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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think British Gas are utter rubbish as they broke my in laws boiler

62 replies

WurgidTilly · 22/08/2012 14:13

my inlaws had an annual service as part of their British Gas service contract.

There was nothing wrong, all working ok. Nothing wrong at all.

The lad who did the service removed a part then said 'it will not go back in' and left saying they would be back tomorrow. My in laws had no hot water but were happy to wait till tomorrow.

They were told they had to remove a portion of worktop to get tp the boiler the next day (this would involve sawing it in half etc etc) and they wern't best pleased.

They were then told they dont need to saw their worktop but it would be fixed asap.

11 Days later they have been told the boiler is obsolete and they need to buy a whole new one.

So their boiler was broken by a British Gas contractor during a routine service and they have been without hot water for 11 days (and counting) now need to shell out for a whole new boiler.

My inlaws are almost 80 and very mild mannered (and actually very nice indeed ! ) and have rang to complain but 'do not want to make a fuss'.

If it were me I would be complaining a lot.

AIBU to think British Gas are being complete rubbish breaking a working boiler and not fixing it then not paying for a replacement ??

Should I complain on their behalf and how ? Would they speak to me or just quote data protection shit ?

OP posts:
LemarchandsBox · 22/08/2012 20:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlackOutTheSun · 22/08/2012 20:48

Is this link any good?

www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/boilers/?manufacturer=potterton&sort=lowest&page=1

BlackOutTheSun · 22/08/2012 21:00

is the boiler the prima 60 or the suprima 60?

Original poster
WurgidTilly · 22/08/2012 21:04

it is the kingfisher floor standing one.

I just spoke to a friends husband and they actually may be right as the floor standing one is harder to get parts for Sad

OP posts:
BlackOutTheSun · 22/08/2012 21:10
Sad

If you try the link I posted, there is an email and phone number to try.

BlackOutTheSun · 22/08/2012 21:10

Posted too soon

It looks like they sell spare parts for loads of different boilers so fingers crossed

Original poster
WurgidTilly · 22/08/2012 21:12

thank youfor the link I will ring them in the morning.

Currently multitasking bedtimes, dogs , lunches for tomorrow and mning........

OP posts:
Original poster
WurgidTilly · 22/08/2012 21:12

oh and I may cancel our homecare cover in the morning too !

OP posts:
onedev · 22/08/2012 21:17

I would complain on their behalf & tell them you're going to the Ombudsman & Ofgem if they don't get this sorted as they're vulnerable (because of age). Good luck as that's shocking!

BlackOutTheSun · 22/08/2012 21:21

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kingfisher-Potterton-RS-60-complete-gas-boiler-with-flue-central-heating-/320968294771?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item4abb338173

Is it this boiler, someone on ebay is selling one. Might be worth asking for the part?

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/08/2012 21:29

Loads of potterton kingfisher parts here

just put the details in

101Jo101 · 12/10/2012 00:01

Hi, I'm new to this forum so please bear with me while I rant about British Gas.

I'm living with my elderly father (late 70s) having recently lost my mother a month ago. Heating and hot water packed up last Saturday so rang British Gas Homecare phone no. on the Sunday. Parents have had this Homecare cover for years. B. Gas man came out on Tuesday and after we heard him banging and crashing about in the kitchen for about an hour (what is it with British Gas engineers that they're always dropping their tools and make so much noise), he comes into the sitting room and starts on about the age of the boiler (I think it's roughly 11 years old), it was already here when parents moved in 10 years ago. Loads of head shaking, going on about difficulty in getting parts for boiler of this age, I think he said something about a 'restricted list' or something like that. He then asks if we'd noticed the boiler had been leaking. What? This was news to me as I'd only been cleaning underneath the boiler 10 minutes before he got there. I told him we weren't aware of any leak and asked if he'd managed to repair it. "No, I've repaired something or other but will need to come back another day to replace this leaking part, IF i can get the part from the restricted list. It'll take me 4 hours to fit it". We then get the heavy sell from him about how we need a new boiler. On and on and on he went. At this point my father who is a very quiet man, exploded with rage. The B. Gas man was on the receiving end of it. My father asked him why British Gas were always so quick to take our money but all we ever got from them was the hard sell. I think B. Gas man was pretty taken aback, and sort of skulked into the kitchen muttering about how he'd come back today (Thursday) with said part. Anyway, he duly turned up with the spare part today and after an hour and a half in the kitchen announced he didn't need to replace it after all but had actually managed to repair it. Both myself and my father were pretty relieved in all honesty as we didn't have to put up with him for the promised 4 hours and were just relieved that we finally had hot water and heating. However, before he left he managed to convince us we still needed a new boiler and arranged for some bloke to come this Saturday.

Glad when he finally left, but no, that's not the end of the story. I started feeling a bit cold this evening and upon feeling the radiators I noted that they were stone cold! Then turned on hot water tap in kitchen sink, that was also stone cold! Tried adjusting the thermostat, nothing working. I rang Homecare no. again, I was doing my nut at the bloke who answered. He promised B. Gas engineer would come tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. God help him when he gets here. I'm tempted to cancel salesman who's coming on Saturday to try and flog us a new boiler. I think I shall also talk to my father about cancelling the Homecare cover.

I'm so pleased to have found this website. I am thoroughly convinced the B. Gas man has done something to deliberately make the boiler leak to justify his recommendation that we need a new boiler. Thinking back to previous years I don't think this is the first time the engineers have tampered with the boiler. All I can say is, your days are numbered British Gas!

101Jo101 · 12/10/2012 00:12

Managed to omit the most important part of my earlier post. The boiler is now leaking all over the kitchen worksurface and water is running down the wall tiles into the electrical on/off switch for the boiler. Well done British Gas, you must be well proud of your talented engineers. Guess where I'm going to send the bill if my electrics blow up!

batleysa · 13/12/2012 18:50

I had my annual boiler service this afternoon - have been left with no hot water or heating - was working perfectly before. Apparently the boiler wasn't repressurised and I now have to wait until Saturday (two days) for an engineer. I asked to speak to customer services - they don't take phone calls I have to wait for them to call me (within 72 hours) - doesn't sound like 'customer service'. I asked if I'd be reimbursed if I called out an emergency engineer - no. It would have been a lot cheaper to have not paid British Gas over £350 per year for emergency cover and just get an engineer when needed (i.e. when a British Gas engineer hadn't disabled my boiler).

redo83 · 16/01/2015 19:45

i am a gas engineer an have just seen this post, i agree its bad but big companies go to wholesalers who quite often will say a part is obsolete while you have small various companies on the internet and more often eBay who buy up all old stock an sell it that is there business, so unfortunately these bigger wholesalers do not do this and that is why big companies say that because it is what they are told

Fourarmsv2 · 16/01/2015 20:14

Exact same thing has happened to my MIL this week. Annual service of perfectly working boiler. Boiler broke day after service (he prob broke it but she didn't notice no hot water until next morning).

LatteLady · 16/01/2015 20:53

They tried something similar with me, fortunately my retired brother in law was here. He is a retired hearing engineer, sadly it took a while for the BG boy to realise... until my DBIL talked him through it. He looked v peeved when he left without an order for a new boiler.

pregnantpause · 16/01/2015 21:09

I just want to point out that British gas services is not regulated by ofgem or the ombudsman- these apply only to the sale of utilities- gas and electric. The services section is insurance based and therefore governed by the Fsa and trading standards.

Awful that a company which portrays itself in relation to services as so reliable could be associated to all these stories. Yanbu to complain, I really hope it's sorted soon for you

HappyAgainOneDay · 16/01/2015 21:09

We had a BG Homecare insurance. We kept having a service on our Potterton Netaheat which had been installed in 1977 so were aware that it would have to be replaced one day. We got the 'obsolete part' talk and it could well have been true but we knew how old the boiler was - 30 years - so went down the new environmentally friendly boiler route. BG did not get the contract because of the ridiculous route they wanted the copper pipe outside to take and the enormous price they wanted for it.

If I were the OP and the rest of you, I'd report British Gas to (what's it called?) Ofgem for fraudulent practice or whatever else you could get them for. MP route?

HappyAgainOneDay · 16/01/2015 21:10

Oh, and we haven;t had the new one serviced annually yet. Just sometimes. Saves us a fortune every year.

pregnantpause · 16/01/2015 21:12

Of course when I say ombudsman I mean in relation to ofgem- the financial services ombudsman is all yours- though I believe that they will not take a complaint unless you have given 'fair opportunity' for the company to resolve it first. Which usually means logging a complaint for over four or six weeks before ombudsman involvement.

HelenaDove · 16/01/2015 21:14

Can anyone reading this explain to me what a reimbursement servicing default is. I have my suspicions but im not 100% sure Thanks.

nhsworker15 · 16/01/2015 21:17

Zombie thread, but I've had nothing but good experience with Scottish gas (Scottish bit of BG?) We've got a shitty boilermate system which seems to break down every year, when we call then they come quickly and have always fixed boiler no problem. When I've asked the engineer about getting a new one they always tell me that as long as they can still good it then there's no point, and not to go with t them as they are ££. I love them!

HelenaDove · 17/01/2015 16:37

What pisses me off is when it comes to campaigns about boiler safety it is always assumed or portrayed that its the householder/tenants fault who is refusing entry BOLLOCKS I know of several cases where there has been several no shows by engineers from certain firms who then tell barefaced lies saying they called round when they didnt. I suspect there is a reason for this behaviour and its probably monetary.