viessmann annual service and plumber costs

[masamune]

I have a Viessmann Vitodens-100W combi installed a couple of years ago, boiler has been excellent so far and had no problems.

The plumber who installed it recommended Viessmann because he is an accredited installer with them. Of course he wanted continuous business by carrying out the annual servicing to maintain the warranty. I kept his service as he did a great job and has a very professional attitude but this of course comes with a hefty bill!

Personally I fail to see why any competent gas plumber with experience fitting these boilers would be any less capable. At the same time, following the last service I do feel I am being ripped off. I know servicing costs can vary per region and safety is paramount but that need not cost a fortune. This why I want to run some figures by the forum...

The area is greater London for pricing reference, last year the service was around £90+VAT, this year it went up to just over £100+VAT. What annoyed me the most with the last service is he re-injected the system with Kamco inhibitor sending me a bill with an additional cost of £60+VAT on top of service.

A 500ml bottle of Kamco inhibitor is worth around £13, I am failing to understand the need to charge £60+VAT to inject some liquid into the loop from the burner valve while the boiler cover was already pulled out for servicing anyway.

 

[Dan Robinson]

What is the acceptable profit margin you think he should make on the job?

Do you know what his company's fixed costs are?

 

[oldbuffer]

You appear to have someone you can trust, albeit perhaps more expensive than you'd like. Boiler service for £100 seems about right to me for London, and the inhibitor should be topped up / replaced at two year intervals (or thereabouts). You might be able to buy the inhibitor for £13, but you'd have to go and get it or pay postage, and then you'd have to know how to install it. Add the plumber's overheads to that and its not difficult to get to £60.

If you don't like the price, you always have the option of finding someone else, but you'll have to find someone you can trust to do the service properly, or you'll soon be spending more on parts than you've saved on labour.

 

[masamune]

What is the acceptable profit margin you think he should make on the job?

Do you know what his company's fixed costs are?

I honestly don't know, so you would say that a £200 bill is standard and acceptable for annual boiler service on a new boiler?

 

[Dan Robinson]

No, I'm saying for all the information you provide it might be.

But complaining about pricing is a common refrain from home owners, yet when the basis of their perceptions are challenged, they have no idea what things should cost or how figures are arose. As has been said - if you're not happy, find another engineer. As for whether £200 is too expensive.... the answer is both yes..... and no.

For what its worth, we would charge less, but then we might be doing less work to your boiler as part of the service.

Now, shortly another member here will post up exactly what he charges regardless of seeing the work. It's frustrating and misleading, but there you go.

 

[masamune]

You appear to have someone you can trust, albeit perhaps more expensive than you'd like. Boiler service for £100 seems about right to me for London, and the inhibitor should be topped up / replaced at two year intervals (or thereabouts). You might be able to buy the inhibitor for £13, but you'd have to go and get it or pay postage, and then you'd have to know how to install it. Add the plumber's overheads to that and its not difficult to get to £60.

If you don't like the price, you always have the option of finding someone else, but you'll have to find someone you can trust to do the service properly, or you'll soon be spending more on parts than you've saved on labour.

I agree about the trustworthiness of the tradesman, I am not suggesting this should be sacrificed for saving money.

Perhaps my point was not clear that the rip off is about the inhibitor. I could have well done this part myself from a radiator, but I did not actually receive his quote in advance about the charge and assumed the service cost as previously.

The fact that he already opened the boiler for servicing does not in my understanding justify charging another 40+VAT for injecting (you could say the bottle is worth around £20 with delivery costs). I struggle to accept making such profit on a bottle of inhibitor when we have developed trust and guaranteed annual servicing business together.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I struggle to accept making such profit

How much of it is profit though?

I could have well done this part myself from a radiator,

But you didn't. You didn't know it needed doing.

I did not actually receive his quote in advance about the charge

Yes that is a good point. Perhaps a word with him about giving advance warning of cost changes.

 

[muggles]

The fact that he already opened the boiler for servicing does not in my understanding justify charging another 40+VAT for injecting (you could say the bottle is worth around £20 with delivery costs). I struggle to accept making such profit on a bottle of inhibitor when we have developed trust and guaranteed annual servicing business together.

Maybe he also used water testing equipment to check the inhibitor was at the correct dose, both before and after dosing?

 

[masamune]

No, I'm saying for all the information you provide it might be.

But complaining about pricing is a common refrain from home owners, yet when the basis of their perceptions are challenged, they have no idea what things should cost or how figures are arose. As has been said - if you're not happy, find another engineer. As for whether £200 is too expensive.... the answer is both yes..... and no.

for what its worth, we would charge less, but then we might be doing less work to your boiler as part of the service.

What do you charge for servicing the above boiler please?

Can you provide a breakdown of what that service covers as well.

Thanks

 

[Dan Robinson]

Standard service for us with no parts needed is £70+VAT. However some boilers need parts changing on some services. These are charged as extras, and what we pay for them is not what you pay for them.


As for what is done on a service, that depends on the boiler and its age.

As a bare minimum combustion is checked and adjusted. Safety devices checked, system levels checked. Controls checked.

Some boiler at certain intervals need the burners removed, cleaned and the heat exchanger/combustion chamber cleaned. This can result in new gaskets being needed. Also some times ignition electrodes and probes are needed.

 

[masamune]

Standard service for us with no parts needed is £70+VAT. However some boilers need parts changing on some services. These are charged as extras, and what we pay for them is not what you pay for them.


As for what is done on a service, that depends on the boiler and its age.

As a bare minimum combustion is checked and adjusted. Safety devices checked, system levels checked. Controls checked.

Some boiler at certain intervals need the burners removed, cleaned and the heat exchanger/combustion chamber cleaned. This can result in new gaskets being needed. Also some times ignition electrodes and probes are needed.

Great, that was a lot more helpful than your previous response

If it helps answer your question on information (which you didn't ask for), the burner/filters were taken out and brushed which is done on each service. He also vacuumed parts around inside and probe tested measurements of the gases in the flue. No parts were needed or replaced.

Anyway, my point was about the inhibitor charge which in my "challenged perception" is still find a rip off...

 

[Dan Robinson]

that was a lot more helpful than your previous response

You mean they weren't what you wanted to hear/read?

 

[ianmcd]

Well why dont you get BG or SSE in to service it and see exactly what they do on your boiler "service" and see what they charge you then go back to your installer and beg him to keep servicing your boiler correctly

 

[D_Hailsham]

What annoyed me the most with the last service is he re-injected the system with Kamco inhibitor sending me a bill with an additional cost of £60+VAT on top of service.

Were you told, in advance, that the inhibitor needed to be replaced and how much it would cost? Did you agree to this before the work was done?

If no to both, you do not have to pay the £60 + VAT.

Think what would you would say if you took your car to the garage for a £150 service and were presented with a bill for £750 as the garage had replaced all the tyres without getting your agreement.

As for the amount charged, the plumber will buy the inhibitor for say £10 and sell it for say £15. Injecting inhibitor will take about 15 minutes max. As he is already on site there is no "call out/minimum labour charge" as this has been accounted for in the £100 servicing charge, so the labour charge will just be 15 minutes at his standard rate. Labour rates will already take into account the plumbers overheads, so that's a red herring. Assuming the plumber charges £100 per hour, i.e. £25 for the 15 minutes it takes. So the cost will be £25 + £15 = £40 + VAT. £60 would mean a labour charge of £180 per hour. That may be correct for Pimlico Plumbers and central London.

 

[masamune]

You mean they weren't what you wanted to hear/read?

I meant they were not useful because they were not asking for information or provide advice.