Advice from a plumber needed

[gmartine]

Forget the ombudsman, have the repair done and sue them for it in the small claims.

 

[king of pipes]

The service plan company they have the final say , we all know life span of a combi manufacturers say 7-10 years but you have to be sensible I have some 15+ years old still going strong that I look after if serviced properly trouble is alot of these engineers get to much piled on to em 10+ jobs a day and the computer or tablet pinging ever 5 minutes wanting to know we're you are , see it all the time fire up flue as anylyser in reading ok , minimum checks then off they go what have they done a safety check but you the customer think your getting a full service then what happens × amount of months down the line boiler breaks down , your paying for a break down service which includes a full service each year on a valliant is 11/2 hour job , the boiler should be drained down and the vessels internal diaphragm pressure checked as part of that service your paying for a service which you are not getting and have every right to complain and demand your money back , get the work done by a local guy and persue it through the small claims court good luck .

 

[Masood]

What sort of company can happily take your money until a claim is made then try to wriggle out of it? It is disgraceful.

Pretty much every insurance company ever! They are in business to take as many premiums as possible, and deny as many claims as they can get away with.

 

[Newdidit]

Ok have just rung the service plan company.....I said that I considered their actions were disgraceful and why had I not been made aware when they rang me to take out this policy that when my boiler was 7 years old they do not pay for repairs if it is economical to do so particularly as my boiler was 6 years old when I took out the policy....the response was that this was not down to them it was my responsibility to read the terms and conditions.....I said that Ifelt this was quite misleading to sell such a product with no mention of this clause. I advised that I would be making a complaint and asked for their explanation for not doing the repair to be sent to me in writing and advised that I would take my complaint to the ombudsmen. She told me that they are not an insurance company and therefore they are not regulated by them so I asked who were they regulated or responsible to and she said no one.....I find this amazing that are not regulated by some body. I also said that the price of £350 was far too expensive and that I had obtained further quotes of between £200 and £250 but she was having none of it. So the upshot is I have now cancelled my DD and my policy I now need to get a quote to have the work done, I await their letter to make my complaint and find out who they should be responsible too if anyone. So I did not succeed in my mission to get the work done by them but this will not end here. Thank you for your help and advice and I will make sure that everyone is aware of this clause and the company involved once my complaint has gone in.

 

[Last Plumber]

It's sad to say it but I hear this kind of story a lot.

Best bet, keep your money in the bank, find a good, recommended, Gas Safe Engineer for your future needs.

Good luck with the complaint !

 

[rpm]

[DLMURL="http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/im-looking-plumber-gas-engineer/"]I'm looking for a Plumber or Gas Engineer[/DLMURL]

Sounds like you gave it a good shot, there is a section of the forum you could use above.

 

[rpm]

I would check them out online, insurance company not regulated?

 

[Newdidit]

They reckon they are not an insurance company so not regulated by the ombudsman in fact she reckons there is no one who regulates them that I can complain too

 

[king of pipes]

They must be regulated by someone contact trading standards all the best .

 

[rpm]

They reckon they are not an insurance company so not regulated by the ombudsman in fact she reckons there is no one who regulates them that I can complain too

What does it say on the paperwork when you signed up?

 

[Best]

I would take a careful look over the original paperwork they got you to agree to.
If it is not fair, you could take it further I bet.
Go to Citizens Advice with your paperwork and other details and tell them what the woman from the company said about them being responsible to nobody.

 

[A1P]

They reckon they are not an insurance company so not regulated by the ombudsman in fact she reckons there is no one who regulates them that I can complain too

I have just been on the Retail Ombudsman site which I think you mentioned in an earlier post.They have a whole page devoted to these kind of disputes.I would have one last go at them directing them to the page.It also ensures you follow the procedure correctly.I would consider drawing their attention to this Forum.You could point out that you have not as yet posted their details.If/when you do they will certainly incur a loss via the post and by engineers actively encouraging people to leave such schemes.As advised above Trading Standards and Citizens Advice are other options.

 

[Newdidit]

This is the paragraph in the terms and conditions that is going to be my stumbling block but I still maintain you should be made aware of at the time of sale
" Boiler Breakdown Cover: Upon making a claim, the total cost of parts ( including VAT) required to repair the boiler will be determined by us using reputable suppliers, if this cost exceeds 60% of the manufacturers current retail price ( or if this is not available the average current retail price available through a leading UK supplier ) for a boiler of the same or similar make and model to your boiler or the then current version of your boiler, it will be deemed to be beyond economical repair."
BER ( beyond economical repair ) if upon making a claim your boiler is deemed to be BER and your is 7 years old or under we will make a contribution of £200 towards the cost of a new boiler.

I argue that why was I not informed of this when they sold me the plan knowing that my boiler was at that time already 6 years old. She said that was not their responsibility to do so I should have read the terms and conditions. In a way she may well be right but it still does make me feel responsible for the position I am in now.

 

[Newdidit]

Yes I have contacted the retail ombudsmen to ask if they do cover such a business. I need to complain to the company first and receive a response I believe before I can use them. I have already mentioned the ombudsman....she wasn't interested I mentioned this site and prices quoted....she wasn't interested I mentioned the small claim court....she said goodbye lol

 

[Chalked]

This is the paragraph in the terms and conditions that is going to be my stumbling block but I still maintain you should be made aware of at the time of sale
" Boiler Breakdown Cover: Upon making a claim, the total cost of parts ( including VAT) required to repair the boiler will be determined by us using reputable suppliers, if this cost exceeds 60% of the manufacturers current retail price ( or if this is not available the average current retail price available through a leading UK supplier ) for a boiler of the same or similar make and model to your boiler or the then current version of your boiler, it will be deemed to be beyond economical repair."
BER ( beyond economical repair ) if upon making a claim your boiler is deemed to be BER and your is 7 years old or under we will make a contribution of £200 towards the cost of a new boiler.

I argue that why was I not informed of this when they sold me the plan knowing that my boiler was at that time already 6 years old. She said that was not their responsibility to do so I should have read the terms and conditions. In a way she may well be right but it still does make me feel responsible for the position I am in now.

You have them there.
Replacing an expansion vessel should cost about £200. They quoted higher . A new boiler at cost will be over £1100 so the repair would have to cost going on £700 to be 60%.

 

[rpm]

You have them there.
Replacing an expansion vessel should cost about £200. They quoted higher . A new boiler at cost will be over £1100 so the repair would have to cost going on £700 to be 60%.

Don`t forget the age clause unless I mis read.

 

[Newdidit]

I was going to look to see what a similar manufacturers current retail price would be to determine that it is a Vaillent Eco TEC plus 831

 

[A1P]

You have them there.
Replacing an expansion vessel should cost about £200. They quoted higher . A new boiler at cost will be over £1100 so the repair would have to cost going on £700 to be 60%.

Great minds!! I was just going to say boiler cost at internet prices £1150 ,expansion vessel £50 plus, fitting if they want to add that £150 max.Hope this concentrates their minds.Are they in breach of their own contract?