BBC Watchdog - British Gas

[petercj]

Ive been contracting there for three years now on and off and I've never seen a power flush offered when it's not needed.
As for the service, they don't call it that now, and haven't for ages.
And they don't just knock someone's boiler off if the computer says part not available, they will try and source the part, I have been to parts centre to pick up flues in this instance.
Of course, they offer new boilers as an alternative, but who doesn't. If you went to a twenty odd year old boiler and it needed parts would you not recommend a replacement? Of course you would.

As I said, I have personal experience of BG recommending power flushing when not required, i.e. radiators performing well with no cool spots and good spread of temperature top to bottom. There are also many similar accounts on the Internet.

As can be seen here, BG use the term "servicing" in their current advertising and the term is used in their Home Care contract:-

HomeCare - Our Range of Boiler and Heating Cover - British Gas

The 24 hour help-line they state in their adverts has had a regular message on it of late saying that they are too busy to answer the phone!

It can take two or three days for BG to put repairs into action under the HC contract - the 24 hour emergency helpline is totally misleading. As long as you have a trickle of cold water its not an emergency according to BG. Light yourself a candle and wash in cold water for all they care.

A BG engineer told me that the boilers in the Watchdog program were written off because the parts that were available were not those as sold by the manufacturer. I wouldn't know whether that is true or not, but as its not unusual for anything from boilers to motor vehicles to contain parts NOT made by the manufacturer it doesn't seem like a reasonable explanation to me.

I accept that some of the guys who work for BG are good engineers, but these days quite a few are 'chancers' who don't give a fig about the quality of their work.

Obviously the engineers don't decide BG policy and have no control over the way things are done, but someone does, and they are the ones that need investigating imo.

If people feel let down by BG they should contact Trading Standards, and if they don't get satisfaction from TS, then write to their MP.

 

[villa_tom]

As I said, I have personal experience of BG recommending power flushing when not required, i.e. radiators performing well with no cool spots and good spread of temperature top to bottom. There are also many similar accounts on the Internet.

As can be seen here, BG use the term "servicing" in their current advertising and the term is used in their Home Care contract:-

HomeCare - Our Range of Boiler and Heating Cover - British Gas

The 24 hour help-line they state in their adverts has had a regular message on it of late saying that they are too busy to answer the phone!

It can take two or three days for BG to put repairs into action under the HC contract - the 24 hour emergency helpline is totally misleading. As long as you have a trickle of cold water its not an emergency according to BG. Light yourself a candle and wash in cold water for all they care.

A BG engineer told me that the boilers in the Watchdog program were written off because the parts that were available were not those as sold by the manufacturer. I wouldn't know whether that is true or not, but as its not unusual for anything from boilers to motor vehicles to contain parts NOT made by the manufacturer it doesn't seem like a reasonable explanation to me.

I accept that some of the guys who work for BG are good engineers, but these days quite a few are 'chancers' who don't give a fig about the quality of their work.

Obviously the engineers don't decide BG policy and have no control over the way things are done, but someone does, and they are the ones that need investigating imo.

If people feel let down by BG they should contact Trading Standards, and if they don't get satisfaction from TS, then write to their MP.

If you go online and get a policy quote then you have the option for a service or not, if you request the service then the policy goes up accordingly, if not then you get a safety check.

As far waiting for a breakdown engineer to attend, that is total tosh. I'm not in for a few days next week so rang the office today to get another bloke out for an intermittent fault, as I was only there for a service, and I won't be in to fit parts next week and BG are going out tomorrow.

People love to slate BG for their failings, but if you look at them on the whole they are pretty damn good at what they do.

As far as some of then being chancers, you get this in all walks of life. It's pretty unfair to tarnish the whole company with the same brush.

I personally couldnt care less what anyone else does, weather it be BG, eon, npower, or a self employed gas fitter. I'm at work to feather my own nest and look after my family. If people choose to dislike the company I work for then so be it. But from my dealings with BG, I have found them to be a genuine company offering a service which they get right 99% of the time. Obviously they get things wrong from time to time, as does anyone.

Ive worked in thousands of BG customers house and I have never heard a bad word said about them, surely there's proof there that they are doing a good job.

 

[kay-jay]

As I said, I have personal experience of BG recommending power flushing when not required, i.e. radiators performing well with no cool spots and good spread of temperature top to bottom. There are also many similar accounts on the Internet.

As can be seen here, BG use the term "servicing" in their current advertising and the term is used in their Home Care contract:-

HomeCare - Our Range of Boiler and Heating Cover - British Gas

The 24 hour help-line they state in their adverts has had a regular message on it of late saying that they are too busy to answer the phone!

It can take two or three days for BG to put repairs into action under the HC contract - the 24 hour emergency helpline is totally misleading. As long as you have a trickle of cold water its not an emergency according to BG. Light yourself a candle and wash in cold water for all they care.

A BG engineer told me that the boilers in the Watchdog program were written off because the parts that were available were not those as sold by the manufacturer. I wouldn't know whether that is true or not, but as its not unusual for anything from boilers to motor vehicles to contain parts NOT made by the manufacturer it doesn't seem like a reasonable explanation to me.

I accept that some of the guys who work for BG are good engineers, but these days quite a few are 'chancers' who don't give a fig about the quality of their work.

Obviously the engineers don't decide BG policy and have no control over the way things are done, but someone does, and they are the ones that need investigating imo.

If people feel let down by BG they should contact Trading Standards, and if they don't get satisfaction from TS, then write to their MP.

I also have personal experience of this....

A customer rang me said i was told by bg i need a powerflush at £700 how much do you charge? Told her 300 quid but only after i confirmed it was necessary.......
Went round and turned out she needed a new pump. Much cheaper to say the least

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[petercj]

If you go online and get a policy quote then you have the option for a service or not, if you request the service then the policy goes up accordingly, if not then you get a safety check.

As far waiting for a breakdown engineer to attend, that is total tosh. I'm not in for a few days next week so rang the office today to get another bloke out for an intermittent fault, as I was only there for a service, and I won't be in to fit parts next week and BG are going out tomorrow.

People love to slate BG for their failings, but if you look at them on the whole they are pretty damn good at what they do.

As far as some of then being chancers, you get this in all walks of life. It's pretty unfair to tarnish the whole company with the same brush.

I personally couldnt care less what anyone else does, weather it be BG, eon, npower, or a self employed gas fitter. I'm at work to feather my own nest and look after my family. If people choose to dislike the company I work for then so be it. But from my dealings with BG, I have found them to be a genuine company offering a service which they get right 99% of the time. Obviously they get things wrong from time to time, as does anyone.

Ive worked in thousands of BG customers house and I have never heard a bad word said about them, surely there's proof there that they are doing a good job.

I have detailed evidence of everything I have posted, and a case cooking which at the present time is heading for the County Court - for obvious reasons I will not be going into further details of it on here.

I suggest you check your facts before you refer to what people post as: "tosh"!

You are clearly singing from the BG hymn sheet.

 

[villa_tom]

I have detailed evidence of everything I have posted, and a case cooking which at the present time is heading for the County Court - for obvious reasons I will not be going into further details of it on here.

I suggest you check your facts before you refer to what people post as: "tosh"!

You are clearly singing from the BG hymn sheet.

I can call it tosh when I've seen the exact opposite in action today.

And I'm singing from no hymn sheet. I'm a self employed heating engineer, who get work off BG, private landlords, private homeowners and estate agents.

Do I like BG? Yes, they provide me with work, but I'm not employed directly by them. I gauge all my opinions by what I have seen and done first hand.

 

[cannon]

How much do you charge for power flushing? as a matter of intreast only

 

[petercj]

I can call it tosh when I've seen the exact opposite in action today.

And I'm singing from no hymn sheet. I'm a self employed heating engineer, who get work off BG, private landlords, private homeowners and estate agents.

Do I like BG? Yes, they provide me with work, but I'm not employed directly by them. I gauge all my opinions by what I have seen and done first hand.

As I have said, I don't want to go into further detail, and besides that, I don't come onto this forum to argue anyway.

What I can say is that senior management at BG are not contesting some of the issues I have mentioned in the way that you are. So I'm going to leave this conversation there. You know what you've seen, and I know that my facts are accurate - end of.

 

[villa_tom]

As I have said, I don't want to go into further detail, and besides that, I don't come onto this forum to argue anyway.

What I can say is that senior management at BG are not contesting some of the issues I have mentioned in the way that you are. So I'm going to leave this conversation there. You know what you've seen, and I know that my facts are accurate - end of.

Im not here to argue the toss either mate, but in the same way you feel your facts are right, I also think mine are too.
No two people will agree on everything all of the time.

 

[Doodlebug]

employed by BG then doodlebug?

Yes you are correct gas man. I will defend British Gas all day long and people who slate British Gas should get their facts right first.

 

[Doodlebug]

How much do you charge for power flushing? as a matter of intreast only

It makes me laugh when the old how much for a PowerFlush rubbish comes out. How many companies do you know who charge less than British Gas for a PowerFlush and provide a lifetime gaurantee?

 

[petercj]

Re: BG Boiler "Servicing"

The BG schedule is listed here - the front cover doesn't get taken off the case, so there is absolutely no chance of executing the manufacturer's service schedule:-

Boiler Service and Safety Checks - One-off Boiler Service - British Gas

 

[Doodlebug]

Re: BG Boiler "Servicing"

The BG schedule is listed here - the front cover doesn't get taken off the case, so there is absolutely no chance of executing the manufacturer's service schedule:-

Boiler Service and Safety Checks - One-off Boiler Service - British Gas

"Visually inspect the boiler to check for corrosion and leaks"
This means inspecting the entire boiler for leaks, corrosion, general deteriation etc etc. if a British Gas engineer doesn't take the case off he isn't doing he's job as per operational procedures and could face a disciplinary, please make sure what you post about other companies is facts!

 

[villa_tom]

The third point says 'inspect your boiler and controls to ensure they are operating safely'.

How would you do this without taking the cover off?

It also says 'visually inspect for leaks'.

How can you check the heat exchanger etc without taking the cover off?

 

[Doodlebug]

Re: BG Boiler "Servicing"

The BG schedule is listed here - the front cover doesn't get taken off the case, so there is absolutely no chance of executing the manufacturer's service schedule:-

Boiler Service and Safety Checks - One-off Boiler Service - British Gas

I think you need to watch what you say petercj, it's not nice to make assumptions about another companies workmanship without facts. Where does it say "we don't remove the case"

 

[tamz]

How many companies do you know who charge less than British Gas for a PowerFlush and provide a lifetime gaurantee?

Don't forget to add this is conditional on keeping a continuous homecare contract going.

 

[Doodlebug]

Don't forget to add this is conditional on keeping a continuous homecare contract going.

Yes that is correct, British Gas will gaurantee the PowerFlush if they are looking after the system. Would you expect them to give this gaurantee if they weren't looking after the system?

 

[tamz]

It would be better to cure the disease rather than treat the symtoms

 

[petercj]

I think you need to watch what you say petercj, it's not nice to make assumptions about another companies workmanship without facts. Where does it say "we don't remove the case"

I do watch what I say, and as already posted, I would not be saying the above without hard evidence.

What I refer to is what BG senior management say is their definition of a service - what you do as an individual employee of BG doesn't concern me, i.e. I have no interest in individual variation in relation to the companies specification.

But then, are you actually saying that you service BG Home Care contracts, and that in every "service" you remove the front of the case and service the boiler in accordance the manufacturer's servicing schedule?

In relation to the "guarantee" with BG power flushing: what is it that is under warranty?

Whatever it might be, BG say that any warranty only exists if the boiler is continually covered by BG Home Care service contract, which is tantamount to paying twice.

Bearing in mind that Help-Link (re Johnny Ball's ad) will install a WB boiler for around half the cost of BG and provide a 10 year warranty against - BG's one year warranty, it's not exactly a bargain, is it? They don't even insist on power flushing (only done if necessary) and include a chemical flush in the price.

 

[Doodlebug]

It would be better to cure the disease rather than treat the symtoms

A British Gas PowerFlush includes any remedial work that may be required ie: pipework reconfiguration. The one thing it doesn't include which would be extra charge is major work like re-piping the whole system lol

 

[Doodlebug]

I do watch what I say, and as already posted, I would not be saying the above without hard evidence.

What I refer to is what BG senior management say is their definition of a service - what you do as an individual employee of BG doesn't concern me, i.e. I have no interest in individual variation in relation to the companies specification.

But then, are you actually saying that you service BG Home Care contracts, and that in every "service" you remove the front of the case and service the boiler in accordance the manufacturer's servicing schedule?

In relation to the "guarantee" with BG power flushing: what is it that is under warranty?

Whatever it might be, BG say that any warranty only exists if the boiler is continually covered by BG Home Care service contract, which is tantamount to paying twice.

Bearing in mind that Help-Link (re Johnny Ball's ad) will install a WB boiler for around half the cost of BG and provide a 10 year warranty against - BG's one year warranty, it's not exactly a bargain, is it? They don't even insist on power flushing (only done if necessary) and include a chemical flush in the price.

You really are unbelievable, you drag up a web page stating we don't take the case off which is untrue and obvious to see you are making your own assumptions to anyone who looks at the web page. Paying twice, are you for real, where do you get your info from. Customers who pay for us to flush their system are obviously going to stay with us and if they don't then that's fine but we can't give a lifetime gaurantee if there is third party interference likely to take place on that system which we no longer look after if the cancel the contract. The answer to your question on taking the case off, yes I most certainly do, it's part of the service and must be removed for inspection of the heat exchanger. You need to look a bit closer at the terms of that Johnny Ball offer pmsl. I must admit though I do agree with you on one thing and that is "British Gas are very expensive on the installation side of the business.

 

[petercj]

You really are unbelievable, you drag up a web page stating we don't take the case off which is untrue and obvious to see you are making your own assumptions to anyone who looks at the web page. Paying twice, are you for real, where do you get your info from. Customers who pay for us to flush their system are obviously going to stay with us and if they don't then that's fine but we can't give a lifetime gaurantee if there is third party interference likely to take place on that system which we no longer look after if the cancel the contract. The answer to your question on taking the case off, yes I most certainly do, it's part of the service and must be removed for inspection of the heat exchanger. You need to look a bit closer at the terms of that Johnny Ball offer pmsl. I must admit though I do agree with you on one thing and that is "British Gas are very expensive on the installation side of the business.

You are not reading my posts carefully enough, as I have said more than once, I obviously don't know what you do as an individual engineer, I'm referring to general policy.

I've seen a number of "services" done by BG engineers, and the front of the case has not been removed, and I've been told by BG engineers that their schedule does not allow for carrying out a service as specified by the boiler manufacturer.

One statement by BG has been that if the boiler gas check is ok, then the boiler doesn't need further maintenance.

But then of course most M.I.s state that to maintain safe running of the boiler it should be serviced in accordance with their specifications.

All the bluster of: "oh how can you say that!" doesn't wash.

And by the way, I have checked out the details of the Help-Link deal, what do you want to know?

I'm delighted to see a few companies are now running TV ads to give BG some real competition! Great stuff!

 

[Doodlebug]

You are not reading my posts carefully enough, as I have said more than once, I obviously don't know what you do as an individual engineer, I'm referring to general policy.

I've seen a number of "services" done by BG engineers, and the front of the case has not been removed, and I've been told by BG engineers that their schedule does not allow for carrying out a service as specified by the boiler manufacturer.

One statement by BG has been that if the boiler gas check is ok, then the boiler doesn't need further maintenance.

But then of course most M.I.s state that to maintain safe running of the boiler it should be serviced in accordance with their specifications.

All the bluster of: "oh how can you say that!" doesn't wash.

And by the way, I have checked out the details of the Help-Link deal, what do you want to know?

I'm delighted to see a few companies are now running TV ads to give BG some real competition! Great stuff!

We follow British Gas procedures on an annual Maintenance Inspection. If you look into a manufactures servicing instructions you will see that some ask you to check the blow-off valve but would you? The laptops we are provided with list all the manufactures servicing procedures which we use for reference as to specific combustion reading req etc etc and we service the boiler using our operational procedures. British Gas have an exceptional safety record, just look at how many boilers we service per year and tell me we aren't doing the job correctly. I have read your posts over and over and I am reading them correctly, ie: you stated that the case doesn't come off as per the web site page, why did you sate that? I really get the feeling that you have got it in for British Gas.

 

[tamz]

I really get the feeling that you have got it in for British Gas.

Many people justifiably have but volume for volume they probably have no more unhappy customers than any other big mob.

It is the (sometimes underhand) methods of promoting sales that winds most up. By no means all engineers are guilty of it but we all know it is pushed severely from the top down (company policy you could call it)

 

[petercj]

We follow British Gas procedures on an annual Maintenance Inspection. If you look into a manufactures servicing instructions you will see that some ask you to check the blow-off valve but would you? The laptops we are provided with list all the manufactures servicing procedures which we use for reference as to specific combustion reading req etc etc and we service the boiler using our operational procedures. British Gas have an exceptional safety record, just look at how many boilers we service per year and tell me we aren't doing the job correctly. I have read your posts over and over and I am reading them correctly, ie: you stated that the case doesn't come off as per the web site page, why did you sate that? I really get the feeling that you have got it in for British Gas.

I'm saying what I'm saying as a result of what I've witnessed, as described above.

As mentioned, I do have issue with BG, which at the moment look like leading to a court case.

I am peeved with the way BG mislead and duck and dive when asked a straight question, and in my experience there is an institutional arrogance about BG which I find irritating. As said, I don't want to go into the main issues here. If I get them into the County Court they will have to give some straight answers, so that's my aim at the moment. BG have caused me problems, and I don't care how big they are, I will keep going till I nail them.

 

[Doodlebug]

Many people justifiably have but volume for volume they probably have no more unhappy customers than any other big mob.

It is the (sometimes underhand) methods of promoting sales that winds most up. By no means all engineers are guilty of it but we all know it is pushed severely from the top down (company policy you could call it)

All companies want to make money no harm in that. Here's a scenario, I'm in a customers house and service the boiler, I fill out my paperwork and advise the customer on the benefits of trv's, remote heating controls or a Magnabooster. The customer declines and I leave literature for the product I've advised on. That's it, my job their is done, what the customer does with the advise I've given is totally up to them, no pressure at all. Would it be best if I serviced the boiler and gave no advise at all?