0800 repair company - DREADFUL!!

[greyhound lady]

Cata GCLED60 Chimney Hood Repair- they expect us to remove the cooker hood ( at our cost ) prior to completing a repair!!

 

We purchased the above chimney hood from B&Q for our new kitchen in January 2013.It was installed in mid February 2013. The lights on the hood suddenly stopped working at the end of January; less than 1yr from installation. We contacted the customer service number as listed in the Cata product manual, and were provided with a date of February 6th for an engineer to attend.

 

My husband took time off work for this appointment ( I am self employed and unable to take time off ). The engineer informed my husband that the control board had to be replaced. He stated this would be ordered and available within 5 days.

After 10 days we had heard nothing from the ISDAL number. We contacted them and were told the part was 'just in' and they would contact the engineering dept to arrange an appointment with us to come to fit it. We did not receive a call, and so, yet again, we made contact.

 

A further appointment was made for February 31st between 1500-1800hrs. Yet again, my husband took time off work to ensure someone was in. The appointment date was not one of our choosing but we weren't given a choice of dates. The engineer failed to arrive. I contacted the company again at approximately 1900hrs to be told “the engineers have all gone there is nothing I can do until Monday". The representative asked if there had been somewhere for the engineer to park, had someone been at home, which we assured her was the case for both questions , & she promised she would personally return my call Monday afternoon with an update. Needless to say, she did not.

 

We made contact again on Monday March 3rd to complain. We were told that the engineer had failed to attend, (it was so reassuring to know we weren't lying!) and that he had logged the reason as 'heavy traffic prevented him from making the appointment'. It was a Friday afternoon, so you shall have to understand my cynicism that that had more to do with his failure to attend, than any traffic problem. We asked why we had not been contacted and informed of this on the day, and were told that “we just wait for the customer to get in contact again"..... I was flabbergasted at such poor customer service.

 

We made a further appointment date for Wednesday 5th March. Again, my husband took time off work. Someone was to arrive between 1500-1700hrs. The same engineer as the previous visit arrived. When he tried to install the control board he told my husband he could not continue with the repair as some other element within the unit was completely burnt out, and that we would need a new unit. He assured my husband he would file a report straight away, and that we would receive a call the following day to re arrange a further visit.

 

On Thursday March 6th, no one made contact with us, so yet again, we contacted the company. We were given a different number to contact and speak with 0800 repairs direct. Once we did get hold of them, the report had not been filed, so we had to wait & recontact the company again.

 

The 0800 repair company, as of Thursday 6th March had refused to re attend to repair the unit until we get 'someone in to remove the cooker hood from the wall prior to arranging someone to attend and complete a repair'. I am flabbergasted at this. There is clearly nothing in the manufacturer's guarantee which states this to be the case prior to any repair!! The engineer had informed my husband that the unit needed to be replaced not repaired!! Apparently he has written something completely different on the report according to 0800 repairs. I have never heard such utter rubbish & nonsense.

 

When I made it clear that none of the documentation stated anything about the customer having to remove a hood, and that it was a preposterous situation to ask us to remove an electrical item from a wall I was told “we are not the manufacturer's of the product and you have to remove it and pay for it to be so” & that “under their company's terms & conditions I, the customer have to get someone in to remove it," , & I assume re install once fixed. When I read out the manufacturer's guarantee the operative still insisted it was not their remit to remove the hood prior to repair, and therefore, not adhere to the manufacturer’s guarantee. I was told to speak with Cata if I had a problem.

 

When I queried all of this, I was eventually, at my insistence, transferred to someone supposedly more senior. She also reiterated the same, and stated " I was not going to get what I wanted, and that if I was not prepared to pay someone else to come in and take the hood down, she would close down the repair".

 

I assume the manufacturers l have contracted the work out to this company & also assume they are supposed to work within the guarantee Cata provide. I find the level of unprofessionalism from within all areas of this company, quite shocking to say the least. Never have I heard of anything like this regarding a repair to an electrical item.

 

I contacted Chiswick B&Q to have this product removed and returned but to date,I have not had my call returned despite leaving my contact details with the operator in B&Q.

 

I have now written to 0800 repairs logging a formal complaint.This letter also contained reference to trading standards, and their breaches of their own Code of Conduct (thank you to whoever posted that info on another thread on here!!) I have already made contact with Cata ( Friday 7th March via email at 0200hrs regarding my position.They were copied into the same letter as was sent to both 0800 repairs,and Pacifica, who own 0800 repairs. Interestingly, I have had an email from Cata this evening asking for my details and a contact number to discuss further with both myself and 0800 repairs. Another complaint letter is being sent to B&Q. I wrote the letter of complaint to the CEO of 0800 repairs, a Mr Paul Feek. Today, Friday 7th March I received two phone calls from the previously mute 0800 repairs to inform me that they had " read my complaint and having talked to the engineer they are able to repair our hood without us removing it from the wall, and because of this engineers poor service they will not be paying him, and our repair will be passed to one of their specifically trained engineers"... so who attended our house on two previous occasions, if he was not a trained engineer!! The company still insist that under their terms and conditions it would be our responsibility to remove the cooker hood from the wall, but this would invalidate our guarantee!!?? I have found forums re this company with many many complaints not dissimilar to my own.Please be advised never to use this company, and i would also be grateful if anyone else has successfully had an appliance repaired after complaining. This company have stated they will attend our home on Thursday 13th March to repair our hood...I am not entirely sure this will be the case. The customer service has been appalling,but more worryingly, the insistence that we the customer have to remove the cooker hood from the wall is ludicrous and dangerous. My feeling is this is being done to ensure that any guarantee is invalidated,and therefore no repair/replacement will be carried out by 0800 repairs. Or am I just cynical

I have attached the letter sent to all relevant parties for your perusal and comments. Many thanks.