Boiler problem, sorted but feel i have been charged too much

simpleguy_blr

Hi,

I have an old style CH and Boiler system, where the hot water is stored in a hot water cylinder type of thing. last weekend end the CH stopped working, had to call a plumber (looked up yellow pages for a local guy)
He charged me a call out charge of £65, came played around and told me that the 3 way valve was gone had to replace it and said he would put it on manual mode, kind of got the heating to work but was getting too hot as it was in manual mode.
He said it would cost me £220 for draining the radiators and changing the valve to a Honeywell one.

Came around yesterday, tried to change the value and in the process, the Cylinder cracked and water started leaking, so gave me two options either to
go for a new cylinder which would cost £500 or for a complete replacement to a new Combi bolier at a quote of £2500 !!!! I was shocked, but could not do anything...water was pouring out, had make up my mind, went for the new Cylinder which he did bring in a Copperform standard indirect one (450x900) i guess.
In all he did hang around for quiet some time, removed the old cylinder, fixed the new one, drained out the radiators and pushed a bill of £720 at me ....

I know I have paid out now, I am sure it would have cost much less, feel cheated, but was kind of in a helpless situation....

Also could someone explain what is Grade 3 type, is it one of the cheaper ones... he said its a very good quality one...he was trying to convince me that I must switch to combi soon as the council/government are planing to brand a diffirent tax for the ones with not so energy efficient boilers......

Am I correct in thinking that I have been charged too much??? (Conned)

Cheers

OddjobKIA

a new fan on my combi boiler cost £180 fitted..

£720 isn't that bad to tell you the truth consider these guys charge upwards of £60 an hour an parts on top

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: You have paid well over the odds for the job as described by you....depending on where you are in the UK by as much as £300:eek: eg. cylinder costs http://www.screwfix.com/prods/10423/Plumbing/Hot-Water-Cylinders/Hot-Water-Cylinder-Indirect-Grade-3-450-x-900mm plus new 3 way valve, fittings plus labour my OH would charge no more than £450 down here but he isn't a cowboy, just a qualified plumber (member of www.iphe.org.uk and www.trustcorgi.com ) and all-round good guy;) In regard to the combi, he was trying it on.

HTH

Canucklehead

simpleguy_blr

I was sure that he has conned me, as I did a bit of search on the net and found most of the prices that he mentioned was almost 50% more than what was available on the net.

All he had to do was replace the valve but during the process he broke the cylinder which was working earlier without any problems, isnt this a case of accidental damage?

Looks like I have been clearly robbed off £300 quid....for no fault of mine except being ignorant , I trusted in what he said that was the biggest mistake...So he pulled a fast one on me.

Learnt my lesson the expensive way...but kind of was put in a desperate situation as my mind stopped working for a moment when i saw water just leaking and filling up my stairs and living room, from the cylinder which he broke trying to fix the valve...

Not sure if my Home and Content Insurance would cover any of this...I am really glad I did not get convinced for the combi, else he would have probably asked me to sign a blank cheque....

simpleguy_blr

This guy was also Corgi registered, Guess It was written all over my face that I am an idiot and can be easily taken for a ride :mad:

Canucklehead

simpleguy_blr wrote: »

This guy was also Corgi registered, Guess It was written all over my face that I am an idiot and can be easily taken for a ride :mad:

Good evening: Unfortunately being CORGI registered doesn't guarantee competence in plumbing...it should demonstrate competence in gas work (but sadly this isn't always the case either:eek: ). Try to get the names/contact details of reputable tradepersons (plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc) from sources you trust for future reference. Personal recommendation is the way to go.

HTH

Canucklehead

robv_3

Plumbers / Builders will not get materials at internet prices as they will use the local merchant that are not cheap but generally supply better qualify stuff. Along with the new cylinder (which now needs to be grade 3) there is all the pipework and fittings that need to be paid for and someone has to go and pick up the bits! Normally the client gets charged the merchants srp and the plumber pockets any discounts to help pay for ordering it / picking it up.

Most plumbers are 40quid+ / hour so you can work out how much the labour would have cost.

simpleguy_blr

Thanks all for your reply and suggestions.

Canucklehead

Good morning: My OH purchases his materials/parts/boilers etc from PTS/City Plumbing (and occasionally online gas parts suppliers as they are often quicker i.e. next day, then the locals!) and never charges the client the mrsp. He recently had contact with an emergency callout service rep....that company charges the client double the price the company pays for parts and charges £60/hour which increases £10/hr for each successive hour:eek: ...the price one pays for not knowing a reputable, local tradesperson.

HTH

Canucklehead