Our combi boiler broke down 4 days ago (friday), and until tonight, we have had no hot water or heating. We live in a quite rural place (its a bit like emmerdale!! ) and we trust our local tradesmen and always try and use them, however, no plumber could come until later his week, so i rang a plumber from a nearby town.
he came and told me that the boiler had broken because there was something wrong with the pressure, and all the leaking water had caused all the bits in the boiler to rust as it had been happening for a few months...apparently
he told me to ring the maker of the company, and get them to come out and see what needs replacing, but if it came to more than £150, then to ring him and he would get me a new boiler for about £600. anyway, i didnt ring the makers, and got my dads friends round today who is a plumber. hes a really nice local man, and didnt charge us for the first two call outs, despite them being at 6 oclock at night. he put all the new parts in for us, but the boiler still wouldnt work, so he had a look at the electrics that are in a separate little box under the boiler, and he said 'somebodies cut this wire'. and when he held the two ends of the wire together, the boiler clicked right back on! the wire had obviously been cut, but i didnt do it! so the first guy that came must have - and that is why he told me to ring him if the cost was going to be more than £150, because he knew it would be, especially with call out charges etc!
arnt some people really shit?! its made me really angry that he would do that. im a young woman, with a three year old, in a freezing house in the middle of january, and he was going to charge me £600 for a new boiler, and then its usually another £500 to fit it! the pig!