B&Q starting to sell Worcester Boilers

[Halesowen1]

Popped to my local B&Q this morning for some sand and cement to patch a flue up, In my local trade point B&Q they are advertising that they are starting to sell Worcester boilers and accessories.
I have compared the prices and the flue, clocks etc are pretty much the same as my local plumbing merchant, but the boilers are about £75 extra.
I would have thought B&Q would be able to get these same price as City Plumbing.

 

[justalex81]

b and q trade point is supplied with most of it's stock by screwfix. they'll never be as cheap as the big suppliers

 

[Halesowen1]

Never knew they used them, the flue and programmers etc are a bit cheaper but boilers way over.

 

[Puddle]

Says more for worcester than b&q,they are trying to keep a market share in this economic conditions,a lot of installers ,even those once loyal to them are moving away from them, as over priced medioca boilers
And of course what better place to sell at higher prices than the new symbol or respectability b&q ,who are mentioned in the First paragraph of this months gas reg mag in the review of ''gas week'' supporters,as if
So serious wining and dinning going on,me thinks,must be a big bed they are all snuggled up in
Still say ignore and try to go over the one man bands head and you are in trouble,been proved time and time again

imho

:furious3:

 

[tamz]

And they said it would never happen. Seems to me they (worcs) must be feeling the pinch. I think it is a bad move for them to be associated with the diy market. For the past few years they have built up their "exclusive quality" aka well overpriced tag. It may well bite them on the rse.

BTW i saw my first ever fitted heatline visio tonight. It didn't take much selling to get that job. As i walked in the door the guy was telling me it was bandq rubbish and i am fitting a 25si in its place! Wait until i tell him (after i've collected the cheque of course) that bandq are now selling worcesters too. At least the pipes are in the right order:lol:

 

[sparra1100]

trade point and plumbfix gives you an all singing and dancing price you think thats cheap then get to the counter and they add the vat on or aint got any in i just stuck to my local merchant

 

[Halesowen1]

They cannot get anywhere near my suppliers, but lets face facts if they were cheaper its where i would be going for my next Worcester.
But i try not to fit them and try the hard sell for a Vaillant, love fitting them, never have any problems at all with them.

 

[mikimac]

B&Q selling Worcesters, I anticipate a great many DIY installs coming on...

 

[gasmarc]

I never use B and Q but I must say they contribute big time to alot of cowboys installers and victims , regarding screw fix I went and bought a cooker hose and safety chain only to be charged £15 from my local inde which i thought was abit steep to say the least , after looking on screwfix I found that my customer was screwed as i passed the bill on

 

[Chris H]

The only people who make money on boilers are the manufacturers. B&Q aren't used to that, they want their slice!

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm trying to work out why Kingfisher (owner of Screwfix and B&Q) allows anyone to buy a gas boiler from B&Q but insists on a GasSafe card when a plumber wants to buy one from Screwfix.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I'm trying to work out why Kingfisher (owner of Screwfix and B&Q) allows anyone to buy a gas boiler from B&Q but insists on a GasSafe card when a plumber wants to buy one from Screwfix.

yea strange that innit?personally i could not care less if they sell worcesters they are overpriced tat IMHO heatline are junk as well and they are owned by that other over hyped manufacturer valiant,valiant are the reason heatline parts are so dear they put 200 % mark up on

 

[gasmarc]

Well I know of people who have been loyal to Vaillant for years only for them to nick their customers , I would never install a vaillant ever again and suggest everyone does likewise

 

[CES]

Ive never had a problem with Vaillant myself, as far as nicking customers goes, Ive never had much of a problem with losing customers to them. I know they send out letters now and again but if you have got a good relationship with a customer then they usually stick with you, if they don't then they would probably jump to someone else anyway.
Maybe its just where I am but Ive got a good relationship with the rep and I know where he lives!!

 

[gasmarc]

Thats handy Ces so you can give him an earful or should i say get a rapid response if a problem occurs

 

[Deleted member 32524]

Surely it is time for all outlets to ensure that they are selling any gas product to a gas safe registered engineer. I strongly believe that only qualified people should be buying these products.

 

[dontknowitall]

Yes ... and no.

Yes - Joe Public wandering into a shed and buying a gas tap to replace the one on their fire because the wife drove into it with the vacuum cleaner and broke it.

No - I'm not GasSafe (but OFTEC) but working with a GasSafe plumber on a gas job soon for one of my customers. We are both known to the local merchants. Are you saying I cannot buy the boiler from that merchant?

 

[Halesowen1]

What if home owner sees a deal on in B&Q, has enough for the boiler but not for fitting for a few weeks, why should he not be able to buy it?

 

[CES]

This argument goes round and round, one possible solution (cant remember where I read it) was to fill in a form at point of purchase like we do when we buy a TV. Someone follows up with a visit to the property to confirm the correct installation (Probably local authority). Keeps us on our toes, customers have to use a gas safe registered engineer and also keeps someone in a job. It'll never happen though because its the public sector isnt it?...

 

[armourer]

This argument goes round and round, one possible solution (cant remember where I read it) was to fill in a form at point of purchase like we do when we buy a TV. Someone follows up with a visit to the property to confirm the correct installation (Probably local authority). Keeps us on our toes, customers have to use a gas safe registered engineer and also keeps someone in a job. It'll never happen though because its the public sector isnt it?...

Trouble with that is who pays for the inspector? and what if the customer says "Oh I sold that on ebay".
If its never registered it disappears.
Anyway Gas safe already have inspectors that supposedly spot check our work, don't they?

I believe all gas appliances and components should only be sold to GSR engineers and oil to OFTEC engineers.

@Halesowen if I see a new computer deal in PC world thats only on sale for 1 week special but I have not got the money at the time, should I still get the deal later or is it unlucky?
Most offers are put in place to clear old stock or pick up business when sales are down.

 

[tamz]

What if home owner sees a deal on in B&Q, has enough for the boiler but not for fitting for a few weeks, why should he not be able to buy it?

He can buy what he likes but i wouldn't be fitting it. I only do supply and fit.

 

[CES]

Trouble with that is who pays for the inspector? and what if the customer says "Oh I sold that on ebay".
If its never registered it disappears.
Anyway Gas safe already have inspectors that supposedly spot check our work, don't they?

I believe all gas appliances and components should only be sold to GSR engineers and oil to OFTEC engineers.

As I said, I read it somewhere, but I assume the originator of the idea meant it to be a different concept of what we already have, i.e. Not Gas Safe but more of a Local Authority Building Inspector, paid for through taxes because everyone has heating (admittedly not all oil or gas but then again not everyone has children but pays for schools).
The trouble with only selling gas and oil stuff to properly registered engineers that I could see would be that there could potentially be a black market developing, (Psst.. wanna buy a new worcester?) meaning anyone with a gas safe or oftec card could potentially buy a boiler and sell it for whatever price or to whoever they wanted. How do you control something like that? It wouldnt stop the illegals who use their company gas safe to carry out homers (under cutting the local businesses). Or indeed someone buying a boiler and selling it to an unregistered installer.
As I said, the arguments go round and round but until something is done we're stuck with what we have.

 

[sparky_7]

Would i be right in saying that " Trade point " will only sell boilers to registered engineers anyway ????

 

[gasmarc]

I dont know about trade point but I know my local merchants dont care and will gladly give information on fittings to complete idiots , best one I saw was a foreign gentleman buying a soil pipe elbow for a flue

 

[sparra1100]

ye i seen one asking for a longer cooker hose to fit behind the back of his cuboards