Many thanks to British Gas

[Burnerman]

I own an apartment in a coverted granary - a building which is strictly listed. My old Dad lives there.
The old Worcester boiler gave up, started leaking so it was time for a new one.
I called 3 local contractors - none of which showed up - perhaps they had knowledge of the problems to come.....
The granary has 8 apartments, each with its own boiler flue snaking around the various voids of the building, each terminating through the roof.
I thought replacement would be simple, but the current gas regs and listed building regs had it in for me. I couldn't use the existing flue, as the route disappeared into the void of the apartment above. I was not allowed to vent through the front stone wall, or the side - as the fumes would have encroached into the space above the roof of another building, some 20 feet below me.
At one point I thought that I would have to go all electric - but that was undesirable as there are no economy tarrifs in the building at all.
So, called British Gas - who originally agreed with me concerning the issues but said they would do all they could to help.
After many site visits they did everything right - contacted the building regs people, the owners of the building below, and even got a scaffold firm to suspend their staging from the roof above me.
So, eventually I got my new Vaillant boiler - there is a little more of the flue visible inside the apartment than really desirable but hey - who cares?
The job cost me just under 5 grand, but BG got me out of a pickle that others didn't want to know. I'm really grateful to them.
Cheers for reading
John

 

[Lincsbodger]

yes , buts its not a very good ratio, though, one happy customer and about 6 million ****ed off ones.

I dumped British Gas years ago, usual stuff, wouldn't give me £350 credit balance back, jacking up the direct debit to obscene levels, etc.

 

[nickso]

yes , buts its not a very good ratio, though, one happy customer and about 6 million p****d off ones.

I dumped British Gas years ago, usual stuff, wouldn't give me £350 credit balance back, jacking up the direct debit to obscene levels, etc.

*******s.

presumably you are talking about gas sales?

 

[Mickymoody]

Maybe they had a previous obligation to 'sort out' any issues, as they installed it origionally, and all other installers were aware of that? Deregulation is chaos, especially when all the companies team up, and say we'll cherry pick this, that and the other. Don't be naive.

 

[Burnerman]

I'm not sure in which context this comment is meant, but the scenario that I was faced with was fairly serious in my opinion.....an apartment worth say £225K with no way of heating it other than an electric combi boiler didn't seem ideal - but indeed this is the way that at least one other owner has gone.
No matter, although the first BG chap that arrived didn't know which way to go, he did call out the artillery who eventually sorted everything for me.
I could understand that other firms wouldn't want the job because maybe they'd been asked to work in this building before - but at least a courtesy call would have sorted that!
Anyway, quality work and boiler and a Dad all calmed down...priceless!
John

 

[foxhole]

I think other firms would feel embarrassed at charging 5 grand for a replacement boiler.

 

[Burnerman]

The price wasn't, and isn't, ever an issue....the fact is, 3 other firms (small, medium and largish, all in this area) didn't even have the courtesy to get back to me at all - never mind even to estimate.
BG sorted everything, including the listed buildings people and the owners of the property below and to the side.
The scaffolders had to use a cherry picker to get their gear up there and carried it over the roof (which also included closing the access road for a couple of hours).
So, when the apartment was initially faced with no possibility of a gas boiler, you maybe can imagine how I was feeling.....
I have had no previous dealings with BG at all - but they got my vote this time.
John

 

[Lincsbodger]

I have had no previous dealings with BG at all - but they got my vote this time.
John

dont worry, they'll soon revert to form...........

 

[Gasman28]

I have had no previous dealings with BG at all - but they got my vote this time.
John

dont worry, they'll soon revert to form...........

If Burnerman and his Dad are happy with the way BG conducted themselves and the outcome is satisfaction all round, why not leave it there? Not everyone that works for BG is a numpty, there are some really good engineers that work there. Naturally enough, the same as in many other jobs / walks of life, there are others that spoil BG 's reputation. Unless of course, you happen to know better?

 

[Nige F]

I'm not sure in which context this comment is meant, No matter, although the first BG chap that arrived didn't know which way to go, he did call out the artillery
John

Ah the Artillery ... They`d be the ones that can`t make a hole through a wall - in another flat in the block where my sis. in law lives - with a core drill without ballsing it up and smearing a load of red coloured pug round about the rubber shroud Looks like a tom`s gob after a bad night WTF would those clowns do if they had to do it with lump hammer and chisel - off a ladder - and measure from inside to out Nothing changes . they are just Monkeys with paper certificates Gas Safe maybe . they know F.A. else about buildings

 

[Nige F]

[

 

[Burnerman]

I seem to have stirred up a wasps nest here - that wasn't my intention at all.
Anyway, after the first BG man arrived and said he didn't know what to propose, he gave me the number of someone much higher up.....I called him and asked for a site visit.
He arrived on time, asked for the details of the people who could stand in the way of the job and he contacted them on my behalf. This is what I meant by the artillery!
The job got done over a couple of days, and the quality of the work is good. Two guys attended, were extremely professional (remember, old man hovering nearby with face like Victor Meldrew - without the humour).
At the end of the day, my apartment has retained its value, and replacement boilers in the future won't be an issue.
Happy Burner.
John