Like all registered plumbers I have to work to a Code of Professional Standards and I 100% support its aims. Its a pity that customers don't have such a code. This code is to protect the public and not as some may think , a way to make extra money.

This page is for the jobs that went wrong for any reason, with the customer alleging that I had not done what was agreed or the customer who wants that little extra work done for free. I will post jobs that had a problem - even the jobs that were 100% my fault. Along with building a stable to house the horse.

This page's  purpose is not to make the customer look bad and me a saint, as being a human being I do make mistakes but its also to let people know I have the tee-shirt but no horse. And the old favourite "it was working till you touched it" is like water off a ducks back.

But I do have a few Thank you e-mails click here
Have a look at my photo archive click here

In the event you would like to add to any of the below please send to webmaster agreeing that your name can be published.

• Mr. X  Letchworth  Just a boiler service please 5th January 2002
  

• Mrs. X  Stotfold Landlady of property in Arlesey 14th January 2002
  

• Ms. X  Mullway Letchworth 20th January 2001
  

• Mr. X  Blackmore, Letchworth.15th Oct 2000
  

• Mr. & Mrs. X Hitchin 10th October 1997

Mr. X Jackmans Letchworth

I was called to do a service on a conventional flue wall hung boiler.  Now the first thing I do is turn the heating on to check that it is working before I touch the boiler. The boiler fired up but a big yellow flame could be seen so I called the customer in to have a look. He looked at me and said "well that's why I want a service" good reason I thought but I said this would be more than a service which would cost extra and if it was sooted up, I would give him the cost before doing the work. His reply "British Gas gave me your name and said it would need a good service which should cost about £35.00,  Well I said,  my service is £45.00 plus parts and any time taken over the normal service. I could see he was not a happy man and I was waiting for the abuse to start so I quickly added the boiler has only sooted up due to it not being serviced.  When was the last time it was serviced? About four years he said, (more like six plus years I thought) and after a short pause he said "ok you had better go ahead" The photos below show how bad a boiler can get before some people have it serviced. If you have a conventional flued appliance,  have it checked yearly or your boiler could end up like this or worse  - it could kill you.

Now all ended ok with the customer happy,  a little poorer but alive. Now then I know what you are thinking  - £200 plus, no I charged £75.00 to de-soot the heat exchanger and £45.00 for the service and certificate. Then had to return home for a shower and change of cloths. Please be warned unless your prepared to pay for sheeting up the complete room and sealing up it's very messy. The only reason the boiler above soot up was lack of service. 

Mr. X  Blackmore, Letchworth.

Now this job I should have done what my brain was telling me  - walk away or give a time scale that would make the customer get another person to take the job on,  but me being me who has to work to a Code of Professional Standards,  took the job on as all the other plumbers had not turned up after looking at the job or said they don't touch warm air.

Job 1: Warm air heater not working dead ( this was the main heating for the house, except the extension).

Job 2: Central heating not working properly,  heating only worked when hot water was being called and the room stat didn't control the heating ( this was sited in the living room next to the warm air unit ) wrong place.  I did recommend that the stat be re-sited to the front hall but he said it must of been working when it was put in.

Warm air central heating

On stripping down I found the air circulator compartment packed with polystyrene (me thinks the fan unit was making a noise so the previous owner had packed it full  - top, sides, and front. Now as we all know a new fan unit is about £300.00 and a reconditioned unit about £156.00 so as the motor windings were still good and the armature was not worn down  I stripped it down, cleaned, then put it back together with new spacer washers and it worked fine with no noise. I then serviced the Johnson & Starley unit that had not been done for some years and had started to soot up so I gave it a good clean and  issued a safety certificate for the warm air unit.

Wet central heating system

Now this job I  should have definitely walked away or advised him to get a qualified electrician.  The wiring block was held together with sellotape but worse still all the wires had sellotape joints and I did wonder how it had ever worked without causing a fire. I advised that it all should be re-wired which I did. The heating only worked when hot water was being called for, so I checked the 3 port valve that had had some mods ( a screw driver head had been jammed into the power head to keep the valve open) so I advised a new 3 port valve would need to be fitted with a new wiring  centre and I would try to keep all the other components. All was well and all worked but when I left that night I had forgotten to open the DHW stat ( I had been testing the heating controls) so Mr. Xs family had no hot water that night  Now this was my fault, but simple to put right by turning the cylinder stat to 60 deg but the Myson pump burning out about a week later was not. Now this is when things went wacky. Mr. X went on about me changing the pump for no other reason but  to cover up some other problem, that I had cocked up and his brother-in-law was in the trade and he knew that the burnt out Myson pump was not his and he added you have old pumps in your van so he would not be paying me and I should never darken his doorstep again (I have removed the expletives) so Mr. X got the standard 14 day letter or the Small Claims Court. The invoice was paid in full with a letter about my horse.  I wonder if I can get my accountant to add this horse as an taxable expense? Question -  If I wear a turban will I still be called a cowboy?

This is the final letter I received from Mr. X: with a cheque

21.1.01

To someone who thinks they are a plumber

Enclosed is a cheque for £140.

I do sincerely hope you choke on it and suggest that you do not grace my doorstep ever again. Any further communication from you will be destroyed without reading.

John ######

Ms X  Mullway Letchworth

I was called because Ms X was having trouble with the shower going hot and cold.  I asked if she had problems with the other hot water outlets.  No was her reply looking rather puzzled she said its the shower that's got the problem! She had a combi boiler installed in a up-stairs bedroom. Other plumbers had recommended she have a new shower fitted or the old one de-scaled. I diagnosed that the shower head was wrong, she had a multi-head fitted which was also scaled up. I removed the shower head and ran the hot water from the open hose with no problem and no fluctuation in temperature  I informed her that she should only have a single mode headset fitted which she did have. brand new, still in the original packaging and this seemed to solve the problem. I then looked at her combi boiler which had been fed with a 15mm copper tube which ran from the cooker connection downstairs which ran in 15mm tube from the living room about 15m in all with about 5 elbows from the 22mm feed to the back boiler. I informed her that this was wrong and that she should have 22mm from the meter to the boiler, (MI) also the discharge/warning pipe was sub-standard this could be dangerous as it was just above the back door and stuck out about 350mm from the wall. I advised her that the boiler should be serviced, which had clearly not been done for some time, and the service would pick up any problems ie: water and gas flow ( I bet she only had about 15mb WP or less) and I also advised her that the discharge warning pipe should be re-routed to ground level and turn into the wall as per MI instructions. With regards to some of the radiators not working I advised that the system needed to be balanced or it could be the valves that were sticking.

I then charged her £20.00 invoice No 061377 even though I had quoted her £45.00 I then left and  banked the cheque some days later which she had cancelled without saying a word.  I wrote to Miss X giving her 14 days to pay etc which she did, informing me about my horse I rode off on. One more satisfied customer me thinks, Oh and she informed me that she had found a plumber who fixed the problem and added that he could find no problem with the boiler and I was talking out of my backside or words to that effect.

A part of the letter from Ms X I think she has got me mixed up with the other plumbers as I never suggested at any time she should have a new shower fitted or having it de-scaled which she went on a bit about quoting for jobs that needn't be done. I in fact said she would be wasting her money.

Please be assured that your 'services' will never be required again and will never be recommended. £20 has been enclosed as you obviously need the funds.

Recommending major work at extortionate prices when a small problem needs solving is a sign of ripping people off.

This letter was un-signed but had her cheque enclosed, will post the letter if requested

Mrs.  X  Stotfold Landlady of property in Arlesey

I was asked to re-do the landlords safety record on the property she lets as she was not happy with the company who had been doing the work for some time, along with some other jobs which I did, but on removal of the gas fire I found the restrictor elbow leaking, plus the copper tube had not been sleeved, but that was not the reason I made the fire safe by turning off. It was when I did the flue flow test, it came back into the room so after heating the pre-cast flue with my flame thrower I did the test again with the same result. I advised her that this could be the weather on that day and it could pass if I did it again in a few days but I would recommend that she gets the chimney swept or remove the gas fire and replace it with an electric one as it was only secondary heating.

Next thing I hear Mrs. X has got a third CORGI registered plumber to service the gas fire, who had been told that I had turned the fire off and made safe. He correctly advised that he would have to re-test, he did the tests which she informed me all passed, so he serviced the gas fire and re-commissioned it.

About three weeks later I was called to a house three doors away, they wanted a new gas fire. Believe it or not it had the same problems, gas leak and the flue test failed. This customer took my advise and had the chimney swept which produced  a bucket of leaves and spider webs plus mortar snots. When I returned the flue had no problem in taking the smoke pellet. I fitted the new gas fire and on leaving I thought.  You just cant help some people.

Mr. & Mrs.  X  Hitchin

I was called to no heating and found the pump faulty plus the pump valves had seized, I tried to drain down from the kitchen radiator which had a drain point but not a drop came out after a load of black water, so I went to the hall radiator which worked fine, I changed the pump and valves, re-filled the system bled all the radiators all but the kitchen rad which was not filling. Mrs. X told me the old old story "It was working till you touched it" so not wanting another customer to put me down as a plumber with a horse outside I removed the radiator and opened the flow end. Not a drop, the same with the lock shield end. Not to be outdone I lifted some floor boards (the kitchen had bare floor boards) and what do you think I find. The radiator had been blanked off under the floor. They say he who laughs last laughs the longest, Well Mrs. X  didn't laugh when I gave her my bill which she paid. I never did get that radiator working!