Huge plumbing bill

Old_Grey_Mare

In November 2021 my husband asked his friend’s sons plumbing company to supply and fit a new boiler. He didn’t find out until the end of the job that the company had been sold to someone who bought the name. We have only just received the bill. My husband didn’t ask for an estimate as he thought it was the original company who had done work for us before and we have always been happy with the bill. However, we are shocked at the bill. It is £4,500 for fitting of a Vaillant Ecotec boiler and a powerflush. Are we able to challenge the bill? Thanks 

screech_78

Can I ask why you’ve never made any attempt to make payment in a year and a half? 

And why on earth would you not ask how much it cost beforehand? 

We paid £4,750 for a boiler replacement 2 years ago so I’m unsure on what grounds you would be challenging. 

bris

I take it you didn't ask how much it was going to cost before you let him get on with it?

4.5k Might be a bit steep but I've seen worse.

Aylesbury_Duck

You're able to challenge the bill, but how successful you'll be is another matter.  Given that you asked for neither an estimate nor quote, I think you're on shaky ground.  You do hold the card that you've yet to pay, though.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/51

(1)This section applies to a contract to supply a service if—

(a)the consumer has not paid a price or other consideration for the service,

(b)the contract does not expressly fix a price or other consideration, and does not say how it is to be fixed, and

(c)anything that is to be treated under section 50 as included in the contract does not fix a price or other consideration either.

(2)In that case the contract is to be treated as including a term that the consumer must pay a reasonable price for the service, and no more.

(3)What is a reasonable price is a question of fact.

If you can show what a reasonable price is for such a service then advise the company how you came to that conclusion and pay that amount whilst noting the above  

tightauldgit

Old_Grey_Mare said:

In November 2021 my husband asked his friend’s sons plumbing company to supply and fit a new boiler. He didn’t find out until the end of the job that the company had been sold to someone who bought the name. We have only just received the bill. My husband didn’t ask for an estimate as he thought it was the original company who had done work for us before and we have always been happy with the bill. However, we are shocked at the bill. It is £4,500 for fitting of a Vaillant Ecotec boiler and a powerflush. Are we able to challenge the bill? Thanks 

Well it depends doesn't it? What is the going rate for the work? Have you got some other comparable quotes? 

I don't think I have a huge amount of sympathy for someone who asks for a pretty large job to be done by contractors without asking how much it will cost then complains about the price when they get the bill. 

https://heatingforce.co.uk/blog/vaillant-boiler-prices/

Looking at that random google search hit it seems like an installation cost of £4k is at the high end but probably not silly and it will depend a lot on a number of factors. 

Have they broken the bill down? Have they provided a rate for labour? materials? Which part are you challenging? I mean the boiler alone was probably £1500-2000 at least (by the time they've added a markup)

Old_Grey_Mare

screech_78 said:

Can I ask why you’ve never made any attempt to make payment in a year and a half? 

And why on earth would you not ask how much it cost beforehand? 

We paid £4,750 for a boiler replacement 2 years ago so I’m unsure on what grounds you would be challenging. 

We got the bill about 2 months after the work was completed. I was going to challenge it but my husband said he’d paid the bill. He’s since been diagnosed with dementia. I had no reason to think he’d not paid it as we didn’t hear anything else from the company.

Old_Grey_Mare

bris said:

I take it you didn't ask how much it was going to cost before you let him get on with it?

4.5k Might be a bit steep but I've seen worse.

As I said it was a company we’d used previously. We didn’t know that the company had been sold to someone who carried on using the name. I think I will have to pay the bill.

Old_Grey_Mare

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/51

(1)This section applies to a contract to supply a service if—

(a)the consumer has not paid a price or other consideration for the service,

(b)the contract does not expressly fix a price or other consideration, and does not say how it is to be fixed, and

(c)anything that is to be treated under section 50 as included in the contract does not fix a price or other consideration either.

(2)In that case the contract is to be treated as including a term that the consumer must pay a reasonable price for the service, and no more.

(3)What is a reasonable price is a question of fact.

If you can show what a reasonable price is for such a service then advise the company how you came to that conclusion and pay that amount whilst noting the above  

I’ll phone them this morning. The boiler was not working properly from day one and I’ve had so much to deal with, that I turned it off throughout the winter until I could get hold of another heating engineer. I was unable to contact the initial installers. The new plumber was aghast at the cost and said he could have fitted it for that cost and including up to 11 radiators. So far the boiler installation and radiators have cost me £8k plus.

Old_Grey_Mare

tightauldgit said:

Old_Grey_Mare said:

In November 2021 my husband asked his friend’s sons plumbing company to supply and fit a new boiler. He didn’t find out until the end of the job that the company had been sold to someone who bought the name. We have only just received the bill. My husband didn’t ask for an estimate as he thought it was the original company who had done work for us before and we have always been happy with the bill. However, we are shocked at the bill. It is £4,500 for fitting of a Vaillant Ecotec boiler and a powerflush. Are we able to challenge the bill? Thanks 

Well it depends doesn't it? What is the going rate for the work? Have you got some other comparable quotes? 

I don't think I have a huge amount of sympathy for someone who asks for a pretty large job to be done by contractors without asking how much it will cost then complains about the price when they get the bill. 

https://heatingforce.co.uk/blog/vaillant-boiler-prices/

Looking at that random google search hit it seems like an installation cost of £4k is at the high end but probably not silly and it will depend a lot on a number of factors. 

Have they broken the bill down? Have they provided a rate for labour? materials? Which part are you challenging? I mean the boiler alone was probably £1500-2000 at least (by the time they've added a markup)

I’m phoning them this morning for a breakdown. The boiler is about £1000 so a bill of nearly £4.5k for a days work is a bit steep I thought. I’ll put it down to experience and I’m dealing with all household matters now so I’ll always make sure I ask for quotes.