Categories: uncategorized
Date: 16 January 2007 21:42:42
Right. I am going to tell you the story of our boiler problems, calmly. I shall hold an attitude of acceptance and be open to the flow. Here goes:
The weekend before last, we noticed our central heating wasn't working. The radiators were cold, and the water in the taps refused to get hot, no matter how long or hard you turned the taps to 'Hot'. Further investigation showed that a red light was flashing on the boiler, which according to the information panel indicated a 'Fan or Flue Fault'. After one day of waiting to see if the boiler would heal itself, and then a couple of days of trying to contact the landlady, we found the details for the maintenance contract which our landlady has with the company which I will not be named, but just think 'formerly, but of course no longer, nationalised purveyors of non-solid, non-liquid heating fuel'. I enquired at work about the possibility of using some of the slightly excessive amount of flexi and annual leave I currently have in reserve. The result of this was 'normally you'd need to give much more notice, and this isn't a good week as K is away, but as it's your boiler you can have a half day on Thursday'. I duly arranged this with Telephone Support Lady of Boiler Company, who checked my phone number (*remember this for later) in order to make sure I was the legitimate tenant and she'd got the right record up on screen with which to see whether 'Computer Says No'.
I duly hastened home from w*rk on Thursday lunchtime, and spent the afternoon doing a bit of tidying, and bit of reading and a lot of net surfing. Around 4.30 I rang TSLoBC to check that Boiler Man was coming, and was told he was on his way round to my house as we spoke. Spike arrived home, time ticked on and approached 6pm. Spike then phoned to check on The Flight of the Boiler Man, and was told that he had come out to us, but gone away again as he couldn't find the house. After enquiring as to why he hadn't phone for directions, and being told he hadn't got our number (*see?), Spike politely but firmly persuaded them to give us an appointment for the following day (Friday) at a time when he could arrange to have finished w*rk. This appointment Boiler Man kept, and discovered that he would need to order a part in before he could repair the boiler. We arranged that he come back the next Tuesday to do the job. A few grousings were had about the fact that this meant another weekend without heating or hot water (we do have an electric shower which still works, so thankfully no bracing cold baths required).
As K was back this week, using some more of my flexi was not such a problem (Spike's team has about half its members off work at the moment, and he is on call this week, so him taking leave was not really an option), so I waited in this morning and Boiler Man (or Boiler Boy, surely I am getting old when heating engineers look young?) arrived, took the front off the boiler, removed the non-functioning part, replaced it with the new part, tested it, grunted and muttered a bit, and contacted the product help line via his laptop, which gave us both a few minutes listening to 'Could It Be Magic?' by Take That, interspersed with 'thank you for calling, sorry we're all busy right now, please don't go away, we will be with you soon, honest' messages. Eventually Boiler Young Man was able to speak to an advisor, and after some more tinkering with the boiler he announced that it needed a new circuit board, which would have to be ordered in. After a few sighs, I arranged for someone to come back tomorrow afternoon. When I told Spike, he was not so calmly accepting (or less of a girly conflict-avoiding wuss if you will) and contacted them to arrange that the new circuit board be fitted asap at a time to suit us (ie probably in the evening after 5pm). I arrived home this evening to find that he had been told that new circuit boards were out of stock and 'may take seven working days' to arrive. He had obtained a promise from them that they would take all possible steps to expedite this. These may not have been the exact words he used.
So, we wait for our fourth visit from a Boiler Person. Tonight may possibly be our last night of being cold and boiling a kettle to do the washing-up, but it may very well not.
Arse. Sorry, that just slipped out.