Olly, that us what I am trying to, and did, say. Because BG etc do not do the "remedials", the client is left to make other arrangements. Certainly loading ladders and climbing a roof to clear a terminal are not part pf a standard service, and charges would apply. But I, and I am sure most others, do offer that service. Once a job is started, it is generally only right (IMO) to at least offer to take further steps. BG's T&C's state the extent of the "service", but, frankly, we all know that few people actually read them.
I avoid being a regular BG knocker. We know there will always be differences of opinions on any given job - even here (or on the CC) a fairly simple question can result in a dozen pages! But my advice to not use BG for fire servicing is based on the fact that as soon as a job goes "off track", BG abandon the job and customer, as in this case.
Also, depending in the contract, some are really poor value. When I had a fire shop, every Autumn we would get gas fire sales from disgruntled BG customers. The fire was typically service in the summer, but failed to operate at the start of the heating season. Because the call back period had expired, they were quoted a fee for a repair.The figure generally quoted to us by the client was a touch over £130. I never did discover whether this was for the whole repair, or, as most customers believed, a "call out" charge. They were generally of the belief that their annual fee covered repairs, in the same way as the heating contract did, so were shocked at the extra cost. Often, they talked themselves into ditching the fire and buying a new one.
Now, even I do not necessarily provide free repairs ages after a service, but I would listen to the problem, and depending on the issue, may rectify free of charge, or at a severely reduced rate - particularly if the issue was at the start of the season. I do appreciate, though, that this approach is difficult for a big company. Doing the contract work, I did find that some contracts included on going repairs, but the whole picture is confusing.
OP: Find a local guy registered for fires AND has experience of maintaining and repairing them. Before strippiong flues, have him retest the fire. If he
I avoid being a regular BG knocker. We know there will always be differences of opinions on any given job - even here (or on the CC) a fairly simple question can result in a dozen pages! But my advice to not use BG for fire servicing is based on the fact that as soon as a job goes "off track", BG abandon the job and customer, as in this case.
Also, depending in the contract, some are really poor value. When I had a fire shop, every Autumn we would get gas fire sales from disgruntled BG customers. The fire was typically service in the summer, but failed to operate at the start of the heating season. Because the call back period had expired, they were quoted a fee for a repair.The figure generally quoted to us by the client was a touch over £130. I never did discover whether this was for the whole repair, or, as most customers believed, a "call out" charge. They were generally of the belief that their annual fee covered repairs, in the same way as the heating contract did, so were shocked at the extra cost. Often, they talked themselves into ditching the fire and buying a new one.
Now, even I do not necessarily provide free repairs ages after a service, but I would listen to the problem, and depending on the issue, may rectify free of charge, or at a severely reduced rate - particularly if the issue was at the start of the season. I do appreciate, though, that this approach is difficult for a big company. Doing the contract work, I did find that some contracts included on going repairs, but the whole picture is confusing.
OP: Find a local guy registered for fires AND has experience of maintaining and repairing them. Before strippiong flues, have him retest the fire. If he
