viessmann annual service and plumber costs

[ianmcd]

By the way, how much would you charge for this service given the information you have so far?

Sorry OP I come on here to advise people and sometimes other engineers on problems that they have with their boilers as I have over 35 years experience of maintaining boilers and I am sorry but its not a compare prices site, the only advice I can give is that you seem to have a very decent lad there who is not ripping you off and in London that is a godsend so stop moaning about his prices

 

[masamune]

in London that is a godsend so stop moaning about his prices

Sounds like a stereotyped mindset about tradesmen and people who live anywhere near London. Nothing to do with moaning, you make a ludicrous assumption without a position based on factual information.

As a homeowner it is only prudent and reasonable to question the price and services I receive in order to make the best decision. In the same way the plumber can set out the costs for their services in what serves their business interests and profit margin. It is up to the competition and other defining factors to decide who is right for me. At the end of the day I may simply not need such an expensive plumber for servicing.

Save the acrimonious comments.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Good luck with the next guy. I sense he might need it.

がんばろう

 

[masamune]

I will ask for his accountant contact details before calling him out

信じられない...

 

[Doggit]

But Inhibitor is rarely used in Germany. Seems they don't have dirty systems there.

I read somewhere that the Germans use steel pipe, not copper, so that would explain why they don't use inhibitor.

And Masumane, you need to have a chat with the engineer, and explain your concerns to him. The thing to do first is shop around and then tell the engineer that times are hard, and if he's open to a compromise, then you'll be happy to keep using him, but you have every right to say that you're a bit surprised at the unexpected high charge for the inhibitor, when you know the cost of it, and the time it took him.

He may get uptight and walk away, or he'll show he's reasonable, and work with you, but any sensible tradesman learns to discuss costs with the client first, and not just present an invoice and expect to get called back. He should have informed you of the price rise when you called him out, and he should have advised you of the need for the inhibitor and the cost before he used it - that's professionalism, and most people will happily pay for that.

 

[Aquaheat]

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/forum-rules-general-info.19448/

 

[Doggit]

So as a prudent and reasonable homeowner who is just questioning the price of the service he receives

If you think more carefully about what the OP wrote, you might just understand that it's not so much querying prices, as wondering about how other tradesman go about charging their clients for work, without first verifying they they'll be happy with what gets done or charged, no matter what the final price is. If I ring that garage for a car service, they'll tell me the cost of the service and what's going to be done, and they'll ring me to advise me of anything outside the original remit, and then discuss the revised price - neither of which the engineer in question did.

And there are a lot more things discussed on this site than just DIY

 

[Aquaheat]

If you think more carefully about what the OP wrote, you might just understand that it's not so much querying prices, as wondering about how other tradesman go about charging their clients for work, without first verifying they they'll be happy with what gets done or charged, no matter what the final price is. If I ring that garage for a car service, they'll tell me the cost of the service and what's going to be done, and they'll ring me to advise me of anything outside the original remit, and then discuss the revised price - neither of which the engineer in question did.

And there are a lot more things discussed on this site than just DIY

Correct and there are other sections for that. If they want prices or quotes maybe put it in trade talk section. This is for those that require help with projects not a shopping around forum.

 

[DaveHerns]

Best thing to do would be to get a BG contract......

 

[Dan Robinson]

 

[Agile]

Customer called BG to deal with a leaking PRV vent, they came and it was still leaking afterwards. They sent someone else who stopped it for a day. But its dripping again now.

 

[ollski]

Customer called BG to deal with a leaking PRV vent, they came and it was still leaking afterwards. They sent someone else who stopped it for a day. But its dripping again now.

Tony you have an awful lot of your customers on Bg contracts

 

[Agile]

Tony you have an awful lot of your customers on Bg contracts

Only three that I can think of.

Leaking one is a system that is in a mess and I told her husband that I did not want to keep repairing it. But since he died recently, I have been a little more helpful to her.

I will probably go and sort it out for her as BG have not got very far with it. Very difficult access in mini loft with maxi UV horizontal tank in there.

 

[masamune]

If you think more carefully about what the OP wrote, you might just understand that it's not so much querying prices, as wondering about how other tradesman go about charging their clients for work, without first verifying they they'll be happy with what gets done or charged, no matter what the final price is. If I ring that garage for a car service, they'll tell me the cost of the service and what's going to be done, and they'll ring me to advise me of anything outside the original remit, and then discuss the revised price - neither of which the engineer in question did.

And there are a lot more things discussed on this site than just DIY

Spot on!

I don't suppose you are a plumber by profession are you?

 

[Agile]

I have to say that I would top up inhibitor using the Magnaclean and not charge anything significant extra for doing that as it only takes a couple of minutes when cleaning the filter anyway.

I don't understand what he did "poking a tube" into the boiler! It was obviously not as simple as that. But an odd way when there is a Magnaclean available.

Tony