Wendy WilliamsTHE Olive Press is looking into bogus gas inspections.
And we are now calling on our readers to come forward with their stories.
There have been a number of incidents recently, particularly in the Granada area, where representatives claiming to be from gas companies are knocking on people’s doors to carry out an ‘obligatory’ inspection.
They are then charging the person hundreds of euros for replacement parts or a new certificate.
Gas inspections should only ever be carried out by prior appointment with the gas company.
And you should not let anybody into your home that you do not know or expect.
If this has happened to you please contact [email protected] or call 951166060.
Shouylds be interesting as they usualy turn up dressed in a orange T Shirt and a pseudo ID card from Repsol.
They generally look for a gas canister hose date…this is on the sde of the orange hose. If out of date it should be replace as a mattor of course. A competent person can do this.
Unlike the UK where their is GASSAFE and CORGI registered installers and a law that says every gas appliance must be installed and servced by qualified licenced installers and service engineers – nSpain has UNVENTED appliances (those that kill can people if inadequately installed.
Notoriously families with young children have nbeen wiped out by dangerously installed instaneous hot water heaters such as in Cyprus recently.
Whilst not as bad as say twenty years ago before ASD (ATOMOSHPERE SENSING DEVICES) were fitted to appliances, it is clear that in Spain landlords do not comply with annuaL SERVICING AND GAS APPLIANCE INSATALLATION REGULATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
its NOT the stores for rthe sake of another Spain bashing article that’s important. Its the need to demonstrate the ACTUAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAS APPLIANCES.
Where are these published?
How are they policed?
Personally I would NOT trust any Spanish plumber as I have seen three water heaters with badly installed flues (and solid fuel is even more dangerous).
I have worked in the gas and solid fuel industry in the UK for over twenty years and in Export Markets. I would recommend fnding an Ex British Gas fitter or time served gas fitter that knows what they are doing and whom you can trust.
Spot on Christopher,
we rented an apartment from a supposedly qualified electrician – I wont go into all the lectrical problems we had and power points within cms of a an electrical stove.
The gas boiler packed up and it transpired that he had never had it serviced in 10 years – he was sick as a parrot when he had to shell out over €200.
Here in France all types of boilers have to be serviced by qualified personnel.
Yes, some young chap tried this one on, but didn’t get past my front door. Brazen!
We have had the bogus gas inspectors in our village, in fact it was one on the main reasons for creating the free website http://www.forumsinspain.info as we need to know what is happening around us and what we need to watch out for. Using it we can instantly spread the word about the good and bad points of living in spain.
Got the “gas inspectors” twice in the last three months. I show them our German Shepherd and take pictures of them and their car. They depart cursing, but hastily.
I had one of those friendly maintenance fellows change the hose for free,
after thinking he was official I let him in the house where he inspected the boiler and gas installation – pointing out that the hose was dated 2007 and needed to be replaced, which seeing the date, of course I agreed upon. When he wanted my personal details for the invoice I had to tell him I am renting and the invoice needed to be settled by the owner, well he insisted that he would have to be paid in cash now and I insisted that I had nothing to do with paying this ……. when he threatened to call the police I told him to go right ahead – well he left never to be seen again Thanks for the hose Hose …..
We had a visit here a few weeks ago.I challenged the legality of this and the cost he quoted (40 euros) to change a hose less than 6 inches long! He got quite arrogant questioning my experience with gas appliances. I told him we had a police officer living next door, and that I would ask him to come round there and then.I have never seen anyone move so fast to get away.I reported the vehicle number to the local police.I suspect they will not return!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2007 hose didn’t need replacing as has a five year life.
Just a point, don’t mess with these guys. Just use a polite refusal but get a copy of their ID CARD if you can.
NO ‘tradesman should be let into your house without an appointment and I.D.
Don’t threaten or be smart as they could come back and could be very nasty especially as the police don’t seem interested in them.
Today two men showed up at the gate flashing a variety of ID cards and wearing green uniforms and insisting they needed to perform necessary and important inspections on the gas line. We had, fotunately, just read an article about this particular scam and knew that we would be informed in writing and an appointment made for legitmate inspections. My husband, and the dog, told them in no uncertain terms to leave.Having read about the extortionate fees charged for minor repairs and the bogus “rapairs” that have actually been problems caused by these scamsters in order to have something to “fix” and charge for, I’m glad that we were forewarned.
They came all the way up into the Poqueira Valley in Las Alpujarras, (half an hour from any town or village) fortunately my husband had been forwarned and would not let them in, spoke to them through the gate – they said they would be back in 8 days, but never did come back
They are in Tarifa and Conil and Zahara de los atunes.
I asked for ID on the doorstep they flashed cards but wouldn´t let me look at them so i said that I would like to ring their office to check.
They got very, very, very aggressive and ran off.
I was made aware through your reports. THANKS
They came back later and my elderly neighbour let them in and paid 600 euros for a new `safety´screw…(?) to her cooker.
PS publish your fotos as they legged it before I could grab my camera.
Repsol has regularly said that you should always, phone the repsol ofice to check if the guy at your door is genuine. This summer there has been a plague of these types in Granada. They wear grey boiler suits with na iron on sticker on the chest. They even have pretty ID cards. I asked to see his personmal ID ansd he legged it. Perhaps because I dont have any gas in my home! The same gang tried it on at my mother in law’s home, they were not allowed in by her carer and told to contact me for an apointment. They didn’t!
I was conned yesterday by three guys all waring orange/grey kit bearing Junta Analucia logo’s. I live in a very remote area & they said as the INSPECTOR would be calling on me in the next day or two they had to check my gas pipes, etc. They proceeded to change 4 orange tubes, 4 regulators, put in some chrome piping as it was illegal for orange piping to run under a cupboard & changed the outlet pipe on my boiler. Then I was presented with a bill of 722€. Told them all I had was 100€, I refused to follow them down to the nearest bank & also refused to give them a credit card. After some time they left with the 100€, leaving me copies of the work they’d done, & told me to meet them on Monday to pay the balance. As I signed the documents they put in front of me I know that I’m legally obliged to pay. But what a rip off!!! Having now done some research on the internet I know that this company goes around relieving ex pats of their hard earned money.
Oh dear.. another one to add to the list, I’m afraid. It sounds very similar to the other Louise’s experience above. 3 men, 2 in black & orange uniforms, accompanied by another, wearing a red, Junta de Andalucia shirt, called on us and insisted that they needed to check our gas for the necesssary ‘revision’. We pointed out that the fittings were only 3 years old and the revision is every 5 years but they said that for new installations it’s after 3 years and then you get the certificate for 5! They said we needed a new filter and tap fitted as per new regulations. When we asked if there was a charge they said ‘Of course’ and started to tot up the bill. Seeing that it was escalating we told them to stop the work until we could check that it was necessary but they said they would cut off our supply so we could not use it. Normally we would have said go ahead and cut it off but we have paying guests arriving here tomorrow so couldn’t be left without the services, bearing in mind that they had already started angle grinding through the pipework before we had even agreed to them starting! We, and they, spoke to our architects to try to find out if it was necessary but we couldn’t get anywhere. By the time they left we had had to pay them nearly 300 euros (on a card) for work that was done. They had shown us ID cards initially but would not give us their names, only a number, which was on one of the IDs. We are in the process of cancelling the payment on the card and the card itself, to be safe, and will be reporting them to the Guardia in Lanjaron tomorrow, on our architect’s advice. They were extremely convincing, showing us the company details and pointing me to them on the internet. I got the company up online, while they were here, so was relatively satisfied that that they were bona fide. We have since tried all the available numbers for the company (Cogasa) but cannot get through.
If anyone comes to your door, saying they are from Cogasa don’t let them in!!