British Gas

[SimonG]

Well there's been a lot of threads slagging off BG, with a few defending. I've had no reason to comment until today, they are muppets.

Been working in a kitchen, being extended, radiators added and moved, kitchen sink moved, washing machine moved, dishwasher moved etc etc. Anyway I'd noticed the worcester combi was sat on about 0.1 bar pressure, but customer didn't have filling key. So I did my bits on the heating system and repressurised the system and made sure everything was ok (even the two rads that wouldn't work before, were now working). In a crack the pressure was over two bar and water's pouring out from underneath the boiler, looks like the joint on the expansion vessel. Tells customer who has BG cover and out they come today, I'm not there but the builder phones me.
'BG are here and there's nowt wrong with the boiler, I'll put the engineer on'
'Nowt wrong with the boiler, I've charged it to 1 bar and ran it for two minutes, it's all fine'
'No it's not the vessel is knackered'
'Vessel is fine, can't see why we were called out'
'Please yourself pal, but you'll be coming back out when the water's pouring out of it again. Run it for longer and see what happens'
Builder phones back half an hour later to tell me that the BG engineer reckons the expansion vessel has gone and will order the part and come back Tuesday.

I'll send the a bill for the diagnosis

 

[Barry98]

Hate to say we said so but ......

 

[SimonG]

...........well and truly told

 

[Koogatubac]

Lol theres soooo many out there who care about customers and then theres so many who's done micky mouse courses and somehow got into the dreaded BG

I thought i heard BG was changing staff who dont have a clue? C'mon what it sounded was to just trace the leak.

Hes basically thought "i cba!" And tryed to blag it! Like who stays there for 2mins and says its fine?! Fool...

 

[Resolute]

I dont usually comment on the pro/anti BG threads as i can see both sides. But, please don't tar us all with the same brush!

 

[stevetheplumber]

what, his going to do it without a powerflush?

 

[AWheating]

what, his going to do it without a powerflush?

that quote is in the post LOL

 

[cdodds2004]

i have had 3 powerflushes booked in this week thanks to bg. probaly none actually required!

 

[Doodlebug]

Well there's been a lot of threads slagging off BG, with a few defending. I've had no reason to comment until today, they are muppets.

Been working in a kitchen, being extended, radiators added and moved, kitchen sink moved, washing machine moved, dishwasher moved etc etc. Anyway I'd noticed the worcester combi was sat on about 0.1 bar pressure, but customer didn't have filling key. So I did my bits on the heating system and repressurised the system and made sure everything was ok (even the two rads that wouldn't work before, were now working). In a crack the pressure was over two bar and water's pouring out from underneath the boiler, looks like the joint on the expansion vessel. Tells customer who has BG cover and out they come today, I'm not there but the builder phones me.
'BG are here and there's nowt wrong with the boiler, I'll put the engineer on'
'Nowt wrong with the boiler, I've charged it to 1 bar and ran it for two minutes, it's all fine'
'No it's not the vessel is knackered'
'Vessel is fine, can't see why we were called out'
'Please yourself pal, but you'll be coming back out when the water's pouring out of it again. Run it for longer and see what happens'
Builder phones back half an hour later to tell me that the BG engineer reckons the expansion vessel has gone and will order the part and come back Tuesday.

I'll send the a bill for the diagnosis

Simon, what exactly has this engineer done wrong, he stood in front of a boiler that appeared to be working, he then took your advise and ran it a bit longer so the fault showed itself. You were right in saying he would be called back if he left it, at the end of the day, we are all human and this engineer you are calling a muppet may not be as experienced as you obviously are. We currently have a lot of apprentices who are out there on the tools learning there trade, they aren't going to know everything, a classroom can't teach you everything.

 

[SimonG]

Simon, what exactly has this engineer done wrong, he stood in front of a boiler that appeared to be working, he then took your advise and ran it a bit longer so the fault showed itself. You were right in saying he would be called back if he left it, at the end of the day, we are all human and this engineer you are calling a muppet may not be as experienced as you obviously are. We currently have a lot of apprentices who are out there on the tools learning there trade, they aren't going to know everything, a classroom can't teach you everything.

Wondered how long it would take Mr British Gas to jump to the muppets defence. If he's just learning, where was his instructor, or is it alright to heap numpties onto the great british public and hope they 'eventually' fix this. It was pure incompetence and an attitude of not giving a toss. He didn't want to run the boiler for longer than 2 minutes. Ah what the hell, it's my opinion and it aint gonna change on this matter. Defend away.

 

[Doodlebug]

As I said, you can't be taught everything in a training centre, at some point you have to be let loose on the job. We're you born with the knowledge? You have made your own assumptions on very limited info. The lad is going back with an expansion vessel so job done, everyone's happy.
In my experience, if an expansion vessel is shot, you will notice very quickly after putting the heating on.

 

[Doodlebug]

Can I just add Simon, it's not nice to be coming on here slagging someone off and calling them a muppet when they aren't here to defend themselves, why not instead speak with the engineer concerned and ask him why he hasn't left it running longer and if need be, call him a muppet to he's face.

 

[SimonG]

I think we should rename this forum to the 'BG Appreciation Forum'.

Like I said this was 'my' experience that I shared with the masses because I couldn't believe how crap your engineer was.

Anyway, no I wasn't born with the knowledge, but when the customer has phoned BG and told them that they think the expansion vessel has gone because of x, y and z then I expect a competent, flying by himself engineer to check it thoroughly. Rather than adapting the 'I'm the BG engineer, your'e just a plumber, what do you know' attitude. Obviously more than he did.

Please expand on the 'assumptions' I have made based on your knowledge of the situation.

Glad to hear that at least one BG engineer can spot a dodgy expansion vessel.

Also did I come on here and say Mr M Uppet from BG was a muppet, no, just that the engineer that came out was. My opinion and if you don't like it then that's yours. I called him and incompetent whatever wit.

Also explain how it takes a national company 5 days to get hold of a new expansion vessel and why he left the customer with no heating or hot water?

All I'm saying is that if you are proclaiming the greatness of BG then be prepared to hear about the cockups when they happen. At least the customer won't be in that position again as she now has the name and number of an excellent local engineer.

 

[Doodlebug]

Might start my own thread "fed up with the Joe Blogs plumbers from yellow pages" I go to loads of jobs where customers have had their own people in and cocked it up. I will start to list them on here. Had one today actually, customer had Joe Blogs in to flush system and now it's worse than it was but she don't want him back because he was rude to her, get similar stories to his on a regular basis but I know here is a lot of very good engineers out their working for themselves doing a very good job.

 

[diamondgas]

Might start my own thread "fed up with the Joe Blogs plumbers from yellow pages" I go to loads of jobs where customers have had their own people in and cocked it up. I will start to list them on here. Had one today actually, customer had Joe Blogs in to flush system and now it's worse than it was but she don't want him back because he was rude to her, get similar stories to his on a regular basis but I know here is a lot of very good engineers out their working for themselves doing a very good job.

Hey Doodlebug

I spent 25yrs with BG and the past 8/9 beyond! I've had my share of cockups, still do. I've followed many a colleague at BG and couldn't believe what they'd done, I've also seen a great deal of private engineer/plumber who had charged the earth and left the boiler none the better! At least, in general, with the likes of BG cover the custard doesn't have to foot the bill for an incompetent engineer, just the inconvenience..

My observation over the years regards repairing appliances and systems; there are plenty parts fitters generated within this industry but few engineers who can wear that badge with pride!

I'd say to anyone who considers themselves professional; it's you, not the company you work for that's got you where you are!

 

[Doodlebug]

I totally agree with every word you just said Diamondgas. Very wise words, its the engineer that's the professional/expert not the company and its the engineer who is accountable. Just fed up with reading "British Gas did this, British Gas did that" so what, everyone makes mistakes, not just British Gas. I'm proud to work for British Gas and I know they aren't perfect but from what I can see, British Gas are doing a mighty fine job on the whole and customer satisfaction figures speak volumes.


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[diamondgas]

I totally agree with every word you just said Diamondgas. Very wise words, its the engineer that's the professional/expert not the company and its the engineer who is accountable. Just fed up with reading "British Gas did this, British Gas did that" so what, everyone makes mistakes, not just British Gas. I'm proud to work for British Gas and I know they aren't perfect but from what I can see, British Gas are doing a mighty fine job on the whole and customer satisfaction figures speak volumes.


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water off a ducks back comes to mind Doodlebug I left BG when being an 'expert' wasn't enough and figure's seemed more important! Ho hum!!! I still point folk in their direction for the experience it affords

 

[Koogatubac]

Lol conflict all over this forum

 

[villa_tom]

This subject will just continue to go round in circles, people who like them always will and those who don't, don't.

What I find unfair about the whole lets hate on BG thing is that it's just isolated incidents. And people jump all over them slagging them off, so BG cock up and people thing the whole company is rubbish.

Going by that method, when a sole trader is on watchdog etc you should all be on here saying all sole traders are con men and cowboys. But we don't, we continually say its unfair to keep the spotlight on our trade win regards to these programmes.

the way I see it, and I do everything in my life this way, is that I take everything on its merits. And from what I have seen from working at BG, they are a great place to work. I'm ten times the engineer I am than when I first started and I'm happy in my work.

They look after customers brilliantly. I've never worked anywhere where I could ID a boiler in the morning and have it up and running in the afternoon. And that's all a customer wants really, good service, and BG offer that to the full.

Obviously sometimes and engineer cocks up, I have, I ordered the wrong part for a boiler the other day by mistake. Turned up and the customers house and felt a right idiot explaining to the customer that I put a part code in wrong. Does thy make me incompetent, last BG engineer? No, it makes me human. I made a mistake and it wasn't my first and it wot be my last. Luckily the customer saw the funny side. Now imagine if she never, then cancelled the contract and got one of you boys in. She wouldn't say a nice word about me, then it would all be BG are **** all over again. When infant it was just an honest mistake, by putting a wrong code on a computer.

 

[hammers4spanner]

Whatever peoples opinions of british gas are there is one company i worked for that were utter pants named eaga heat ,now they were crap!!

 

[Koogatubac]

Eaga heat!!! Haha!!

I remember a story about them when i was a apprentice, long story short. Their engineer drew the customer a diagram showing how her heating was inefficient and her rads on the longer line werent getting warm.

He failed to notice a bypass underneath the cylinder, i was a apprentice, set the bypass and all the rads were getting hot.
Fool said the system was inefficient and rubbish how it was piped

I just loved how a apprentice sorted it than 1 of them

 

[CES]

Whatever peoples opinions of british gas are there is one company i worked for that were utter pants named eaga heat ,now they were crap!!

and Im getting all their bloody phone calls as my name just happens to be what their direct debit references show in the customer bank statements! (CES - Carillion Energy Services)

 

[zeebeedee]

People will always slag off industry leaders regardless of the industry.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

right getting tedious now lads as said if you like BG then good if not also good if your impartial then what do i know,just a gas man thread closed and so will the next one probably