Friday, June 08, 2007

Good Customer Service from Potterton

Like all houses in my estate mine came with a Potterton Suprima 40 gas boiler. It worked grand for a few years but then developed a fault where it would "lock out" and die. We had the circuit boards replaced and we discovered subsequently that this was a known problem with Suprima Boilers but that Potterton refused to pay for the repairs.

This year again the bolier showed signs of a faulty board and whilst doing a websearch I came across BBC Watchdog and saw that they had raised this usse and Potterton have 'fessed-up and agreed to perform the necessary repairs free of charge. So off I went and downloaded the template letter , sent it off and waited for the expected response "sorry UK only".

Back came a reply asking me to contact Potterton to arrange a call out. They emailed Potterton Ireland and 3 days later I had an egineer call out and replace the board. Unfortunately at the same time the fan in the boiler failed. I contacted the engineer and he said he'd inform Potterton and 3 days later I had a new fan installed. All free of charge.

So three cheers for Potterton who belatedly resolved the issues but did so in a very efficient manner.

Posted by at 6/08/2007 11:47:00 AM
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5 comments:

  1. I have the same problem - did you amend the standard letter in any way, or word for word ?
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  2. I would have changed any Uk references and added in a bit about the number of times the boiler had broken down.
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  3. I'm glad that someone is on Potterton's side after that Watchdog slating. After I got my Potterton Performa 24HE Eco Combi Boiler I did have a couple of problems but Potterton sorted them out without any hassle and very quickly.
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  4. I now have the same problem with a Suprima 70L. I have read eagerly what you both say about the free repair service, but the watchdog site (and link you posted) don't seem to give anything anymore. Can you post a copy of the template letter?

    Thanks
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  5. A number of folk come here after a search regarding problems with Potterton PCBs - here is the template letter that I used to contact Potterton. It was originally drafted by BBC Watchdog:

    ---

    Martyn Coffey
    Chief Executive
    Potterton
    Brooks House
    Coventry Road
    Warwick
    CV34 4LL



    Dear Sir,

    I have a Potterton Suprima Boiler purchased in 1997. The serial number is . XXXXXXXXX

    My boiler has displayed the same problems recently featured on “Watchdog” – it stops working and has to be manually restarted with the reset button. This has happened a number of times.

    This fault was also experienced a few years ago and led to the original PCB being replaced.

    It would seem that there are many other people who have experienced this fault, and that a number of experts have identified the problems as being with the PCB. It appears they are solved once a new one is fitted. As the problem is clearly due to a faulty part - the PCB - I do not believe that I should have to bear the cost of the replacement as the reason for the repair was completely outside my control.

    It is your company that should pay for this, as you are obviously aware of the issue and have been aware since date of first manufacture but avoided it for many years supplying faulty replacement boards.

    I am sure that a business with such a renowned reputation as Potterton will not hesitate to cover the cost of their faulty product.

    I look forward to your response.

    Yours faithfully,
    ReplyDelete

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