Rant

Been having a new gas central heating installed over the past few days.
The original system was installed by a complete Cowboy, and has been a right
pain in the ... so as I'm now partially disabled and getting to the age
where I need my comforts etc. I went to British Gas for new system; BIG
MISTAKE! I don't believe I was stupid enough to actually believed their
promises!
BG sub'd it out to local installation firm who turned out to be.... well, to
give you an idea, whenever one of them picked-up the circular saw, he went
"Yee Haa", every ***kin time; I don't think I have ever heard anyone go "Yee
Haa" and genuinely mean it!
I had to ask then to fill in the holes they left in the brick-work (they
still haven't done all or them), the house is a right mess ("We leave your
home as you would!"!). The gas pipe has been run outside, even thought I
asked them not to.
In spite of repeated promises, the electrician still hasn't been to fit the
lecky supply to the boiler, and the earth bond to gas pipe. So I still don't
have any heating or hot water.

It may well be a good system, and I'd like the opportunity to find-out!

/Rant

My advice, keep clear of BG, they are heavy with the promises "We charge
more because we fit the best", "We leave your home as you would", but light
on delivery!

"Martin" wrote in message
...
Rant

Been having a new gas central heating installed over the past few days.
The original system was installed by a complete Cowboy, and has been a
right
pain in the ... so as I'm now partially disabled and getting to the age
where I need my comforts etc. I went to British Gas for new system; BIG
MISTAKE! I don't believe I was stupid enough to actually believed their
promises!
BG sub'd it out to local installation firm who turned out to be.... well,
to
give you an idea, whenever one of them picked-up the circular saw, he went
"Yee Haa", every ***kin time; I don't think I have ever heard anyone go
"Yee
Haa" and genuinely mean it!
I had to ask then to fill in the holes they left in the brick-work (they
still haven't done all or them), the house is a right mess ("We leave your
home as you would!"!). The gas pipe has been run outside, even thought I
asked them not to.
In spite of repeated promises, the electrician still hasn't been to fit
the
lecky supply to the boiler, and the earth bond to gas pipe. So I still
don't
have any heating or hot water.

It may well be a good system, and I'd like the opportunity to find-out!

/Rant

My advice, keep clear of BG, they are heavy with the promises "We charge
more because we fit the best", "We leave your home as you would", but
light
on delivery!



A good example of how they've allowed the BG Group to go to pot. Complain
as hard as you can, and don't back down no matter what. And also make them
wait for the full payment and then ask them how it feels to be left with an
incomplete job.


---
www.basecuritysystems.no-ip.com

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 09/10/03

snip
A good example of how they've allowed the BG Group to go to pot. Complain
as hard as you can, and don't back down no matter what. And also make
them
wait for the full payment and then ask them how it feels to be left with
an
incomplete job.


---
www.basecuritysystems.no-ip.com

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 09/10/03


I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left me
standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally subed out the
recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me £120 + Labour for a
diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through a local
broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Just wait till the quality guy comes in for his inspection next Tuesday....

"Martin" wrote in message
...

snip
A good example of how they've allowed the BG Group to go to pot.
Complain
as hard as you can, and don't back down no matter what. And also make
them
wait for the full payment and then ask them how it feels to be left with
an
incomplete job.


---
www.basecuritysystems.no-ip.com

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 09/10/03


I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left me
standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally subed out the
recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me £120 + Labour for a
diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through a
local
broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Just wait till the quality guy comes in for his inspection next
Tuesday....




Oh boy !!! Would I love to be a fly on your wall. :-))


---
www.basecuritysystems.no-ip.com

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 09/10/03

In article ,
"Martin" wrote:

I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left me
standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally subed out the
recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me £120 + Labour for a
diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through a local
broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Once the AA demutualised there was no longer any reason to think of them
as anything other than just another company and judge them accordingly.
For the record when swmbo called them out last Friday due to a flat tyre
(women!) the chap was apparently very nice, especially about the
complications (don't ask).

Peter

--
Peter Ashby
School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland
To assume that I speak for the University of Dundee is to be deluded.
Reverse the Spam and remove to email me.

BigWallop wrote:
"Martin" wrote in message
...

snip
A good example of how they've allowed the BG Group to go to pot.
Complain as hard as you can, and don't back down no matter what.
And also make them wait for the full payment and then ask them how
it feels to be left with an incomplete job.


---
www.basecuritysystems.no-ip.com

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 09/10/03


I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left
me standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally
subed out the recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me
£120 + Labour for a diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through
a local broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Just wait till the quality guy comes in for his inspection next
Tuesday....




Oh boy !!! Would I love to be a fly on your wall. :-))

You don't need to be a fly on the wall to see what happens, from the sound
of it you could stand outside and listen through one of the holes they left


--
James...
http://www.jameshart.co.uk/

Peter Ashby wrote:
In article ,
"Martin" wrote:

I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left
me standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally
subed out the recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me
£120 + Labour for a diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through
a local broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Once the AA demutualised there was no longer any reason to think of
them
as anything other than just another company and judge them
accordingly.
For the record when swmbo called them out last Friday due to a flat
tyre (women!) the chap was apparently very nice, especially about the
complications (don't ask).

Peter
Why do the BBC etc still turn to the AA when they want a view on motoring
matter?
Do they think the AA still represents motorists views when they are just
another Centrica cash cow?

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 19:08:06 +0100, "BillR"
wrote:

Peter Ashby wrote:
In article ,
"Martin" wrote:

I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they left
me standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and finally
subed out the recover to a local company, who wanted to charge me
£120 + Labour for a diesel stop valve that only required adjustment.
And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I could get through
a local broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Once the AA demutualised there was no longer any reason to think of
them
as anything other than just another company and judge them
accordingly.
For the record when swmbo called them out last Friday due to a flat
tyre (women!) the chap was apparently very nice, especially about the
complications (don't ask).

Peter
Why do the BBC etc still turn to the AA when they want a view on motoring
matter?
Do they think the AA still represents motorists views when they are just
another Centrica cash cow?

Mrs Witchy just got a quote from the RAC to renew her subs....even
after being with them for 9 years and having a no-call-out discount
they still want over £160 for a year's membership.....THAT's a
rip-off, I think.

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

Witchy wrote:
On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 19:08:06 +0100, "BillR"
wrote:

Peter Ashby wrote:
In article ,
"Martin" wrote:

I terminated all my business with the AA last summer after they
left me standing at the road side for well over 3 hours, and
finally subed out the recover to a local company, who wanted to
charge me £120 + Labour for a diesel stop valve that only required
adjustment. And then for a car insurance quote £80 more than I
could get through a local broker, for the same policy!

I think I need my head examined (again) after trusting Centrica!

Once the AA demutualised there was no longer any reason to think of
them
as anything other than just another company and judge them
accordingly.
For the record when swmbo called them out last Friday due to a flat
tyre (women!) the chap was apparently very nice, especially about
the complications (don't ask).

Peter
Why do the BBC etc still turn to the AA when they want a view on
motoring matter?
Do they think the AA still represents motorists views when they are
just another Centrica cash cow?

Mrs Witchy just got a quote from the RAC to renew her subs....even
after being with them for 9 years and having a no-call-out discount
they still want over £160 for a year's membership.....THAT's a
rip-off, I think.

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

witchy,

Be careful about even thinking of cancelling the RAC subs. My wife was once
trying to persuade me to cut the old motoring costs and cancel our
subscription as we had not used it for god knows how many years.

No sooner than those fateful word were out of her mouth thab a car came
screaming around the corner on a single lane country road, the back of
beyond and after I had stopped him, we found out that he had shortened the
front of my car by over a foot (Montego). This ultimately required a
suspended recovery to the garage by the very company that I was being
persuaded to leave.

To this day I believe that the great RAC god had been listening and sent
that car to teach us a lesson - and to this day if we discuss leaving them
we go into a soundproof room and certainly don't talk about it in the car -
just in case LOLL

Brian

Why do the BBC etc still turn to the AA when they want a view on motoring
matter?

Don't start me on the BBC or the rant will go onfer weeks

mike r

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 20:03:02 +0000 (UTC), "Brian"
wrote:

Mrs Witchy just got a quote from the RAC to renew her subs....even
after being with them for 9 years and having a no-call-out discount
they still want over £160 for a year's membership.....THAT's a
rip-off, I think.

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

witchy,

To this day I believe that the great RAC god had been listening and sent
that car to teach us a lesson - and to this day if we discuss leaving them
we go into a soundproof room and certainly don't talk about it in the car -
just in case LOLL

Heh! Sorry about that incident - I'm just glad nobody was hurt unless
you 'had words' with the other driver

If there wasn't an alternative we may be stuck, but there are
breakdown type agents such as More Than who will do everything the RAC
does for more than a third of the RAC cost. This is also worth doing
because Mrs Witchy only really drives to and from her job every day
and doesn't do distance stuff; since I was made redundant nearly a
year ago I don't do distance stuff either unless someone offers me a
particularly interesting computer for my museum - Apple Lisa anyone?

Having priced some others up the RAC is well expensive.....

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

In article , Martin
writes
Rant

Been having a new gas central heating installed over the past few days.
The original system was installed by a complete Cowboy, and has been a right
pain in the ... so as I'm now partially disabled and getting to the age
where I need my comforts etc. I went to British Gas for new system; BIG
MISTAKE! I don't believe I was stupid enough to actually believed their
promises!
BG sub'd it out to local installation firm who turned out to be.... well, to
give you an idea, whenever one of them picked-up the circular saw, he went
"Yee Haa", every ***kin time; I don't think I have ever heard anyone go "Yee
Haa" and genuinely mean it!
I had to ask then to fill in the holes they left in the brick-work (they
still haven't done all or them), the house is a right mess ("We leave your
home as you would!"!). The gas pipe has been run outside, even thought I
asked them not to.
In spite of repeated promises, the electrician still hasn't been to fit the
lecky supply to the boiler, and the earth bond to gas pipe. So I still don't
have any heating or hot water.

It may well be a good system, and I'd like the opportunity to find-out!

/Rant

My advice, keep clear of BG, they are heavy with the promises "We charge
more because we fit the best", "We leave your home as you would", but light
on delivery!



Presumably you havent paid the full amount - If not, give them a chance
to put things right when the quality control guy comes. If they dont -
dont pay them and either:

let them sue you and let a judge decide.

or:

get someone in to put it right - pay them, and then pay BG the balance
of their price.

If they sue you for the witheld money, let a judge decide.

If you have already paid - give them a chance to put it right and, if
they dont, get it put right and sue them for the cost.

It may be a load of hassle, but i would go for this as a matter of
principle.

--
Richard Faulkner

Witchy wrote:
On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 20:03:02 +0000 (UTC), "Brian"
wrote:

Mrs Witchy just got a quote from the RAC to renew her subs....even
after being with them for 9 years and having a no-call-out discount
they still want over £160 for a year's membership.....THAT's a
rip-off, I think.

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs

witchy,

To this day I believe that the great RAC god had been listening and
sent that car to teach us a lesson - and to this day if we discuss
leaving them we go into a soundproof room and certainly don't talk
about it in the car - just in case LOLL

Heh! Sorry about that incident - I'm just glad nobody was hurt unless
you 'had words' with the other driver

If there wasn't an alternative we may be stuck, but there are
breakdown type agents such as More Than who will do everything the RAC
does for more than a third of the RAC cost. This is also worth doing
because Mrs Witchy only really drives to and from her job every day
and doesn't do distance stuff; since I was made redundant nearly a
year ago I don't do distance stuff either unless someone offers me a
particularly interesting computer for my museum - Apple Lisa anyone?

Having priced some others up the RAC is well expensive.....

cheers

witchy/binarydinosaurs


quite agree about the expensive bit but I used to do a very high mileage
and some sort of cover was essential. My bill runs at around £110 which
includes a free hotel and car hire for a few days plus a number of other
little benefits.

I have looked for a cheaper like for like cover but have yet to find one.
The "problem" there is that the level of cover I now have has been
"discontinued" (been on it for twenty years) and by time you add up all the
extras with the other companies for the same cover level, I would have to
pay around £140 - £160 a year.

To be fair to the RAC, over the years I have had to use their rescue and
recovery
services a few times and apart from the wait for them to get to me
they have generally been very good.

After saying that, I hope the great RAC god will now forgive me :-)

Brian

In article ,
Witchy wrote:
Mrs Witchy just got a quote from the RAC to renew her subs....even
after being with them for 9 years and having a no-call-out discount
they still want over £160 for a year's membership.....THAT's a
rip-off, I think.

Last year my old Rover decided to break its fan belt at Shepherd's Bush
early one Saturday morning - about 00.30. It took almost half an hour to
get through to the RAC, and then half an hour of holding on - expensive on
a mobile. I was then asked the most stupid questions and told my car model
didn't exist - despite it having been registered with them for the past 15
years or so...

I was told it could take up to 120 minutes for them to get a breakdown to
me. Not 2 hours, oh no, but 120 minutes. I also asked if they would bring
a spare fan belt or a vehicle which could lift the car as being an auto I
wasn't going to allow it to be towed on its wheels. I was told that
decision would be made by the mechanic.

I waited for almost two hours with no sign of them and decided to drive
home since there was now no traffic, and if I could keep up about 30 mph,
the airflow would turn the fan and the waterpump, and I'd stop at the
first sign of overheating. I got home in about 1/2 hour stopping twice.

I'd been in a while and was having a bedtime drink when they phoned my
mobile saying they couldn't find me. Well over 3 hours from first trying
to contact them. In Central London - not miles from anywhere.

I wrote to them complaining and got a reply about 6 weeks later. Their
logged times were over an hour out from mine. So now I know how they say
they will respond within a certain time on average - they lie through
their teeth.

--
*This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for extra security *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

snip
And just to add insult to injury, I have just been woken-up to the sound of
water ****ing down the wall!

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 21:38:52 +0000 (UTC), mike ring
wrote:

Why do the BBC etc still turn to the AA when they want a view on motoring
matter?

Don't start me on the BBC or the rant will go onfer weeks

I might well join in too! They "aint my mate" right now! ;O)


Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}

On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 01:29:07 +0100, Dave Plowman
wrote:

I'd been in a while and was having a bedtime drink when they phoned my
mobile saying they couldn't find me. Well over 3 hours from first trying
to contact them. In Central London - not miles from anywhere.

I wrote to them complaining and got a reply about 6 weeks later. Their
logged times were over an hour out from mine. So now I know how they say
they will respond within a certain time on average - they lie through
their teeth.

Idiots - don't they realise that all mobile calls get logged?

w

In article ,
"Martin" wrote:

snip
And just to add insult to injury, I have just been woken-up to the sound of
water ****ing down the wall!

If they will not come around right sharpish and fix it then I would say
you are within your rights to get an emergency plumber in and bill it to
BG.

Peter

--
Peter Ashby
School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland
To assume that I speak for the University of Dundee is to be deluded.
Reverse the Spam and remove to email me.

BG recently told my elderly neighbour that she couldn't have a combi boiler
because the pressure wasn't sufficient (despite the houses either side
having them) and quoted £4K to replace the existing boiler. They seem to be
the ultimate rogue traders.

In article ,
stuart noble wrote:
BG recently told my elderly neighbour that she couldn't have a combi
boiler because the pressure wasn't sufficient (despite the houses either
side having them) and quoted £4K to replace the existing boiler. They
seem to be the ultimate rogue traders.

It's got to be cheaper to simply replace a boiler in a working storage
system than to convert to a combi. Wonder what they would have quoted for
that?

I suppose it's just possible the flow of mains water was insufficient
even although the neighbours were ok, but wouldn't the water board fix
this for free?

--
*Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 22:57:44 +0000 (UTC), "Brian"
wrote:

Snip

l. My bill runs at around £110 which
includes a free hotel and car hire for a few days plus a number of other
little benefits.

I have looked for a cheaper like for like cover but have yet to find one.
The "problem" there is that the level of cover I now have has been
"discontinued" (been on it for twenty years)

snip

So at todays rates you have paid 20 x £110 = £2200.

Has it been worth this much to you?

I always consider insurance like gambling. The insurance
company/bookie knows the odds better than the average punter and so
are always going to win.

Our house insurance currently runs at £850 per year and we have been
paying house insurance for over 35 years. In that time we have had one
claim for carpet damage of a couple of thousand pounds. The insurance
industry is well in pocket. Pity is I can't convinve swmbo

Dave Plowman wrote:


I suppose it's just possible the flow of mains water was insufficient
even although the neighbours were ok, but wouldn't the water board fix
this for free?

The amount of water that the supply Co. consider to be sufficient is not
sufficient to run
a combi boiler, or a storage system in a 3 storey house let alone an
unvented storage system.


--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

Paul Mc Cann wrote:
On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 22:57:44 +0000 (UTC), "Brian"
wrote:

Snip

l. My bill runs at around £110 which
includes a free hotel and car hire for a few days plus a number of
other little benefits.

I have looked for a cheaper like for like cover but have yet to find
one. The "problem" there is that the level of cover I now have has
been "discontinued" (been on it for twenty years)

snip

So at todays rates you have paid 20 x £110 = £2200.

Has it been worth this much to you?

I always consider insurance like gambling. The insurance
company/bookie knows the odds better than the average punter and so
are always going to win.

Our house insurance currently runs at £850 per year and we have been
paying house insurance for over 35 years. In that time we have had one
claim for carpet damage of a couple of thousand pounds. The insurance
industry is well in pocket. Pity is I can't convinve swmbo

Hi Paul,

Yep that's the trouble with "paying insurance" when you have it and you are
paying out for the premiums sod all usually happens to recover some of those
expensive payments - but the minute you cancel it, the house burns down and
then the premium payments fade into insignifigance when you have to pay the
full cost of rebuilding.

Your house insurance premium seems a little high though, I have obtained
cover last year for around £150 for upto £500.000 for structure and contents
with all the bells and whistles through Frizzells, a company that I have had
my car insurance with now for around 25 years.

Brian

In article ,
Ed Sirett wrote:
I suppose it's just possible the flow of mains water was insufficient
even although the neighbours were ok, but wouldn't the water board fix
this for free?

The amount of water that the supply Co. consider to be sufficient is not
sufficient to run
a combi boiler, or a storage system in a 3 storey house let alone an
unvented storage system.

Right. Wonder why this is no surprise?

--
*How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink? *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

Dave Plowman wrote in message ...
It's got to be cheaper to simply replace a boiler in a working storage
system than to convert to a combi. Wonder what they would have quoted for
that?

I suppose it's just possible the flow of mains water was insufficient
even although the neighbours were ok, but wouldn't the water board fix
this for free?
Two local firms quoted around £2K for a combi and a new stopocock (which is
what both said was the pressure problem).
I notice BG seem to be sending spotty youths with laptops out to do quotes.
They're obviously after the little old lady market.

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

Dave Plowman wrote in message ...
It's got to be cheaper to simply replace a boiler in a working storage
system than to convert to a combi. Wonder what they would have quoted for
that?

I suppose it's just possible the flow of mains water was insufficient
even although the neighbours were ok, but wouldn't the water board fix
this for free?
Two local firms quoted around £2K for a combi and a new stopocock (which
is
what both said was the pressure problem).
I notice BG seem to be sending spotty youths with laptops out to do
quotes.
They're obviously after the little old lady market.



Oooooo !! Young man.

In article ,
stuart noble wrote:
Two local firms quoted around £2K for a combi and a new stopocock (which
is what both said was the pressure problem).

If they really did say a new stopcock could cure a water pressure problem,
then they are as lacking in clue as BG. ;-)

--
*If we weren't meant to eat animals, why are they made of meat?

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn