Dear Sir or Madam Customer Service reference number: 459875 Please see a log below of our recent experience with Ariston running from 13.02.19 to 21.02.19 inclusive. As you will read, it has been an upsetting time emotionally and in terms of the time and money spent in trying to manage the situation, not to mention being without hot water for 8 days. I spent an inordinate amount of time on the telephone, WhatsApp, emails and keeping this log of events - all of which, in my opinion, could have been avoided with a proactive customer service response from Ariston. I spent an inordinate amount of time and money running an electric blow heater to dry out carpets and floorboards as well as changing soaking-up cloths around the cylinder. We encourage you to read this log carefully with the goal of improving your customer service - the most obvious point being to value the opinion of a professional plumber, provide the replacement tank immediately, and sort out the ‘blame' later, rather than leaving the ‘valued' customer without hot water for 8 days and with a communication battle. I felt that I did all the running. There was never an early reassurance from Ariston; I felt that the initiative to progress the matter always came from me, never from Ariston. I do think that I deserve appropriate recompense. This is my desirable resolution to my complaint. 13 FEBRUARY Leak detected and Richard visited 7.30pm said he'd get onto Ariston because there is a fault in the cylinder 14.02 Heard nothing from anyone; blow heater on full in airing cupboard. Tank still leaking despite water turned off. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 15 FEBRUARY 9.00 Phoned Mandy at Devizes Plumbing. Spoke to Richard who said that it was a fault with the tank and that Ariston should have been in touch yesterday. I said it would have been good to tell me that because when they didn't get in touch I would have phoned them. Gave me reference number : 459875 chihi 9.06 Phoned Ariston. Spoke to Amy Little. She said that the job had been allocated to Malcolm Norman [protected]. She spoke to him and said that he should phone me with 2 hours. If he didn't I should phone her back. 10.43 Malcom Norman phoned. Told me to take photos of the leaks and send them by WhatsApp to him, which I did at 1053 and 1055. He said that often the plumbers don't install the boilers correctly, they don't double pad the valve and that he's seen this before. Send him the pics and he'll look at them, make a judgement and get back to me today. 1321 Sent WhatsApp message asking for update. 1435 I left a voice mail asking him to ring me cos I still have a leak and no hot water. No response 14.39 Phoned Ariston. Spoke with Amal who couldn't get hold of MN and left voicemail with Malcolm Norman, asking him to contact me. 1459 Rang Richard at Devizes Plumbing - what do I do? Have heard nothing. He said it was up to Ariston to get back to me. 1603 Rang Mandy. She phoned Ariston and was told the same thing. They'll leave a message with Malcolm Norman and that Malcolm is a sub-contractor with no real loyalty to Ariston. He is the only engineer covering the south west. Asked that if we hear anything over the weekend to leave a message on Devizes Plumbing answerphone system. Spoke to Richard. He said if they come and ask for the 2 port valve it is next to the boiler. Blow heater on under carpet in to landing. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 16 FEBRUARY 1127 Sent WhatsApp pic of water damage and asking for MN to get in touch. 11.45 Phoned Ariston. Spoke to Georgia. She left message with MN and said that the next step is to ring the Escalations Team on Monday. 12.25 Received WhatsApp acknowledgement for pics from MN and said will call me later today. Did not. Blow heater on under carpet in to landing. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 17th Feb 10.39 Email to Ariston, Cc Devizes Plumbing, as follows: Dear Ariston RE: Aquabravo hot water cylinder. Ref. 459875 We are extremely disappointed, to say the least. We have been without hot water for 5 days with no hint of a resolution. Nobody has taken responsibility for our emergency and there is no sense of urgency. Each is blaming the other and in the meantime we are left without hot water, soggy floorboards, wet carpet and ongoing anxiety and disruption. We need action. A new tank should have been despatched immediately and the blame game should have been secondary. We have paid a lot of money and waited some months for this favoured tank to be delivered and installed, and we should not be suffering. It's wrong. Despite the plumber turning off the water supply to the tank it continues to leak. There is brown sticky substance and water leaking from two separate places on the tank: from behind the grey plastic flat circle around the heating element and from behind the grey flat circle on the cold mains in. We have spent over 3 hours on the telephone, WhatsApp and email to Ariston and Devizes Plumbing trying to get someone to take action. We have sent WhatsApp photographs of the problem and the damage to Malcolm Norman working on behalf of Ariston, which should have speeded up the process by saving him a trip. Twice he promised to get back to us and twice he failed to do so. Malcolm Norman said that some plumbers don't know how to fit these tanks, that he'd seen this before. However, our plumber is Gas Safe accredited, experienced and we know that he is familiar with these tanks, having fitted them many times. Indeed it was he who recommended this very tank and insisted that we wait the couple of months for (delayed) delivery because they are the best. It should not be up to us to spend so much time on the phone. This should have been resolved last week. The Customer Service Team at Ariston now tell us that the next stage in this sorry situation is to speak to the Escalation Team on Monday, which we will do. Every time we ring we have to repeat the story and this can only result in more delays. This surely is not down to us; we are the customer who put out faith in Devizes Plumbing and Ariston to deliver and install a pressurised tank fit for purpose. We feel let down. We are currently spending time and electricity trying to dry the airing cupboard and landing floor boards and carpets, as well as having to regularly change the soaking up cloth at the base. It seems that Malcolm Norman failed to recognise the urgency of our situation on Friday and the weekend scuppered any chance of immediate action by the Escalation Team. Please ensure that a new tank is despatched as a matter of urgency on Monday morning, 18th February 2019, while your deliberations continue. And contact us and Devizes Plumbing straightaway on [protected]. The bottom line is we need a working tank now. Yours sincerely Brian and Sue Fisher 3A Great Western Close Devizes Wiltshire SN10 1AQ Landline: [protected] Mob: [protected] Cc Devizes Plumbing 16.01 Missed call from Malcolm Norman. 17.47 Left voice mail apologising for miss and please ring asap Blow heater on under carpet in to landing. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 18th February 0853 Telephoned Tracy Savage on Escalations Team. She asked me where I had sent the photos because she had no record. I told her Malcolm's WhatsApp account. She asked me to send photos to her, which I did. She read my email. Sympathetic; have we children in the home? No, but elderly mother. Will look in to it and get back to me before 11.00. Said she needed certification paperwork from Devizes Plumbing so that she could carry out due process and that she was going to ring Devizes Plumbing. I told her names of people to ask for : Mandy and Richard 1023 Malcolm Norman rang. Said that he had looked at the pics and it looked like a fault with the tank. Told him that I had spoken with Tracy, he told me to say that he had visited 3A Great Western Close - our home address. Said that he would speak with Tracy in the next 10 minutes. 10.29 Malcolm Norman rang again. Said that he had spoken with Tracy and Laurence of Escalation Team and that he had given them the go ahead to send a new cylinder to 3A. Reiterated that I should say that he had visited. He said that he had told Ariston that it would cost them more for him and his mate to come and fit it that it would them pay Richard. He said that we would incur no further cost. 11.00 Tracy rang back, as promised. Said that she had been given the go ahead to order new tank and that it would be delivered to Devizes Plumbing, not to us in order that she complies with due process. They have to be delivered to Gas Safe experts. I asked who would fit and she said it was up to Malcolm Norman and Devizes Plumbing to work it out. I told her that MN had told me that it didn't make sense for him and his mate to come all this way, that Ariston should settle with Devizes Plumbing. I asked her to confirm that we would not have to pay again. She said that she had asked the question but had not received a reply; she would ask again. I told her that I would not be paying again. She said that Malcolm Norman or Devizes Plumbing will get rid of old tank but for me to insist upon it and Ariston do not want to see the tank back with them. She said that Laurence and/Devizes Plumbing would ring me to update on progress of reorder. She is going on hols to Australia on Wednesday and will ring at 1100 tomorrow to check on progress. Neither Laurence or Devizes Plumbing rang… 14.10 I rang Devizes Plumbing. Kimberley said Mandy out at lunch 15.15 Mandy returned call. Tracy had been on phone this morning and Mandy had to email copy of paperwork and was asking about Richard's day rates. I said that Tracy had said that we would get a replacement despatched probably tomorrow, that they hold stock. Mandy said that she would clear Richard's boiler services for a Thursday refit. I told her that Tracy is ringing me at 1100 tomorrow and that I'll update her. Carpet drier but boards still swollen. Airing cupboard doors hard to close over carpet. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 19th February 11.00ish Tracy rang to say that the tank has been confirmed as due to be despatched, on express. I asked was it definite that it would arrive tomorrow so that Richard could fit on Thursday. She wasn't prepared to commit, saying that there were many steps in the delivery chain. She said fingers crossed and said that she would inform Devizes Plumbing of situation so that Mandy can reorganise Richard's schedule for Thursday. 11.30 I reported above to Mandy at Devizes Plumbing; she had not had any contact from Ariston. 15.20ishTracy rang again to say that the delivery would definitely be with Devizes Plumbing tomorrow. Said that she had tried to ring Devizes Plumbing but that their line was engaged. Said she would try again. 16.18 I rang Devizes Plumbing spoke to Mandy just to be sure that she knew what was happening. She thanked me for ringing because nobody had been in touch from Ariston. She would reschedule Richard's work sheet. She said that she would ring to confirm delivery tomorrow. Blow heater on under carpet in to landing. Pools at base of feet front right and back right. Cloths applied to try to soak up - need to be changed regularly because quickly become saturated. 20th February Husband spent good hour emptying laundry from airing cupboard and dismantling shelving. 1320 Mandy from Devizes Plumbing left message to say that tank has arrived from Ariston and that she is rearranging Richard's schedule so that he can fit it tomorrow. Conclusion: 1 week and 1 day without hot water. 1 week and 1 day of anxiety and disruption 1 week and 1 day of boiling kettles to wash and do the dishes. I week and 1 day of moving blow heaters to dry out soggy air cupboard boards and landing boards. Airing cupboard doors will still not close easily. 1 week and 1 day of regularly changing and drying cloths as cylinder continues to leak. 21st February 9.30 Richard of Devizes Plumbing arrived with cylinder. Fitted and working again. 22nd February Floorboards beginning to return to normal. Airing cupboard doors almost close easily. Today 23rd February As 22nd.