British Gas - The fastest service engineers in the world?

[Fallon1982]

Seeing as I am not Gas Safe I just had British Gas come and service my boiler/central heating system. 10-15 minutes later he has signed the paperwork and is flying down the road?
Correct me if I'm wrong but surely it should take a lot longer than that?

 

[oz-plumber]

What was the service meant to include?

Bar taking the front cover off the boiler and having a look.

 

[Fallon1982]

What was the service meant to include?

Bar taking the front cover off the boiler and having a look.

I don't know I'm not a gas engineer!! Thats why I asked on here...

 

[rpm]

I would give BG a call, start by asking how long to service a xyz boiler then take that answer to the customer service /complaints dept. Not gs either but does seems super fast.

 

[Fallon1982]

I would give BG a call, start by asking how long to service a xyz boiler then take that answer to the customer service /complaints dept. Not gs either but does seems super fast.

My thoughts exactly mate. The firm I used to work for had gas engineers and they spent 90 mins carrying out a service. But I know that was an in depth service as we worked for a housing association.

 

[rpm]

My thoughts exactly mate. The firm I used to work for had gas engineers and they spent 90 mins carrying out a service. But I know that was an in depth service as we worked for a housing association.

I once turned up to service a Saniflo and the BG guy was there to service the boiler, I could see him through the open door and I swear all he did was pull different scewdrivers out of his bag make like he was doing something put that screwdriver back and pull out another one. This went on for 30minutes then at end he pulled out a notebook and seemed to copy stuff from the notebook to the worksheet, as he left I heard say to the customers "All done mate". At no point was any part removed.

 

[Fallon1982]

I once turned up to service a Saniflo and the BG guy was there to service the boiler, I could see him through the open door and I swear all he did was pull different scewdrivers out of his bag make like he was doing something put that screwdriver back and pull out another one. This went on for 30minutes then at end he pulled out a notebook and seemed to copy stuff from the notebook to the worksheet, as he left I heard say to the customers "All done mate". At no point was any part removed.

And they get away with it again and again...

 

[rpm]

Make the how long would it take phone call mate.

 

[Rckape]

Did you stay with the engineer while he was working?

If so what did you see him do?

10-15 mins is good going even on a brand new boiler with nothing to adjust. I take 45+ mins for a wall hung boiler in an easy position personally but I do like to be thorough and it's not unheard of to be 90 mins or more.

 

[Rckape]

But I'd do what's been mentioned a couple of times and give them a call. Once you've heard it from the horses mouth they really can't not come back and sort it out for you. Properly this time.

How come you're having bg service your boiler? Surely you know a local gsr who can help you out or maybe even someone from here?

I know bg have some good engineers, but I do hear about and sometimes put right horrors caused by bg.

 

[Fallon1982]

But I'd do what's been mentioned a couple of times and give them a call. Once you've heard it from the horses mouth they really can't not come back and sort it out for you. Properly this time.

How come you're having bg service your boiler? Surely you know a local gsr who can help you out or maybe even someone from here?

I know bg have some good engineers, but I do hear about and sometimes put right horrors caused by bg.

I wasn't around the house pal. I had popped out so don't know what he did.

It's my missus house and she has BG policy to cover her for boiler breakdowns and annual service. She is going to cancel it soon anyway but because we are selling this house and moving need get boiler serviced before moving.

I used to work for Dyno Plumbing so I worked on BG jobs all the time and know they do have some good engineers... I also know they have a lot of chancers! (which is what we've had today!)

 

[gassafe]

What boiler is it?

British gas don't service boilers, you are in fact getting a safety check, he probs just stuck the analyser in, the boiler was reading within tolerance & off he went... Welcome to British gas half arsed service

 

[gassafe]

Wasn't there a lady who had British gas drain her heating system on here a while ago & they no longer refill with central heating inhibitor... She had to go buy some herself!

 

[samwilko]

They won't call it a service mate, you think it is, but to them it's a safety check.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

There's no point stirring the crap, we all know it's more a check than any sort of service. something that we as small companies can match or fight against.

 

[Stanios]

No wonder, this is what their website states the scope of a service is:

We check your gas pressure to make sure it’s right.
We test your flue to make sure your appliance isn’t leaking carbon monoxide.
We inspect your appliance and its controls to make sure they’re safe.
We take a look at your appliance to check for any wear or leaks.
We give you a checklist so you can find out more about your appliance’s safety.

So 10 min sounds about right, only a complete waste of time since all they do is check your boiler rather than service it.

 

[plumben]

Correct me if I'm wrong but surely even on a new Combi boiler it should take min 30mins
To inspect, FGA, check system and add Inhibitor.

 

[REDSAW]

No wonder, this is what their website states the scope of a service is:

We check your gas pressure to make sure it’s right.
We test your flue to make sure your appliance isn’t leaking carbon monoxide.
We inspect your appliance and its controls to make sure they’re safe.
We take a look at your appliance to check for any wear or leaks.
We give you a checklist so you can find out more about your appliance’s safety.

So 10 min sounds about right, only a complete waste of time since all they do is check your boiler rather than service it.

cover off, analser in. job done is what that says as it checks them all.lol

 

[AWheating]

they have to do electrical checks first, so theres 1-2 mins of the 15 accounted, drinking the cupa is 4-5 mins, getting the steps out to check the flue outside is 1 min, paperwork is 1-2 mins, selling your a powerflush ...............??

what boiler was it out of interest?

 

[firemant]

BG procedures call the annual service a "generic service". FGA, case off, visual inspection, gas rate OR burner pressure. It takes as long to complete laptop forms as it does to "service" the boiler.
The "BG" guy was very possibly a contractor. They wear the same uniform, have the same toolbox and, if they agree to take deduction from their job rate, the same van.

The punter pays upwards from about £14 per month, the cheaper plans carrying a £49/£99 excess. (Why would you pay a few hundred every year to have access to a NG guy then pay £99?!!).
The contractor (certainly last year) gets paid the HUGE rate of £20.02. This includes travel time, diesel van expenses, insurance, down time, time waiting for the laptop to receive the jobs and all the other business costs. He is not going to spend any more time than he has to.