Have British Gas (BG) recommended a good heating system for me.

[Phil L]

Is this the same british gas that installed a new gas meter in my mums house a few years ago, resulting in the house filling with gas? - the nut's were not even finger tight, how the house didn't end up several hundred feet away i do not know, the transco chaps who came out at midnight said that the connecting nuts were the wrong size, so instead of the BG bloke doing something about it at the time (early morning), he just went home and left it.

or is it the same british gas that charge £300 per year for ch cover (included as you mention above, even though it's not specifically requested) and then refuse to do any work on the system once it reaches a few years old?

[Huge]

Irrelevant. I wouldn't use BG if they were the cheapest, because they are incompetent, lying, cheating scum.

Or the same BG that installed (*) a heating system in a house we owned using stainless steel pipework, then refused to service it because of the very same SS pipe they had installed? (* Before we bought it.)

Or perhaps the same BG who, when we last moved house, despite my very carefully reading the meter, tried to charge me GBP260 (about 4 years gas consumption), even though we were on one of their direct debit arrangements, and refused to even consider that they might be at fault?

I'd rather go cold and live on salad than buy anything from that bunch of shysters. We don't have mains gas now, and I don't miss it.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's good to see someone being loyal to their company no matter how misguided they are in fact.

[Owain]

Or the same BG who tried to charge me about £500 a month on an estimated bill "based on an average for my neighbourhood" - like I'm going to use the same amount of gas as the chinese restaurant or the community centre next door.

Or the same BG who told me I was moving house and used the downstairs flat's meter reading to prove it.

Or the same BG who passed as safe what a reputable and rather whey-faced CORGI described as the worst job he'd ever seen and he was surprised I hadn't died from CO poisoning.

Owain

[nickbates1]

no its not, transco change meters not british gas. boiler care is not =A3300 per year its =A314 per month. for =A3 300 you get plumbing drainage AND central heating care AND electrical cover (parts and labour included)... refuse to do any work ! , now thats not true and you know it. and as for your comment about homecare being included but not requested, let me ask you this, if you bought a car and they gave you a free 10000 mile service that you did not ask for....... would you complain????

[Phil L]

It's not free, it's worked into the price. and in any case, where do you think transco sprang up from? - they just split the company down the middle and named the donkey work side of it 'transco', same people, different overalls. And i know people who have paid into this scheme since boiler was new and BG refuse to repair anything over a few years old, with the old line, 'this boiler's not up to today's standards luv, but i can get you a quote for a new one', which is usually a few grand, needless to say, the customers cancel their cover, ring a competent plumber who repairs it for ninety quid and they continue getting HW & CH for many years, but by this time, BG have ripped them for hundreds

[nickbates1]

so you know "some" people who may have had that happen, is that a fair representation of the entire customer base of british gas ??. i know "some" people who have boilers that are 15yrs old and still being repaired by british gas so that kind of negates your argument.

[Andy Hall]

During which time, with the charges paid to the BG chocolate biscuit fund, they could have replaced the boiler three times over.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, I'm not in the trade, but personally know of three people who were told - falsely - that their boiler was too old to get spares for while being under one of their service contracts.

[Bob Eager]

And I know of one...me.

[Frank Erskine]

Me too, when I had a Thorn Olympic boiler a few years ago.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

So hardly a rare occurrence. Perhaps Mr Bates would pass it on to his management for comment.

[nickbates1]

certainly will , although i work for trading standards not british gas.

[Ed Sirett]

It is possible as I see it that you are seeing the worst of the nonBG gas fitters as part of your work. This may give you a skewed view.

Likewise I'm seeing the customers who are displeased with BG and have come looking for an alternative so I may also be getting a differently skewed view.