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30 January, 2008

British Gas Homecare

No they don't!
No really, British Gas don't actually give two hoots about their customers and here is why:-

In early November 2007 my central heating decided that in line with the current fashion it too would take up the drums. It started just on the snare drum but soon progressed to a full kit with a lovely bass drum thumping along.
Having been a member of a band I know what its like with these drummers, they don't stop until they are made to so I picked up the phone and called British Gas; I foolishly have a Homecare agreement with them.
They booked an engineer in for a couple of days later. On the day of the engineer visit they called and said sorry we can't get the engineer to you and re-booked for the following day.

The next day I got a call, "Sorry the engineer can't get to you this morning can we make it the afternoon?" "Ok" I agreed. Two minutes later the phone went "Hi it's the British Gas Engineer Ill be with you in 20 minutes" "Um, good , but your office just told me you can't make it" Oh well.
The Engineer arrived and tried to fix the boiler, he added some chemical and said it might work otherwise they would have to fit a new part.
The boiler took up the bagpipes as well as the drums and started wheezing and groaning as well as drumming.

A month later I called British Gas Homecare. I asked them to send me the engineer with the new part. (What I really needed was a Band Master familiar with unruly pipe and drum bands.) They booked a time.
They phoned on the day and cancelled and re-booked. The engineer came. "Have you got the new part?" " No" "Why not" "I spoke to the other engineer he told me what the problem is" The engineer checked the system again. "Yes it needs a new part"
Well as is everything in life that we "insure" the new part is not covered by my agreement but at least the fitting is so it saves on labour costs. I signed the form in early December.
In January I got a letter, "Sorry we are really busy we will "upgrade" your heating when we have an engineer in the area".
I phoned them, It's not an upgrade! I explained how the pipe and drum core are driving me mad and as I pay for a service when they feel like it is not really on. They sent me another copy of the same letter.
I phoned them "Please can I speak with the woman in Customer Service who sent me the 2 letters?" "No sorry but we can email them" .

I waited, I phoned , I asked to speak the Customer Service, I could not this time because it was after 5pm.

I phoned the next morning, I asked to speak to Customer Service, "You can't but I can email them" "No I want to speak to them" "Hold on please" "I'm sorry I have just spoken to them and they are refusing to speak to you, I can't believe this either, Ill give you the address to write to and complain".
I got a call yesterday, from British Gas to tell me that they can't come and fix my boiler until at least March. I told the woman she must be joking, she agreed that it was bad and she arranged to have someone call me before 9am today. It is now 10am.
Oh well come on boiler, a little more on the bass drum, bring up the pipes, lets try Hyland Cathedral this time, I like that one.

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