Hi Greenbean

I'm really sorry you've been made to wait for such a long time for your boiler to be fixed. Sounds like a nightmare.

Not sure what the full details are from our side. However, I would be happy to pass this on to my colleagues in our Property Services division so they can investigate and advise.

Drop an email with your details to the address in my Biography if you would like me to do this.

Malc

Hi,

My intention is not to sue Eon but by reminding them of their own terms and conditions, get them to hurry up and fix my boiler. Yes I agree in the first instance luke warm water and heating is not an emergency however now with no hot water as their engineer ordered the incorrect parts on the intial visit, yes I am and should be an emergency. It has been 2 weeks since I reported a fault with my boiler and they're not planning on fixing it for another 1 week = 3 weeks for a fix. That is a joke ! We have no hot water now as they ordered the wrong parts and had to isolate either heating ot hot water. I can't do without central heating for sure with 2 small children.

The reason I know the part is £178 plus VAT is because they said they couldn't get the part for 5 days and we found a supplier in minutes who could supply the part that day. So we rang and told them to blame the delay on getting the part is incorrect.

I had previously a boiler breakdown contract with British Gas and have had to call them out before. In all instances they either attended that day or the following day, ordered parts and then fitted them the following day. A 3 day turn around and at no point was I ever in the first instance without hot water or cenral heating (no emergency). I didn't renew as the price had increased dramactically increased and I shopped around and found Eon offering the same (ha) contract for a much lower monthly charge. I plan to cancel my contract straight after they have finally fixed my boiler and contact British Gas immediately to set one up.

Thanks for the practical advice on getting some electric heaters, I will be getting some.

Greenbean:

...I believe they have breached their contract as I should be seen as an emergency customer for 2 reasons - 1. is I have a baby and the other being I have no hot water at all, section 6.3.2....

...Failing to turn up to arranged appointments and arriving several hours late must be a good enough reason for being in breach of contract too...

I said I would give a 2nd opinion on what your reasoned thoughts were on the Terms & Conditions. I agree that having a child under 3 makes you a "Vulnerable Customer". I am less certain whether "lukewarm heating or hot water" satisfies the "no heat or hot water" threshold necessary for a Vulnerable Customer to be eligible for Emergency response.

Subsequently you selected heating over hot-water, therefore you now have no hot water. I believe *probably* that creates an "Emergency" situation, except the delay is now parts availability. (BTW is the "no hot water" heating now "hot" or still "luke warm"?)

I'm puzzled at the reference to £178 + VAT. Are you saying that Eon are requiring you to pay £178 + VAT for the "flow assembly"? What reason have you been given?

I mainly give "practical" advice. In this instance you need to focus focus focus on getting heat and hot-water restored to your home. Given that you are troubled by the £178 you really need to let the current call-out run its course because any alternative will cost considerably more up-front with no guarantee of redress.

If you feel particularly aggrieved and want to pursue a court claim against Eon there is better legal advice on the forum if you change the subject to invite that response. But the wheels of justice will not speed up the current repair.

Again on a practical note (also for the benefit of others), a combi boiler can fail at any time, simultaneously depriving the household of both heat and hot-water. If it happens, particularly in severe cold weather, service organisation response is quite likely to be tardy. A couple of electric heaters are cheap to own (though not to run) and will keep a room or two warm(ish). Hot water is harder unless the home has an electric shower.

The point is the need to "be prepared" and a recognition that breakdown contracts do not "guarantee" restoration of service within a defined timeframe in all cirumstances. Whether that is "breach of contract" is not easy to answer and even harder to enforce. I recall reports of a boiler service organisation being successfully sued. I will seek out the link and edit in.

The flow assembly is the bit that switches hot water to central heating and vice versa. This is what the engineer has told me on the last visit. Apparently the reason I was getting luke warm water and central heating is because this device wasn't working properly the hot water was cutting out and switching off and the same for the central heating.

I believe they have breached their contract as I should be seen as an emergency customer for 2 reasons - 1. is I have a baby and the other being I have no hot water at all, section 6.3.2. Failing to turn up to arranged appointments and arriving several hours late must be a good enough reason for being in breach of contract too.

Greenbean:

Any advice ?

Surely Eon has broke their terms and conditions ?

Who can I report Eon too for their very poor service ?

In answer to the last question - themselves.

In answer to the 2nd question, there are 16 pages of Terms & Conditions, 10 relating to boiler care. I suggest you look them out, and the Schedule, and you determine if you believe any clauses have been breached. If you do that I would be happy to give a 2nd opinion.

Regarding "advice", the most common get-out is that parts suffering from sludge or limescale are not covered either for flushing or replacement. Unfortunately your fault symptoms are consistent with such a fault. (I do not know what is meant by "flow assembly").

You appear to have a "service contract or agreement" which is quite difficult for a lay person to police. I have seen reference recently that these arrangements from some other suppliers (possibly British Gas?) are now "insurance policies". In that case following complaint you could have free recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service that would cost the organisation a hefty case fee regardless of outcome.

I have to say that any complaint would be probably be determined with reference to the Terms & Conditions, which is what you need to do now.

Hi,

I've got a Ideal Mini C35 boiler that has been running luke warm water and luke warm central heating. I rang Eon on 26.2.11 to report the fault and an engineer was arranged for 1.3.11. The engineer turned up 3 hours late, my time slot was 8am - 2pm. No call to advise me of the delay, I rang them.

Parts were ordered and another appointment was booked for 6.3.11 8am - 1pm again. At 10am we had a call from Eon to say the engineer had called in sick and could we rebook. I questioned this so called sickness 2 hours into our time slot and the story then changed to the engineer had to take his daughter to hospital. So they lied, if this is the truth.

Another appointment was then set up for 8.3.11, due to all the problems I was promised a text or call before the engineer arrived as I said I wasn't willing to spend all day sitting in the house again but I'll only be 5 minutes away. No call or text and I returned to my house to find I had missed them by 20 minutes. Again I rang Eon, explained what had happened and they refused to get the engineer back to my property.

Another appointment was then arranged for 10.3.11, he actually arrived early :-O Asked me what the other engineer had found wrong with the boiler as he had put no notes on the system. Once I told he was reluctant the parts ordered would solve the problem.

After spending 2 hours fitting the parts and tinkering the engineer said it needed a flow assembly and it would be a 3 hour job to fit and Eon would be in touch to make another appointment. And he had to leave me with either no central heating or no hot water. Of course I said no hot water as I've got 2 small children and we can't do without heating.

I had to ring Eon the day after to arrange the appointment !!! They now want us to wait 7 days to come and fit this new part. I'm about to birst a blood vessel. The part is £178.00 plus vat and I can't afford to get it fixed hence why I took out breakdown cover.

Any advice ? Surely Eon has broke their terms and conditions ? Who can I report Eon too for their very poor service ? I've sent them an email to their complaints e-mail address 5 days ago and I've had no reply.