Kemp Services BV: 1,370 euro repair cost for a 2,500 euro CV

Geplaatst door: duang op: 05-05-2010 00:04

We had our new CV installed by Kemp Services BV in Amstelveen in 2004 and also bought a yearly maintenance contract with them. Recently we noticed that we need to fill in water very frequently. We notified Kemp but received the same reply that it was normal and nothing was wrong. Until one day we found water dripping from the CV and it stopped working. We called Kemp to have a look. To our surprise, they could not fix it!! It is the machine they sold and installed but they did not know how to fix it. They worked on it the whole day with no result. In the end they called in the manufacturer to come and fix it. To our horror, we got the invoice from Kemp of 1,374.13! Half of this is for the labour cost. Yes! we have to pay even though they do not know how to fix it. We tried to notify them many times that their invoice is not reasonable. Nevertheless, we keep receive it. Would you believe that you need to pay for 1,370 euro to repair a 2,500 CV? Should we pay for it??

Reactie door herrdroetker op 05-05-2010 10:17

Lieber Duang, I'm afraid you can only negociate the costs of the fruitless labour by Kemp (2 x 4 hours?). Your CV boiler (I presume) is from 2004 and so not really new anymore (guarantee probably passed). You cannot blame the breakdown on a improper installation of the boiler, because it worked for 6 years already. The price of the replacing parts (about € 650,-) indicates that major parts of the boiler are replaced (burner group, heat transfer, warm water supply). A complete new good quality CV boiler (high efficiency, combinated with warm water supply) costs about € 1,700,- (VAT and labour to fit on an existing CV included). Did you receive a specification? You can check prices of replacement parts on the websites of some manufacturers. Kemp should have advised better before they started to repair. So you can bring in the inadequate diagnosis of the failure and the inadequate advise concerning replacing parts, as arguments to negociate. Gesundheit! HerrDoktorOetker

Reactie door duang op 05-05-2010 11:17

Thank you very much for your advise. Here are the specifications in rough numbers Labour cost 765, CV parts 80, Third party cost (the expenses that the manufacture charged Kemp for coming to our house to fix the CV) 297, VAT 220. So, parts are only 80 euro and the rest are labour cost that we should not have to pay. We have gone through so many rounds of discussion but they did not seem to acknowledge it. They insist that these are true costs and that we have to pay.

Reactie door herrdroetker op 05-05-2010 14:59

Lieber Duang, If your CV maintenance firm is [url=http://www.kempbv.nl/: Kemp Installatie BV (click here)[/url: you could start an arbitrage procedure. They are member of the Uneto/VNI association of installation enterprises and they don't seem to be amateurs. At least they have to keep up a good reputation. The arbitrage is done by the Geschillencommissie Installerende Bedrijven (Commitee for Disputes Installation Enterprises). You can find the instruction how to start and follow the arbitrageprocedure on this website. You should ask someone to help you with reading this rather complicated juridical dutch website. Be aware that the Geschillencommissie can decide in favour of Kemp, when your argumentation / position is not sound enough. Then you have to pay, with some additional costs (I believe € 50,-) for the procedure. Gesundheit! HerrDoktorOetker (Meine englische Sprache ist doch noch unerwartet ziemlich gut ;-)Geschillencommissie Installerende Bedrijven

Reactie door duang op 05-05-2010 19:07

Hi Herrdroetker, That is the very same company we are having an issue with. I will start this arbitrage process right away. Kemp has been around for a while and we did not expect this type of treatment from them at all. They are not amateurs, you are right, but they do definitely act like one. Again thank you very much. Wish me luck!

Reactie door herrdroetker op 05-05-2010 20:51

Lieber Duang, You are Welcome, Vielen Erfolg! HerrDoktorOetker