Hi, first time poster. We pay a monthly service contract with a large maintenance Company to service and repair our central heating system and gas fire as necessary. On 9th January we had a problem with the gas fire. We contacted them and they agreed to come out and look at it. Their Engineer, while inspecting the fire, lifted the 2 part cast iron grate out and dropped one piece on the marble hearth, chipping it. I pointed out what he had done, he admitted he had done it. I spoke to his Supervisor who came out to inspect the damage. Taking photos etc, and agreed that their Company was liable. He said that they were liable for all costs in putting the situation right to our satisfaction, including complete replacement of the marble fireplace if necessary as the damage is on the edge and he did not think it a repair would be viable. He said to give him a week to get back to us with a plan of action. I rang him as he hadn't rung us. He said he had found a stonemason who would repair the chip a week Saturday afternoon. Which sounded to me as though this wasn't going to be done by a Company but maybe just by someone he knew. So, Are we obliged to accept the repair? Can we insist that they go through their public liability insurance? Does the person doing the repair have to be a qualified stonemason, and give a guarantee? How long a guarantee would be appropriate? Is our contract then still with the Company or with the subcontractor if we are not satisfied with the quality of the repair, or the repair doesn't last? Thank you in advance for any help

I'll try to condense this. Last year I contracted a Gas Heating Engineer (registered) to fit a new boiler in my daughters flat. Unbeknown to me and my daughter, he In fact, he sent an unregistered unqualified plumber (his friend) in his place as he was 'hung over' from the night before..as was this plumber, but not as bad as the Gas Heating Engineer and apparently 'drew the short straw'. Only registered engineers are legally allowed to work on the gas. The plumber made a complete hash of the work that he did, did not complete all the work, caused damage to my daughters property, and then used the Gas Heating Engineers reg number to fill in the paperwork, filled in his own name, but signed it as the G Engineers name??. When I found out, I called Gas Safe and reported an illegal gas fitter. Gas Safe inspector came round and said the job was poor and to get a 'proper' Gas Safe Heating engineer to come and complete the job and rectify all the mistakes so that building regs could be applied for and the boiler to be register for a guarantee. The boiler manufacturer refused to give a guarantee until this was done. The Inspector gave us a list of reputable people. The Gas Safe Heating engineer told the inspector that he did not send anyone else in his place, but he came himself. The inspector showed my daughter some photo's of the engineer, my daughter said it was not him. He then found a photo of the guy that did the job..daughter confirmed that he was the guy and the inspector said that he was not registered, the installation was illegal as this guy had been struck off. The Inspector then said in an aside to me, that I had a contract with the heating engineer who had not done the work, not a contract with this rogue plumber..I hope you have not paid him! The Gas Safe Heating engineer then sent me an invoice for full payment which I questioned and also asked why vat had not been added as he was a Vat reg company, and was told that it was a private job so not collecting the Vat. I phone HMRC and questioned this and was told he had to collect the vat or be responsible for it himself. I was also asked to pay this invoice to a third party..a plumbers merchants that he had bought goods from. HMRC said this was probably money laundering? Anyway, I paid the bill in part, in 'full and final payment' which he accepted at the time (last Feb). I deducted from the invoice the cost of finishing and rectifying the job and to put right the damage that was caused to my daughter property. Have the invoices to prove these amounts. Yesterday, dropped through my daughters door, a summons for her..who had no contract with him. He is now claiming for the money that I had deducted from his invoice. There was also a summons for me, to her address. I have never lived at her address. I have no financial connection to her address, so why send a summons to her address and not mine? Now for the questions: (1) She had no contract with him at all. I was the one who contracted him..how is she liable? (2) My summons is to her address with which I have no connection...is this legally served? (3) My contract was with him, not his friend..he did not fullfil his contract with me but sent an illegal worker who should not have set foot in my daughters property. I am legally responsible to pay him? (4) The summons is being brought in the name of the Gas engineers "company," not privately. This company is now 'Dissolved', so how can a summons be brought by a company that no longer exists? We are not sure how to respond to these summonses. If anyone can help, it would be appreciated.

Could I ask please. I bought a tumble dryer online from Co Op electrical 4 months ago. A week and a half a go it just stopped working. I called AEG the manufacturer, the chap got me to press several buttons in sequence so he could see what the fault was. Seemed to think circuit board had gone. I called Co op, they said I have to have an engineer sent out to fix it. They were supposed to show today but called to cancel saying the part had not arrived and don't know when it will. I called Co Op again and told someone would call me back, but that did not happen as promised. I tried quoting them the under 6 months old and deemed to have the fault from new and would like it replaced, but they said no has to have an engineer to fix it. So I've waited a week and a half already and no idea how many more weeks before an engineer can visit. I've got wet washing hanging everywhere! Any pointers to how I should proceed with this appreciated. Ideally I just want a new one, if its gone wrong in 4 months it does not bode well. Many thanks

This also works out of hours, if you tell the advisor you have a heart condition (i.e. Angina) and high blood pressure they prioritise your call! What ever the time of day! Why be fobbed off when you pay for the service?

I have just watched this programme - All this guy wanted was a downstairs toilet so that he could have some dignity - at the time of making the programme, the local council were still making up their minds whether or not to provide this for him. Shocking. What an amazing transformation though Nick Knowles, his team , local tradesmen and the whole community came together to give this man his life back and provide him and his family with a brighter future. I am unable to put the link because it contains part of a banned word.. so for the full story google.. DIY SOS: The Big Build on BBC1 tonight with Nick Knowles helping Mo Morris in Maidstone

Hi Not sure if i have come to the correct group for this. I bought a tumble dryer from hoover 6 months ago and something went wrong with it last week so i called out an engineer. After taking the whole dryer apart the engineer discovered the problem and ordered a part. When the engineer left i noticed a lot of deep big scratces along the sides of the dryer which wasnt there before, my dryer is stand alone and doesnt touch any sides so it couldnt be scratched any other way. the enginner didnt use blankets or anything and i have a tiled floor which would easily scratch a shiney black surface. I wrote a letter to complain and someone came to take photos of the dryer. I got an email back today to say that they ask the customers to pull thier own appliances out so there is no damage caused by the engineer and basically fobbed me off. I have written back to them asking when did they ask me to pull out my own dryer and also do they ask the customer to take thier appliances apart as well, its a ridicuals answer to my complaint. Is there anything else i can do? Im quite upset that i can spend so much on a dryer and they cause the damage and i have to just put up and shut up. Thanks

i had an engineer visit on the 29th july for my broadband, all he did was check the caballing was correct and replace the superhub and left only for me to find out i had no internet at all because he set it up wrong jump forward today,cut off because im over my credit limit because of a £99 fee for his visit? i wasnt told of this when i phoned or i wouldn't have booked a visit because i can't afford it but the notes on my account supposedly say i was told. so ill have no service for 2weeks because they want £200 to put my services back on and i don't get paid for another 2 weeks,(my bill isn't due til 11th sept) but of course i'll be charged for these 2 weeks service i didn't use. ive just written a 4 n a half page complaint letter since thats the only way they will investigate a complaint or thats what i was told anyway. i am livid! come november i am off back to sky,they don't have as good internet etc but i never had appalling service like that with them. anyone else heard of or had this fee? who else can i contact? TIA