Boiler grant-have we been scammed?

Bexxie1979

Hoping someone can help. Bit of background-my husband had a heart attack in the Summer, as a result he couldn’t work (self employed ground worker) so we were claiming benefits. We were told by someone we could apply for a boiler grant as ours was an old back boiler which wasn’t working very well. I did a bit of Googling, found a company and requested more details. Someone came out and did an assessment of our house and said we could get a new boiler replacement for £530. 

They arrived on Wednesday, not a local company but a team from London. To cut a long story short, they insisted the new boiler had to go in the kitchen. They ripped out a cupboard and installed it there, leaving it looking a mess. Pipework all over the place. Ripped up carpets upstairs. Left a massive hole in our fireplace where wind is now howling down. They wanted the £530 in cash which sent alarm bells ringing but I just wanted them gone. Now to top it off the boiler doesn’t even work so we have been left with no heating. I cannot get hold of either the guys who did the install or the company who originally offered the grant.
I feel so low, I have two children and a husband who is recovering from a heart attack and no idea what to do next. That was the last of our money until the end of the month. 

Can anyone give me any advice? Can the boiler be removed and moved somewhere else where it isn’t such an eyesore? 

Bexxie1979

Hoping someone can help. Bit of background-my husband had a heart attack in the Summer, as a result he couldn’t work (self employed ground worker) so we were claiming benefits. We were told by someone we could apply for a boiler grant as ours was an old back boiler which wasn’t working very well. I did a bit of Googling, found a company and requested more details. Someone came out and did an assessment of our house and said we could get a new boiler replacement for £530. 

They arrived on Wednesday, not a local company but a team from London. To cut a long story short, they insisted the new boiler had to go in the kitchen. They ripped out a cupboard and installed it there, leaving it looking a mess. Pipework all over the place. Ripped up carpets upstairs. Left a massive hole in our fireplace where wind is now howling down. They wanted the £530 in cash which sent alarm bells ringing but I just wanted them gone. Now to top it off the boiler doesn’t even work so we have been left with no heating. I cannot get hold of either the guys who did the install or the company who originally offered the grant.
I feel so low, I have two children and a husband who is recovering from a heart attack and no idea what to do next. That was the last of our money until the end of the month. 

Can anyone give me any advice? Can the boiler be removed and moved somewhere else where it isn’t such an eyesore? 

Mstty

On the face of it, this does look like very short work having had two of these fitted to our flats for tenants on benefits.

When you say the boiler doesn't work. In what way?

You may be best getting a local heating specialist to do a report on the install and any issues and present them to this company.

powerful_Rogue

Bexxie1979 said:

Hoping someone can help. Bit of background-my husband had a heart attack in the Summer, as a result he couldn’t work (self employed ground worker) so we were claiming benefits. We were told by someone we could apply for a boiler grant as ours was an old back boiler which wasn’t working very well. I did a bit of Googling, found a company and requested more details. Someone came out and did an assessment of our house and said we could get a new boiler replacement for £530. 

They arrived on Wednesday, not a local company but a team from London. To cut a long story short, they insisted the new boiler had to go in the kitchen. They ripped out a cupboard and installed it there, leaving it looking a mess. Pipework all over the place. Ripped up carpets upstairs. Left a massive hole in our fireplace where wind is now howling down. They wanted the £530 in cash which sent alarm bells ringing but I just wanted them gone. Now to top it off the boiler doesn’t even work so we have been left with no heating. I cannot get hold of either the guys who did the install or the company who originally offered the grant.
I feel so low, I have two children and a husband who is recovering from a heart attack and no idea what to do next. That was the last of our money until the end of the month. 

Can anyone give me any advice? Can the boiler be removed and moved somewhere else where it isn’t such an eyesore? 

Sounds like a truly awful experience. Boilers can be moved, however the issue is then with the pipework.

Can you give us a link to the company website?

Was any documentation provided?

It might be a blessing the boiler doesn't work if these were cowboys, carbon monoxide is the silent killer. Were they Gas safe registered?

Bexxie1979

Thank you for your reply.
I keep trying to count my blessings, but it’s hard when you have worked so hard to have a nice home and then someone trashes it. Wishing we had never bothered now and made do with the old back boiler until we were back on our feet again. 

They were gas registered I believe. They left us with a copy of a gas safety record? I’ve attached a pic. 

impoverishedtraveller

Don’t drip feed information. Post a link to this company.

Bexxie1979

I don’t think I attached it in the previous comment. 

Bexxie1979

impoverishedtraveller said:

Don’t drip feed information. Post a link to this company.

Apologies-it’s not something I’m doing deliberately. I thought I’d posted a pic of their flyer with my previous comment. 

https://nextrecycle.co.uk/

Bexxie1979

Thank you for your reply. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. We have someone coming at the weekend.
the radiators upstairs are heating. But downstairs is not. And the pressure keeps going above 3 Barr.

MuckChucker

Nextrecycle (or elanworth limited) look reasonably legit. The Web site is better looking than I expected and they've been going since 2017. In saying that, I cant find a single review and it looks like most of their sales push is via Facebook. I can't say I would be in a hurry to use them.

There's a complaints section on the Web site. Have you gone through that process, OP?

Good that you're getting it looked at in the meantime 

powerful_Rogue

From a quick google using some of the details from their website it doesn't look promising.

The address they claim they are at has over 1100 businesses there.

Their company registration number goes to a company called Elanworth LTD, same address but nature of the company is Other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified.