It’s a fact of life that sooner or later we all find we need to invite an engineer into our homes and make repairs. While it’s great to keep our boilers and ovens in tip-top condition, the stress of finding the right company to hire is often more hassle than the problem itself. Questions such as “how do I find the most reasonably priced engineer?” or “how do I ensure I’m not inviting a cowboy into my home?” are the kind of things that will go through your head. While nothing is fool-proof, there are some simple tips you can follow so that you can feel confident you’ve made the right choice.
Gas Safe is gas safe
The best way to ensure your engineer knows what he or she is doing is to check that they’ve been registered by Gas Safe as being a reliable company. Any Gas Safe-approved company will display the information on their website but to be extra sure check their Gas Safe card, which every engineer should carry on them at all times, upon their arrival. An engineer with nothing to hide will not be offended by your request.
Get a quote before you agree
Emailing companies is a great way to explain your situation so that they can analyse what you’ve told them and offer you a rough quote. Don’t automatically go with the company who offers the cheapest price; remember that labour is factored in to the cost, so a cheap deal is not necessarily the best value. Make sure you agree on a price before inviting them to your home, and print any written confirmation of the agreed quote. They should not do extra work which would increase the cost without your approval. If you have any doubt about how the work should be carried out, you can always call the British Gas contact number to query any concerns.
Do your research
Research the problem you’re having and look at various companies’ websites to get an idea of their pricing and capabilities. Don’t hire a company who don’t offer customers a guarantee; if they don’t express that they’ll put any mistakes or problems as a result of their work right, they obviously don’t have confidence in their own abilities and you shouldn’t either.
Ask around
Word of mouth truly is the best advertisement. While reviews on a company’s website could be false or inaccurate, your friends or relatives have no reason to protect an engineer who hasn’t done a very good job in the past. Gas safety in the home is a priority in every family home, so you can be sure that a good review from a friend is something that you can count on.
Working with gas is a specialised skill with a great deal of responsibility; a shoddy job could have serious consequences for your family. Ensuring you hire the best man for the job can take a lot of time and effort, but it’s worth the bit of extra work to keep your family’s best interests at heart.