by jove---what a rip off..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[namsag]

soggy .. So what was wrong with my post it was YOU who said BG engineers where un educated and had no common sense then said your dad had recently left BG .... My reply was i bet your dad would not like you calling him that,,,, All your words not mine and as this post had been on for several days you must have alerted the mods,,,,, So why has your initial generalized comment not been removed ..... If you are going to argue with the big boys grow up and take it.

And there is nothing abusive about asking the guy why he is LYING about paying 350 quid when this is not the case and if you notice he then chose to stop the discussion hinting at a total windup to start with

Where did i slag any engineers in this topic so shall ask you what you get out of slagging the majority of decent BG engineers out there by your uneducated and no common sense comments about them

 

[Softus]

Gentlemen--with all due respect to any of you who are with BG, please do not take offence at my rant.

You're being incredibly naive.

When you aim criticism at some members of the trade, and demonstrate a complete absence of understanding of (and a complete absence of interest in trying to understand) how a plumbing/heating business works, and what cost and overheads are involved, then that criticism cannot be limited to just British Gas.

Ok, fine, I am not an expert, neither have I any experience of heating systems, but I am not TOTALLY thick and by that I mean as an ex-electronics engineer with 25 years in my particular trade, I DO have SOME knack of being able to understand , as it were, the mechanics of any system that is put before me.

Well then, understand this...

Replacing a boiler requires more than sticking it the back of your car and taking it back home from B&Q. Please apply your ex-electronics engineering intelligence to the following examples, just off the top of my head:

. Safe removal of old boiler.
. Selection of correct output rating for your needs.
. Confirmation of correctly sized gas supply.
. Flue installation.
. Condensate trap installation.
. Changes to pipework.
. Flushing of system prior to boiler installation.
. Registration of installation with the relevant authorities.
. Certification.
. Transport costs.
. Training costs.
. Tooling.
. Insurance.
. Warranty.
. Legal and responsible disposal of scrap.

All along, the BG guy was on the hard sell, whereas I had the system checked out by an independent Corgi gas fitter, who pronounced it perfect, if a bit old.

Again, this is you being naive, not BG being unscrupulous. If you're at least 40 years old, which you must be, then how do you not know that BG is a huge conglomerate with higher overheads than most other companies?

And look at the preposterous costing he came up with!
.
.
.
BG was going to charge me £3500 minus £800=£2700 for replacing the boiler ?????? Now that is verging on the ridiculous!

No - you are verging on the ridiculous.

Could you do and provide all of the above (see list) for £2700?

This what I do not like--being taken for a ride by the people whom you ahve paid around £350 a year for several years to take care of your system.

So, if you can come on here and rant about what you don't like, perhaps you'll understand if I do the same:

I don't like people coming on here and ranting about what they don't like.

There - is that clear? I mean, it's OK for me to do it if it's OK for you to do it, isn't it?

...for the benefit of BG.

BG is a business, not a charity. If you pay them money, of course it's for the benefit of BG.

Now kindly s*d off.

 

[tonybhoy]

I am wondering if you are that clever why you have wasted 350 quid a year for someone else to look after your system.....

OH and by the way where do you get the figure of 350 try around 220 for 3 star and plumbin and drains.

Quite abusive again namsag, but at least it was constructive.

I see your other 'damning' post towards me has been removed and not before time.

Just wondering... what do you get out of slagging other decent engineers out there, who are apalled by the actions of BG?

David

Don't dare criticise BG here mate or the People's Judean Popular Front for the liberation of the Gas board will be after you or even worse the Gas Board Judean People's Popular Liberation Front might savage you with their incisive wit and retorts.

A big boy did it mister,honest!

 

[tonybhoy]

Gentlemen--with all due respect to any of you who are with BG, please do not take offence at my rant.

You're being incredibly naive.

When you aim criticism at some members of the trade, and demonstrate a complete absence of understanding of (and a complete absence of interest in trying to understand) how a plumbing/heating business works, and what cost and overheads are involved, then that criticism cannot be limited to just British Gas.

Ok, fine, I am not an expert, neither have I any experience of heating systems, but I am not TOTALLY thick and by that I mean as an ex-electronics engineer with 25 years in my particular trade, I DO have SOME knack of being able to understand , as it were, the mechanics of any system that is put before me.

Well then, understand this...

Replacing a boiler requires more than sticking it the back of your car and taking it back home from B&Q. Please apply your ex-electronics engineering intelligence to the following examples, just off the top of my head:

. Safe removal of old boiler.
. Selection of correct output rating for your needs.
. Confirmation of correctly sized gas supply.
. Flue installation.
. Condensate trap installation.
. Changes to pipework.
. Flushing of system prior to boiler installation.
. Registration of installation with the relevant authorities.
. Certification.
. Transport costs.
. Training costs.
. Tooling.
. Insurance.
. Warranty.
. Legal and responsible disposal of scrap.

All along, the BG guy was on the hard sell, whereas I had the system checked out by an independent Corgi gas fitter, who pronounced it perfect, if a bit old.

Again, this is you being naive, not BG being unscrupulous. If you're at least 40 years old, which you must be, then how do you not know that BG is a huge conglomerate with higher overheads than most other companies?

And look at the preposterous costing he came up with!
.
.
.
BG was going to charge me £3500 minus £800=£2700 for replacing the boiler ?????? Now that is verging on the ridiculous!

No - you are verging on the ridiculous.

Could you do and provide all of the above (see list) for £2700?

This what I do not like--being taken for a ride by the people whom you ahve paid around £350 a year for several years to take care of your system.

So, if you can come on here and rant about what you don't like, perhaps you'll understand if I do the same:

I don't like people coming on here and ranting about what they don't like.

There - is that clear? I mean, it's OK for me to do it if it's OK for you to do it, isn't it?

...for the benefit of BG.

BG is a business, not a charity. If you pay them money, of course it's for the benefit of BG.

Now kindly s*d off.

Dear God,the world's gone mad!

You are off your head mate,quite mad in fact as mad as a bag of frogs.

Night night

 

[Softus]

my entire post

Yes. I did.

Dear God,the world's gone mad!

I hadn't realised that I was a barometer of the world's sanity.

You are off your head mate,quite mad in fact as mad as a bag of frogs.

Carrier, or paper?

 

[tonybhoy]

my entire post

Yes. I did.

Dear God,the world's gone mad!

I hadn't realised that I was a barometer of the world's sanity.

You are off your head mate,quite mad in fact as mad as a bag of frogs.

Carrier, or paper?

Has to be paper,sadly

 

[Softus]

You've certainly got the hang of that quoting thang.

 

[oilman]

Or even "thing".

 

[Softus]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=thang

 

[Agile]

how can ya say bg were in the wrong without seein the job, especially wen ya only goin on the word of someone who says he can hav a new boiler fitted for £200!

I don't think that it adds to the professionalism of this site to see so many spelling/grammar errors.

There is a spell checker to help you!

 

[simond]

I do tend to notice that people using the words 'rip off' seem to have an entirely warped idea of how a business can be run.

Softus' reply whilst somewhat acerbic hits the nail on the head. If it is being fitted for £200 it is not being done to the minimum standard required by HM Government.

Therefore the term rip off is probably more accurately applied to Gungadin's plumber.

I strenuously defend the right of any business to make a profit. People want to deal with strong companies with good after sales but seem reluctant to pay the price that gives them that support and continuity.

 

[ChrisR]

I don't think that it adds to the professionalism of this site to see so many spelling/grammar errors.

Bout time you is learn spell
"warranty"
den, innit?

 

[Soggy_weetabix]

If you have steel pipes, you're very lucky indeed not to have caused a flood. Many heating guys won't touch them.
You don't (even) say what your boiler is, but £3500 is not unusual for a BG quote. You also haven't given any indication of whether the boiler needs replacing...?

Namsag, my father left bg in '95'. I hardly call that a recent depart. You just assumed he had left recently. Up until 93, BG were reputable but their practice from then on has steadidly gone down hill.

My father left for the reasons I explained before.

I have... to date... 179 customers who are apalled at BG's approach to and enlisted me as their boiler engineer.

I understand BG has honest engineers...... my dad was one of them, and I apologise for putting all BG engineers into the same box when clearly there are are one of two of them out there who are honest engineers.

David

 

[orfc]

"BG is a huge conglomerate with higher overheads than most other companies? "

I'm right naive me, but that's what i don't get, a huge conglomerate should surely have lower costs due to bulk buying power, economies of scale etc the same way tesco is cheaper than a corner shop?

anyways, had an independent blokey round for my replacement boiler (£4,000 scottish gas quote). I'll see what he says and post it in my thread, but if as expected it's cheaper how do british/scottish gas ever get any customers???

 

[namsag]

Soggy what a stupid statement saying only one or two BG engineers are honest. How many do you actually know personally very few i would imagine . I on the other hand know well over a hundred prob around two hundred past and present and you are talking absolute nonsense.

When your father left in 95 there was absolutely no pressure at all to sell and as this was in a transition period with the demerger with transco most engineers where only getting about 5 jobs a day so there was no pressure of work either and things definetly did not change back in 93.

Iwould imagine the reason your father left in 95 at the age of approx 50 is the same why a lot of my mates did at same time 60k lump sum and a grand a month pension.

I will slag BG as and when is justified but to make such a generalised comment is complete nonsense