British Gas get alot of stick on here

[Gas2Air]

I deal with and know a majority of very good and competent "Technical Engineers". They are under pressure and have targets and such to meet. They all tell me if they did their job to the book, they'd do 2-3 jobs a day.

What's more important productivity vs safety? We know the answer. So do they.

I have no issue with these lads doing the job as i do, safely and to their best and pracitable knowledge, we're in the same game, so putting them down is not beneficial to me.

It disappoints me that we have to pick on a target such as BG and call them under-experienced, do not finish a job, etc.

In our industry we should look to our own before slating them within a forum that contains vitriol to each other. So much of our work is under scrutiny, many get away without regulating, why moan about BG?

Rant over.

 

[penpusher]

I agree with you, as an ex-BG engineer I know the pressure these guys are under and like the majority of them, I have a consience. I was constantly hit over the head monthly about my production figures but I knew at least that I could go home and sleep well 'cos I'd done my job properly. BG as a compant have a lot of faults but the guys who work for them are not to blame. Here endeth!

 

[Paul Barker]

The neatest Alpha installer in York was an ex bg manager of installers. He was so legendary at his work they put him in charge. He had to leave because he couldn't take the pressure of constantly being hit over the head with making impossible targets himself to hit his workmen over the head with.

They have tried to get him back again, saying it isn't like that anymore.

I can spot his installs at a hundred yards. I say to customer "xyz" fitted this didn't he?

It pays dividends to do a top job, I certainly give more priority to his customers, it's only human nature to be attracted towards positive things.

That is what we should be able to say about British Gas for, top level installation practice. Highly skilled workers. They charge the prices for that, instead of giving the mamoth extra revenue to marketing and sales they should give it to the installers to maintain a skill level appropriate for the charge.

 

[Agile]

Its not surprising that BG get some stick here.

They are the largest domestic installation and service company and do about 17% of the work.

Since they gave redundancy deals to all their more experienced staff they have had to recruit again and have some very inexperienced people now.

Whilst most jobs will go fine there will always be a few when they totally mess up and some of them are reported here.

In reality they must do 99% of the work well but you are only reading here about some of the 1% which went wrong. I often have to go and sort out situations where BG have not been able to diagnose the fault.

See this thread for an example of where BG messed up:-

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=96100

But put it in context and remember all the other jobs they did OK which are never heard about.

Tony