Phantom Service Engineer

[RickH]

I took out a contract with "YourRepair"
At the time of taking this out they advised annual service would be next year between Mar & August.
Fair enough.

2 week ago I get a phone call ..... "Hi, I'm the Gas Safe Engineer for YourRepair, and I'm in the area tomorrow, so I 'd like to come and do your service"
I reiterated the conversation about next year - but it was explained as local on another job, could this proceed., following Covid19 conditions"

Fine

Next day Engineer arrived, showed me Gas Safe ID, and went about the service .... all the normal work, clean, leak test, CO test ... meter flow etc.
Filled in heer laptop, showed me it all on-screen and departed - all done.


This week - getting intermittant explosive ignition, no lock outs just loud bang on start up (occasionally) .... logged call out ticket, then get email, job request rejcted as somoen else worked on boiler.
I expalined it was their engineer did teh servicem had called me giving your name, introduced herself on arrival as repreentaing YourRepair ... no they advise no engineer been disptached, and therfore unless I can prove who did the work ..... they will not attend for repair.

It seems I have a Phantom Gas Safe Engineers acrrying oput annual servicing !

 

[terryplumb]

Did engineer leave you any paperwork ?

 

[RickH]

No... they filled in all details on a laptop. I know I should have taken a note of her name, but I didn’t

 

[KenGMac]

Off the wall question??

Can you re-trace the call on your phone?? 1471 then go back through all the calls possible??

Ken.

 

[terryplumb]

Good thinking Ken .

 

[KenGMac]

Other option??

There cannot be very many Female Gas Safe engineers?? Seriously not a sexist comment !!

Try the Gas Safe Register, I do not know how it works, as to whether you can find a Female Gas Safe person in your area, or near it?? some people will be happier with a Female attending at their property???

Or phone up and explain what you are looking for to the Gas Safe organisation.

Ken.

 

[RickH]

I did say same thing to her .... in that she was the first female Gas Safe Engineer I had met ... she’d responded I was not the first to have said this.

on the phone option ... been trying to identify call ... think it was to my mobile.

 

[CBW]

We fill out forms on my iPad and we send copies out to our tenants, so maybe you’ll get one in the post?

explosive/aggressive ignition should have been picked up if she’s done a proper service. If not then you may have to get another engineer out and maybe cancel this, what appears to be a sham of a policy?

 

[RickH]

Try the Gas Safe Register, ......

Ken.

I have asked this via the ‘help’ email address on their home.
Maybe I’ll get something.
I know she lived in South Wales.


So odd that she came, did the work, but no records.

 

[ianmcd]

These schemes are popping up all over the place, they are simply a website, they use sub contractors, they wont have actually any engineers, when she was in your area the software would have been programmed to just allocate the job as it was close, or she will have a list of other customers in the same area and gets the option to cold call you as she did, you really should stay away from these schemes, what make and model is your boiler ?

 

[just pumps]

Sounds like another scam, wonder if the engineer brought the lead and if she will get paid and YourRepair must of given your details out to somebody so how can they claim not to know.

 

[RickH]

Don't see how the engineer was a scam.
They phoned in advance to advise they are attending to carry out annula service.
Arrived - carried out service, took all the necessray tests and even showed test results on PC.

I have paid her no money .. and she drove here and spent her time.
Now if the had asked for money for parts or deemed boiler 'beyond economical repair' that could be a scam.

This is a reverse scam ..... done work, and not been paid.

Off the wall question??

Can you re-trace the call on your phone?? 1471 then go back through all the calls possible??

Ken.

did try .... 1471 only works on last number that called you, had many calls since.

 

[just pumps]

Scam website selling leads is what I was trying to say.

 

[RickH]

Scam website selling leads is what I was trying to say.

"YourRepair" is not Scam website, it is a genuine company, I checked it out before going to them.
Whether they are any good remains to be proved - not looking good at moment.

British Gas, SSE/Swalec, EDF all get slated on here, so not easy to find a good support contract company.

I had been with SSE for years - but in July they changed completely to a 3rd party company for booking of servicing, and after 8 weeks of being promised a call back to book engineer visit (every week I would call in to be told engineering team will contact you within next 2 working days) .. I gave up and cancelled contract.

Also had a few companies who will not put a boiler over 10 year old on contract .....one compnay advising design life of a boiler is only 8 years !

 

[CBW]

Out of curiosity, why do you need a good contract company, why not just find a good local registered engineer? You could have even engaged in conversation with the female one who visited to do a regular annual service.