Gas Boiler Service Query

[Datsun770]

Hey all

Looking for a consensus on an issue that has arisen.

Disclaimer is that my ideal icos 12 boiler Is over 10 years old but has been serviced. It has been presenting intermittent flame issues in sub zero temperatures however I found that insulating the pipe work around the gas regulator resolved this. Anyway.

A young lad from a reputable company came to service the boiler which on his arrival was working great no issues since last December.

The boy went to work, opened up the boiler, and he went abiut his business, goover came out etc, but after around 40 minutes I could hear him muttering swearing and generally not having a good time of it.

I never approached him, however after 90 minutes he came out and said that the boiler had been serviced however was now not working. He diagnosed electrodes and accompanying gasket kit. He did show me pictures of the inner case and the carbon build up did look bad and he stated he had cleaned it up great but now it wasn't firing up.


Now I am putting my faith in this boy as these photos could have been a load of carbon chucked out his hoover into the boiler but I have no doubt he is an honest lad.

Now. I have been charged for the service ehich was on an operational boiler. Fine. However i have been left sithiut heating for 2 days waiting on parts which to supply and fit I have been invoiced £245.

Is this right? If I put my car in for a service and it's running only for it to come out broken the garage would take responsibility for that. However in this instance , and possibly quite rightly so, I am being told they needed changed and that's that and its up to me to foot the bill.

Doesn't sit right with me that the boiler was working, admittedly with a fairly recent albeit intermittent fault, got serviced and now is not working and I've to pay for it.

There is no negotiating with them. They said if i dont want the parts fitted thats fine but ive still to pay the service fee and be left without heating.

thoughts? What's your opinion? Pay it and shut up or do I have a point?

Ps I'm skint and have a family funeral to pay for which Is why I am being pedantic.

Cheers

D

 

[Scott_D]

£245 for the service or service and return visit with parts?
Its a tough one because boiler can stop working after they have been serviced, PCBs can blow just by turning power on/off. Fragile wires can snap, disturbed joints can leak.

 

[Datsun770]

£245 for the service or service and return visit with parts?
Its a tough one because boiler can stop working after they have been serviced, PCBs can blow just by turning power on/off. Fragile wires can snap, disturbed joints can leak.

No. 85 for the service that broke the boiler and left me without heating or hot water.

245 for return visit with parts and reinstate heating. Assuming the boy has made the correct diagnosis. So £330 total when I had working services prior.

PCB replaced in February so I'd like to think not but I totally get other parts can go. Gaskets get brittle etc but I can't help but feel I could easily be getting conned albeit I don't think I am. I just feel that the service cost should maybe be discounted or something for the trouble as the heating was working prior (he seen this himself)

He looked flustered. Was young and the women in the office seem to be the spokespeople and not being particularly understanding.

 

[Scott_D]

No. 85 for the service that broke the boiler and left me without heating or hot water.

245 for return visit with parts and reinstate heating. Assuming the boy has made the correct diagnosis. So £330 total when I had working services prior.

PCB replaced in February so I'd like to think not but I totally get other parts can go. Gaskets get brittle etc but I can't help but feel I could easily be getting conned albeit I don't think I am. I just feel that the service cost should maybe be discounted or something for the trouble as the heating was working prior (he seen this himself)

He looked flustered. Was young and the women in the office seem to be the spokespeople and not being particularly understanding.

You can always get a second opinion from someone else.
Looking at it from the other side customers often ask for a 'service' when they have a broken boiler or intermittent fault and fail to mention this before works starts.

 

[Datsun770]

You can always get a second opinion from someone else.
Looking at it from the other side customers often ask for a 'service' when they have a broken boiler or intermittent fault and fail to mention this before works starts.

Yeah i totally concede this. I did actually tell him in all fairness which could be why I've been landed with the burden.

I would get a second opinion but I'm 85 quid down and he, in effect, broke the boiler. So no matter what the second opinion is I'm out of pocket.

I get it might have needed done anyway but I've no way of really knowing that. All I know is one minute I could bath my son, the next I couldn't.

 

[Chuck]

" If I put my car in for a service and it's running only for it to come out broken the garage would take responsibility for that."

No, they wouldn't. Not unless the damage was caused by their own carelessness.

Last time I had my car serviced, I ended up with an extra £600 on the bill because the HT pack started arcing while the technician was poking around under the bonnet. Probably it would have lasted a few weeks longer if he hadn't disturbed it, but that didn't make it their problem. The insulation was failing due to age and usage. I was just relieved it had happened in the garage and not on the M5.

 

[Datsun770]

" If I put my car in for a service and it's running only for it to come out broken the garage would take responsibility for that."

No, they wouldn't. Not unless the damage was caused by their own carelessness.

Last time I had my car serviced, I ended up with an extra £600 on the bill because the HT pack started arcing while the technician was poking around under the bonnet. Probably it would have lasted a few weeks longer if he hadn't disturbed it, but that didn't make it their problem. The insulation was failing due to age and usage. I was just relieved it had happened in the garage and not on the M5.

Well that's where the faith comes in isn't it I guess. That could be the case. Definitely. But also it could be that something was damaged. 90 minutes if frustration and moans and never once did he come and say look sir there is an issue with this or that. He seemed upset with himself like he was trying to fix something thag went wrong so it's also equally possibly he's broken it and I'm footing the bill.

I guess I'll never know.

pay it and shut up then??

Thanks for the replies

 

[Last Plumber]

If the boiler is that age, then it is past its life expectancy regardless of how many times it has been serviced.

With regard to servicing:
Has it been serviced by the same Engineer or company for the 10 years?
Has it been serviced as per manufacturers instructions?

It is not uncommon for a customer to have a boiler serviced regularly by the 'flue gas test and run away' method. Unfortunately, on encountering these appliances you can be thrown into something unexpected and it does sound to me as though 'The Boy' was.

If you had a fault on ignition, I suspect that the insulation around the gas regulator pipework is a red herring. It does sound likely that electrodes are the cause if that is what the Engineer diagnosed.

I would pay the service and repair and think about replacing the boiler with a new one.

 

[Datsun770]

If the boiler is that age, then it is past its life expectancy regardless of how many times it has been serviced.

With regard to servicing:
Has it been serviced by the same Engineer or company for the 10 years?
Has it been serviced as per manufacturers instructions?

It is not uncommon for a customer to have a boiler serviced regularly by the 'flue gas test and run away' method. Unfortunately, on encountering these appliances you can be thrown into something unexpected and it does sound to me as though 'The Boy' was.

If you had a fault on ignition, I suspect that the insulation around the gas regulator pipework is a red herring. It does sound likely that electrodes are the cause if that is what the Engineer diagnosed.

I would pay the service and repair and think about replacing the boiler with a new one.

I think you're probably right. The thing is trash but due to a recent bereavement and requirement to fund a funeral that isn't an option and I was just looking for reassurance that this sounded above board, which I conceded front the start it probably was. Thanks for the response.

 

[Chuck]

... due to a recent bereavement and requirement to fund a funeral that isn't an option

In case you aren't aware, you can get financial help if you have to arrange a funeral:

Get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment)

Funeral Expenses Payment (also called Funeral Payment) to help pay funeral costs if you get certain benefits - eligibility, how to claim, form SF200

www.gov.uk

Also, although the deceased's own bank account(s) are frozen until a grant of probate or representation has been issued (which can take months) banks, etc. are allowed to pay the funeral director's invoice (and inheritance tax if applicable) from the deceased assets. Funeral directors are supposed to explain this to people. Banks, etc. have a 'bereavement department' who will explain the procedure.

 

[Datsun770]

In case you aren't aware, you can get financial help if you have to arrange a funeral:

Get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment)

Funeral Expenses Payment (also called Funeral Payment) to help pay funeral costs if you get certain benefits - eligibility, how to claim, form SF200

www.gov.uk

Also, although the deceased's own bank account(s) are frozen until a grant of probate or representation has been issued, which can take months, banks are allowed to pay the funeral director's invoice (and inheritance tax if applicable). Funeral directors are supposed to explain this to people. Banks, etc. have a 'bereavement department' who will explain the procedure.

Thanks for that.

 

[Datsun770]

So I paid it. Electrodes fitted. FL code that was generated during the service dissapeared for a week. This morning I have the same FL code. Hadn't seen this before.

New boiler time. Waste of £300 + and I guess I'll not have any come back.

 

[Jerry]

£245 for the service or service and return visit with parts?
Its a tough one because boiler can stop working after they have been serviced, PCBs can blow just by turning power on/off. Fragile wires can snap, disturbed joints can leak.

Something as simple as turning the power off to a boiler has caused me multiple problems.

Imagine what draining a system can do....