I really dont think this is quite what I expected....

[daglesj]

Ohhh choices choices. It would be much easier if BG were actually contactable and you could work with someone to resolve the issue. But no you get another person from the Leeds call centre reading from a script. So you go over and over it all. Also, they are always new to the job!

At the end of the day I just want a tidy, safe working system and to get on with my life.

Oh and not to pay £5100 for it. If they had done it properly I wouldnt have thought twice about paying. I'd have been so happy with my shower and being able to fill a washing up bowl with hot water quicker than 4 minutes. Would have been perfect! I am actually quite easy to please, just dont like folks taking the p*ss.

 

[ollski]

Ahhh just checked the paperwork.

I have a Commisioning/Completion Report in the file that the girlfiend signed ( I was at work).

Is this it? Doesnt look anything special. I got a more impressive certificate when I had double glazing installed.

Have to say I never sign those thing or if I do I put "not tested to my satisfaction yet!" on them.

No thats not it, someone should be coming to check the installation and pass it off as satisfactory....he will sign it, not you.

Ring the job in as a breakdown as i assume you get on a service contract in the job price, trust me when the breakdown side of the business get involved aswell the ****e will hit the fan

 

[chrishutt]

Ollski, in case you didn't realise, works for BG and is dutifully trying to save them from the embarrassment of a third party like Corgi getting involved. No doubt you could get it sorted that way, just threatening them with exposure. But would that stop them doing the same thing to someone else? You have the chance to expose them for what they are.

 

[ChrisR]

It would first be most interesting if you could go through the form and add up the points to see if you could have had the back boiler replaced. You may need help with that, partly because the form is (typically) badly worded and ambiguous.
If BG say you couldn't have had a non-condenser, get them to fill in a copy of the form for you, to prove it.
On the face of it you couldn't have put a replacement condensing boiler in the same room because it was the living room, so you get 350 in Box B. Added to the 710 in Box A for being a flat puts you over the 1000, so you could have had another back boiler.

That gas pipe should have been sleeved, too.

Don't let them bamboozle you - they're good at that - into accepting anything, while they're in front of you. Think about it for a day or so. As ChrisHutt said, you could have strong grounds for compensation.

 

[ollski]

I just think there is a bit more to it than we can gain off what we have read, op seems to have had 3 quotes none of whom gave him the exception. It does look horrendous and may be unsafe if water is leaking from inside the flue, but whoever installed it should get the chance to inspect and correct. I am just trying to help the op contact someone who will help to get it sorted. There have been a cosiderable number of terminations for poor work recently employed and contracted and maybe this is another one.

 

[Trance Nation]

Goodness me this is getting a long thread !!

I'm very surprised at BG not taking this seriously. After their recent co incident (in Oxford i think) you'd have thought they would be bending over backwards to rectify this and avoid more bad publicity (too late !)

I showed this thread to a friend of mine who works for BG doing installs. He, like me, couldnt understand how A: it was ever left like this, and B: why no one appears to be caring. He was telling me all completed jobs are QC'd within a matter of days (usually next day) and any faults/probs rectified immediatly/a.s.a.p. However, he is with Scottish Gas so maybe its a tighter scheme that is operated here ? I doubt it but hey u never know ?!!

Regardless of the general unsighty mess of it all, those water leaks on the flue are particularly worrying.

 

[daglesj]

That gas pipe should have been sleeved, too.

Funny you should mention that, when all the gear was delivered there were four 2m Climaflex insulation lengths that I havent seen anywhere in the install unless they go inside the flue pipes?

By the way I have also submitted two email complaints through the BG website and never got a response back.

I also dropped a note into Corgi via their website Thursday morning and that has got no response either.

Now off to bed.

 

[silverback]

Don't bother contacting Corgi about this, they are in bed with BG and will bend over backwards to protect them, go straight to the HSE, also post the pictures to Rogue traders.
It seems obvious to me that if the correct procedures had been carried out you could of had a replacement BBU, who suggested that the back boiler needed replacing in the first place

 

[chrishutt]

...whoever installed it should get the chance to inspect and correct.

Ollski, I respect you for having the courage to defend BG on this forum, almost a lone voice, and you make some good points, but the above isn't one of them. Surely the installer has had every opportunity to inspect and correct his work - he installed it!

Perhaps he never reads instructions. Perhaps he doesn't know about condensing boiler flues needing to drain back to boiler. Perhaps he doesn't know that flue outlets should not be immediately under air inlets. Perhaps he's never heard of terminal fittings. Perhaps he doesn't know that flue pipes should not be within 25mm of combustible material. But surely he can see what an utter mess the flue installation is.

You say there may be more to it than we can see. You're probably right. What's the betting on all the flue seals being sound? Do you think that installer would have flushed the system properly? And we still haven't seen the condensate and PRV discharge terminations.

 

[doitall]

Sorry, again I agree with Chris, I really don't think I would want them back in the house.

Talking of the Gas and not being sleeved, What size pipe is it, how many bends, and how long is the run.

I also think the OP should get an independant assessment, ideally Glowworm, before anyone is allowed to touch a thing.

 

[daglesj]

Some further points to mention.

1. I did ask for a back boiler originally as I wanted the least disruption possible. The original install from circa 1983 was a little odd to say the least. All the engineers that looked at the hotwater tank for instance all said that according to "The Big Boys Book of Heating and Plumbing" that it shouldn't work. Every one of them went for combi's and didn't want to install a backboiler. All of them gave the reason as "you cant fit them anymore!" Ok so later on I checked up but still they wouldnt do it when challenged.

2. BG has had a second chance already. The work was completed last Thursday lunchtime. I came home from work about 3.30pm and whilst clearing up all the mess I noticed the flue was dripping water in two places. Not much, about one drip every 30 seconds but no use all the same.
I called it in and a lone BG engineer (young chap looked about 19) turned up about 6pm. He looked at it and said "well thats not right!" He couldnt understand why it had been done that way. He said he couldn't do anything major at that point (fair enough) so we got some duct tape to put round the joints. He said he would organise someone to come round in the morning to fix it all.

3. Friday I stayed at home (love using up my precious holiday for this sort of thing) by 11.30 no one had arrived. Called it in, was apologised to and told they would 'bump' a job to fit me in in the afternoon. Come 5pm no one had arrived. Called it in, spoke to a chap called Assa(?) he said someone would call me back in 50 minutes. Nope.

4. Sunday afternoon, called it in again. Spoke a chap called Glyn. He said he would arrange for the engineer to see us on Monday.

5. Monday, another day off. No one turned up. Called it in again spoke to a Liam McKane after pushing to speak to someone who had a vague understanding of how to deal with a complaint. He apparently was a customer service manager and would deal with the situation for me. Guaranteed I'd get a call back within 48 hours confirming what would be done. I'm still waiting for that call. He said if I wanted to speak to him again just ask to speak to him at the Leeds office.

6. Tuesday arrives and bingo, just as I got out of the bath at 7.45am the door buzzer goes and its an engineer! He's come round from the job organised from Sunday! Only a day late. I show him the mess. He states "oh I was here, but my colleague fitted this!" He walks out to the van, my girlfriend tells me it was actually him that fitted it! He spends all day trying to sort it out (he failed to stop the toilet and tap clunking). He re-drilled the walls, re-fitted the flues but after a lot of seat and effort we had gone from two to three leaks. He said he was "a bit disappointed". I said nothing and just thought "and you'll be out of a job soon if I have anything to do about it!" he said he'd organise a couple of guys to come back on Friday to sort it out as they had to order some more parts that would take a couple of days. He also said that he had contacted Glowworm for further advice. I spend the rest of the evening cleaning up all the dust again.

7. Wednesday. No call from Liam McKane

8. Refer this to Corgi through their website. Get fed up and decide to call Liam. The chap at the call centre tells me he is new! I ask to speak to Liam at the Leeds office. He cant do that. Can I speak to a manager? No. I demand I speak to Liam. I get put on hold. He comes back saying Liam isn't in. I ask to leave a message. I cant. I ask again to speak to anyone who has been working there more than two weeks. I cant. I hang up.

9. I try another number and get to speak to Sue. Its a number listed for complaints on the website but she appears to think its for bill queries etc. Anyway she puts me through to a Louise. Louise is very sympathetic and appears to know what she is doing. She tells me that in actual fact only one person is booked to see me on Friday ( so no actual corrective work then) and he is a regional engineering inspector (or somesuch) going by the name of Miller (supposedly highly regarded!!). Couldn't confirm what time of day he would arrive. So another day off work.

10. Friday.......no one turns up. I decide to get this situation out to a wider audience as I feel totally lost. I think I've been pretty patient really.

 

[silverback]

Contact your local TV news and local radio and Newspapers, let them know how BG treat their customers and what shoddy work they carry out, it is about time big companies like BG felt the wrath of the customer, we have the power to destroy the likes of BG but the British choose to accept rubbish workmanship and been fobbed of by people on the phone, stand up for yourself make them suffer for their poor customer service

 

[stumpynut]

I know this may seem trivial (compared to all the other obvious mistakes) but the gaspipe outside should have been protected from the weather i.e. plastic coated tube or denzo tape. Hope you get it sorted soon mate.

 

[daglesj]

Contact your local TV news and local radio and Newspapers, let them know how BG treat their customers and what shoddy work they carry out, it is about time big companies like BG felt the wrath of the customer, we have the power to destroy the likes of BG but the British choose to accept rubbish workmanship and been fobbed of by people on the phone, stand up for yourself make them suffer for their poor customer service

I understand where you are coming from. However, that is very difficult to do when the powers that be protect themselves with a barrier of Call centre staff all earning £10000 a year with an IQ of around 65.

Try making somone in that situation give a damn. Its impossible.

Anyway I called it on again. Got through to Ahmed this time and he finally put me through to Liam McKane!!! He only did it after I started to make gasping noises like I was dying over the phone (not kidding). All their systems where down at that time (arent they always) and the reason I didnt get a call back was due to his wife being ill (well thats not my problem). The usual flim flam.

So I'm to get a call on Monday with hopefully a wonderful solution to all my problems. I did ask if he had an email addy I could send this link to but they don't have external email addresses (complete rubbish in my opinion). I did tell him it was all logged here with names etc. but he still wasnt interested.

Hard to hurt folks if they don't care.

 

[ollski]

I know this may seem trivial (compared to all the other obvious mistakes) but the gaspipe outside should have been protected from the weather i.e. plastic coated tube or denzo tape. Hope you get it sorted soon mate.

Only if it is exposed to a corrosive atmosphere.