no problem, gas coming through fine.

Within 20 minutes the boiler was working fine, a next door neighbour who is a Gas Safe registered engineer checked it over & confirmed it was fine.

Fictional ....................................... ?

ollski

Sounds like a failing thermoelectric valve on the gas valve of a bit of an old knacker. Does pretty much back up that it's not a 5 min service though.
Never really got the moan about quoted prices, it would take a serious muppet not to get comparisons.

C_Mababejive

I must support ollski on some of the points he has made.

Its true you only hear the bad stories,,its like most things in life.

I am quite certain there are plenty of really good engineers at BG and some of them will be Engineers too. I expect that many of them will be from the "old days".

People choose BG as a trusted and well known brand and with good reason.

There are without doubt some areas that need tightening up but really,,what do you want to do? have a mega modern boiler and pay a contract on it, or risk the big wide unknown world of just finding someone when it breaks down? Of course boilers own manufs have their own people. too.

Indepedants who work too cheaply are cutting their own throats and probably have no business sense. They should charge a FAIR rate for work.