General Chat

For the gas boiler service person to arrive......
I'm getting bored....
They were due at 10am on 6 December.
I phoned at 11am - he'd be here by 12.
When he hadn't arrived by 3.45, I went out. Arrived home at 5.15, to find a message on my phone telling me he wasn't coming!!!
What a surprise!!

E-mailed council - gas boiler servicers are contracted by them. Received an apologietic letter saying that they're meant to phone if they can't make it.
Fat lot of good that is if:
a) they don't bother ringing
b) when I call them I'm given flannel
c) I've already taken the day off work!!

Made another appointment for 10am this morning - just looked at their confirmation letter - they have it at 10.30am.
Hmmmm - doesn't look too good - left hand doesn't seem to know what right hand is doing.....

I'm also not meant to smoke an hour before they arrive, or whilst they're here......
.......well, unless they want to be confronted by the dragon from hell when/if they arrive, I think I'm within my rights to start now!!!

....it IS 10th January isn't it?

they did this to my mum, she had been having headaches so it annoyed me even more as it could have been leaking carbon monoxide for all they new , hope u get it sorted soon , they were ringing a 86 yr old in the next bungalow to say why they couldnt make it when they did bother and sending her to mums , council had mums number xx

Just had a phone call to inform me the man's running late.
What a surprise! Seems odd to be over an hour late so early in the morning.
Should be here within the hour (I won' t hold my breath)
I hope they're informing those with appointments around 4 that they won't make it.

Perhaps the firm should employ a few more plumbers!!

Pusser, if I'd have been your mum, I would have said I thought there was carbon monoxide leaking.

Didn't you have this trouble before Maggie?

Try and get yourself on the "At Risk List" for elderly or disabled people.**M**.

Hi Chris - yes on Monday 6 December.

Still no-one here. Perhaps 10.00am is their morning break and they regularly 'don't bother' with that appointment!!

I'm already composing an e-mail to send to both the company and the Council - even if he DOES turn up now.
I want an assurance that nobody who had an appointment after me was seen (no I'm not really paranoid! lol)
I contacted the council last time, as I couldn't find an address for the company. The council sent me a letter of apology with the relevant e-mail..

The company then sent a letter with a new date (which I had to change)indicating that the council had contacted them, (so they know I'm not going to take this lying down) 0h, and informing me that the service was a legal requirement!!!

Hi Merlin, I'm neither elderly nor disabled - I work and have had another day of precious leave stolen from me!
There's nothing wrong with the boiler (as far as I know) - it's just a routine service.

It is a legal requirement and isnt it funny ....if you dont get it done they can break into your home to get to their boiler!!!!!

Just as anticipated - no engineer!!!

Hi Kemp,
I didn't realise they could break in!
It's also a legal contract between the council and the boiler people, with me paying through my rent!!
I've fulfilled my side of the contract - twice.
Have composed an e-mail that I will send tomorrow (when I've calmed down and had someone proof read it in case, in my blind rage I've sworn) suggesting either
a) I get my own engineer in and charge it to Kinetics (the firm employed to service the boilers - avoid them if you can) or
b) take unpaid leave next time and they reinburse me the monies I've lost.

I've pointed out that I can't get a neighbour in - we all work, and anyway, no-one wants to hang around my house all day waiting for the non-appearance of an engineer!!
Oh - and I NEVER leave keys 'to be found'.

You could contact the Health and Safety dept if this service is overdue. They might put a bomb under the firm. I have found this can work wonders.

Maggie, I am not sure about this but lurking at the back of my mind is something that says if you have to take time off and you tell them and they don't turn up you can sue them for the money lost. Or maybe that is if you have to take unpaid leave? But worth looking into, especially as it has happened twice.

Hi Jean, the service isn't overdue. I used to have it done in February, but the firm slowly, over the years, sidled it back by 4 months - initially this appointment was in November.!!

Hi Ann,
I've found their website - they do compensate, but it appears the money is spent on local 'causes'!!!!
...mutter mumble - I'm a local cause....
I will, however, demand some form of personal recompense.

I could almost understand it if my appointment was for, say 4pm and they had an emergency - but it was for 10.am .
Really p*sses me off that on both occasions I've been told they'll 'be there within the hour' . If they just said he wouldn't be coming, I could have gone to work or done something else apart from hanging around, in the afternoon!!!

Did you have any result from contacting the council?

I only found out they could break in when it was shown on Watchdog !!!
It was British Gas who broke in to a ladies house and she asked Watchdog to look into it
British Gas said they made a mistake as they had lost paperwork saying she had the boiler serviced the year before !!!!!
I cant see what differance that should make ! Spose they thought it hadnt been done for two years

Still no reason not to come to you?
Have they been yet? or given you another pile of excuses for not getting there

As the council is responsible for all their employees and subcontractors , write a letter (everything is better in writing) and claim recompense from them.
Most service firms tell you they will charge you if you don't keep an appointment so the same should apply to them.

"local good causes " probably means they keep the money and they have no right to give "your compensation" to someone else.

It's a sad world now that to get things done you have to hassle them.

Good luck.
Pat

Maggie, this moving the service on a couple of months has happened to us over the years, now I am told that an oil-fired boiler doesnt HAVE to be serviced at any given length of time!

Maggie, send them a Bill for earnings lost because of their Incompetence.**M**.

...the saga continues!!
I wrote a long sarcastic letter to Kinetics, and another one to the council (less sarcastic), but questioning their contractors and pointing out that I no longer had any leave left. (okay that's a lie, but why should I waste my leave on poxy contactors?), but including a copy of the letter to Kinetics.
Posted it on 11 January.
Arrived home on 11 January to find a card. saying the engineer had come, but I (surprisingly) wasn't there!

13th January, came home to find an all singing, all dancing threatening letter stating that I had not allowed the engneer in for my appointments!!
It stated (as Kemp said) that they could reposess the house etc etc!
I was bl**dy fuming!! Not only that - the letter was dated 10 January (the date when no-one turned up, the day before I had apparently not allowed access (due to not having an appointment)
Straight onto the phone to Kinetics.
Apologised to the man (Jason apparently) on the other end of the phone, before I started. Asked him when I had appointments. Apparently I only had an appointment for 11 January. Not 6 December, nor 10 January, but had another one for 21 January (news to me) LOL
Straight onto the computer,letter composed - asking how they could send a threatening letter the day before I (apparently) hadn't let anyone in - mainly because I had no appointment - and finding it a bit spooky that they seem to prepare standard threatening letters the day before an 'offence' had taken place etc etc - okay, probably an admin error - but a very foolish one.
Why did they (conveniently) have no record of the 2 dates (one of which the bloke from the council had confirmed) when I had appointments, only the one where engineer had randomly turned up. Why,if I didn't have an appointment on the 10th , had someone called me to say the engineer would be here 'within the hour'?

Anyway, half way through I phoned my sister, just to confirm I hadn't gone mad,and to read it through to her to make sure no swear words had seeped into it.
Was just finishing the letter, (about 7.30pm) when the phone rang. It was a man on a mobile, who just said 'Hello'. I though it was my ex, (he's 61 today!) so said something suitably cutting in a strange accent, questioning age and his parentage.

...okay..... I said 'Hello you farty old bar steward........


..but it wasn't my ex....


....It was head honcho from the buildings department of the council!! LOL
He was extremely apologetic!
I shouldn't have received the letter etc etc. I tried to be nasty, but he was driving home using a hands-free mobile - and I was still a wee bit embarrassed.....

I told him about the card, the new appointment etc and said I would confirm the appointment today, by e-mail,which I did, but also sent him copies of all the correspondence I had received. plus the letter I had written yesterday (I can't waste a good sarcastic letter), also asked him to make sure the engineer wasn't allergic to cats - that would throw me over the edge, and I can't deal with asthma attacks. (my SIL is allergic to cats - honestly, it's not just an excuse to avoid me LOL)

Anyway head honch (or Steve as he replied to e-mails) has the Clerk of works onto it etc etc - but honestly, 4pm on a Friday?
I know they've usually left by 2.30!!!
'Steve' is also on leave on Friday - it wasn't too easy to avoid saying 'lucky you to have leave left'.

At least I only have to take an afternoon off work....

Today I had a letter from Kinetics with the new appointment on - also stating that I wasn't in when the bloke came on the 11th!!
Must check the time on 11th, apparently it was 12.20. there's no message on my phone saying he would be late - and lunchtime isn't when I'd make an appointment...

I will, of course be claiming compensation once the job is done...