....and warneth.
Every year, someone from the gas board comes to service the boiler. And every year, the boiler is left with a little notice to the effect : "Danger. Do not use this appliance". And every year, we get a lecture on how we shall both be struck dead by fumes, suddenly, without warning. And we hear the sad tale of the woman who was struck dead in the shower, by fumes, without....etc etc. until next year, when the whole thing is repeated (I have a feeling I've posted about this before, so this is probably something else that happens every year).
The gas man is invariably chatty and friendly and helpful (between gloomy prognostications), and drinks several cups of tea/coffee, and sends a colleague round to give a quote for a new boiler. And we don't get round to doing anything about it, because the boiler works, and we are mean. An hour ago, another man phoned from the gas board, to tell us that we had a dangerous boiler, and we might be struck dead etc etc and I told him WE KNOW. Your colleague told us last week. Someone's coming to give a quote. That took him by surprise. It seems one half of the gas board doesn't know what the other half is up to.
But I will never understand the mentality behind the powers that be, who are happy to service an appliance and then tell you not to use it. It's a Winnie the Pooh kind of thing (although WTP didn't have a boiler).
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Frances a new boiler will save money but whether you will live long enough to see a saving is the pertinent question.
ReplyDeleteGet a CO2 detecter from Maplin or anywhere and tell them you are bomb proof.
PS. Do what they do on a boiler service. Turn it off and vacuum the dog hairs out. Job done. Apart from the sticky sign.
DeleteWe were left with the CO2 detector ages ago. It hasn't gone off yet and were still alive.
DeleteI'm not sure I understand the Winnie-the-Pooh bit. (Which bothers me a little, as I'm quite a fan of his; but I put it down to a bit of fluff stuck in my brain.)
ReplyDeleteWTP didn't do logic, and this was illogical!
DeleteWe had one in England that worked very well. After one service the engineer said the same thing 'I can't give you a certificate, because it's dangerous'.I went nuts, and swore at him etc. The man then started to cry (seriously), telling me that his son had died, his wife had left him, and his dog had cancer. I think all this had cost me £175. Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteA least our gas man was a cheery soul, Cro.
DeleteYes you did post about this before, but it is still interesting to read how this happens again every year. That the man who rang didn't know about his colleague working on a quote for you is indeed surprising - you'd think they put every available bit of data into their computers (as they do here in Germany) and have a complete profile of you, shopping habits, reading interests and bank statements included.
ReplyDeleteMeike, something tells me that you Germans are a lot more efficient than we are. Sad, but there it is ;(
DeleteFrances, please buy a new boiler before we read about you in the papers. Anyway, I would miss your blog.
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I'll leave a died by fumes post to be published in case of my death. So you will know.
DeleteDon't forget to give your password to the person you leave the post with. There is nothing worse in Blogland that a blogger disappearing in full flow so to speak.
DeleteIf it's dangerous surely they shouldn't service it so you can keep using it? Presumably they calculate you'll have time to pay the service charge before being struck down without warning?
ReplyDeleteWe pay annually, Patsy, so their money is safe. Unlike us....
DeleteWe got the same sort of notice just because the man said our flue pipe up in the loft needed more support. This is the same pipe that has shown no sign of collapse for the last 40 years.
ReplyDeleteThey also keep ringing me up to try and foist one of those smartmeters on me.
Ignore them, Keith. That's what we do.
DeleteSomeone at the door as I was in the middle of reading your post……it was the plumber come to service the boiler!!
ReplyDeleteI hope he had better news for you than ours did??
DeleteWhy are they servicing such a dangerous item? We usually get told the parts won't be available much longer, and we go on ignoring them. But we've never been warned of danger!
ReplyDeleteAh, but is it really dangerous, Rosemary? Or do they just want to sell us a new one?
DeleteA neighbour (an independent and accredited central heating boiler engineer) recently refused to service a boiler he said was far too dangerous to be in use. It had been incorrectly fitted. The person said "Well if it goes up the insurance will pay for a new one." Wrong. And no insurance if his house goes up either. Death is one thing but I suppose if your house went on fire and the insurance company refused to pay up you could always do a post on the unfairness of insurance companies. I know call me a killjoy.
ReplyDelete