The Servicing Of A Gas Boiler
- Thread starter Cervelo
- Start date
That €5,600 is less than €5k after VAT, give the employer their cut and deduct all employment costs and overheads and you're paying the technician less than €40k a year. That's not a decent wage for someone with those qualifications.
Yes it starts with a check/test and usually ends that way but if the boiler doesn't pass the test then it gets the old fashioned service
Maybe with modern boilers it should be renamed a "Boiler NCT" but we'll service it the old fashioned way if it needs be
Do we still call the annual check up of an EV a "service" when there is little or no traditional maintenance but lots of safety checks/tests
Yes in my mind it is small money for maintaining my boiler in tip top condition and running a efficiently as possible
The cost of replacing that boiler is about €2.5k and it's not a quick and easy to replace as a washing machine would be
So €130 buys me peace of mind that going into winter my boiler is for the foreseeable future is working as should
Totally agree paying somebody nearly €30k a year to "shelf stack" in Tesco is off the wall crazy but that's the reality of Irelands economy
and don't forget you don't need any qualifications to earn that wage, just turning up at a place of work usually does it
If you go looking the average is around €120 to €130, with the cheapest been around €99 going up to nearly €200
A €70 service would in my eyes be a mates rate, and only if your mate is willing to do it for that price or has the time
But having said all that maybe there is a market for a €70 "only boiler check service"
but how much will they charge you or are you willing to pay for them to come back and service it??
Glad to be of service, that'll be €25+ Vat for the reminder service
They could easily have 1 price for the check and another price for an actual service..
I get my boiler serviced every year, and they do very little, if they need to do more, do they charge more? Wouldnt surprise me, even tho you have paid for the hour!
Piece of mind is all well and good, but if you are being ripped off in the process - not so good in my mind.
You obviously have your doubts as you asked in the OP if it is necessary to get done every year?
But you still have not justified the price, which was my question?
Your missing the point, the cheapest may well be 99, which at least is an improvement, but still how do they justify this price?
I think we differ, 30k to stack a shelf a year is oK, its a hard enough job.. plus if you have to deal with the public, is even worse.. As you said yourself, you have to make a living, and 30k a year wont go very far!
In any case I don't think that any supermarket employs people purely to stack shelves (and, for some product lines that's actually done by external staff/suppliers) and they usually have to perform many other duties in store.
Did you miss this bit??
If the boiler fails the test then the €130 covers the servicing, so no it doesn't cost more unless there is a repair needed
Here's the thing I don't have the justify the price, you're the one who claiming it's not a reasonable price based on some back of an envelope calculations and despite it been pointed out to you how these businesses price services you still think you're been ripped-off
Thanks, That made me laugh
Why are you quoting what I said, asking if i missed it?
Are you sure?
Well you claimed it was small money? And the whole point of the thread was to find out if it was necessary to get this done every year! So if you think 130 for a guy to come out and run a test for 20 mins is OK, I wont argue
"pointed out to you how these businesses price services" Where? The only thing mentioned was insurance, tools bla bla, but how much does that tool cost for that 1 individual job? It doesnt add up, I would like to see a more detailed breakdown.. Im sure you would be surprised!
I would like an envelope calculation of how they come up with this price, at least some indication to justify the price, no one ever (and I have raised this many times here and other forums) and they all just spout the usual, whats already been said on this thread... but doesnt add up.. Anyway, look if your OK paying this price good for you, I just like to question things. Ireland is very expensive now, and its good to try and find out what exactly you are paying for...
Have you done this? whats their to laugh about, please explain?
Do you not think its worth 30k a year?
Condescending, not a nice trait
Last edited:
Because I had already mentioned the idea in the previous post, which you had originally said you had missed but have since edited
Yes the servicing company doesn't know what work is involved before they arrive for a service call
if they find your boiler is outside the test parameters then they do a full cleaning service
If they find something is wrong with the boiler like a broken part then it becomes a repair and will charge accordingly
I'm afraid I can't give you a breakdown as to how they price their jobs but when the Google informs me the average is €130 I happy enough that I'm not been "ripped-off" as you claim, yes your right to question what you're been charged given the current ever increasing costs of everything
but simply online research will indicate what the going rate for certain things are and then it's your choice to pay or keep searching for a cheaper option
I note in your previous posts that you have a boiler and a heat pump but you haven't mentioned how much you pay for servicing??
Yes, for 30+ years I work in my family's food processing business supplying hundreds of shops and supermarkets in the greater Leinster area
I started as a general operative and worked my way up to the top, included a stint as a van sales rep which required "shelf stacking" or merchandising as it's now called
I was not laughing at the role or the person doing the job, or being condescending in any way, they are essential cogs in most businesses
I was though laughing at your description that bringing stock from a store room to the shelf and merchandising as "hard work"
Repetitive, yes boring, yes humdrum and even busy at times but far from "hard work" or at least my definition of "hard work"
With regards to the minimum wage been €30k it's just an observation of have expensive life has become
I remember when the minimum wage came in it was €11.6K in 2011 it was just under €18k, how long before it hits €50k??
My father once said to me while discussing our salaries during the mid noughties
"If I'd known how much money I was earning now back when I started I might have lived my life differently"
Last edited:
I edited cause I realised it was me that said it.. if you said it aswell, at least we can agree on that
My whole point is, I question the going rate? Just cause they all charge the same rate, doesnt mean you are not being overcharged? People hide behind vagueness, I wonder why I have never been given a clear answer to my question despite the number of times I have raised it.. I doubt anybody has actually ever worked it out and just charge a price.
Not sure where your getting your info from, but I dont have a heat pump! I get my boiler serviced, had it done in July actually, paid the going rate, but I have no choice do I? actually, the water pressure in the boiler was very low, thats why I had it done in July rather than the usual November. The "professional" couldnt even tell me where to refill the boiler, this was a Bord Gais engineer!
It was more your comment of "small money" that got me.. paying someone 130 for 20 mins of work is ridiculous, especially when it is just a check, hooking up a machine and letting it do the work!
Again very subjective, on one hand boring and repetitive can be hard to do day in day out
On your feet all day can be very tiring..
Dealing with Customers can be difficult
And as Clubman pointed out, shelf stackers do not just stack shelves all day, they would have other duties aswell...
As you worked in it, you should know this..
So what is your definition of hard work?
Ah, but someone just taking 20 minutes isn't doing the job properly and should perhaps be reported. The flue gas analysis is supposed to take 15-20 minutes alone as the boiler must be at running temperature before starting the actual test.
If it really was consistently a 20 minute job then plumbers would all be clambering to get a piece of the highly lucrative pie. In reality more and more RGIs are turning their backs on the domestic market as the money is better in the commercial sector where they can earn north of €50k, or more than €60k with a few years experience in the sector.
Last edited:
Just to add to this, I originally said the service took about 20mins but going back on my nest and my phone logs I'd say it's in or around 30 mins
Got a phone call at 13.25 that due to a cancelation they could service my boiler and he'd be here in 10 mins
At 13.48 the boiler was turned on and the flue test done at 13.57 according to the printout and the boiler switched off after he left at 14.09
I don't know if that is classed as a proper service or not but that's roughly how all the other 17 services bar the full strip down
I don't think it's worth reporting but if and I probably will get it serviced next year I'll be checking the time and keeping a closer eye on what happening
While we're on this subject I'm looking for a recommendation for a company to service a gas boiler, and one that we can build up a history/relationship with in case of emergency.
My mother had a gas boiler and I was never impressed with the service from Bord Gais because different person each year with different attitude too. They also constantly mentioned that legislation had changed, and insisted that more ventilation was needed. She had standard vents fitted and I will never forget one guy telling us about the change in that legislation, and using a screwdriver to punch further holes in the vent without asking us if that was ok. This was a woman in her 80 who felt the cold a lot and the draught after he did that was dreadful. We had to buy and fit a new vent cover because it was destroyed. She also always used a carbon monoxide alarm.
I would prefer to use a reliable and maybe what one would describe as 'old fashioned' company, where you get to see if possible the same person each year for the service and if in an emergency they will treat it as such. Perhaps its too much to ask these days
My mother had a gas boiler and I was never impressed with the service from Bord Gais because different person each year with different attitude too. They also constantly mentioned that legislation had changed, and insisted that more ventilation was needed. She had standard vents fitted and I will never forget one guy telling us about the change in that legislation, and using a screwdriver to punch further holes in the vent without asking us if that was ok. This was a woman in her 80 who felt the cold a lot and the draught after he did that was dreadful. We had to buy and fit a new vent cover because it was destroyed. She also always used a carbon monoxide alarm.
I would prefer to use a reliable and maybe what one would describe as 'old fashioned' company, where you get to see if possible the same person each year for the service and if in an emergency they will treat it as such. Perhaps its too much to ask these days