SAC0038

Written evidence submitted by Mr Paul Smith

On 17 Oct 23, we had our mandatory annual Gas Safety Inspection at our SFA. The engineer identified a small patch of corrosion inside the gas boiler and declared that it was not safe to use until a part was replaced. He advised that we should use some small space heaters (provided) and the electric immersion system to heat water until the part could be replaced / installed. The engineer confirmed that he would report the situation with the gas boiler and order the required part. I was assured I did not need to do anything. As the water tank was still hot, we did not need to turn on the electric immersion heater immediately, but the following morning when we did activate the system it failed to work.

This fault was reported immediately via the Pinnacle National Service Centre (0800 031 8628) and an appointment was made for the following day, which was later confirmed by email: Thanks for logging your repair with us, your reference number is XXX, we have booked an appointment for an engineer to attend on Thursday, 19 October 2023 between 13:00 and 17:00. I did ask if we could have a same day appointment but was told there were no appointments available.

 

On 18 Oct 23, my family and I were without CH or HW, having to boil a kettle for hot water. Later that afternoon I received a call from one of the contractors / VIVO to say that no one was available to attend the appointment and could one be scheduled for the following week. When I pointed out that we were without CH or HW he did say he would try and speak to a sub-contractor who would in turn contact me directly – no one did.

 

Thankfully I had contacted the Northwood Community Support and Information Officer and the Northwood Welfare Officer who chased Pinnacle / Vivo on my behalf. I received an email from the Vivo Defence Customer Experience Director (Manchester) who apologised for the situation and indicated that our local area manager would be in contact later the same day – no contact was made.

Finally, after several emails to the Northwood Community and Welfare team, I received calls from Vivo and contractors to confirm initially that the gas boiler would be repaired on 23 Oct 23 and that the immersion heater would be checked on 20 Oct 23. The gas boiler appointment was later brought forward to 20 Oct 23; it took the engineer a few minutes to replace the part.

I am grateful that this situation was fixed but the stress and time it took to reach a resolution was just unacceptable. It seemed to me that there was no coordination between the maintenance and repair parts of the Pinnacle / Vivo organisations. So, whilst gas safety inspections were being carried out at pace there did not appear to be any matching effort to deal with the inevitable repair arisings from unsafe boiler situations. Had it not been for the help of the Northwood Community and Welfare team, I believe strongly I would have been passed between pillar and post when dealing with Pinnacle and Vivo with the result that we would have waited much longer to have our CH and HW restored.

It strikes me that the model for SFA maintenance and repair seems to be skewed; with payment for visits and work done, which is not related to successful outcomes for customers. Reported repairs always seem to take much longer because tradespeople attend to confirm the fault but never carry even basic parts, so parts must be ordered then another appointment arranged to fit and complete the repair. I have lived in SFA for most of my 27 years of military service and the lived experience has deteriorated rapidly, I would suggest that it does nothing to improve retention.

 

24 October 2023