homeserviceenclosure

Re.: Policy Number SSI4412/23917306

Several years ago, I took out the above policy, which guarantees a two hour response for emergencies and ‘peace of mind – a fast, reliable service offered by local plumbing and drainage experts’

Until yesterday I was fortunate and never had to use this service.

However, eventually it did happen and the laundry room and the shower room got flooded which clearly was caused by a blocked drain.

As we had the policy, I picked up the phone and, I must admit, somebody came out within 2 hours to have a look at it. He seemed to be more confused than I was and after playing around for a bit he decided that the job was outside his job description and his qualifications and that somebody else would have to come out to ‘dig up my drains.’

He told us that the ‘gang’ doing this kind of work was already out on a job elsewhere and that we had to wait until the next morning for this work to be done.

Fortunate for us, we do have a second toilet and washing facilities with a separate drainage but our washing machine, our dishwasher, the kitchen sink, the shower and the downstairs toilet could no longer be used.

My wife decided to stop at home, having been told that they would be here first thing in the morning and she waited patiently until lunchtime and, you guessed it, nobody arrived.

She then phoned the ‘emergency hot line’ yet again to be told that this job could apparently not be carried out until the contractor had received insurance approval which had not yet been obtained. She was promised that they would look into this matter and that they would come back to her to her with an update and further information.

By 4.30pm nobody had come out, nobody had phoned back, and I made yet another phone call trying to find out what was going on, only to be told the same tale yet again. It was clear that they had not even attempted to solve this matter.

As it became evidently clear that this was going nowhere and that they clearly had no intention to get somebody out to us today I asked, once again, to clarify the situation and to phone me back within the next 2 hours to let me know what was going on.

Once again, nobody phoned back.

By 19.00 hours I phoned your Walsall office only to be told, that I would have to take up this matter with your call centre in Preston and I was transferred through 3 different switchboards, forced every time to listen to the annoying options of pressing different keys until I finally reached a young man who agreed to look into this matter and who confirmed that they where made aware of the situation previously.

Hid did phone me back eventually after 1 hour and told me that he had spoken to the contractors who, so he said, have now agreed to phone me in the morning to let me know when they could fit in this job. If they don’t phone, he added, could I come back to them for further consultation.

Is this your interpretation of an emergency service – is this what you call ‘peace of mind’ and are the people you are using ‘drainage experts’

I clearly want an answer and I want it now.

So please – can you now deal with this issue now in a competent and effective way and provide the service you have promised in your policy or would you prefer that I call out another contractor and reclaim any costs through the courts.

In charging me for this policy and in accepting my payment you entered into a legal contract – are you going to default on it or are you going to honour this contract.

What is the point of a 24 hours a day emergency Hotline when you are unable to provide the service you have promised – how did you word it – ‘with fast, expert assistance just a call away you’re safe in the hands of Home Service’

I am sending this fax to your Head Office in Walsall – prove to me that you are in control and that you are better than the people you employ

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Re.: South Staffs Water PLC Home Service Policy SS14412/23917306

Dear Sirs,

Last night I sent you a lengthy fax outlining the problems I am experiencing with your emergency response and I pleaded with you to look into this matter and get back to me.

Northing has been done again - so please can someone have the common courtesy to come back to me and tell me what is going on

Yours faithfully

D.H. Speckner

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48, Highview Road

Eastergate

Nr. Chichester

West Sussex

PO20 3XB

4^th January 04

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: Home Service(GB) Ltd. Green Lane, Walsall, West Midlands WS2 7PD

Paynes Heating, Head Office 01825 891720

23^rd. November- Contacted Home Service as my Central heating boiler had broken down. They promised me that someone would contact me first thing in the morning. I gave them my work number and my home number.

24^th. November – Contacted by Paynes Heating at work shortly after nine o’clock. I arranged with the operator to be at home in the afternoon for the engineer to call. I took half a days leave in order to be there. No one had turned up by four o’clock so I phoned them. They apologised for the mix up and said that they would send someone round in the morning.

25^th. November – Engineer came and diagnosed ‘faulty boiler stat and or PCB parts required’. He suggested that we contact Home Service to check that it was ok to go ahead. We did that day and they had no problem with it.

We then didn’t hear from Paynes Heating for two days so I phoned them on

28^th November

1^st. December

2^nd. December

3^rd. December the engineer turned up again and after some time produced the following report. ‘Ex-Pcb- defect traced to short circuit on fan (no damp) blowing surge fuse. Ond board fuse ok. Suggest fan short damaged pcb. ? beyond economic repair’. He thought it would cost between £400 and £500 to repair, which given the age of our boiler, 13years old, would be uneconomical.

He suggested that we phone Home Service which we did and they wondered why he hadn’t phoned them himself but took the details and said that they would get back to us by 11am the next day.

4^th. December- We hear nothing all day so I phone. They said that they were sending another e-mail to their engineering department and that they would be contacting us in the morning.

5^th December – Nothing from Home Service. I phoned them again about 4’o’clock and the telephonist said that someone would get back to me that day probably at home. Nothing.

6^th December – A Saturday. An engineer from Home Service phoned and left a message to say that he would be contacting us on Monday morning.

8^th December – No contact. I phoned Home Service about 11.30am and felt so angry at the situation I asked to speak to their customer Service manager. While I was being put through and put on hold, my own work intervened and I had to cut the telephone call. I got a message later at work to say that someone had been in touch from Home Service but I wasn’t available. I do have a job. They said they’d phone back. They didn’t. When I got home in the evening, my partner said that someone had phoned from Home Service and then said that they would contact me at work. But they didn’t.

9^th December. It’s my birthday. I’m sitting in a freezing cold house, having borrowed electric heaters from family and friends at no doubt great cost to run. My emersion heater is working but again costs to run. It is a fortnight to Christmas and all my family is coming to stay.

If I continue to stay with Home Service, are they going to say that I need a new boiler? Which is what they did with a work colleague. He then got some one in to repair his boiler at half the cost quoted by Home Service and it’s still running satisfactorily. They wanted to charge him £5ooo for a new boiler and system.

Can they do this work before Christmas?

Shall I cut my losses and employ a local firm?

Well, I’ve had enough of Home Service and I’m going to cut my losses and employ a local firm.

Home Service says in its blurb, ’Hopefully you won’t have to make a claim, but if you do, you’ll be free of all the waiting, wondering and expense that normally go with gas boiler breakdowns’.

This is patently a dishonest claim and I think that their management of this service is appalling as is their customer care. God help me if I was an older less able person. I would like to know what profits this firm turns over and who the management is. This is a disgraceful manipulation of people in vulnerable situations.

I employed a local firm, S. Wickenden and Son of Bognor Regis who very quickly came out, repaired the said boiler and charged me £321.95,inclusive of VAT.

On the day that my firm was due to come out and repair the boiler,11^th December, I had a phone call from Home Service to say that they would pay to have the boiler repaired. I explained that I had taken the matter into my own hands and she said that Home Service would pay the cost. Consequently I am sending them a similar letter to this plus the bill.

Yours Sincerely,

Pauline Watts