New Boiler Grant-have we been done?

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’ve tried phoning/texting/emailing. Nothing. ong/
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? 

Bendy_House

Oh dear Bexxie. An awful year for you.

I don't know what to suggest. The person who came out to assess the job, did they not discuss with you where it would/could go?  Didn't you ask? If they didn't discuss it with you in advance, did they talk it over with you on arrival on the day?

The problem is, the job's been done. It looks a bit imposing, I agree, but it isn't unusual, and I'm guessing it's about the only place where it could be installed - a lot of folk have equally less-than-ideal installations that they paid full whack for. These guys are only interested in the quickest job they can do, so they can claim their money and go, but it remains quite possible that this was the only practical location. 

Ie, to the right of the hood would likely be too tight, and access to an external wall would have been required for the flue.

If this had been a 'private' install, the competing plumbers would have talked over all the options with you in advance. You'd have had the opportunity to agree the best location, bearing in mind that some options would almost certainly cost more to achieve.

What to do? Well, what is it you are complaining about?

1) The size and location of the boiler? That 'may' have been the only practical option, and you 'did' allow them to do this. (Again, did they inform you in advance of the location?)

2) It doesn't work? Fair do's - they SHOULD come out to fix it.

3) The mess, and lack of making good afterwards? I'm not too surprised that this wasn't included in the grant installation, but it SHOULD have been made clear in advance. Again, with a private job, all this would usually be discussed with the customer, so they knew exactly what to expect. It could be, "We just fit the new boiler, so YOU will will be responsible for all the patching up afterwards - closing off the old flue, repairing holes, replacing floorboards, etc. Would you like us to recommend a builder for this, or would you rather arrange your own?", or "Everything is included - we will leave your house clean and tidy on completion, the old flue blocked off and correctly ventilated..." etc. Bearing in mind the latter would almost certainly cost a lot more.

Your 'grant' guys are only interested in the quickest in-out job they can do, as they most likely get paid a fixed amount for each job; it's not in their interest to hang around patching things. But, you should have been informed.

Again, was any of this discussed with you?

Do you have any record or receipt for this cash payment? Asking for cash is worrying.

What paperwork DO you have?! A copy of the 'benchmark'? They should be informing your LA of this installation, so ultimately you will have their details - call them up and ask? Explain what has happened and that you cannot contact the company - see if they can offer help, ESPECIALLY SO SINCE YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY HEATING.

What to do? Do you have LP on your house insurance? Call them for advice. 
You need someone - ideally the same company so it won't cost any more - to fix the boiler. You need heat! 

Look up the gov grant website, and of that co, and find ways of contacting/escalating the issue to the next level if you can. Contact 'GasSafe' and complain about this company.
Call CAB - ask them for advice.

What's the name of the actual company who did the work

(This new boiler - do you know if it's a 'combi' type that heats your hot tap water instantly? It's VERY large - a heat-only boiler (one that heats your hot cylinder) is usually small enough to fit inside a wall unit.)

A thought - this sounds like a Radio4 Moneybox-type issue. Worth a call?

Awful for you, and it needs to be got working. If you really cannot contact these guys, then you may need to get a local GasSafe out to sort it, and be ready to claim - sue - the original folk. But you'll need advice on this - so LP or CAB.

Try and get some comfort from knowing you at least have a new boiler which - when it's working - should save you a significant amount on your gas bill. And it would normally have cost £2.5k upwards. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

The company details that were linked to in the other thread on Consumer Rights showed the company had been around for a number of years but they only had £94 in the bank in March of this year.

I would see if you can find a local, trustworthy gas safe engineer to come out and make sure the work is safe and get the boiler running. 

I don’t think you are going to see any money back or have the work brought up to standard by the company that did the install. 

It might be work speaking to your local council to see who funded the grant and making a complaint with them about the quality of the work. 

Bendy_House

At some point, Bexxie, a joiner can build a cupboard over that boiler to hide it.

The Vaillant Ecotec Sustain is seemingly a combi boiler, so heats your hot tap water on demand. Your old back boiler would have heated a hot cylinder, Bexxie?

Is your hot cylinder still there?

I wonder why they went for a combi? If they'd gone for a heat-only boiler, it could have been noticeably smaller, some very capable of fitting inside a standard wall unit.

Having said that, there isn't a huge amount, size-wise, to choose from, and your boiler is capable of having a (probably lift-off) 'wall unit) fitted over it, with a 600mm door to match your existing.

Bendy_House

Since this is a different type of boiler - seemingly a combi - and with a new set of controls, are you sure you know how to operate it?

When you say it isn't working, what do you mean? Does the display light up at all? What is it that 'doesn't work'?

In your situation - no heating, family to look after, and no money left for the end of the month - I would call your council as a priority and ask for help.

Then we can look at trying to sort the other issues - such as this £530. Is that normal?! Certainly not in cash...

If you can show us pics of the holes and mess, we can hopefully advise there too - ways of blocking it up to get past winter, for example.

You do have a good quality new boiler, tho', and that - being a combi type in a new location or a rearranged system - would have cost almost certainly well in excess of £3k as a private install.