Overcharged by Gas Engineer - help ?

Tell British Gas and let them fight it.

 

This is part of the reason why so many people want to do more and more themselves when they are being ripped off by rogue trades people. Especially gas or electrical certified, it's like they can charge what they like because they have a license to.

Shame you don't have a Ring doorbell where you can prove to BG how long he was really there for.

 

Did they replace the whole actuator or just the electrical/body bit?

 

He’s probably started the clock when he turned up and left it running while he went off to get parts. It’s that’s part of terms and conditions then that’s the deal...

 

As ERG are a fairly large company I would be surprised if their vans don’t have trackers fitted. They know how long he was there and are trying to rip BG off, ultimately ripping the customer off!

 

How much for the actuator? £110+VAT is a rip off. Even at SF they are only £60++ and probably cheaper elsewhere, maybe £50++ of so

 

Prob had 1 on van and parked round the corner

 

Scandalous.

 

As said above, let BG know this and let them decide what to do about it. Rip-offs happen all day every day, and we usually let them happen without a thought. Just because this one was a bit closer to home you suddenly feel the urge to set the world to rights! Good luck with that! Life's too short to take on other peoples' problems.

 

They're saying that you cannot prove that he was there for such a short time. I would ask them to prove that he was there for as long as he claims.

 

Ask then to prove his attendance times. The invoice will show when he purchased the item and if the charge was "immediate" and initiated by him there will be a time stamp on that too.

As a company they should be investigating him themselves anyway for "slow work". He will only have changed the head on the valve and that is only a 15minute job ... so the company should be asking him why it took so long.

 

Playing devils advocate here but any chance the contracted out company have a 3 hour call out or minimum term policy. If not, it’s totally disgraceful and BG should do something about it in my opinion.

 

Regardless of policy, £800+ charge to fit a valve is ludicrous. Even if he had to drain the system which he clearly didn't in the time scale, it still would be extortion; Like others have said, it's a £60 part, and what plumber wouldn't have one on board the van?


Find the exact part number of what he fitted and look up the price, and insist that BG look into it; Your premium is based on these cowboy charges!!!

 

So, SF full price is £72 inc, and probably less for a PlumbFix member, so well under the £110++ (£132) they are ripping off from you/BG.

And at £189/hour - I would expect him to have a chauffeur.

 

Check Pimlico Plumbers rates: they are listed on line.

 

Pimlico - £110/hour for heating, the OP was charged £189 per "claimed hour" or £563 for a one hour minimum attendance.

 

That's the cheapest rate: highest is £220 and all plus VAT. My point was that these apparently ridiculous (perhaps scrub "apparently") rates are more common than we'd like.

As to the time then you have to take time to travel to site, time on site, time to go get bit, time to fit and time back to base. All of that time he is not able to charge anyone else.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's a rip off too!!