advice on fair pricing

[mirandabm]

Dear Forum,

please could you advise me. I bought a Groupon deal on a boiler service. The boiler is about six or seven years old and works fine but has a slight leak. Someone came round, serviced the boiler and said someone else would come to deal with the leak. Ten days later I had a call from a repair man who said he'd been there for five hours and had the boiler off the wall and did I know where the key was(?). I said I hadn't even asked him to do the job, just give me an estimate. The next day my daughter rang to say that he'd been there for ten hours, taken the boiler off the wall and pulled it to bits, said he'd be back the next day but he hadn't turned up and now the heating and hot water weren't working. I rang the company and complained and the day after my call someone went round, switched the boiler on and off a few times and it started working.

Now I don't know if this was really a major job or if it was deliberately made into a long job or if it was a small problem and the guy just didn't know what he was doing. I have had the following bill although they've reduced it to £935 because they agree that I wasn't given an estimate. I can't afford to pay it anyway, but can anyone look at the invoice and tell me what they think would be a fair price for this job. I don't know what to do and I feel I've really been done.
Please advise me! Thanks.

Here's the invoice:
Labour:
1st Engineer 10 Hours 800.00
Removed heat exchanger filling loop to get full access to boiler
Installed cylinder key
Remove and installed diverter
2nd Engineer 1 Hour 80.00
Inspected and tested PCB
Recommissioned boiler
Parts:
Diverter Valve
Fill Key
Fibre Washer £227.50
Total excluding VAT £1107.50
VAT at 20% £221.50
Subtotal £1329.00

 

[ederz]

You wern't given a quote in writing, and didn't give them permission to access the boiler? I wouldn't pay, for that price you could have a new boiler with 500 to spare.

 

[Hybrid]

£80 an hour labour!
You've been done and the invoice is extortionate. I normally hate this kind of thing but you should refuse to pay and get in touch with a consumer watchdog.

Absolutely disgusting. Do you have anything in writing confirming you were given no estimate or notice of work starting?

 

[dontknowitall]

No. Definitely not a fair price.

I'd report them to trading standards and give no warning to Groupon that you're doing this. That's an outrageous price, even for the more expensive plumbers. Fairly outrageous method of doing business as well. You'd asked for an estimate but not for them to do the job.

 

[ederz]

Just noticed fibre washer £227.50. Wow.

 

[Rickster123]

My God! That is a massive rip off. Do not pay the bill and just mention the work Watchdog!

 

[baronwills]

Totally agree with what these guys say. You could have had a new boiler with a 5 year parts and labour warranty for far less than that. Besides the fact that you never asked them to do the job. Get in touch with trading standards.

 

[twistednuts]

The first guy could have taken the boiler off and replaced every part in 2 hours! Dependent on what boiler it is, he probably didnt need to take the boiler off to change the diverter.

I think theyre taking something else... the urine!!

Give em a ring and see what the crack is, should have been 300 quid at the very most, as some boiler repairs can be a bit of a bugger sometimes

 

[ADM360]

They even charged an extra hour for the second engineer to come and get it going, as if £80 p/h is enough we'll charge to put right our mistake!!!
Is this one of those door step selling things where if you didn't get it in writing you have 14 days to change your mind?

 

[tamz]

Bargains very seldom are as they seem. Companies loose a lot of money by doing these groupon type things.

Doorstep selling regulations and cooling off period :wink:

 

[armourer]

Absolutely disgusting.
I am never one to slate another company or engineer but these are the sort of people that give us a bad name.

What make and model of boiler was it and we can give a realistic price to change the diverter valve?

 

[Halesowen1]

Absolute Disgrace, no wonder people are turning to DIY instead of ringing us. These rip off merchants are whats spoiling this and many other trades. Pay them not a single penny. Any problems get in touch with one of us via our websites etc and we can do you some sort of quote for what the work may have cost.

 

[WaterTight]

£80 an hour. I hope you live in Mayfair.

 

[CES]

Your "get out" is , did you sign a bit of paper saying you were happy with the quote and to go ahead with the work? If not then they don't have a leg to stand on. Quote the Doorstep selling regulations (thanks Tamz). You should have a written quote and a seven day cooling off period. If you didn't sign anything to say you forego those rights then they should not have carried out the work.Their loss.
In future and I dont mean to lecture, but consider what you are paying for when you need work done by a tradesman. If its specialised work then obviously the tradesman has had to have spent money on training, most of these guys will be available in one form or another in your local area. Don't be afraid to call 2 or 3 up and get quotes, it doesn't even matter if one shows up when the other is still there (which I find is a cause that sometime makes people just get the one quote - embarrassment).
Groupon is for cheap stuff, when it comes to boilers, safety and gas - this isn't cheap, if it is then its usually coupled with dangerous.

 

[warrington]

Woow! i am speachless ! You had all the advice about this scam, good luck!

 

[mirandabm]

Thanks everyone. Tha't've very helpful. I thought I'd been totally ripped off but since I don't know anything about plumbing I couldn't prove it. You're right Tamz: It's a false economy to always go tor the bargain. If someone charges a reasonable price and is reliable you'll stick with them for ever but I can't imagine people ringing this firm more than once. I've learned my lesson. Thanks again

 

[mirandabm]

May I just say too that it's so good to know there are so many good - and honest - plumbers out there. You get to the point when you've been let down and you don't know who to trust. I'm glad to have found this site and now I know where to turn if I need a good plumber!

 

[barronbathrooms]

Name and shame the company. This is a disgrace people and company's like this need to be punished. So sorry to here about your ordeal keep us informed.

 

[nysk2008]

if something is to good to true it probably is - lesson learnt.

 

[armourer]

It is a lesson learn't but a lesson should not cost that sort of money. Let them whistle for it.

Just a thought, contact Gas Safe about them and say you have some concerns about the safety of the work they have carried out.
They will send out an inspector to look at the work (free of charge) and anything they pick up will be more ammunition for not paying them.

I dont think it would do anyone any harm to get company's like this flagged up on the Gas Safe radar.

 

[tamz]

Wouldn't do any good. It was a repair not an install so unless they have put it back together unsafely or perhaps missed out on documenting some existing major issue it would be a waste of time.

 

[Noxer]

thats some exspensive washer , and whats a cylinder key?

 

[armourer]

thats some exspensive washer , and whats a cylinder key?

The only thing I could think of is that maybe its a Worcester and they mean a filling loop key?

 

[sheff paul]

Dear Forum,

please could you advise me. I bought a Groupon deal on a boiler service. The boiler is about six or seven years old and works fine but has a slight leak. Someone came round, serviced the boiler and said someone else would come to deal with the leak. Ten days later I had a call from a repair man who said he'd been there for five hours and had the boiler off the wall and did I know where the key was(?). I said I hadn't even asked him to do the job, just give me an estimate. The next day my daughter rang to say that he'd been there for ten hours, taken the boiler off the wall and pulled it to bits, said he'd be back the next day but he hadn't turned up and now the heating and hot water weren't working. I rang the company and complained and the day after my call someone went round, switched the boiler on and off a few times and it started working.

Now I don't know if this was really a major job or if it was deliberately made into a long job or if it was a small problem and the guy just didn't know what he was doing. I have had the following bill although they've reduced it to £935 because they agree that I wasn't given an estimate. I can't afford to pay it anyway, but can anyone look at the invoice and tell me what they think would be a fair price for this job. I don't know what to do and I feel I've really been done.
Please advise me! Thanks.

Here's the invoice:
Labour:
1st Engineer 10 Hours 800.00
Removed heat exchanger filling loop to get full access to boiler
Installed cylinder key
Remove and installed diverter
2nd Engineer 1 Hour 80.00
Inspected and tested PCB
Recommissioned boiler
Parts:
Diverter Valve
Fill Key
Fibre Washer £227.50
Total excluding VAT £1107.50
VAT at 20% £221.50
Subtotal £1329.00

bugger me for 1300 quid id have a new combi on your wall with a 5 year guarantee.

 

[sheff paul]

Name and shame the company. This is a disgrace people and company's like this need to be punished. So sorry to here about your ordeal keep us informed.

can i strongly second that