Trying it on

Thanks British Gas. 

You gain access to my property on the pretext of fitting smart meters.

 Your git of a fitter (they're not engineers) first walks muddy boots across a new carpet.

He then starts to deliver a sale pitch based on getting me to agree to having my perfectly good boiler serviced.

No thanks! You're here to change meters - not do business.

Then he tries some scare tactics on what might happen if the boiler isn't serviced.

No! thANKS!

But if it isn't serviced it might go wrong, and you'll need a new one.

No! 

Ok then. Fine. It's your house.

Really?

I discover after he has gone, this little item tucked into my boiler.

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 WtF!

So whose house and boiler is it? 

Bloody cheek. Apart from the item being none of their damn business, the message is unproven and unenforceable.

How many people have had this applied to them? 

Gain access, suggest a service, sort of discover a problem, scare into having  an entire new system fitted.

 Rant over!

 

🙂

Comments

  • Report this to ofgen . this is bullying. I had the same thing with the position of an air brick. Told me my whole house was at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, and left a sticker saying " unsafe to use" on the gas boiler. He only wanted to drill a ruddy great hole on the wall!!

  • We had exactly the same a few years ago with our old boiler and British Gas ... stuck a similar little  yellow sign on it saying "Do Not Use" and left a hand written scribbled note as to why, then burgered off. (It transpires the regulations had changed and the cubic capacity of our air brick was no longer sufficient for our particular boiler (the very same boiler it had be adequately venting for the past 30 years !!) .

    End result : Switched to another supplier, new boiler fitted by local corgi engineer, and two chuffin' big idiot dogs trained to attack British Gas insignia on sight !!  

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭

    I've always had good experiences with Scottish Gas - usually they say "I need to tell you this but it's up to you if you ignore it" on things like new regulations for venting (our outside vent pipe is apparently 3cm too short, so they have to leave a note saying it's not compliant, but apparently it's fine). The also pointed out that our CO monitor was out of date, said they could sell me one for £30, but that B&Q sold perfectly good ones for £20.

    They did once leave one of those signs on our gas fire, but it wasn't working due to the solenoid having given up the ghost and it being an obsolete part, so we couldn't use it anyway. A bit of arse covering in case your house blows up and your relatives sue them because they were out last week and didn't pick up a fault.

    But you should get your boiler serviced regularly. Just not by them........image

     

     

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    I'm still waiting for a reply to BG's complaints dept. I know they or more likely something has read the email.

    🙂

  • I had smart meters fitted, no problem but given my boiler is regularly serviced and i have a CO2 monitor I guess there shouldn't be

    im fairly sure that BG have a duty of care to inform you, should anything go drastically wrong then tney could be held accountable if they hadn't told you ..

    cant see the issue myself

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    The issue is, my gas boiler is none of their business.

    How could anything go wrong for which they BG could be held accountable? All they did was change a gas meter outside.

    Are the general public so litigious that they wait until experts cross their path before blaming them for something which should have been their own responsibility?

    If a discovery had been made, then fair enough. It wasn't - assuming they checked, which I doubt. 

    They did suggest a CO2 meter which I sourced the following day. It hasn't gone off.

    I don't like being told what to do at the best of times, but especially in my own house - and in writing!

     

    🙂

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    RicF wrote (see)

    Are the general public so litigious that they wait until experts cross their path before blaming them for something which should have been their own responsibility?

     

    Sadly, yes............................

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Ok, I've calmed down.

    I decided to dig a little deeper into the ways and means of this business, and this is what I found.

    Basically 'it's the law' which forces the hand of gas fitter/engineers when it involves warning notices.

    British Gas themselves stated their fitters "were within their rights" to leave a warning notice. This was poor use of language when they should simply said it was a legal requirement.

    If they had said that - I wouldn't have reacted and typed...

    The issue is - any gas appliance not serviced by an official corgi registered gas engineer within 12 months is automatically given the yellow notice. It's classified as an 'at risk'. It might be ok - but it hasn't been proven to be.

    If the gas boiler is discovered to be actually dangerous, the notices go on, and the consumer is asked if the appliance be turned off.

    That's only a courtesy question, because if the consumer refuses to the request - the gas is simply cut off at source. It's a legal requirement.

    The issue of the guys drumming up business off the back of visits like this, is another matter. It must piss off private installers everywhere since they can't use the "installation of smart meters" as a means of gaining access.

    That aside, I got £30 off BG for mucking up the carpet.  And to prove I don't bear a grudge and let bygones be bygones - I changed my supplier. Or rather my wife did. 

    She doesn't forgive, she doesn't forget. Hard case.

     

    🙂

  • I'm with you on this RicF. If BG have the legal right to enter your house to fit a smart meter, then they shouldnt be permitted to use this as an opportunity to cross-sell another product, especially on the basis of 'what might happen' if you don't agree to the cross sell. I'm sure the fitter will be on commission.

    To use an anology, it's like being pulled over by the Police, and being recommended that he also does a quick MOT at the same time! It's an abuse of power IMO.

  • I had my smart meter fitted by British gas a couple of months ago and had none of that hassle...

    didnt try to sell me anything.cant remember him even mentioning the boiler...or a CO2 meter...

    All he asked for was use of one of the electric points so they could do their standard tests that there was no issues...

    Mind you if their test showed that their was a fault anywhere in the electric system or in the gas boiler or gas system then they would surely be negligent of they didnt inform you

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    The law does seem up to speed on the gas boiler installation front.

    It's against the law to play 'gas fitter' unless qualified.

     

    🙂

  • with gas there is no messing nowadays......

    our neighbour wanted the joint chimney between the houses taken down and blocked. We agreed and the builder was doing it and then they noticed we had a gas fire attached to teh chimney. We hadnt used it for 15 years since the boys were young and wouldnt dream of using it now.

    But before the job could be done we had to get a certified gas fitter out to actually disconnect it from the gas...and give us the paperwork to prove it

  • Thanks for this post. I have BG booked in the new year for a meter change to look forward to.



    It's CO though. Not CO2 which is relatively harmless gas making up 0.04% of the air we breath in and 4% of the air we breath out.
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    You are correct LS.

    My alarms are for smoke and for Carbon Monoxide (CO). 

    I must have been thinking of something else when I typed CO2 - probably too much CO2 still in my system.

    I must learn to breath out better.

    🙂

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