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Boiler repair bungle couple speak out
A FREEZING Sheffield couple were left without heat and hot water for nearly a month after their boiler broke – and their repair company failed to fix it.
Veronica Greaves, aged 67, and her husband Chris, 66, of Pavilion Court, Fulwood, were even forced to spend five nights in a local hotel just to use hot water, with Veronica being prescribed anti-anxiety drugs because of the stressful situation.
The couple's boiler has now been fixed after The Star stepped in, with repair firm Warmsure admitting its service "fell short" of the expected standard.
Veronica said the couple first noticed their boiler was leaking on January 8 and a Warmsure engineer visited them within three hours and told them replacement parts needed to be ordered.
She said the leak became so bad the water had to be switched off at the mains, with an engineer calling at the house later in the month only to tell them he had lost the required part.
"I was at the end of my tether, not knowing what I could do," Veronica said. "We had cold water and that was it. We were squatting in our own house, not having baths. We did without hot water completely."
Veronica said she and her husband had been forced to wear overcoats in their home to cope with the icy temperatures and her GP prescribed her with anti-anxiety drug diazepam due to stress.
"We were sitting in overcoats. We bought an electric blanket, but were breathing in cold air, and the rest of the house was stone cold.
"I was concerned about the plumbing, that the pipes might freeze up. To wash we had to boil the kettle.
"I became so anxious that I've got a prescription for diazepam – which I'm sure they don't give out lightly."
Veronica said the couple were covered by Warmsure after taking out a Premier Life account with Barclays Bank, who provided them with an SOS breakdown service.
Warmsure is also affiliated with the Government scheme Warm Front, which funds heating improvements for benefit claimants.
Veronica said the pair booked two short stays at the Fulwood Inn in Sheffield just to use the hot water facilities, adding: "The solution is not to stop in a hotel, it's to get it fixed."
A Warmsure spokesman said the couple's boiler is now "fully operational" after an engineer finally completed repairs on the appliance.
The spokesman said: "During the prolonged and severe cold snap in early January we were handling up to 90,000 calls a week, the overwhelming majority of which were resolved entirely satisfactorily.
"On this occasion, however, we accept our service levels fell short of the high standards set and we regret the inconvenience and distress caused."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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