british gas flushing scam

[WOLDEN]

went to my pals neighbour , BG said they won,t cover her back boiler any more, said goverment said they have to renew boiler , plus power flush needed . they have no money ..

 

[heating-eng]

went to my pals neighbour , BG said they won,t cover her back boiler any more, said goverment said they have to renew boiler , plus power flush needed . they have no money ..

i wouldnt have any money if i had a back boiler in my house LOL

 

[Blackcatgas]

They were! about 4yrs ago on watchdog they ripped them to bits., I turned down a job with them in 2003, I didnt quite know what they wanted me tobe, as gas engineer or a salesman.[/QUOTE]


when you work for yourself you are both a gas engineer and a salesman but yet you want to slag bg of for been the same

Good answer, but then I wont tell a customer that they need a power flush if its not needed or sell them a magnaclean as a "cure all bag of magic beans".

 

[heating-eng]

Good answer, but then I wont tell a customer that they need a power flush if its not needed or sell them a magnaclean as a "cure all bag of magic beans".

neither will most BG engineers.. if they did and they were found out they would be sacked..

the magnaclean is really good and its better to fit one before sludge has caused problems in my opinion.

 

[Puddle]

Quote:
Originally Posted by grahamep
Trouble is BG powerflushes are outsourced and they give the contractor something like 3 hours to do the flush. If there is anyone out there that can do a proper powerflush on a 10 rad system in 3 hours (bearing in mind that BG are generally only called out when the sludge in the system is like tar) then I would like to meet you. I would be very glad to charge £600+ for a 3 hour job. BG are still cashing in on the public perception that they are the ultimate authority from the days when they used to be the statutory body.

you clearly dont no what you are talking about. BG engineers get a full day to do a powerflush

Well if a system actually needs power flushing,maybe they do allow a day because they will use the time also to sell other stuff as well

But seeing how most of the power flushes they are doing are not needed and the systems are quite clean,We and BG Know 3 or 4 hrs is quite long enough to go through the motions and book in the works really required to sort out real problem(If there was on),charging on top for a motorized valve,balancing system, pump ect

Can not see what the problem is really if BG do not take large amounts of money off their aging customers for poor service,it will only be taken by the local council to pay for poor care,get in there first,that what I say,yeh

 

[Blackcatgas]

neither will most BG engineers.. if they did and they were found out they would be sacked..

the magnaclean is really good and its better to fit one before sludge has caused problems in my opinion.

The impression that I got from my interview and from current bg engineers is that you are pressured into making sales, and have to hit certain targets If thats not the case heating-eng then fair play to you, but thats the impression that I got.
And btw I love Magna cleans, but wtf is a magan clean going to do when fitted to an already sludged up system?, sorry good point Bg have just power flushed it for £600.

 

[oldplumber]

my only experience of bg is that i had a service contract with them 20 yrs back and they couldnt spot a failed pump then, my mate fixed it within 10 mins, they had sent out 4 different engineers.
More recently, they quoted £4500 to an old couple for a boiler replacement! I got the job for a lot less.
Best of all, i was repairing a leaky tap for an old boy who's combi had broken down, and he had bg out to repair it under a boiler service contract. I was in the loo working away, bg arrives and within 5 minutes was selling a magna clean, didnt even have the front off the boiler, i walk into kitchen, offer my humble opinion that prehaps he needs to actually look at the fault or b***er off. Off comes the front in goes a new hw diaphram, all ok. Old boy fed me tea and bics whilst all this going on, and guess whos servicing his boiler next yr, now the contracts cancelled.

 

[heating-eng]

Quote:
Originally Posted by grahamep
Trouble is BG powerflushes are outsourced and they give the contractor something like 3 hours to do the flush. If there is anyone out there that can do a proper powerflush on a 10 rad system in 3 hours (bearing in mind that BG are generally only called out when the sludge in the system is like tar) then I would like to meet you. I would be very glad to charge £600+ for a 3 hour job. BG are still cashing in on the public perception that they are the ultimate authority from the days when they used to be the statutory body.

you clearly dont no what you are talking about. BG engineers get a full day to do a powerflush

Well if a system actually needs power flushing,maybe they do allow a day because they will use the time also to sell other stuff as well

But seeing how most of the power flushes they are doing are not needed and the systems are quite clean,We and BG Know 3 or 4 hrs is quite long enough to go through the motions and book in the works really required to sort out real problem(If there was on),charging on top for a motorized valve,balancing system, pump ect

Can not see what the problem is really if BG do not take large amounts of money off their aging customers for poor service,it will only be taken by the local council to pay for poor care,get in there first,that what I say,yeh

upgrade engineers as they are called are normally the lowest preformers when it comes to selling and would not try and sell something while doing a powerflush from my experance..
i would love to look at all your perfect jobs as most plumbers and heating engineers are perfect i think not

The impression that I got from my interview and from current bg engineers is that you are pressured into making sales, and have to hit certain targets If thats not the case heating-eng then fair play to you, but thats the impression that I got.
And btw I love Magna cleans, but wtf is a magan clean going to do when fitted to an already sludged up system?, sorry good point Bg have just power flushed it for £600.

you do not get any targets but are expected to give best advise ...

if it needs a powerflush then tell the customer if it doesnt then tell the customer that as well.

 

[Blackcatgas]

upgrade engineers as they are called are normally the lowest preformers when it comes to selling and would not try and sell something while doing a powerflush from my experance..
i would love to look at all your perfect jobs as most plumbers and heating engineers are perfect i think not

I dont claim tobe perfect heat-eng, jesus Ive had my fair share of f**k ups, but Ive always tried to be honest like you and probably the majority of bg engineers.

 

[Puddle]

yes bg engineers do get paid to offer best advice.

BG Engineers are paid to do a good job

They get paid bonus's to offer best advise that can be translated into BG profits not works required by cusomer

 

[heating-eng]

BG Engineers are paid to do a good job

They get paid bonus's to offer best advise that can be translated into BG profits not works required by cusomer

it also says best advice in their contract of employment..

so i will disagree ..

 

[Blackcatgas]

Ive got this awful feeling that Iam going to get invited to a pool party at Micheal Barrymores courtesy of bg.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

well if you want to defend bg so much,why did you leave?what did they do to upset you?

 

[heating-eng]

well if you want to defend bg so much,why did you leave?what did they do to upset you?

i dont need to slag them off there are lots of people doing that already ..
Mainly with facts that are not ture..
i am not here to back bg up but if i see a post where people are saying things that i donot think is ture then i will stand up for what i think is the truth

well if you want to defend bg so much,why did you leave?what did they do to upset you?

i left bg because i had to look after my daughter who was dieing and that came first before work.

 

[helpsy]

My old man has cover with BG(Homeplan 400 I think its called)(I live at his place as he only comes home about 2 weeks a year). We had a leak on 10mm microbore-15mm rad valve solder ring fitting, they came out put new valve on, cut pipe and put 10mm compression straight coupler inline. When I got home had a look and the microbore looked like a helter skelter, where they had twisted the pipe. The room stat didnt work, the hot water ran hot/cold/hot(valliant turbomax) they replaced the diverter valve.
I spoke to them after finding out his cover included plumbing, heating, wiring and drains.
They've since come back and replaced room stat(after not bothering until I told them that it must be covered), DHW heat exchanger(they said it wasn't covered). I said to them what is he paying for with a combi as per access to pipes, sludge, and scale exemption!
They didn't want to repair the twisted pipe as they said we'd have to break out wall/floor(concrete) and the rad was heating up ok.They're now coming back to fix but we have to make good (I said it was their cock up).

You may ask why haven't I repaired this(well its been covered for years before I got into plumbing, but when it's fixed my old mans cancelling the policy!!!)
By the way they quoted £255 to fit a Magnaclean(I bought one from city plumbing £80.

 

[migoplumber]

hows your daughter now ?

 

[Blackcatgas]

i dont need to slag them off there are lots of people doing that already ..
Mainly with facts that are not ture..
i am not here to back bg up but if i see a post where people are saying things that i donot think is ture then i will stand up for what i think is the truth
Fair play to you!


i left bg because i had to look after my daughter who was dieing and that came first before work.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[heating-eng]

My old man has cover with BG(Homeplan 400 I think its called)(I live at his place as he only comes home about 2 weeks a year). We had a leak on 10mm microbore-15mm rad valve solder ring fitting, they came out put new valve on, cut pipe and put 10mm compression straight coupler inline. When I got home had a look and the microbore looked like a helter skelter, where they had twisted the pipe. The room stat didnt work, the hot water ran hot/cold/hot(valliant turbomax) they replaced the diverter valve.
I spoke to them after finding out his cover included plumbing, heating, wiring and drains.
They've since come back and replaced room stat(after not bothering until I told them that it must be covered), DHW heat exchanger(they said it wasn't covered). I said to them what is he paying for with a combi as per access to pipes, sludge, and scale exemption!
They didn't want to repair the twisted pipe as they said we'd have to break out wall/floor(concrete) and the rad was heating up ok.They're now coming back to fix but we have to make good (I said it was their cock up).

You may ask why haven't I repaired this(well its been covered for years before I got into plumbing, but when it's fixed my old mans cancelling the policy!!!)
By the way they quoted £255 to fit a Magnaclean(I bought one from city plumbing £80.

£80 but thats not fitted and i used to use 2 tubs of x100 when fitting a magnaclean so thats another £30 .. £145 labour for bg to fit it and then cover it and clean it every year .. a bargin i would say

 

[Puddle]

upgrade engineers as they are called are normally the lowest preformers when it comes to selling and would not try and sell something while doing a powerflush from my experance..
i would love to look at all your perfect jobs as most plumbers and heating engineers are perfect i think not

I or no one on this site are saying plumbers ect a perfect,far from it,and the things Bg do are done by others,that is not the argument
The point is BG should be above this and should be an industry standard and they are far from it
Some things I have seen BG do , as regards selling unneeded works would make the worst gasp

I know you may feel attack is the bast form of defence however do not forget you are trying to argue your case against other engineers, not customers,we have seen BG in action,we have repaired their work correctly when they have power flushed and same fault remains,when they have long gone with their get out clause that they use saying 'you have to pay' but may not work

 

[heating-eng]

hows your daughter now ?

like i say my daughter was dieing ..

BG are not perfect and they do make mistakes but as a % i would say there better than most .. this is just my opinion after spending many years picking up the pieces after plumbers

 

[Puddle]

like i say my daughter was dieing ..

Well that put things into perspective
God Bless

 

[heating-eng]

I or no one on this site are saying plumbers ect a perfect,far from it,and the things Bg do are done by others,that is not the argument
The point is BG should be above this and should be an industry standard and they are far from it
Some things I have seen BG do , as regards selling unneeded works would make the worst gasp

I know you may feel attack is the bast form of defence however do not forget you are trying to argue your case against other engineers, not customers,we have seen BG in action,we have repaired their work correctly when they have power flushed and same fault remains,when they have long gone with their get out clause that they use saying 'you have to pay' but may not work

i worked for BG for 20 years and i can honestly say that i have never tried to con anybody and i dont know of any engineer that goes out to con people ..if this was as common as people say then i would have seen it.. people make mistakes and i have advised a powerflush once for somebody thinking it was correct ,,not knowing that they had a non return valve under the floor that had just clogged up...we all make mistakes

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

hows your daughter now ?

sorry to hear that mate,cant even begin to understand how difficult that was for you to deal with ,sorry i asked

 

[heating-eng]

sorry to hear that mate,cant even begin to understand how difficult that was for you to deal with ,sorry i asked

wish i hadnt said anything now ..

 

[migoplumber]

think we can all agree to disagree on this one.
closing thread.