On 29 Dec 2003 08:26:01 -0800, (ANt) wrote:

Having had a new CH system fitted 3-4 years ago I thought it was time
to get it serviced..should really have been every year...but you know
how time passes :-)

I phoned up Vailant who have in the past been excellent at attending
to problems (diverter valve problems on a then new model). They said
however that they were too busy now to send engineers round to service
combis and that it was better to get one of the British gas policies
that includes servicing.

I had thought about the BG policy in the past and thought I may as
well get the policy to protect against some unwanted/unplanned costs
that may arise and as it included servicing seemed like a good time to
do it.

I had some experience of this a few years back.

The advertising is very good. It's when you sign up that the
disappointment begins. The TV advertising, especially, I felt, is
very misleading. They feature a man and a boy team who show up at a
hapless customer, and the patter gives the impression that they are
offering a paramedic service. I felt that this was less than honest
and have a case with the ASA about it.

My own experience, one winter when the boiler failed was disappointing
when I called them. They were not able to send anybody for five
days. I asked them why and they said that they were experiencing a
lot of staffing problems and were prioritising vulnerable people like
the elderly and families with small children. I escalated the issue
through their organisation until I reached director level but got
absolutely nowhere. What ****ed me off the most was that they felt
that this way of working was acceptable - they still very much have
the attitude of a public sector service industry. Sorry, but in the
commercial world at the prices that they are charging, they need to
make arrangements to provide a reasonable level of service, and it
isn't for them to play God over who gets service and who does not.

In the end, I repaired the boiler myself at a cost of £3 for a new
thermocouple and about 30 minutes work.

BG, on threat of legal action, refunded my entire year's contract
payment, although continued to protest that they were inside the
contract conditions.


However, after the engineer left the building, my wife phones to say
he didn't seem to do much...certainly didn't vacuum out the boiler
which I thought would be a standard part of service.

It may or it may not be. If you look on Vaillant's web site, you
will find the installation and service documentation for your boiler.

Often BG will just put a combustion analyser in the flue and test
carbon monoxide level. This is one indication of correct behaviour
and safety but does not necessarily say whether the boiler is
operating at its most efficient.

One can argue that pulling the boiler apart every year is not
necessary - it depends on what the manufacturer recommends.


Looking on the website now I see it's not neccesarily a service but

"a yearly safety and performance inspection (except for electric
boilers) to help reduce breakdowns "

That sounds a little crap and if my wife is correct, then we still
need to get it serviced otherwise it'll certinaly shorten its life at
best nevermind the effects of it running innefficiently.

I can understand that you feel short changed, but check what the
manufacturer suggests.



Anyone have any experience of these policies and what the 'inspection'
is supposed to include ? I'm afraid I didn't spend too much time
looking into it before hand which was stupid in retrospect. It didn't
really cross my mind that they'd send someone round once a year to
polish the boiler housing and not bother checking inside it
considering they're supposed to cough up for any problems. However I
don't really want to knock 5 years life of the boiler because it's not
actually being serviced properly. The policy is "Maintenance and
Breakdown" cover so I expect some Maintenance...not just breakdown
cover...and I don't class a visual inspection as maintenance.

Their other favourite games are to tell customers that their systems
need to be powerflushed. Not included. Expect to pay £500-800 for
this. You can *buy* the machine for little more than this, and can
certainly hire them. Alternatively, you can do an effective job in
other ways for next to nothing.

If a boiler looks as though it is going to cost them time and money to
fix, then they will tell you that it is beyond economic repair and
then offer you a new one at an arm and a leg over anybody else in the
market. They'll sweeten the deal if pushed by giving you three
years breakdown cover. Give!! Hmmm...

If you are paying by standing order, I would cancel it immediately and
offer them £30 for the work they did already.

Then find yourself a local heating firm or fitter to do the work.





Ant.

..andy

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