Phantom Service Engineer

[ianmcd]

"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 !

It is not a scam website, but it is in no way any kind of trade website, they simply are the middle person you pay them, they send your job to the bottom feeders in the Industry who need their kind of work, there are so many of them popping up these days, from what you have said your boiler was not serviced , it had a Poke and go,same as all the companies you mentioned and sadly same as most these days , again what is the make and model of your boiler ?

 

[endecotp]

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.

Any valuables missing?

 

[DP]

As Ian said, a service should not be poke and hope but what is prescribed in the boiler manual under “service” section. Sadly, poke and hope is seen as a service by the home owner and sold as such by the people who came to see you. Lots of paperwork but preventative maintenance not

 

[RickH]

I have tried several local engineers, even those I have used to install boilers for me in other properties ... none offer a contract.
Yes I could have an 'ad-hoc' call out, but they do not offer any cover for parts, and I know from experience of a recent job ... they want to charge list price on parts - which is scandalous.
As an example had a Baxi 105HE develop a fault ... engineer visited 'needs a new fan' ... he wanted £145 for the part and £45 to fit it.
I phoned local PTS branch ..... fan was £55 (including next day availability) - to me and I am not even in the trade !

A lot of heating Engineers take the P** over parts pricing, that is why I prefr to go to a contarct, fixing costs in advance.

 

[RickH]

Any valuables missing?

None at all and I was present the whole time ..... she did the service items the same as usually done.
Had all the tools & test gear, and even showed me all reported data - so no reson to doubt her.

If she ahd turned up & asked for money then that would have been different.

It wasn't as if it was 'cold calling' she contacted me in advance advising she is coming to do the annual service on behalf of "YourRepair"

 

[mcmoby69]

I have tried several local engineers, even those I have used to install boilers for me in other properties ... none offer a contract.
Yes I could have an 'ad-hoc' call out, but they do not offer any cover for parts, and I know from experience of a recent job ... they want to charge list price on parts - which is scandalous.
As an example had a Baxi 105HE develop a fault ... engineer visited 'needs a new fan' ... he wanted £145 for the part and £45 to fit it.
I phoned local PTS branch ..... fan was £55 (including next day availability) - to me and I am not even in the trade !

A lot of heating Engineers take the P** over parts pricing, that is why I prefr to go to a contarct, fixing costs in advance.

i would have charged you for diagnosing the fault, the cost of the part +20% plus a charge for fitting it. £227all in. he's cheap.

maybe the magic parts fairy was on strike and he couldnt get the part to your place without picking it up himself and getting it back to you?
you must think his van runs on fairy dust or unicorn sperm.

 

[DP]

I have tried several local engineers, even those I have used to install boilers for me in other properties ... none offer a contract.
Yes I could have an 'ad-hoc' call out, but they do not offer any cover for parts, and I know from experience of a recent job ... they want to charge list price on parts - which is scandalous.
As an example had a Baxi 105HE develop a fault ... engineer visited 'needs a new fan' ... he wanted £145 for the part and £45 to fit it.
I phoned local PTS branch ..... fan was £55 (including next day availability) - to me and I am not even in the trade !

A lot of heating Engineers take the P** over parts pricing, that is why I prefr to go to a contarct, fixing costs in advance.

I see your point, but if you were paying a ‘service provider’ who ‘ serviced’ your boiler as described elsewhere, and charged you say £25.00 per month to ‘service’ your boiler, that is £300 you have paid the company.

If you put this £300 in a tin, get the boiler serviced as per the book, by someone who knows his marbles, chances are you will still have money left in the tin unlike the scenario where you are paying the service provider money upfront with no guarantee that the boiler will mostly be repaired first visit. You do not see that he has already got your money for what you think is free repair. Do not for a moment think this is a bottomless service as have seen customers soon are required to get a power flush for a grand or more else no warranty

Service provider has already taken your money. Independent repairer charges you £45.00 to collect the part, fit it and provide warranty as well? He must be mad. I do not mind the customer supplying the part as if they screw up, I still get paid. Part goes faulty, I still get paid , and twice for removing it and fitting replacement. No warranty by me as customer supplied the part. Other side of the coin is, I supply and fit, part fails, I change it free of cost during warranty period.

 

[DP]

I phoned local PTS branch ..... fan was £55 (including next day availability) - to me and I am not even in the trade !

are you sure??
I googled the part at PTS

Are you sure you have the right part number?

 

[RickH]

My contract is less than that .... £14 per month.
I’d only have to have one breakdown and be charged list price for parts to be losing out.

Finding someone who knows his marbles is also not easy, just being Gas Safe registered is not a guide.
Seen many many times .. Engineer says ... needs new board, returns fits it, not fixed ... must be the other board, then electrodes, then burner box, then gas valve.

If this was non-contract, there is more profit for them (150% markup of parts), the more parts fitted more he earns.
No incentive to fix on first call out.

At least with contract I don’t get stung for all the parts.

If contract company employs its own engineers then at least they have no incentive to repeat visit.
However I accept the 247, YourRepair and the like use only sub-contract engineers, and the position is not as clear .... especially as they apply rules of depreciating boiler at 10% per year and if cost of repair (Labour & parts) is greater than 60% of boiler they simply state “beyond economic repair”
I had 247 want to write off boiler as it needed new fan .. which I purchased for £55.

 

[RickH]

are you sure??
I googled the part at PTS

Are you sure you have the right part number?

View attachment 209776

Absolutely .... they even confirmed the list price it should be sold at.
I find PTS always gives me very good prices.

 

[CBW]

I thought you were getting a new boiler anyway? If this is the case, you won’t need a contract for however long the initial warranty period lasts.

 

[MeldrewsMate]

I thought you were getting a new boiler anyway? If this is the case, you won’t need a contract for however long the initial warranty period lasts.

Yes, I initially thought that might be the case, but his thermal store boiler is a Baxi Barcelona (Potty Promax for you younger viewers). It's always possible RickH has two or more properties, or even two or more boilers - one in each wing of the castle!

 

[mcmoby69]

i advise my customers to cancel their DD, pay the amount into a savings account. pay me £75 for a service +parts each year, and leave the DD running. as the amount builds they have a reserve for repairs etc. a new boiler usually has a manuf. guarantee so the amount builds up quickly. they are basically betting £150 a year their boiler wont break. the big boys dont even take the cover off, so wont see the condense leak inside that writes the boiler off or makes it fault on xmas eve.......
when the boiler gets to BER they fire you off for a repair and say new boiler!
shafted every way!

your local indy prefers your business (decent ones anyway) and pays more into your local community than your big national. pay him well and he'll keep you happy. its a two way thing.

 

[DP]

i advise my customers to cancel their DD, pay the amount into a savings account. pay me £75 for a service +parts each year, and leave the DD running. as the amount builds they have a reserve for repairs etc. a new boiler usually has a manuf. guarantee so the amount builds up quickly. they are basically betting £150 a year their boiler wont break. the big boys dont even take the cover off, so wont see the condense leak inside that writes the boiler off or makes it fault on xmas eve.......
when the boiler gets to BER they fire you off for a repair and say new boiler!
shafted every way!

your local indy prefers your business (decent ones anyway) and pays more into your local community than your big national. pay him well and he'll keep you happy. its a two way thing.

That is what I tell anyone who is looking for a contract.

 

[RickH]

i advise my customers to cancel their DD, pay the amount into a savings account. pay me £75 for a service +parts each year, and leave the DD running. as the amount builds they have a reserve for repairs etc. a new boiler usually has a manuf. guarantee so the amount builds up quickly. they are basically betting £150 a year their boiler wont break. the big boys dont even take the cover off, so wont see the condense leak inside that writes the boiler off or makes it fault on xmas eve.......
when the boiler gets to BER they fire you off for a repair and say new boiler!
shafted every way!

your local indy prefers your business (decent ones anyway) and pays more into your local community than your big national. pay him well and he'll keep you happy. its a two way thing.

I would happily consider doing this if I could find someone suitable locally.
So far maybe I have been unlucky with guys that just want to load you up on parts.