Worked in Retail in the electronics field (Hi-Fi, TV, Cell Phones, Computers etc) for 5 years and a...
Worked in Retail in the electronics field (Hi-Fi, TV, Cell Phones, Computers etc) for 5 years and am now in stainless steel and exotic metal sales. (high nickel alloys)
Member since:28.02.2007
Reviews:6
After moving to the UK 2 years ago we are still trying to get to grips with a lot of things, one of them was central heating. Coming from a much warmer climate central heating consisted of a shot of tequila or Sambuca. We bought our house a year ago and didn't think to check the boiler and radiators as we didn't know any better. (This was before the home information packs were a legal requirement) We now face the second winter in our new home and Lo and behold the central heating decided it had had enough. We weren't too worried becasue he had a British gas homecare 300 and thought they would be able to take care of everything. We had been told that our system was old when we took out the contract but didn't expect to have to replace it within 5 years,
let alone 2. Our experience with the homecare 300 package was a bit of a joke but that is another story altogether.
It basically boiled down to us having to lift up our new floor to get to the pump in the diningroom. Why it was put there in the first place is beyond me but any way. After much deliberation we decided that it was now time to get a new system and so the quote gathering began. All in all we had 5 quotes, British gas was in the region of £6400 , although in fairness they did quote on a combi boiler, Northern gas were £4150, and 3 local companies were just under £4000. I did a bit of research on the internet as to what type of boilers you get and all of their advantages and disadvantages so I had an idea of what I wanted. British gas basically told me what I needed and the local guys told me I needed what they sold. I was very sceptical about Northern Gas because I have learnt in the UK you don't buy anything without a reccomendation by some-one you know. Fortunately I was about to be very pleasantly suprised.
I had put the enquiry onto a web page that sends your details to a few companies. Northern Gas were the second to contact me and were very professional in obtaining all the relevant information and dealing with the enquiry. A salesman visited us the next evening and was very thorough in obtaining as much information as he could before making any recommendations. As they do a wide range of products and installations they could advise which system would meet our needs the best instead of trying to sell me a "one size fits all" package. After spending a few hours making sure we understood everything we proceeded to talk MONEY. As mentioned they were not the cheapest but with all the back up and guarantees offered my mind was put at ease. It was also nice to speak to some-one who looked like he knew what he was doing. (Their various finance options were also a big plus as I always prefer having money in my account as apposed to some-one elses)
After discussing everything we agreed to go ahead and eagerly awaited the installation date. Northern Gas were also the ONLY company that could/would provide us with radiators that were approx. the same size as our old radiators. This meant we would not need to re-decorate as the new radiators would cover the area where the old ones had been. EVERY SINGLE other company had tried to sell us smaller radiators "that would do the job" even after we had told them that we wanted to hide the wall behind the radiators. The 2 man (one lady and one man) installation team arrived as promised and they were nothing short of brilliant. The old radiators and piping were removed and the new boiler, pipework and radiators were installed, all within the 2 days as promised, even though they worked late into the night due to unforseen circumstances. There was hardly any mess and to date we have not been able to find any damage that was done to our property. The installation looks fantastic and everything works like a charm.
We picked up a small problem during installation when one of the items sold to us was not compatable with the system, but this problem was dealt with in a very proffesional manner and we are totally satisfied with the outcome. We have even received a follow up call from the salesman to make sure we are happy with everything and that everything is working as it should.
We are very happy with our new boiler and central heating and would highly reccomend Northern Gas.
(Items installed were a new Y plan completely pumped system, 5 radiators, new pipes throughout, Potterton boiler, thermostat on the cylinder and a room thermostat. Each radiator has it's own thermostat as well, and a heated towel rail, we kept our water cylinder as this was still in a good condition)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: good price, salesman not pushy, installation very good, after sales service good Disadvantages: a little pushy when trying to 'close the deal'
Advantages: Good heating system, Good salesman, Mixer shower now power shower Disadvantages: Lack of communication and also very poor communication, installers didn't care, without heating and hot water and damage to property
Oct 16th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
