Replacement boiler advice, BG or not BG?

[namsag]

Or why not ask the guy who has quoted for the gloworm to quote it as a vaillant.
Some people are happy making 500 a day others are not and to justify it more often than not say it can`t be getting done right for cheaper price.

A magna clean costs 80 quid and costs nothin extra to fit so if you feel the need for one ask the guy to add to price.

It does make me laugh when people come on here and say BG are TOO dear and they can do job better and cheaper but anyone who does job cheaper than them must be a cowboy and cutting corners. WHY.

The best way to chose who to install your boiler is on recommendation with a consideration to price

 

[simond]

There is no justification for talking up prices on this forum, I doubt any of my customers have ever seen it, so what would be my motivation?

Many of us here install boilers day in, day out, and therefore have a pretty good idea how long a job will take on average.

If someone is quoting £1200 they are either altruistic (ie: work for nothing) or, rather more likely, are going to do a 'slash and burn' job.

There is a place in the market for everyone

I was talking to a teacher the other day. We were discussing how a bad teacher can waste the pupils time and achieve nothing, while a good teacher will inspire and motivate. They both get paid the same, and have similar qulifications.

In the boiler installation business, we can all have a Gas Safe card but that really doesn't mean very much. It is a very low level of competence and there are Gas Safe card holders out there who wouldn't feel comfortable fitting a radiator. This would surprise the general public but it is true - some qualified gas installers lack even the most basic DIY skills. Just like some teachers can't teach.

 

[namsag]

Yeah i fit boilers every week and know exactly what they cost and how long it takes .Stuff for this job is around 700 quid
Why would someone not be installing it right at this price. ?????
They are making the average weekly wage in a day.
He does 2 a week its a grand he is happy his customers are really happy . But people who want to justify there prices say he must be a cowboy.
I am not cheap but i never slag anyone purely on price , said it before some people MAY have to price in a competitve market and 500 quid in there pocket is far better than not having 1000 quid

 

[gas4you]

Decent boiler/flue/timer/trv's and materials etc is going to cost at least £1100 plus VAT on their own without any labour involved.

But then at these prices this cowboy won't be fitting a decent boiler, probably a £399 B & Q special, no proper controls and no proper flush.

He certainly won't have any allowance for business profit or a proper guarantee for the customer.

I can't see anyway that a basic boiler change done properly with an honourable warranty can be done for less than £1600 + VAT and that is fitting a decent budget boiler.

 

[simond]

Inhibitor
Sludge remover
New TRVs
Pipework
Condensate drain connection
Gas Work Notification
Time spent Powerflushing
Possible new electric controls
Part P testing (and Building Control notification if in a kitchen/bathroom)
New flue hole?
Bricking up

No one is going to make £500 out of this job. Get down to Specsavers.

 

[glasgowgas]

Inhibitor
Sludge remover =
New TRVs
Pipework
Condensate drain connection
Gas Work Notification
Time spent Powerflushing
Possible new electric controls
Part P testing (and Building Control notification if in a kitchen/bathroom)
New flue hole?
Bricking up

No one is going to make £500 out of this job. Get down to Specsavers.

can pick up the lot from ultimate for £875
does not leave a lot from £1200

 

[namsag]

OK £500 is optomistic
Gloworm 30cx boiler flue and clock can be got for £650 from plumbcentre cheaper from pts so say £747 inc
Inhibitor and cleanser £21 inc
New trvs why have you seen the job ???
Condensate drain £20 ish usually

Gas notification less than £2.50 but lets pretend its a really expensive part off the job.

Powerflush WHY have you done a water test the system is already pressurised and should not have a sludge problem . But it sounds good and gives people the opportunity to make another 500 quid out of a job cleaning an already clean system.
New electrical controls WHY??? Existing fused spur /clock and roomstat maybe perfectly ok
pART P possible
New flue hole and brick up probably not as boiler going in same position and will only need an extra inch if anything out the top of it.
Couple of metres of pipe and half dozen fittings so say £20
So we have around £800 for mats so the guy is happy to make £400 for the day WHY is that WRONG



Why do people not class themselves as cowboys when they are quite happy charging say between £250 and £400 a day doing shall we say normal day work but minute a boiler or heating is involved this can quite easily rise to over a £1000 and anything less is shoddy and cowboy the work is not any harder .

 

[gas4you]

Yes but you got to add the VAT to all those costs. Even a cowboy has to pay VAT on materials, unless he has nicked them.

The only bit that is VAT free from a cowboy is his labour.

At best I would estimate he is making £75-£100 a day. No room for business profit, or warranty call backs.

No one in their right mind is going to sell on the materials at the price they bought them for anyway

 

[namsag]

What you on about dave those materials prices include vat.
Simple if the Guy is happy with 400 quid for a day who is anybody to slag him or call him a cowboy without seeing his work.
Does charging a grand a day g`tee an excellent job then. That would mean BG who can charge 3000 for a day must be the best out there.

There has been a few guys on here recently saying they have no work at all for weeks i bet they would jump at 400 quid are they cowboys or just someone who is making sure they get some money in to pay there bills.

 

[doitall]

Has anyone said anythink nice about BG yet, or do I have to read through all the posts.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

Has anyone said anythink nice about BG yet, or do I have to read through all the posts.

whats nice to say? Certainly not the price nor the quality of workmanship!

 

[doitall]

Shark fin soup is very nice, albeit a tad salty.

 

[dirkgently]

Well I know it'll probably wind up at least one poster on this thread, but have decided to swap the old Alpha out for a new Vaillant 837.

Couldn't find anyone willing/able/affordable to fix the Alpha, and have lost confidence in it with faults cropping up.

Waiting for call back from engineer to arrange date for installation (about £2200 all in) and will let you know how we get on (if anyone is interested).

Thanks for your input, have bookmarked this site as I think I will be visiting again

 

[doitall]

That sounds in the right price bracket dirkgently

 

[dirkgently]

Well, it's in!

Proud (I guess) owner of a brand new Vaillant ecotec plus 837.

Installed over two days with little fuss, just a large, unforeseen extra expenditure on tea bags, milk & sugar.

Water comes on sooner, runs faster, keeps running instead of petering out and I'm pretty sure it's quieter than outgoing unit.

Overall I think we're happy so far, but only been in half a day. Oh, and we haven't paid yet, so still very happy

In hindsight, should have asked for the pump off the old Alpha, as it was brand new about six weeks ago, must have been worth a couple of quid on ebay.