Combi boiler to be installed - opinion please?

[phykell]

3 quotes should be enough...

I agree, but I'm beginning to think it's better to get several quotes which assumes some of them won't bother getting back with a quote or even turning up! Look at my stats: three people contacted, one turns up and quotes a ridiculous price, one turns up saying he'll quote no problem but then doesn't get back to me, and the other one doesn't even turn up! I've taken holiday this week to get all this sorted and these people are wasting my valuable time

Luckily the chaps who quoted for my kitchen roof are the nicest people you can hope to meet. They turned up at 8:15, worked until gone 6, and cleaned up after themselves! They'll be getting a good tip from me

Also, compare that with the electrician who turned up yesterday, fitted an isolator, meter tails and earth block and strap for £85. Expensive yes, but at least he quoted, turned up, did the job he said he would, etc. and got a 10% tip

 

[DP]

What about you phykell. You expect all these engineers to call upon you and with one getting the job. Each one of them will have lost valuable time surveying, pricing and specifying the boiler change.
It is more than likely these people did not turn up because they had an idea that their time was going to be down the pan.

I would rather do a job for four hours and be paid for it instead of spend same time quoting for a job be at a loss.

Now if each one of them had been offered £50.00 for the purpose of specifying a boiler change, I bet every one of them would have been knocking on your door.

Only time will tell if the two hour boiler change is khoser. One does not have to look hard for posts where boilers fail to give constant hot water. Often these are 'two hour' changes as well.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Which boiler has he quoted for ?

 

[phykell]

What about you phykell. You expect all these engineers to call upon you and with one getting the job. Each one of them will have lost valuable time surveying, pricing and specifying the boiler change.

What are you talking about? I didn't set out to get a load of quotes as you imply. I got the first one because someone had some work done by the guy. He gave a very high quote which was the only reason I even considered going elsewhere! After speaking to a friend, he suggested I go to the local plumbers' merchant as they'd probably be able to recommend someone decent and local. Sure enough, they guy in there gave me several cards and suggested I ring a few. That's where I spotted the boiler and the guy said to just tell them who'd recommended them and tell them the boiler I wanted fitting if the Worcester was what I wanted. This is exactly what I did. I rang two guys to come and quote for the work, not exactly throwing a cast net in the water!

It is more than likely these people did not turn up because they had an idea that their time was going to be down the pan.

All he had to do was to ring me. All he had to do is tell me he didn't want the job. What I find unacceptable is someone telling me they're coming and then just not bothering. I don't care whether he thought his "time was going to be down the pan" or not, he still shouldn't have promised something he wasn't going to deliver. Simple as that.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

I bet I have had more of my time wasted by customers than I have wasted of theirs, I turn up when I say I will, do a proper survey, proper quote, proper job, if I get the notion that someone is a time waster I wont waste my time with them.

Been used before, they have allready made their minds up about who they are having, their just using you to check the price.

Turn up to quote as arranged "oh, had it done mate" forgot to phone you.

Turn up to do a job Oh, "forgot you were coming"

Turn up to do a job "no one in"

They have a quote, wait two weeks, order work, given a date say in five weeks time, FOUR WEEKS LATER AFTER I HAVE ORDERED MATERIALS,
offspring phone up "were cancelling mum/dads job, "somebody" doing it cheaper", funny if I book a job in, and then a better more profitable job comes in and I cancel I'm a bad guy, SAME BLOODDY THING.

Six hours surveying boiler swop, send quote, week later "wife", yes do it, week later, "husband" no hang fire, you want to cancel, no, hang fire (what the fuuck does hang fire mean) yes do it, no hang fire want to check boiler will fit in cupboard, bolllocks, I cancelled it.

I have DEFINATELY, been twaated around and wasted HOURS by customers, with no money for the inconvenience than ANY have ever been messed around by me. I dont feel sorry for anyone anymore, society has got the service industry it has worked for, NOBODY GIVES A TOSS ABOUT ANYONE ELSE

 

[phykell]

Well, I can't speak for everyone of course, but if I say I want a job doing and certainly if the tradesman has ordered supplies, then I will stop looking for someone and have the job done. All I want is a decent job and a reasonable price. I would never intentionally mess someone about, and I think a simple phonecall is not too much to ask. This is not a consumer vs tradesman debate though, this is an issue of people in general and their standards, professionalism and courtesy. Regardless, courtesy costs nothing, and the way this country is going, it's ever more precious. I can't believe kids today in shops. When I can understand the grunts they make, I realise they neither say "please" nor "thank-you", but I digress...

 

[kevplumb]

pendantic been down that road many times

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Yes this isn't a debate about consumer versus tradesmen, but as you said courtesy costs nothing, the thing is you will only use tradesmen a few times throughout your life, where as we have to deal with "people" everday, me, for the last 33 years, you wouldn't believe some of the total twaats I have dealt with, so adding onto the fact that a particular tradesmen may have had a bad run of idiots, then he himself may be typical of todays culture it's like a contagious disease, it aint gonna get any better.
Anyway hope you get on all right with whoever you choose and the job goes smoothly, as there are other factors for us tradesmen to contend with, late deliveries, damaged goods, parts missing, then it wont work, happy days or should I say daze .

 

[poptasticdave]

It's

 

[poptasticdave]

a bit late to reply to your original message now, but I hope my response might help anyone else with a Glow Worm 52 super or 52B super. My parents had a 52 Super installed in 1977 (that's the open flue version) and it's still working as well now as the day it went in. It gets serviced once a year by a CORGI gas fitter (NOT the gas board as they kept telling us it was "too old" before it was even 10 years old!) and Glow Worm say that all the parts are STILL available for it. I had a 52B Super put in in 1979 (that's the balanced flue version). Mine is also still as good as new and is also serviced by a CORGI gas fitter once a year. 8 years ago the coal house it was installed in was demolished and an extension built. The boiler came out before the coal house was demolished and it went back into the new extension after. Not the slightest hint of trouble. Tis last Summer (Aug 2005) I bought a new flue terminal for it direct from Glow Worm. I guess it didn't really need it but the stainless steel face plate had a couple of small dents and the wire guards had corroded so I just replaced the whole thing ....again Glow Worm say all parts are still available. Sorry this is such a long post - I guess what I'm saying is "why on earth replace a 52(B) Super at all? It seems to me to they last forever!!!

 

[chrishutt]

The MODs won't like that, poptastic.

 

[Registered Gas Man]

OMG who rezzed the topic! I lost this site and the forgot you all! I got a 'you are watching this topic' notice in my mail and here i am again