Plumbforce Direct
Reviews and Complaints

After a number of failed shows, I had a boiler engineer from plumbforce direct come to my flat to apparently fit a PRV valve and fix the expansion valve for which I got charged £371.40. 3 days later it broke down and the engineer failed to show an further two times so was left with the only option to find an alternative engineer from a different company. The alternative boiler engineer told me in fact no PRV valve had been replaced and there would have been no point sorting the expansion valve as it had a hole in it. He's taken photos so I have proof and he suggested I had been scammed.
I was dealing with Dylan Ross and Scott Hall and was told by Scott I'd receive half of the invoice back and this hasn't materialised.
In the last 4 weeks I have called plumbforce direct, namely Scott Hall and Dylan Ross over 25 times and today had the pleasure of Scott putting the phone down on me.
They tell you countless times they'll sort the problem and then just ignore you, take your money and rip you off.
The MD is Stuart Hall and I've raised a complaint with him but not optimistic I'll hear back. I'll be in touch with trading standards as this company should not be operating.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Copied from my Trust Pilot review:

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This company needs to be brought to it's knees! Bunch of heartless, money-grabbing crook scum, left me with no heating and hot water over Christmas and tried to convince me that my boiler needed servicing even though it had been last year! The engineer then took a different tack, charging me £360 to rewire a perfectly wired boiler. In desperation I paid half, though fortunately by credit card so my money will be refunded. After, 2.5 hours, engineer said he couldn't fix it as it '(probably) needs a new PCB' for which Sylvie at the office quoted 'a ball park figure' of £495 PLUS VAT after ALOT of coercion! I dread to think how much they prey on the elderly/vulnerable

Do not use. As many other reviewers on other websites, I had the experience being scammed (over a thousand pounds of damage).

Didn't have hot water for a week during which the plumber came in at least 4 times, switched parts and charged us >1k. (Later it turned out none of these parts needed to be replaced).

After yet another time they said a new part needs to be bought, I called another service, everything was fixed within an hour, no parts required.

Called to submit a complaint and demand a refund, but they keep referring to other people who are "not available" and promise to call back. Never once anybody called back in 2 weeks.

They also kept saying that they reply with resolutions to written complaints, but that is a a lie as well.

I wasn't sure at first if that is incompetence or a scam, but after reading comments, it's pretty clear it is the latter.

Hi
On the phone I was quoted £70+VAT and assured it will be fixed and in what ever case I will not pay more than what I was quoted. I explained to the lady on the phone what the issue was and she assured me once more it will be sorted. To my surprise, when the plumber came, he did the basics, tried plunging few times, looked outside my wall and said a machinery would be needed for additional £275+VAT! He didnt even try to remove my washing machine to look behind where the pipes are! Not even a manual rod! I said it's not what I was told and quoted! I refused to pay even the £70+VAT because he hardly tried doing anything! I was threatened by a debt collectors too. I tried calling the number I used before to clarify the situation and the quote, and of course it was not reachable!

Terrible service full of tricks and psychological hoops and loops to get you to pay as much as possible - conduct work that you dont need doing, taking cash in hand, trying to push you in to a decision quickly to close money on you. I smelled a fish from the second the guy started to ask if I had kids and tell me horror stories about the boiler that I know every other plumber says is awesome - that he was trying to plant seeds of fear in my brain. Luckily I am savvy - but I am so angry that if that was my dad - he'd be ripped of a 1000GBP there and then by these charlatans. Please investigate and remove their services!

I had a leaking shower and called Plumbforce Direct. They said an incompetent "engineer / plumber" who failed to fix the problem but charged £600. I have asked for my money back which at first they agreed to but never did. Despite countless attempts to get my money back they never paid - the money was always "being processed" or "in the hands of our accounts dept". Eventually I got a court judgement but even now they have not paid me back.

They told me its 70+vat for the plumber to come and analyse the issue and that the repair could be done typically in the visit.
The plumber came to analyse the issue. He told me 2 things were not working and need replacing. The company quoted me 630 gbp for the repair!
I got British engineer to come in. He told me 1 thing was not working and that the price of 630 was way out of line.

Invoice [removed] 17th July 2018

Beware. They quoted a cheap price on phone for replacing a plastic waste pipe . I gave full details explaining that the pipe had sheared off and that a part of the pipe was still inside the collar. They then trebled the price on arrival telling me the job was a lot more involved and required the removal of the sink. It didn't. It only needed a small length of pipe to be fed through to link with u-bend. No drilling. No moving of sink. The work was completed in less than an hour with just a little extra work ( 10 mins at best ) and with no added materials required as the extra pipe was cut from the one they had already. £70 +vat turned into £210 +vat. I could have refused but their terms state that I'd still have to pay the the initial fee just for turning up and as I had no sink facilities I wanted to get job done quickly. I did call their office and they told me the increased charge stood and there was not even the chance of some wiggle room. Normally I would've told them where to go but I didn't. Please, please, please don't be as gullible as I was. Incidentally I spoke to a local independent plumber afterwards who quoted me £100 to do the same work. Had he called me back sooner he would've got the job before Plumbforce Direct.

The service offered by this company is shockingly bad. It is sometimes hard to tell if they are crooks or just incredibly incompetent - but either way STEER CLEAR. The fact that for some of the fake positive reviews they have posted online they have forgotten to log out of their account so you can see that it is a Plumbforce Direct employee writing it makes me suspect they might be both!

I have now had five months of chasing them to try to get them to finish the job they promised to do. They cheerfully assure me every time that they will definitely sort it all out and that they will call me back to let me know how they will resolve it. And then I never hear from them again. When I have finally managed to get them to make an appointment for a plumber to come out, he invariable does not show up. I have calculated that my husband and I have now taken 8 days off work to wait at home for plumbers who never turn up. It is shocking to read how many reviews here are from people with similar experiences to me. I am now taking them to the small claims court but please, please do not repeat my mistake and DO NOT hire this company.

I saw the entry on the internet for Plumbforcedirect and called them up. The person I spoke to their employee (Sylvie) who said that they would come for £85 plus Vat to unblock one kitchen drain. I insisted specifically that it was not a plunger job but that we needed the machine used to unblock a drain. She responded that the price of the work would be the quoted £85 + Vat even if that was required. When their operative came on the 13th June he said that the £85 was only for a plunger job and said that the work would cost £240 +Vat.
When I told him that I had been quoted £85 he phoned his firms office and then I was told that the price would be £190 + Vat. Since that still did not correspond with the original offer made over the phone I refused to proceed and the operative left our house. However as soon as the operative left I rang their office and talked to Sylvie about this change of pricing and then she threatened to send a debt collector. This is clearly a case of gross misrepresentation and this firm should be taken to court for such activities.
I have since checked on the reputation of this firm on the internet and found that they have behaved similarly and worse with other customers.
Regards
JoelleStockley

I was quoted six days work, fixed price. Twenty-two working days later, I was desperate to just get them out. The work was slow, shoddy, untidy, permanently dusty. Then they asked for more money because the job had taken longer than estimated! Does it really take a day for a competent workman to put up three wall tiles?

I have a new bathroom simply because I had their work removed and a new, real plumber put one in.

I would like some money back, although I gather this is nigh impossible, so I'm not hopeful. I have documents and photographs and plenty of evidence that I do not exaggerate, but I think I shall just ensure the company's competence is clear to all potential customers instead.

Never use Plumb Force Direct. Everything I have read online about them-and wished I had before I called them out-was true.

We had a boiler that stopped working and they said it was irreparable and quoted £2K +VAT. Said the heat exchange had gone, had dripped onto the PCB and all of this had caused it to stop working.

We got a second opinion after speaking to people in our network (always the best strategy please when you need a tradesman) and someone recommended a local engineer.

They came out and repaired it for just £280 total. Was a new fan needed. Boiler was overheating as a result of poor functioning fan which had caused the PCB to trip. Simple check of fuse was all that was needed to know that there was nothing wrong with the PCB. Also nothing wrong with the heat exchange.

Plumb Force Direct also asked me to put the 3 digits from back of card when I wrote down bank card number, which I realise was very naive. I had to cancel the card of course because I have read about them taking further payments from people.

I have needless to say had no response to my phone calls and email complaints to date.

The £80 one off cost is clearly a con and again we realise that a good engineer will come out and diagnose for free and not charge for this.

Please be aware that should you take them to court, even with the court instructing they pay you, they do not. Complain to Gas Safe Register and quote Plumbeforce Register Number 211205. Gas Safe are online and are a trading body for plumbing companies. Someone posted the fact the Plumbforce Direct have outstanding judgements and Plumbforce complained asking it for it to be removed. The complaint is currently being reviewed.

Have MULTIPLE oustanding CCJ, s, just in the last few months. £11, 500 approx owed, as at today. They quote fixed price repairs from £70. Came and quoted approx £360. Boiler pressure kept dropping. They came and left the boiler with a leak, which it didn't have before. Engineers either failed to turn up or arrived saying job too big and would need to come back, but would call to reschedule. They did not. Manager promised a full refund. Did not happen and when chased, would hang up, on you. How are they allowed to trade? See numerous TrustPilot complaints. AVOID, Dishonest, vile, company.

When I booked an engineer to attend my boiler Scot Hall and Deborah took my card details and assured me n9 money would be taken until they had found the problem and quoted for it. The engineer cam out and shut down my boiler saying they had to order parts.
Another engineer appointment was made but he didn't turn up.
£ 289 was taken from my bank on the same day as the engineer didn't turn up.
I have been promised a full refund on the phone. But my weekly calls still have not produced the money. Finally I have written on advice from Trading Standards to say that under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015 a contract has been broken and that they should pay the money by the end of this week. Failure to do that would warrant further legal action.
So far nothing. No response and no money back. This is theft !

We agreed to have a new boiler installed, etc for £680.We paid the first half, £340.

The engineer texted 2 hours after he was due to say that he couldn't make it for another 2 hours (so, 4 hours late). We said no, and rescheduled for 4 days hence.

The next day, Plumbforce took the second half of the payment. As you'd expect, our relationship soured and they stopped returning our emails.

I filed in small claims court; they found in my favour.

I subsequently contacted my bank for a chargeback and was successful in the getting all money back, save the court fees.

AVOID

Hi we contacted Plumbforce Direct as we have 4 blocked toilets. As we are a business we could not afford to wait too long. They said they could get an engineer to us between 3 - 5. Quoted £80 + VAT for call out which included the 1st hour while they plunged away. We were informed if machinery was necessary they would charge an additional £75 + VAT for each 30 minutes. The plumber turned up around 2.30, went and plunged for 5 minutes only for him to say he's cleared the toilets but would be worth using the machinery to clear the excess in the pipes. You take their advice as they are the experts but now I know it's to line their pockets. They quoted £380 + VAT. I thought the job would take a couple of hours based on the prices given to us by their call centre. When the plumber finished the job, in under an hour for both plunging and machinery, I asked a simple question - please could you give me a breakdown on the cost? He got very defensive and said you have agreed to the price. I said I know but would like to understand how the figure was calculated as based on the figures quoted over the phone it should have only been £155 + VAT. The comment that shocked me the most was "if you want to pay on the hourly rate I'll go and get my toolbox and go back to your toilets" I responded by saving so you have ripped us off as you are saying you would stay here longer to clock up the hours. In the end he got his manager on the phone who gave him the price to charge (Scott's home number) who I spoke with and explained the situation. He was like it's £75 to use the machinery plus £45 for each man on site (there were 2) and you agreed to the price so thats a verbal agreement. My advice to him was to let customer service know that they should make the customer aware of the hidden costs so they can decide whether they wish for them to still come out.

I would not recommend this company to anyone. They are out to take your money. Don't be drawn in by their cheap prices and research them before asking for a visit. I learnt the hard way and I do not want them to continue treating others the same way.

After calling Plumbforce Direct to unblock my WC I was talked into parting with £354 to do the job. I am a single lady and was in dire need of a fixed WC and so I agreed. The plumber said the job was guaranteed for 5 days which I thought was a bit strange. After 7 days it was blocked again and when I called to complain they said I would have to pay £80 + VAT for another call-out. I got my local council to come instead and they said I had been badly ripped off as the problem was outside which the plumber hadn't even checked. I have written to Plumbforce Direct to complain with not response. They must be ripping off customers everywhere and need to be stopped.

I had a problem with my Worcester boiler Greenstar 24i Junior. A few years ago I called a technician from Plumbing Force www.plumbingforce.co.uk and I had a very good experience with them. However while googling them another company appeared in the search called Plumb Force Direct www.plumbforcedirect.co.uk. Mistakenly I clicked that link and got onto a well-designed webpage offering a good price £70 per hour boiler repair.

I called them up and a lovely lady with a northern accent called Debbie booked an engineer for me available within ah hour. I thought that was great. Since I was at work I asked Debbie to give me 30 minutes notice. Soon I got a call from the technician saying that he will be at the property in 10 minutes, I told him that I would be there asap but he might need to wait for 10 minutes or so. Having arrived at the property I wondered where was the engineer. I texted him, he replied that he had wandered off to a post office. Finally he showed up 30 minutes later. I thought that was a bit disrespectful for a client but I had to fix the boiler.

He listened to the boiler and even without opening it he said that the fan needs replacing. He said it would cost £350 to do the job including the part and that I needed to pay now for the visit £96 which he would deduct later from the £350 total. I was in no situation to argue, the bill paperwork looked legitimate with the logo and everything. So I agreed and paid him £96. However the following working day he texted me that the job will cost £450 because the part was more expensive than he thought. I looked up the cost of the part on the Internet and it was around £150 which meant that he wanted £300 for a straight part swap in the boiler which looked a bit steep to me. I questioned him about that and he never replied.

I had to finish the job, I called in another local company. And it turned out that the problem with the boiler wasn't the fan at all. So basically I was swindled by the Plumb Force Direct technician.

I tried to contact the Plumb Force Direct but they have ignored my request of refund for the initial £96 I have paid them. After some digging I have also noticed that the address in Mayfair, London, that they provide on their website is not the actual address of the company, it is just a building that serves as a post box registration for hundreds of various companies that I am guessing trying to impress their clients with a prestigious address.

As a conclusion I was cheated by PlumbForceDirect.com with no refund. I wouldn't advise anyone using them.

Good afternoon, I booked a job with your company for a new boiler, They quoted me £2400 for an unvented boiler which I paid a deposit for and the work was booked in for today 19.1.18 at 9.30am.

I had spoken to the service Manager Scott who confirmed the engineer who would be carrying out the work has G3 qualified and would have a certificate which he confirmed he was and able to carry out work on a unvented cylinder.

The engineers turned up at 10.30am which was an hour late with no ID and no certificates, when I rang gas safe they informed me that the engineers certificate had elapsed and that they were not qualified to carry out the work.

I spoke to Scott again this morning and he said I was to get the engineer to carry out the work and he would get some to sign it off on Monday which I responded is not legal as he is not trained to carry out the work.

Scott then informed me that you would get someone to carry out the work on Monday, which means I have no hot water all weekend. I informed scott to cancel the job and refund my deposit. I also sent him an email this morning at 11.30am asking him to let me know when this has been done which he have still not responded to.

I had taken a day off work for this work to be carried out and the work was not done.

I would like someone to contact me to confirm that the money is being refunded.

I would also like a response about the complaint regarding your company sending out unqualified engineers and a date of when my deposit is going to be refunded. Also as a manager Scott should beware of how to handle dissatisfied customers, not to respond to a customer after bad service is unacceptable

Kind regards
Sharon laing