I've just been asked to leave a women's house...

[Ryster]

So ive just been Doing a gas safety certificate this morning charged £85 pound. That was for the boiler (which included a service if required) a cooker and a gas fire.

Gas rate, FGA the boiler and got 0.0004. Checked safety devices and flue Lovely, checked MI's no service required.

Cooker. Gas rate and checked FSDs followed MI's safety chain wasn't connected so screwed that on.

Gas rate, burner pressure, and flue tests are what I carry out normally on these following MI's for any other work required such as re arranging coals room ventilation was fine as well.


Here is where it went a bit west. I went to dissconnect the gas fire to smoke bomb the chimney, check flue liners or the appropriate chimney lining.
This women went BALLISTIC, shouting at me asking what I'm doing. Then said nobody has removed the fire on a safety check before and that I must be looking to create an expensive problem.

Anyway, after five minutes of shouting i told her i couldnt leave the house as it was or i would have to call National Grid, anyway I capped off the gas fire, tightness test and got everything signed by her and she made me leave, as I was doing this she was ringing another gas guy as I was leaving the house and told me he would be round within the hour and would report me for making up jobs!!


Has anyone ever had something like this before? I can't believe I'm being accused of looking for work purely because previous engineers haven't been doing theirs correctly!

 

[Barry98]

stay wait for the next fella at least give him a heads up

 

[Dotty]

Report her to transco. You can't prove her installation is safe.

 

[snowhead]

As you hadn't actualy "made up any expensive jobs", there's nothing for you to be reported for and if you had who's she going to report you to?

Think about it if you were the second guy in, what would you think and do?

The fires's capped, you know nothing of the installation, your first job will be,,,remove fire and inspect flue.

Looks like she'll be going BALLISTIC twice in the same day.
.

 

[Ryster]

Report her to transco. You can't prove her installation is safe.

It is safe, the fire is capped so she can't use it anyway. Had done the boiler and cooker, and insisted on a completing the rest of my tightness before leaving.

I just couldn't believe I was being made out to be some kind of dodgy fitter for actually doing it right, makes you wonder what half of these "engineers" are actually doing on a safety check.

 

[Rickster123]

Don't forget to quietly slide you bill under the door before leaving! Sounds like you were doing the right thing to me. I would never sign my name to something I'm not certain is safe.

 

[Leo21]

You've done everything right and you know it, fair play. she should be happy it's being checked properly. As above wait for other guy. And bill your time with a time limit for payment, put on it what you've done and attempting to do. Your cast iron in the right and I feel for ya. Bummer.

 

[Millsy 82]

I would have told her to phone gas safe and speak to the tech line then I would have capped off got the money owed and walked away.

 

[AWheating]

sounds like a MAD BURD!

maybe there should be a gas cert titled Totally stupid Customer cert??

basically stating that they the customer is an idiot and when they die its there own stupid fault. maybe with a graphic of somebody dead from co?


sadly its not uncommon to hear the phrase" the last engineer did not remove the fire".

 

[TBServices]

I serviced a gas fire for an old lady last week, she's been on a service contract with British gas for 6 years. £61.50 per year to service the fire. When I took the front off the fire she asked me what I was doing and when i explained, she said "you're the first bloke who's ever done that". The catchment space was a foot deep with soot.

 

[Howsie]

Madness!

Would have been worth waiting for the other guy and then you could have both billed her.

 

[kirkgas]

But the second guy said he was going report him for making up work( as I read it anyway)

 

[kirkgas]

Ryster once you get paid drop her a brief note explaining your concern at her attitude and want to clear something up, so give her Gas Safe number and ask her to do you a favour and phone them for clarification that what you did was safer than the last guys and suggest she reports them and asks for an investigation into their shoddy work

 

[Blake]

This is why I hate gas fires, it's always the same old rubbish. 'The last bloke never did that' are words I hear to often and as a result I normally find all sorts of junk in the catchment space and voids everywhere.

 

[Dannypipe]

I had a similar one a few years back.


Got called to urgently do a CP12 at a flat as it was a holiday let, and there were people coming over from Hong Kong who were going to stay there.

Turned up, and the flue was going through the ceiling into the flat above. I knocked on the door of the flat above, and asked if I could view the flue. It was rotten, leaking rust marks down every joint, and had been repaired using silicon mastic of all things. Plus it was passing through the cupboard of a four year old girls bedroom.

So I ID'd it. Capped and noticed it after speaking to someone at the agency who let it and got her permission.

About an an hour later at another job her boss called me. Bollocking me, and telling me it had passed all it's previous CP12's. She was going to sue me as the family from Hong Kong would need to be put up in a hotel. She was calling another gas engineer and would send me his bill. To make matters worse, as I was talking to her I got into my van, and my head clipped a hanging flower basket over the drivers door, and I flinched (kneejerk reaction) and smashed my nose on the edge of the door and practically broke it. Blood everywhere!

However the people in the flat above (who had asked for my number) called me a week or so later and told me that a new boiler was being installed in the flat below, and asked what their rights were regarding allowing another flue to pass through their daughters bedroom.

I got paid by the agency for my CP12, and suprise, never got sued. So I guess the other engineer agreed with me.

I WAS FUMING. FUMING.

So I feel your pain.