Plumber refusing to show guarantee conditions until I pay up

[Dereekoo]

I live in Tokyo and she ordered it when it broke - took me some days to book a flight. Reel your neck in.

Sounds like an independent lady, boiler broke, shall I ring/text/e mail my son for advice/assistance/help, nah I'll just get on and sort by the time he's booked a plane and got here it will be up and running.

 

[Elsa TLC]

They are gas safe registered and Oftec accredited, but this tactic of leveraging payment from an 85 year old is dodgy. It may have something to do with the fact that the boiler and fitting cost over £3,000 and that's about a grand more than I would have expected for her house size.

Hello Steve

I agree with Notch. It is unfortunate that your not able to keep an eye on your mothers interests.
I give my customers a 2 year guarantee on any of the parts I supply on top of the 10 year manufacturer warranty.

I understand the Installer. We put alot of trust in our customers, this comes with worry. As you have the goods on the wall and working, and we haven't yet been paid.

What does he do if an 85 year old lady living alone doesn't pay him?
Honestly what can he do?

Living in Tokyo i can only imagine your on a good salary/wage.
How would you honestly know if this job is a £1000 over the top?

Is it a good Installation or a bad Installation?

Any good installers are worth their money.

Maybe give the fella a call and voice your concerns and hopefully if he's any good, he will put your mind at rest.

 

[gas112]

They are gas safe registered and Oftec accredited, but this tactic of leveraging payment from an 85 year old is dodgy. It may have something to do with the fact that the boiler and fitting cost over £3,000 and that's about a grand more than I would have expected for her house size. As an option they offered her one for £4,000 too and that's just pulling wool over an older persons eyes.


Can't see any download and only a sentence in the T&Cs; (removed).


It was completed yesterday and I got the invoice 10 minutes later but no documents, certificates or guarantee papers - they want the payment first.

you wouldnt get the documents straight away anyway manufactures and gas safe take a few weeks to send them out ...Heaven forbid someone actually wanting payment on completion of the job .

 

[Old Salt]

I am not a plumber or heating engineer but I don't think its unreasonable to forward the paperwork once the payment has been received. If your happy with the installation, as already suggested, ring the guy up and explain your situation and concerns and pay the man.

At the moment he could come round and take it back out because I bet the T&C’s say its his property until paid for!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Have you paid him yet?

Andy

 

[Steve Beahan]

Have you paid him yet?

Andy

I paid the invoice to the company A&D plumbing services not the engineer himself - that was nearly 2 days ago and I still have no details of the guarantee or the user manual, but I did get an offer for a chemical power flush for £625.

 

[dilalio]

A&D plumbing services

Oh god! Not them!

 

[Elsa TLC]

I paid the invoice to the company A&D plumbing services not the engineer himself - that was nearly 2 days ago and I still have no details of the guarantee or the user manual, but I did get an offer for a chemical power flush for £625.

Now I'm with you on this. This information should have ben made available with details before work started.

 

[dilalio]

Now I'm with you on this. This information should have ben made available with details before work started.

Maybe it was!
Original contact was made by someone else (OP's mum). Who knows what was asked and what wasn't?
As a company rather than sole trader, I'd usually expect there to have been more formal paperwork involved than the ad hoc text messages I usually send and receive, prior to starting work!

 

[Elsa TLC]

Maybe it was!
Original contact was made by someone else (OP's mum). Who knows what was asked and what wasn't?
As a company rather than sole trader, I'd usually expect there to have been more formal paperwork involved than the ad hoc text messages I usually send and receive, prior to starting work!

For small jobs I'll often use a text message to get the ball rolling with urgent jobs.

But a written estimate/quote covers the me and gives my customers information and peace of mind on bigger jobs.

I include a powerflush with every boiler replacement, regardless.

 

[Steve Beahan]

For small jobs I'll often use a text message to get the ball rolling with urgent jobs.

But a written estimate/quote covers the me and gives my customers information and peace of mind on bigger jobs.

I include a powerflush with every boiler replacement, regardless.

That's interesting. I'm not a plumber but wouldn't it be sensible to do a power flush before considering replacing a boiler? My mum called them because the boiler went off and she couldn't start the pilot again. But they arrived with a bill for a deposit and gave here two or three replacement boiler options without any checks on the old boiler.

Oh god! Not them!

Please tell me more. I'd never heard of them before.

 

[Elsa TLC]

That's interesting. I'm not a plumber but wouldn't it be sensible to do a power flush before considering replacing a boiler? My mum called them because the boiler went off and she couldn't start the pilot again. But they arrived with a bill for a deposit and gave here two or three replacement boiler options without any checks on the old boiler.

In an ideal world..... Yes

I consider myself a good installer. I'm not as good at fixing boilers as I am fitting them.

I'm of the opinion that flogging an old nackered horse is unfair to the horse and its hard on my wrists.
So don't spend good money on a boiler that served you well and now needs to retire.


However ...
in the past I've suggested power flushing the old horse first as it can breath new life into a system and the horse if that horse produces some heat, all the better
Heat is not essential but does help for a better powerflush..

It's a no looser (ish) as I would powerflush anyway when installing a new boiler.

It's worked for me and my customers on 2 or 3 times I can think of.

But on the other hand the old boiler needed a new PCB (let's say) and an engineer replaced that PCB and charged £300. Would you then be happy if 3 weeks later the fan gives up and says its had enough.... would you be happy spending another £250? Then there's always the chance of
the gas valve has plans to retire

Would you not feel that £550 is better spent on a boiler with a 10year warranty?

I explain all this to a customer and in the case of an old lady I suggest we bring her children in on the conversation as I don't like anyone thinking I've done them wrong.

I'm in the process now of pricing a shower room conversion for a man in his mid 80s.

Today I'll take a folder with an estimate and computer generated pictures of my ideas for his conversion. I ask him for his sons phone number who lives 200 miles away on a boat. I'll then bring him into the decision making.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Oh god! Not them!

Please tell me more. I'd never heard of them before.

彼はあなたをからかっていると思う

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That's interesting. I'm not a plumber but wouldn't it be sensible to do a power flush before considering replacing a boiler?

If a power flush were needed - then yes, absolutely. Much depends upon the condition of the system, and how well the system has been maintained. A well looked after system, might simply need to be drained down, boiler fitted, then refilled.

The last thing a new boiler needs, is lots of debris being flushed into it, via power flush.

 

[Elsa TLC]

If a power flush were needed - then yes, absolutely. Much depends upon the condition of the system, and how well the system has been maintained. A well looked after system, might simply need to be drained down, boiler fitted, then refilled.

The last thing a new boiler needs, is lots of debris being flushed into it, via power flush.

If the said horse is dead then I have fitted the new boiler before the powerflush and used it to generate heat. However I will never powerflush through a new boiler.