Andy Hall wrote:
On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 22:04:09 +0000 (UTC), "Brian"
wrote:



Andy,

Snipped

I am pleased that you are happy, but you are paying a lot of money for
this.

Do you realise that you can hire a power flushing machine for £36 for
half a day or £42 for a full day? You can *buy* the machine for
£900.

Andy, After being "in the trade" so to speak since 1965 both as a tradesman
and a general foreman I understand the costings very well and whilst not
adverse to "having a go" I learnt a very long time ago that perhaps
sometimes you pay "for the knowledge" rather than the actual work as this
can save a large amount of cash in the long run - look at the number of
requests for help in this group as a result of a lack of knowledge.

e.g.

A new heat exchanger in the boiler.
Re-worked pipework in the airing cupboard.
A new C/H pump.
A second power flush because there was still muck in the system
from a dip in a pipe in an inaccessible part of the system.

They would have had to replace the heat exchanger and the pump as part
of the maintenance contract anyway. That is costing £140/annum
IIRC, and in most years you would be getting a service with a cost
value of no more than £50. With this over several years and the
margin on the power flush there is plenty in hand to cover these
eventualities

In this instance Andy no - it was the flushing chemicals that caused the
problems with the heat exchanger and the pump was noisy and part of the
original contract.

With regards to the maintenance contract - over the years I have use their
services on average of perhaps four to five times a year with about half of
those times requiring spares - I estimate that I have broken even on the
contract subscription and certainly paid less than calling out a private
contractor.


Snipped

If you were taking care of the system yourself, you would typically
part drain and add inhibitor every 2-3 years anyway.

To be honest, if the system is clean and maintained in this way, it is
very unlikely that it would need power flushing.
I used inhibitor in my system from new and maintained it religiously.
During a refurbishment a year ago (when the system was 17 years old,
there was virtually no build up of sludge (just small amounts in the
bottom of a couple of radiators) and flushing produced a little
copper swarf that was the original from when the system was installed.
Almost all the radiaotors have been retained, with a few being sized
upwards to allow lower operating temperature with a condensing boiler.

Andy, after my years as foreman on housing maintenance, which included
heating repairs on solid fuel, electric and gas and seeing the results of
some of the amateur work (and near fatalities due to carbon monoxide
poisoning) I'm afraid that as I do not have the technical qualifications or
the detailed knowledge, I prefer in this case to let the professionals do
the work. Hence the reason I do not advise in this group on either gas or
electrical queries even though I have a general knowledge of both and
capable of doing the work.


I'm pleased that your experience has been good in the sense that the
system is in good order (now) and you are pleased. However, it is
very much akin to domestic appliance insurance. You pay a lot of
money for it.

On domestic appliance insurance I quite agree - it's money for all rope and
I refuse to pay for it as most repairs are minor anyway.


I used to have a BG annual cover policy. However, I had occasion to
use it when the thermocouple on my old boiler failed and prevented it
from firing (as it should). I called BG early in the morning
expecting that they would attend either the same day or at the latest,
the following day. I was asked whether I had anybody "at risk",
meaning small children or the elderly in the house. I didn't but
pointed out that I did have a contract. The earliest that they
could manage was five days later.

I have been asked the same questions and I have had to wait - BUT as I can
determine as whether the repair is urgent or not and I have separate forms
of heating and hot water it has never been a problem. When I have told them
that the works are urgent, described thy symtoms and the asked the
telephonist to get an engineer to ring me when THEY have been unsure all my
urgent stuff has been done the same day.


I cancelled the contract and after a lot of hassle, obtained a full
refund. They still appear to be operating with the old monopoly
attitude that they are doing one a favour to even show up. If they
were operating on a limited public budget then prioritising the
vulnerable might be reasonable. When they are operating on a
commercial basis and charging an arm and a leg for a contract, it is
not.

I have never had this attitude to be fair.


I replaced the thermocouple for a cost of £3 in parts from the local
plumber's merchant.

I have an open case with the ASA about BG's advertising of these
contracts, especially the "paramedics" add with the "experienced
fitter" and the dopey boy. They are creating the illusion with this
that they are providing an emergency service when they are not.
It's almost as though Alastair Campbell wrote the copy.
The advert is completely dishonest in the impression that it gives
the customer.

Again when I have had a "true" emergency they have always responded very
quickly to do the emergency repair to make safe etc but I have to wait some
lengthy periods for spares for my out of date boiler a few years ago.

As I say, if you are happy with what you are getting and paying then
that's fine. However, the "peace of mind" may not be what you think
and is not coming cheaply. In a year or two you will "need" a new
boiler. When you receive BG's quote, make some comparisons with
local firms and I think you will be shocked.

Changed my boiler about eight years ago Andy when my old and very outdated
Pottertern Neataheat finally broke down and spares were unabtainable (just
before Christmas as luck would have it).
The cost of supplying and fitting my new boiler £800 and half a day to fit
it and because the design of my heating system is rather "cranky" to say the
least - (and that is another saga is it was fitted when the house was new
and a long time before my occupation) - another half a day to get the water
flowing and the electrics working - plus new thermostatic valves supplied
and fitted for free in all my bedrooms.

With regards to quotes from other sources, yes I have done that and I also
know various qualified, corgi registered plumbers who could "do it on the
cheap" but I have found with British Gas in my area of South East Wales,
that when I get a quote off them it is never the cheapest but the do the job
for that price whatever the complications and the NEVER quibble or argue
about their warranty work.

And yes I do bitch about the cost with their reps call and haggle like hell
to get the price down or freebies :-)

Brian