Name: Plumbingforce
Rating: 3.80

“Was coming between 8-12 and called after 11 to say they weren’t coming! I’d taken the day off work! I wouldn’t recommend this company to anybody”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“VERY UNRELIABLE. DO NOT USE!!!! I called Plumbing force in an emergency- water coming from a light bulb! They gave me a 4 hr slot and called up last minute and gave me a 4 hr slot the next morning which they moved to the afternoon with no reason given, and then again called in the afternoon to rearrange the next day. All this despite knowing that the lights had tripped! UNACCEPTABLE”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“23rd Feb 2022 Very unreliable. DO NOT USE. Booked an appointment, was given a 4 hour slot. Travelled an hour to my sons house and waited for 4 hours for them to show up. Then at the last minute, a phone call saying sorry plumber was delayed and asking to re-appoint the following day. Then exactly the same same again. Waited for 4 hours and then another call asking to move to the next day. Unacceptable.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Do not use this company they charged me £118 for doing nothing. I wanted a gas cooker installed but they couldn't do it because of a technicality with gas regulations. Fair enough, but they still charged me the full price. Outrageous”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“They have fixed only the symptoms of a problem for staggering 300 pounds and they charged another 150 pounds just to tell, there is something else wrong which will cost me hundreds of pounds. Avoid it.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I would advise future customers to be aware of plumbing forces charges. £150 is a lot of money to tell me I need a new electric shower. Luckily I decided not to go ahead with the work to replace the shower at £500 as it just seemed to expensive. It didn't cost that much more to have my bathroom replaced. I recommend you look around first before contacting.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Gas Safe Register P O Box 6804 Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 4NB Dear Sir/ Madam, I am writing to file a report regarding professional misconduct by Mr Gareth Cole who is certified by your organisation (Gas safe card ID: 5004435). I also wish to inform you of what I believe to be the abuse of the Gas Safe Register membership and the exploitation of customers by his employers; Plumbingforce Ltd based at Kanahura, 260 Hillbury Road, Warlingham,Surrey,CR6 9TP. I have attached the following documents which I will refer to in my statement of case. (i) Invoice dated 12/06/2021 sent as attachment to email (ii) Gas warning and advice notice dated 12/06/21 sent as attachment to email (iii) Letter of complaint to Plumbingforce Ltd dated 9/12/2021 (iv) Complaint Letter to Directors of Plumbingforce Ltd (v) Email Correspondence with Ms Becca Oakley of Plumbingforce Ltd. From 06/12/2021 to 10/01/2022. (vi) Sample of adverse reviews of Plumbingforce Ltd in the month of December 2021 alone reported by Trustpilot. BOOKING OF APPOINTMENT Plumbingforce Ltd is listed on Google search as a company which offers repair to Baxi Boilers. On 6th December 2021 I telephoned the company regarding malfunctioning of my central heating system powered by a Bermuda Baxi Back Boiler. I informed the company’s representative that the pilot on my installation did not flare up to provide heating. I also stated that a previous engineer who had called but was not available on the day had advised that the likely fault was the ignition, and that the PCB may also require replacement. Ms Becca Oakley, the After Sales Manager in her correspondence (email of 08 December 2021 highlighted in red ) confirms in outline my conversations with the company’s representative. I did not, and Ms Oakley does not state in her email that I reported the smell of gas which would have been obvious to two other members of my household nor did I report a hissing sound coming from the installation. At no time during the booking process was I advised that a Bermuda Baxi Back Boiler is considered an obsolete installation for which no parts are obtainable from the company’s suppliers as Ms Oakley was later to assert in her email of 23rd December 2021 as highlighted. ENGINEER’S CALL Mr Gareth Cole turned up in the company of a younger colleague or family member. He expressed concern that the coal bed and surround had been removed. I explained that they were not an integral part of the installation and that I had removed them myself to grant him quick access to the installation. I also informed him that the fire had been isolated in the past as it was not required for space heating. He laid in front of the installation on a dust sheet he brought with him and spent about fifteen minutes reading the Baxi Bermuda Inset 2 Boiler 50/4 E manual on his electronic device. He explained that the fault could be inadequate oxygen supply which caused the boiler to automatically shut down or that there could be accumulation of shoot in the chimney. He did not ask to inspect the gas meter or ask that I turn on the installation to observe how the pilot comes on but does not flare up. I offered to make a cup of tea for his colleague and upon my impromptu return to the sitting room, I observed Mr Cole with a spanner in hand, turning a bolt or valve which created a hissing sound and the release of gas which was noticeable by a distinct smell. He mumbled an explanation and falsely claimed that he could smell gas “all along”. He explained that he would not “touch” the installation as someone else had previously worked on it. He offered to cap the boiler and provide a quote for a replacement boiler. I declined the offer. AFTER SALES Shortly after Mr Cole’s visit I received from Ms Becca Oakley the After Sales Manager emails with attachments namely an Invoice (Appendix 1 ) and a Gas warning and advice notice ( Appendix 2) which the company referred to as a certificate. The invoice categorically states “Did not work on appliance”. Yet the certificate makes two false claims namely that “Escape of gas has been detected on the appliance” and “Has been turned off and a warning label attached” with reference to a non-existent gas leak. This became the subject matter of email exchanges between Ms Oakley and me. I informed her that there was no gas leak; that Mr Cole tampered with the appliance and he did not fix a warning label as the certificate purported. Ms Oakley’s email of 8th December 2021 asserted that a gas leak was detected and stopped. She advised that I replace the installation as it was deemed obsolete, and no parts are available for its repair. Her email appeared to suggest that Mr Cole performed some tasks or activities involving investigation and fault diagnostics; when as a matter of fact all he did was to observe a coalbed which had been removed, reading the manual on his electronic device and caught in the act tampering with the appliance. COMPLAINT I filed a formal complaint on 9th December 2021 and in my letter included photographs of the replacement ignition and the boiler in working order. I received no response within the fourteen days I’d specified and consequently wrote to the Directors of the company. I then received the email of 23rd December 2021 in response to my complaint from Ms Oakley; the After Sales Manager who had previously touted a new installation now advising me that she is also the company’s complaint officer. Her email of 9th January 2022 claims that my case has been reviewed and they “remain in the decision that the minimum one-hour charge is applicable for the visit and the warning notice advising that a non-gas safe engineer had taken the fire apart would be applicable”. WHAT REVIEW? Regarding the very serious charge of tampering with a customer’s appliance to raise a false flag, Ms Oakley has not demonstrated that she has followed a complaint process and has spoken to Mr Cole or his colleague regarding this matter to ascertain their version of events. Setting aside the minimum charge that the company is so desperate to keep, she appears to condone Mr Cole’s unethical practice? GAS LEAK In her email of Dec 23, 2021, as highlighted she makes the most outrageous and incomprehensible claim that : “Regarding the gas leak which has been advised, we are unable to say whether this was a continuous leak which had been experienced, and are unable to provide an opinion on this, only that when we attended the property and investigated the matter that there was a hissing sound on the union, and once tightening up the joint this hissing had stopped. Due to no leak being left there was no need to raise an additional warning notice for the leak as when we left there was not one present”. It is uncertain who the “we” in her statement refers to. Presumably the After Sales/Customer complaint department of one, is unable to say and provide an opinion on whether there was a gas leak. Either there was a leak or there wasn’t. That should be incontrovertible. It should not be a matter of detached opinion as she asserts. The gas leak and hissing sound were supposedly emanating from the appliance. If gas had been detected the remedying of the situation would conceivably be accounted for as work done to the appliance. However, the Invoice categorically states “Did not work on appliance”. WARNING NOTICE In back pedalling on the illusory claim that a notice was fixed to the appliance, Ms Oakley in her email now refers to “additional notice” which was not required. It speaks to Mr Cole’s lack of competence as a gas safety engineer and insincerity given that he did not fix a warning notice to an appliance which he deemed to be at risk. BAXI PARTS Ms Oakley states in her email of 23rd December that “Due to the age of the appliance and our suppliers not providing new parts for the Baxi Bermuda, we recommended that a system upgrade is required”. This claim cannot be true as Mr Cole made no attempt to disassemble the appliance to look at the ignition. Knowing very well that their supplier does not provide parts for the Baxi Bermuda, the company nonetheless persuaded me to pay for an appointment with the assurance which she states in her email as “ we advised that our engineers work on an hourly rate for their time spent on site, with a minimum of the first hour, plus the cost of any parts if they were required. I believe that no reputable company will quote for a job when it knows that parts are not available for the appliance. PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT Regarding the purported incidence of gas leak in a home, Mr Gareth Cole was not the least alarmed and permitted me to switch on the kettle (an electrical appliance) to make tea for his colleague. This fact should be sufficient to convince any gas safety conscious person or institution that his claim of finding a gas leak is false. If not, then this act of gross negligence which puts customers safety at risk should disqualify him from flaunting a gas safety card. It is clear to me that Plumbingforce Ltd is either not concerned about or incapable of investigating my reported case of one of its engineers tampering with a customer’s installation. It appears the company condones the unethical conduct of its employees/contractors. I have attached nine pages of adverse reviews by customers as reported by Trustpilot in the month of December 2021 which shows the company’s exploitative track record. However, tampering with a customer’s appliance to release gas, must fall in the league of despicable behaviour and professional misconduct which as a Trade Body you should be concerned about. Not many customers will find the time to pursue redress or be capable of coherently presenting their case. I have chosen to do so to prevent Mr Gareth Cole from perpetuating his scam on the unsuspecting public. I trust you will share my grave concern and take action to maintain your reputation as an institution that the public can trust to regulate the conduct of its members. Yours faithfully Kenneth Koranteng”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“MAY THE FORCE NOT BE WITH THESE SCAMMERS Gary Charles and Tabby Manning Dear Sir and Madam, I am taking the unusual step to write directly to you as the directors of Plumbingforce Ltd. as it appears to me that you superintend over the affairs of a company which is so profit eyed and financially desperate as not to care about customer ill will or damage to its reputation. At the very least you could try to salvage what is left of your questionable and diminishing reputation (as evidenced by online customer reviews) by acknowledging and addressing customer complaints which portray your company as an insidious and ethically bankrupt company. As a case in point, Mr. Gareth Cole, one of your engineers (I’ll be generous to permit him an undeserving title of a vocation) who as it turns out has no experience of repairing back boilers attended my property on 6th December 2021 on an appointment to repair a malfunctioning back boiler. He spent the better part of fifteen minutes on his belly staring at the installation and reading the manual on his electronic device. He then proceeded to tamper…yes! tamper with the installation, as in, use his spanner to turn a bolt to release gas which was noticeable and evidenced by a hissing sound and a distinct smell. He then turned off the “gas leak” and made a false claim that he found a gas leak. He employed that despicable and comical display as a basis to declare the installation obsolete and prospected for business by offering to quote for an alternative replacement. Matters moved from the ridiculous to the insane when your after-sales manager Ms Becca Oakley sent me an email with an attached certificate purporting to confirm a gas leak which was found on “the union on the gas tube”. She also claimed that Mr Cole had capped the gas supply to the boiler and fixed a warning notice to the installation because he deemed it “At Risk”. She asserted without proof that the back boiler is so obsolete that no parts are available (even though Mr Cole did not identify which parts were required for the repair) and as usual, pitched for business to install a replacement installation. The facts are that dodgy Mr Cole performed no such task nor did he fix a warning notice to the installation. In all honesty I would have yielded had Mr Cole chosen not to touch the installation at all for safety reasons. However, having your engineer tamper with an installation as a pretext to making false claims, and having your after sales manager condone such despicable and unethical behaviour cannot be left unchallenged. I mentioned in my call to your sales representative, and this is confirmed in Ms Oakley’s email, that a previous repair man had mentioned the printed circuit board or ignition as requiring replacement. Mr Cole did not investigate faults to the printed circuit board or the ignition. He was clueless. Had there been a gas leak evidenced by a hissing sound and smell; that would have been occurring over ten hours prior to my call and I most certainly wouldn’t have called you but called the gas emergency number on 0800 111 999. It took Mr Cole more than fifteen minutes to find gas leakage, having previously offered several possible causes of the malfunction (no doubt as stated in the manual) which included insufficient oxygen supply and a chimney clogged with soot. Having detected gas leak Mr Cole was not alarmed and did not caution me not to switch on the kettle to make tea for his colleague. Wouldn’t a competent gas engineer prevent anyone from switching on an electric appliance in a home where gas leak has been detected? It is unconscionable for Mr Cole to abuse the gas safety regime by making false claims. Your company has failed to acknowledge receipt of my complaint of 9th December instant, and I take it have no intention of responding. Please find attached my correspondence to your company which together with this letter to you, will be included in my submission to the Trading Standards Board and the Gas Safe Register. Contrary to the lies peddled by Ms Oakley the ignition part no 246026 for the Bermuda Baxi Boiler is available to order. Thankfully a competent engineer has been on hand to restore my back boiler to life and as you can see in the photo below it is providing heat and comfort over the Christmas season. The installation is not at risk. It is your engineers who are clueless and your company which exploits customer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I recommend that PLUMBINGFORCE should be avoided at all costs. My experience with them started when I was contacted at 5am via a neighbour of my 94 year old mother, that a water pipe was leaking to the flat below. I will highlight that my mother lives in Bristol and I live 260 miles away in Norfolk. I contacted several emergency plumbers in Bristol but the only one to respond was PLUMBINGFORCE Limited. They informed me that they would attend that day between 9am/1pm and the cost would be £200 plus VAT and parts. However, the plumber did not turn up. I contacted them to highlight that my mother was 94, hard at hearing, easily confused and sat in a flat with no water, toilet or heating. The plumber eventually arrived a t 1pm the following day. Before the plumber had arrived, I noted on my mobile phone that my credit card company pinged me that £220 was deducted from my account. The problem was resolved by the fitment of a simple adapter. However, I was then shocked by a further withdrawal from my credit card of £248, making a total of £468! On querying the costs I was told PLUMBINGFORCE charged £130 per hour labour for 2.5 hours work. They also told me they had reduced it from £200 per hour, as they did not turn up when they promised. That would have cost £693 for the fitment of a simple adaptor. I also queried the 2.5 hours to complete the job plus £65 plus VAT for parts. As a retired mechanical engineer dealing with pipe systems on complex aero engines, I could have fixed the problem in less than an hour with parts from Screwfix for less than £20! But, as highlighted above, I was 260 miles away and had no choice but deal with PLUMBINGFORCE. In my opinion, this company takes advantage of vulnerable people such as my 94 year old mother or anyone who is in need of an emergency plumber. Fortunately, I have since made enquiries and found local plumbers who are reliable, professional and considerably less expensive. But as is said, hindsight is a wonderful thing. If you feel the £200 per hour labour is acceptable than by all means employ them. Although it’s perfectly obvious that I will not be”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“The price they quote is not the price invoiced. They go around checking everything else that's gas and then charge you for it. They un-necessary change copper pipe etc etc. Would not ever use again, rip off merchants.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Booked engineer arrived. Advised that they could not service the boiler as they need to resolve a potential blockage in the water tank first. I asked if I would be charged for the call out of 20 mins. Advised I would be charged but when he quotes for the additional work it would include the bolier service which did not take place. The next day I was charged the full amount. I have still not received quote (4 days later) for the additional work. I have complained to the company via email. However will be taking this further as this appears to be their standard business model. Charging of non delivery of the actual service, how is this ethical?”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Overcharged - DO NOT TRUST! This company turned up and completed the work in less than 1 hour, the engineer left and sat in their van until it had been 1 hour 13 minutes since arrival. They have now charged me (£80) for this time sat outside doing nothing! When challenged they showed me a signature that isn't even mine saying that confirmed I 'accepted' that as the departure time. When you complain you get a faceless email with no names. DO NOT TRUST THEM”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“They charged us an excessive amount but couldn't fix our blocked Toilet. They charged £130 + VAT to fix a blocked Toilet but we're unable to do so. They spent part of the time looking in rain drains out the front of the house instead of looking under the manhole in the back garden. A different plumber charged £80 + VAT and fixed the issue in 30 minutes. Definitely do not hire them to fix a blocked Toilet. There are far cheaper and better people out there. I requested a refund but was told I couldn't get one as the fix involved using a rod and their rods wouldn't have been big enough even if they could find the right hole. My advice: Chose a company with bigger rods that know where to poke them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY !! Not only did they take advantage of and COMPLETELY overcharge my elderly grandmother - but they also intimidated her and broke her tap in the process!! Yes they fixed the leak, however, charged £184 for 15 minutes of work and left her with a completely broken, wobbly tap (that was working absolutely fine before). When she asked them to come out and fix the tap THEY broke, they tried to take her card details saying it would be another £150 minimum !! I dread to think what they would have taken if she had given them her details as they tried to intimidate her into doing! Complete rip off, DO NOT TRUST !!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Booked on Monday, told would visit Tuesday between 2-6. Cancelled just before 6 rearranged for Wednesday 2-12 again just before rearranged to pm. Not called by 5.00 told them to cancel. Told no manager, offhand, also told to expect a call from the dispatcher, never happened. Got a local guy totally reliable and a fraction of the cost. DO NOT TOUCH THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“We’d requested an urgent call out as we had been informed by SGM that an old gas pipe needed replacing asap who had told us was a straight forward job. On booking we were led to believe that an engineer would come out and be able to compete the work. However when the engineer arrived he said that the job was too time consuming to complete at this visit. He proceeded to spend some time accessing the job and said he would then send a quote. He was unwilling to proceed with the job at this stage. We were therefore very disappointed as we were still charged for a call out fee when no work was completed.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Rip off business- charge your credit card and send cowboys out who are rude & intimidating- don’t fix anything but charge your card with more than quoted - £156 for a 20 minute attendance & didn’t fix the issue - made it worse!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Booked plumber 12-45 promised would attend by 5 -called back several times then told at 4:15 they were unlikely to arrive today - they would call back they didn’t - very poor indeed”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“THIS COMPANY IS DISGUSTING, COMPLETE RIP OFF. A BUSINESS MODEL FOR RIPPING OFF THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY LIE AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED. Plumber Sean Smith visited the above address at approximately 1pm. I met him outside as our address is a new build and difficult to find. He was pleasant and I showed him the washing machine. I'm not sure what it is about builders and plumbers but they all do the same and this was no exception. He started breathing out heavily saying not sure about this etc etc. I said well your the expert that's why I called you, if it was simple I would have done it. His mood changed from chirpy to more concerned. Saying this seams a more of a difficult job. The job is to plumb in a washing machine that is at the end of a corner unit. I'm sure you know what I mean from his photos. So I told him that currently our Miele dishwasher was on the cold feed under the sink and the beko washing machine can only take cold intake so that needs to change. Where as the dishwasher can take hot so just needed to swap them. I asked him for his advice on this but he said he didn't really know. So I had screen shot pics on my phone to show him but wanted his expertise to confirm this but he could not. So then he looked at the back of the machine and under the sink and in the cupboard still taking sharp intakes of breath. As a customer this is a horrible experience because you think its beyond his capabilities and going to be expensive. Then he said there is no water hose on the back of the machine, how can I connect it. I said I had to throw the old one away because it had perished. He said how am I going to connect it. I said the guy I spoke to on the phone when booking the appointment assured me you carried these on your van. He said I better have a look. He came back with a 2.5m water hose and with another sharp intake of breath said I don't know if this will fit. I thought why not measure it. Honestly a trained plumber asking me how am I going to connect it. In the end he said it would just fit. I said why not use a longer one. He said they don't come any longer. Well, I have just been on amazon and found a 3m hose. How does a professional plumber not know the length that hoses come in? Either he lied or is incompetent. Either way this is disgusting. So then he said you need a drain hose extension kit. He said I will try and get one. He went outside the front door and made a few calls. 10 to 15 minutes he came in and said he can't get one, you will have to order it off Amazon. He showed me which one and I ordered it. When I first phoned up I was assured that these things were carried on the plumbers vans. But that was another lie as I explained what was needed so the plumber had the kit to do the job. Then he said he would have to come back. So this was approximately 25 to 30 minutes into the visit. So I thought he was off. Then he started taking photos and writing and quote out which took at least 20 to 25 minutes. Sean Smith actually told us he was writing out the quote because the office demanded be so marticulous. That's all well and good but you have the cheek to charge me 30 minutes labour for the privilege. Also when I phoned up to complain the chap said the quote was for my benefit, this is of course not true the quote was for the office and I have been charged £60 plus vat. So you can imagine my shock when I have been charged £144 to plumb in a washing machine that ended up being a quote that the plumber Sean Smith admitted. To them be quoted another £297 to come back later on the week to do the job with parts I ordered which were supposed to be with the plumber when he came. I then expected that £144 to be deducted from the ,£297. Oh no you wanted that on top of the £144. So that's £441 in total to plumb in a £200 washing machine that's 6 years old. I could buy a new washing machine for that money. Now let's think about this rationally and with common sense. You cannot charge me twice for a job that you never done the first visit. In the normal course of business quoting is part of the way of the building sector. You quote jobs not charge to quote jobs. I am fuming about this and never got a refund when I complained. Also I did everything correctly I got 5 quotes where as it is recommended 3. I looked at reviews which yours were all good. So I did not randomly phone you I did my research and was still ripped off. Don't use this firm.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“The plumber said wrong materials which is not and ran off when we are trying to discuss how it should work together with the bidet company who supplied the materials and willing to walk him through on how to do it since obviously he don't know. He keeps on walking out during conversation walking back and forth on our street very anxious for no reason. He don't listen, He just keep saying same words and saying we don't understand. Him acting strange, very red and anxious, really scared us and thinking the staff they sent us make us uneasy and scared. Really a scary situation the plumber is aggressive and acting strange towards us . For your information on that same day we had a new plumber from another reliable company and said it is doable and started the job right away. Technically, he just don't want to do it and just charged us for coming? Appalling and unprofessional. I am awaiting for the refund the £118.80 that was charged for sending us someone just to say he can't do it. As of now no one is getting back at me for the investigation but very quick on getting the money for payment. Plumbingforce is a scammed website and should not be use.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
On-time Delivery	Greater than 92%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Live Chat, Email
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	4.1 out of 5

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