British Gas installation Complaint

issy_fandango

I qualified for an affordable warmth installation during 2014 and BG did the work. This also involved extending my existing heating system and putting in 2 new radiators. As building work was also going on at the time BGs contractors put in all the pipework and left the builder the rads to attach later and this is what happened.


Unfortunately the way that BG have installed the system, 1 new rad only gets warm and the other doesn't even do that. I have complained to BG but they have fobbed me off from the start. They have said:-


1. They didn't fit the rads so the problem is not theirs
2. There is a problem with my existing system (actually it works fine and they knew what they were adding on to)
3. I didn't complain soon enough (in fact 8 months after the install)
4. I had building work done since


I have had a heating engineer look at the whole system and by turning off all the rads upstairs he has managed to get both the new radiators to come on full. This demonstrates that the rads have been correctly fitted to the pipes and that water flows through the system, as I have told BG.


I think the main issue is that my existing heating system is in microbore piping and they extended the system to put on the new rads with a small distance of larger pipes and then around 18 metres of mini-bore piping.. I'm not an expert but it seems to me they probably needed to run bigger bore pipes closer to the new rads.


BG have declined to send out their own engineer to try and balance the system and the installations managed has told me they are unwilling to do anything about the situation I am left with. The 'customer service' person has ignored my requests for info on how I can escalate the complaint both internally and externally on at least 3 occasions.


I qualified for the installation because of my very low income etc etc, so I cant spend money sorting this out, and frankly I think BG should fix the problem.


So.. what would you do now?

naedanger

issy_fandango wrote: »

I qualified for an affordable warmth installation during 2014 and BG did the work. This also involved extending my existing heating system and putting in 2 new radiators. As building work was also going on at the time BGs contractors put in all the pipework and left the builder the rads to attach later and this is what happened.


Unfortunately the way that BG have installed the system, 1 new rad only gets warm and the other doesn't even do that. I have complained to BG but they have fobbed me off from the start. They have said:-


1. They didn't fit the rads so the problem is not theirs
2. There is a problem with my existing system (actually it works fine and they knew what they were adding on to)
3. I didn't complain soon enough (in fact 8 months after the install)
4. I had building work done since


I have had a heating engineer look at the whole system and by turning off all the rads upstairs he has managed to get both the new radiators to come on full. This demonstrates that the rads have been correctly fitted to the pipes and that water flows through the system, as I have told BG.


I think the main issue is that my existing heating system is in microbore piping and they extended the system to put on the new rads with a small distance of larger pipes and then around 18 metres of mini-bore piping.. I'm not an expert but it seems to me they probably needed to run bigger bore pipes closer to the new rads.


BG have declined to send out their own engineer to try and balance the system and the installations managed has told me they are unwilling to do anything about the situation I am left with. The 'customer service' person has ignored my requests for info on how I can escalate the complaint both internally and externally on at least 3 occasions.


I qualified for the installation because of my very low income etc etc, so I cant spend money sorting this out, and frankly I think BG should fix the problem.


So.. what would you do now?

Speak to citizen's advice and consider making a money claim via the courts. The following link has details. Unfortunately there are fees payable but if you win your case these are usually recoverable. (You do not need a lawyer and you won't be liable for BG's costs even if you lose.)

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview

You will need to get an estimate for the costs of fixing the problem BG created. Then make a claim for that amount plus the court costs plus any incidental costs of making the claim. Be sure and claim from the legal company that you had the contract with - i.e. be sure and get their name exactly correct - it should be on the contract.

lstar337

naedanger wrote: »

Speak to citizen's advice and consider making a money claim via the courts. The following link has details. Unfortunately there are fees payable but if you win your case these are usually recoverable. (You do not need a lawyer and you won't be liable for BG's costs even if you lose.)

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview

You will need to get an estimate for the costs of fixing the problem BG created. Then make a claim for that amount plus the court costs plus any incidental costs of making the claim. Be sure and claim from the legal company that you had the contract with - i.e. be sure and get their name exactly correct - it should be on the contract.

A letter before action may be enough to get them moving, without all the extra court costs.