Gas supplier refused to do my job - appeal help

dilby

Hi all-
I'm currently having a kitchen extension built which requires the reconnection of gas meter. My supplier is Wales & West Utilities and I booked the job in several months ago - the price (£670) included a new box and them coming to move the pipe (which is less than 1m as the pipe runs right past where the new pipe is going). They were due to come last week so I had the plumber come over and connect the gas up to the new box ready, and then 2 Wales & West engineers turned up. However they said they could not do the job as the pipe wasn't exposed. The ground had been dug out from the extension but the pipe had been backfilled with soil from the various building work going on, and at any rate I didn't think we were required to expose the pipe anyway. Looking at the paperwork it states that i'm only required to move obstacles (which i had). They told me the job was for only 20 minutes and so they couldn't dig it up, and they didn't mind because they got an 'early dinner' and left (I dug up the dirt and exposed the pipe by hand after they left and had to pay my plumber extra to come and undo the work he'd done). They told me I'd have to book them back in. So I've been calling Wales and West every other day since where I just keep getting told someone will call me, and today they finally did. I've been told they can't come over until late January and there's nothing I can do. 

Does anyone know a way to appeal this with a third party mediator or other board? I've tried Googling and can't find any options outside legal avenues that will take as long if not longer than the delay itself.

Thanks so much

welshmoneylover

Appeal what? Other customers are booked in before you, I don’t think you can expect them to cancel these bookings to accommodate you.
plus, there is a shortage of staff due to the Covid situation.
as it’s gas that’s being moved, engineers have to work to strict safety guidelines and it’s a shame the pipe was filled in ; someone should have given you the heads up to leave it exposed.
hope you get it sorted as I imagine it’s incredibly frustrating 

Hasbeen

dilby said:

Hi all-
I'm currently having a kitchen extension built which requires the reconnection of gas meter. My supplier is Wales & West Utilities and I booked the job in several months ago - the price (£670) included a new box and them coming to move the pipe (which is less than 1m as the pipe runs right past where the new pipe is going). They were due to come last week so I had the plumber come over and connect the gas up to the new box ready, and then 2 Wales & West engineers turned up. However they said they could not do the job as the pipe wasn't exposed. The ground had been dug out from the extension but the pipe had been backfilled with soil from the various building work going on, and at any rate I didn't think we were required to expose the pipe anyway. Looking at the paperwork it states that i'm only required to move obstacles (which i had). They told me the job was for only 20 minutes and so they couldn't dig it up, and they didn't mind because they got an 'early dinner' and left (I dug up the dirt and exposed the pipe by hand after they left and had to pay my plumber extra to come and undo the work he'd done). They told me I'd have to book them back in. So I've been calling Wales and West every other day since where I just keep getting told someone will call me, and today they finally did. I've been told they can't come over until late January and there's nothing I can do. 

Does anyone know a way to appeal this with a third party mediator or other board? I've tried Googling and can't find any options outside legal avenues that will take as long if not longer than the delay itself.

Thanks so much

"Looking at the paperwork it states that i'm only required to move obstacles (which i had). "

I would assume the obstacle would be the backfilled soil covering the pipe?

They were allocated a certain time to connect pipe not dig out trenches to locate it ?

ka7e

To be honest they are poorly written instructions. I had an electricity meter moved and there were explicit instructions as to how the pipe was to be exposed, with  details of minimum clearance around, and under the pipe.

dilby

Hasbeen said:

dilby said:

Hi all-
I'm currently having a kitchen extension built which requires the reconnection of gas meter. My supplier is Wales & West Utilities and I booked the job in several months ago - the price (£670) included a new box and them coming to move the pipe (which is less than 1m as the pipe runs right past where the new pipe is going). They were due to come last week so I had the plumber come over and connect the gas up to the new box ready, and then 2 Wales & West engineers turned up. However they said they could not do the job as the pipe wasn't exposed. The ground had been dug out from the extension but the pipe had been backfilled with soil from the various building work going on, and at any rate I didn't think we were required to expose the pipe anyway. Looking at the paperwork it states that i'm only required to move obstacles (which i had). They told me the job was for only 20 minutes and so they couldn't dig it up, and they didn't mind because they got an 'early dinner' and left (I dug up the dirt and exposed the pipe by hand after they left and had to pay my plumber extra to come and undo the work he'd done). They told me I'd have to book them back in. So I've been calling Wales and West every other day since where I just keep getting told someone will call me, and today they finally did. I've been told they can't come over until late January and there's nothing I can do. 

Does anyone know a way to appeal this with a third party mediator or other board? I've tried Googling and can't find any options outside legal avenues that will take as long if not longer than the delay itself.

Thanks so much

"Looking at the paperwork it states that i'm only required to move obstacles (which i had). "

I would assume the obstacle would be the backfilled soil covering the pipe?

They were allocated a certain time to connect pipe not dig out trenches to locate it ?

Seems so, just poorly written. Apparently they are meant to call before hand to check its exposed but didn't. And yes seems this only covered the reconnecting and not digging, although my quote doesn't make that clear - there is a section on excavating but apparently what i was quoted for didn't cover this (never was told that). 

J_B

The world we used to live in ... "just make us a brew boss while I shift this bit of soil and I'll soon get this sorted for you"

The world of now ... "more than my job's worth to get my hands dirty doing that - I might get Covid" Sucks air through teeth and hides in the van having an extra 20 minute dinner break!

🙄

twopenny

So frustrating! The joys of home ownership. But you were on their list along with many others and now you've slipped down. It is true that with everyone at home everyone is doing jobs to the home. Same for many tradesmen.

JB that made me laugh, but so true. I asked for someone from the waterboard to drop by as I had 7 man hole covers and needed to know what work I could do, which ones were theirs etc. They didn't arrive, rang and made another appointment and I had to wait because they are so busy.

Then one came, in a hurry, then another the next day and another the day after which also made me chuckle. No one told them the job had been done. Still poor advice. They didn't know which were theirs.

AskAsk

i think you have to be patient and wait.  covid 19 is having an effect on job delays.

jefaz07

J_B said:

The world we used to live in ... "just make us a brew boss while I shift this bit of soil and I'll soon get this sorted for you"

The world of now ... "more than my job's worth to get my hands dirty doing that - I might get Covid" Sucks air through teeth and hides in the van having an extra 20 minute dinner break!

🙄

If only it was as easy as that. 

Before a shovel is in the ground a full markup must be carried out. Danger areas sprayed etc. Then a full Critical Safe Dig Risk Assessment carried out. All written and marked down, photos taken and sent off. 

Then if you accidentally nick or hit another utility there is a big investigation and possible dismissal. 

Would you risk all that for a cup of tea? 

Also to add, if they start to dig out that excavation becomes theirs, it then needs to be secured with barriers etc. 

Those barriers need to be delivered to site before you can start to dig, 20 mins is actually hours. 

It’s a lot bigger than people realise and are making out on here. 

Unfortunate, absolutely but I wouldn’t do it either! 

the_gardener_2

Wales and west are owned by who ??     look up their details , the new hong kong owners want their pound of flesh.   
Having said that I managed to get them to reconnect a gas line recently for free after a lot of discussion.   Stay cool and use their own procedures for complaints.   Keep the complaint short and simple. 

jefaz07

the_gardener_2 said:

Wales and west are owned by who ??     look up their details , the new hong kong owners want their pound of flesh.   
Having said that I managed to get them to reconnect a gas line recently for free after a lot of discussion.   Stay cool and use their own procedures for complaints.   Keep the complaint short and simple. 

New owners? What do you consider new? 

And their pound of flesh? You do know there is a cap on what their profits can be don’t you?
And that they have just lost a % of revenue allowed from OFGEM