SURVEY REVEALS CUSTOMERS RIPPED OFF BY ENGINEERS

Sep 4 2011 Sunday Sun

GAS boiler engineers are ripping off customers by failing to carry out basic checks and suggesting unnecessary repairs, it has been claimed.

Which? carried out an undercover investigation when they asked 10 engineers to service a boiler that had been tampered with.

A lead had been disconnected – a simple task that should have taken five minutes to identify and correct.

Experts using hidden cameras watched as the engineers, some from big businesses and some independent operators, carried out the work.

A spokesman for Which? said the results made for disappointing reading.

She said: “Two of the independent engineers failed to spot the basic fault and recommended up to £500 worth of unnecessary work. One suggested getting a brand new boiler – which costs an average of £2,459.

“The British Gas engineer did a thorough job but not until the third scheduled visit. The customer wasted almost seven hours waiting for the boiler to be fixed – nobody turned up for the first appointment because of a mix up despite the customer paying in advance while the second engineer refused to service the boiler because of the fault.

“Where there was no servicing contract in place the price charged varied from £10 to £130.”

Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said the attitude exposed by the investigation was inexcusable.

He said: “Registered gas engineers should provide a professional service at a fair price, so it’s inexcusable when corners are cut, faults missed and people are ripped off.

“People should ask their friends and family for recommendations when choosing an engineer and get quotes from different suppliers to get the best deal.

“If you feel you’ve been overcharged, report the engineer to the Gas Safe Register, who should take action for you.”

Which? has shared its findings with the Gas Safe Register, formerly Corgi, which is carrying out further investigations.

Four of the 10 engineers failed to carry out all the basic checks that should be included in a good boiler service:

a thorough visual inspection

checking the operating pressure, heat input or if necessary both – these tests require a gauge

checking the ventilation as well as the effectiveness of the flue

ensuring the boiler is safe, for instance by checking safety devices.

Which? said complaints about boilers are common with a survey of members this year showing that 46% of owners who bought a boiler after April 2005 have experienced some kind of fault.

A spokesman said: “Not all of these faults required a repair. In fact the most frequent problem, a blocked drainage pipe, suffered by 11% of owners, is actually a problem caused by poor installations.

“However, as it’s such a fundamental domestic appliance, you might want to consider taking out a boiler maintenance contract.”

They said another common problem was a frozen condensate pipe in cold weather.

Experts suggest using warm, but not boiling, water to unfreeze the pipe’s contents. This is only a temporary fix if the weather remains cold.

If the pipe is at a shallow angle or very narrow, it may need to be re-installed. The larger and more vertical the pipe is, the better.