Am I about to be ripped off? Ravenheat parts price query

[Col_Buendia]

Hi - I found your boards after being quoted a scary price for repair of my boiler, so I wondered if someone could answer a quick query.

I have a Ravensheat 820/20 T boiler, and I see that they have already been the subject of some debate here. I inherited it with the house, and am quite happy to accept that it is probably a cheap & cheerful boiler that has a limited lifespan - that fits with the shoddy state of the DIY jobs in the rest of the house

Problem is this - when I run the bath, the hot water seems to travel through the central heating before arriving lukewarm in the bath. And since yesterday the pilot light is out and won't restart.

The CORGI gas man came round this morning and told me that I need a new "diverter valve" for the water flow problem, and a new thermocouple to get the pilot light on permanently (he already repaired the pilot light problem last year, and I was expecting it to recur).

Now he told me the parts would cost about £400, but I've just googled "ravenheat diverter valve" and I get more than one website offering this part for about £40. Dunno about the thermocouple part, but I called Ravenheat as soon as he left, and they told me Travis Perkins stock their parts, so I am waiting on a call back from TP to find out what these items should cost.

In the meantime, anyone think I am in the process of being ripped off?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Bahco]

A brand new Ravenheat boiler will cost you approx £400.

Get other quotes before committing yourself.

 

[chrishutt]

You are being ripped off. The parts can be obtained for around £50 total. Try BES for diverter valve at £25. Also Parts Centre, plus many others to be found on the internet.

 

[ChrisR]

Ravenheat do not make diverter valves. Some engineers will only fit the ones with their name on the box. They are entitled to do that if they want to, surely. But it may only need a diaphragm, under a fiver if you know where to go.
Thermocouple ditto.
A bit of wire for a posh car may cost £20 from a main dealer. Bloke round the corner might not bother charging for it....

 

[Col_Buendia]

Thanks all for your help! These are for you...

I'm just off the phone from the technician, and he spluttered with amazement (hmpf!) when I told him that I had turned up several websites offering the valve for under £50. He tried to argue that it was the retail price he was quoting me, and that it was down to where he gets his parts, but whatever...

Trouble is, I'm now stuck with a troublesome boiler and a fear of calling people at random from the Yellow Pages

Anyone recommend me a technician in Cardiff?

I'm handy enough with a screwdriver, and the boiler manual includes instructions for the replacement of these parts, but I'd prefer not to dick around with something as potentially explosive as a boiler.

And I don't mind paying fair prices

 

[ollski]

To be honest it just sounds like your engineer has given you a sky high quote because he doesn't want the job, its a pretty common practice and I wouldn't say it was ripping you off, that would be if he gave you that price on completion of the job after he quoted you lower to start with.

 

[gastight]

If he didn't fancy doing a job - why not just say so instead of quoting sky high price

 

[ollski]

If he didn't fancy doing a job - why not just say so instead of quoting sky high price

Because he probably would fancy it at 400 notes but not at 100. Not saying I particularly like the practice but it leaves the customer with the decision on having the work done, wheras turning work down because you don't fancy it isn't really good for the reputation.

 

[chrishutt]

Thanks all for your help! These are for you...

Ah... Virtual chocolates from Aureliano Buendia no less. We are honoured.

 

[Col_Buendia]

Because he probably would fancy it at 400 notes but not at 100. Not saying I particularly like the practice but it leaves the customer with the decision on having the work done, wheras turning work down because you don't fancy it isn't really good for the reputation.

Well, I'm not sure this episode has done his reputation any good. I called a friend here this afternoon to ask if he knew any plumbers, and he pointed out to me that he had originally put me in touch with this bloke. Then my mate recalled that the same bloke had charged him several hundred for boiler repair a couple of years ago (my mate is even less DIY-orientated than I am, and didn't even query the cost). He also remembered that he, in turn, recieved this bloke's number from another acquaintance, who he said he would now let know about this carry-on. So by asking me this silly price, which I was able to check on google within 2 mins of him leaving the house, the plumber in question has effectively lost three customers. Personally I wouldn't have thought anything of it if after looking at the boiler he had said to me that he wasn't going to be able to take the job on.

Enjoy the chocolates, sirs. Aureliano Buendia at your service

 

[ollski]

No I would agree with you, but it tends to be par for the course, hence the reccommendation to always pick up 3 quotes for a job especially at 400.00. Google prices tend to count for nothing to be honest, if you are a retail customer I would charge the valve to you at retail price which is 69.13 plus probably a new auto air vent plus a couple of hours labour. Roughly 150.00 + vat.

 

[ChrisR]

Retail price at Partscenter is

Selected Product: 456151
Description RHEAT 5012049 3 WAY DIVERTER VALVE
RSF 820/20,820/20T,372895

Retail Price £160.43
(Excluding VAT and quantity discounts)

That's £188.50

 

[Agile]

Nobody has fully explained the apparent difference in the prices quoted!

I will try !

First there is the manufacturer who makes boilers and sells them in a competitive market at little or no profit. He then trys to make a little profit by selling the spare parts at a profit, BUT they are selected and boxed and labelled and therefore pretty well guaranteed to fit and do the job. They are called "manufacturers replacement parts".

Next are second line "grey" market suppliers. They take parts which they think will do the job and sell them as "parts". Much cheaper but its questionable that a CORGI registered firm should be using them.

Last come firms like ours which look at what is necessary to get the boiler functioning again and "repair" a diverter valve by replacing the internal failed parts but NOT the whole valve, more work but cheaper.

The net result is that we would charge about £106 in London for repairing the boiler by just replacing the failed internal part of the diverter IF its otherwise in good condition.

Ravenheat boilers are at the lower price end of the market BUT with proper installation and maintenance should have no difficulty in giving a useful life of 10-12 years just like any other boiler.

Tony Glazier

 

[gastight]

Tony

"BUT they are selected and boxed and labelled and therefore pretty well guaranteed to fit and do the job."

By “selected” I take it you mean that Ravers don't make the diverter valve but buy it from a third party. In marketing terms the diverter valve is a commodity product. The third party supplier my very well be selling to other boiler manufacturers AND also to part suppliers. If I am producing a commodity product I would want to grab as much of the market as I possibly can.

If one finds out which third party suppliers is providing the diverter valve to Ravers and can source it £ 40 + vat rather than £120 + vat; why is this questionable practice.

This is market forces

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Stop bloody whingeing, he gave you a quote you turned it down, you get someone else, it's called BUSINESS, jeeezzzz you dont faff around or complain when you buy a pint of milk at the supermarket and yet the supermarkets are robbing the dairy producers blind, does this worry you at all , no I dont think so.