Smith & Byford Reviews 

Vile company. I had no heating since December, had to go and get electric fan heater only heats one room, walking about with our coats hats on indoors , we are old age pensioners. Phoned them and one gas man came out and said I needed a new part, 3 weeks went by and I received a inspection report never had a inspection. Phoned my housing association to make a complaint. They lie saying they called and no one was in. Never answer a phone and don't call back on call back.my housing association got them to come fixed a valve then left. The boiler came on then went off, now the program is dead and no boiler. This appalling company needs looking into

They genuinely do not care about vulnerable people. We been left without heating for a week now. Engineer has come out and parts have been ordered. The only thing left to do is for a manager to approve the job and allocate an engineer to it. I’ve been calling everyday, and not a single thing has been done. It’s shocking how our government can outsource contracts to this type of company. When I questioned them on SLAs, they say they are unable to give a time. How can you not have service level agreements in place for emergencies? It’s just shocking how this company operates, seems like front line staff is taking all the heat whilst managers sit on their hands.

Had boiler issues 3 weeks ago. Rang and given an appointment for over 10 days till the 1st appointment. Arrived, no parts to fix need to order. New appointment 3 weeks after reporting lack of hot water. Sat in all day no one turned up. Engineer lied saying he came no one in. Spoke to manager or apologised etc etc someone coming today.
5/01/25. Got a phone call stating engineer has called in sick cancelled again. 3 days i have taken off work so far for a simple fix.
Manager promised me someone would be coming. Have never experienced a business so poorly managed. Maybe the owner of smith and byford should read these reviews because they all seem very simular. You should be ashamed taking government money and not giving the same service you would to private cumstomers. Remember its that money that is allowing you to draw massive dividends every year.

The worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. The repair company assigned to fix my boiler was not only incompetent but also rude and unprofessional. They delayed the repair for days without explanation and showed no urgency, leaving me without heating or hot water for over a week in winter. When I expressed my frustration, their staff had an awful attitude, dismissing my concerns and even threatening me that I couldn’t take legal action against them. Absolutely unacceptable behavior. If you need reliable boiler repairs, stay far away from this company—they are completely untrustworthy.

They arrived and replaced my old boiler, which had been leaking and needed to be replaced five years ago. Then the pipe burst, releasing dark, oily, and foul-smelling water with a loud bang. The gas and heaters in the house I have lived in for 22 years never receive the proper maintenance or attention. They came 5mns yearly and said everything is fine and want you to sign a paper or they sign it for you under your name. they called at odd hours but when you have emergency there is a limit time
A few months ago, they installed a new boiler, but it has not worked since. There is always something wrong with it, and now it is leaking, the pipe is still bursting, and replacing the heaters that they take out of the wall takes years. You lose money that they never replace because you have to be available for their appointment at all times. pipes that have been leaking for years. There is a useless water tank in the bedroom that draws dust and mice that they do not want to get rid of to save money. They waste time and money, and the Sutton Housing Partnership does not care because the money is coming from taxpayers. They leave the cupboard open instead of cleaning up after themselves. After inclement weather and wet shoes, some of them argue with you for not wearing shoe covers. It is really cold in the house right now, and I have to worry about my cancer health.
They have time to respond to a review while lying to themselves. I asked them where they were on the phone, and the incompetent girl said, "I can freeze to death because it needs to be reviewed and we need to set up an appointment for next week." In the meantime, it is not their concern if I freeze to death.
All terrible people who lack integrity, are dishonest, and lack professionalism.

Complete waste of space come to do a repair and want do a service check. on the boiler that’s broken I ring them up as I’ve got no heating are no hot water just for them to say you need a new boiler when the part comes to £298 constant liars I’ve been without hot water and heating since Thursday one of your managers were supposed to call me back on Friday morning and no one has even bothered to call

Boiler making a terrible sound when heating was on opened door to boiler and a strong smell of gas’s hit me phoned smith & byford engineer came out 5 days later no heating or hot water

Had gas safety inspection yesterday & I have cctv so it was really annoying when I witnessed the gas man from Smith & Byford coming up to my property.

What he did was absolutely disgusting.. he entered my garden & within 25 seconds turned around & left?

He didn't even knock on the door he left a sorry we missed you card turned around & walked away?
Reviewing the cctv he had a pre written card in his hand. These people can't even be trusted neither can office staff including customer care. They made up several excuses & each time I put them straight then made another excuse. First one was he didn't gain access

Which he did. So that was a lie.

Then because I caught him leaving & because I actually went to the door when I saw him approach my property to greet him.

He didn't even knock,

1st they tired to say I missed my appointment which I was in for?

They then turned around & said he didn't come into my home because he didn't feel comfortable

He didn't actually come into my home & then because I'd call them out on another lie they then proceeded to say he didn't do the checks & left which he didn't & again when I called them out for the 3rd or 4th time with a lie then made up the story that he didn't do his job properly because I had now made him uncomfortable 🤣 he did actually do exactly what he said he was going to do & even took pictures.. the way these people abuse customer is disgusting & they obviously don't take complaints seriously & will just try to manipulate the situation regardless or customers being on the autistic spectrum or any other underlying health issues

Smith & Byford are using housing as an excuse not to handle complaints about their own staff conduct you will be getting a formal complaint & you will respond to it & i will be submitting the cctv footage as part of that complaint & if need be taking the complaint forward to ombre

Awful company. Engineers lie to suit there narrative. Putting people’s homes at risk & lying causing unnecessary distress. Never doing the job correctly the first time. Starting to see that the bogus reports where because the job was bigger than first thought so they lied to our housing company and nearly caused a tenancy breach & so much distress just because they didn’t want to do the job. Rude, unreliable & shouldn’t be allowed to work on behalf of a housing association. My poor dogs were innocent in all this but your reason to get out of doing a job disgraceful.

This company are an absolute joke, was promised by multiple members of staff I will have an engineer attend my property to sort out my hot water to no avail.

From day one of me moving into my new RHP property I was messed around with them supposedly coming to uncap my gas meter no one attended I had to pay out from own pocket for a gas engineer to uncap my meter on a Saturday night as it was -4 and I have a disabled daughter with no heating or hot water.

Once I had this uncapped the hot water has not worked properly.

They whole company lie to us I have been waiting for a manager to call me since 10am this morning and no one has called me.

If I could I wouldn’t have even given them 1 star!!!

Avoid this company at all costs

When you have to go to bed with your coat/gloves and scarf on.

Disgraceful emergency service, shame on RHP 💀

One engineer to cover the whole area, repairing cheap boilers time and time again.

Vulnerable adults and children freezing!

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EDIT# As for the recent response posted below, how about replying to my formal complaint emailed to you this morning?

LIP SERVICE WAFFLE

Dear April, thank you so much for your call.

We are still in our coats waiting to either have central heating and hot water this afternoon, or move to a local hotel.

We are also not prepared to miss visiting a family member tomorrow, to accommodate your obvious failure in providing an adequate service for the social housing contract 💀

Ive unfortunately delt with a few Disgusting staff of members from smith&byford, your job is to attend and help others if your members of staff can't do that cut them loose I have now gone 48 hours without heating in my home with 2 babies, I understand your busy absolutely 100% but to be told the person can't finish the job because they have another job to attend to is absolutely disgraceful, not all but some of those people working for smith&byford should seriously reconsider their role...

Engineer came on 1st Aug 2024, I told him that the boiler keeps sounding like the flue is exploding outside. He had a look and said he was ordering a part and would be in contact!!
Six months later, flue getting worse, I called this morning to be told the part was never ordered!! WTF???
Absolutely appalling that they are prepared to leave a gas issue Like this! No wonder as explosions happen.
Now I have to wait another week for one of their engineers to tell me he is going to order a part!!
And all that's going to happen is they are going to answer this review telling how sorry they are blah blah blah, just like all the other answers they give on here!
They are just full of noise!!
RE: Your reply
I contacted you, your "team" did not contact me! As you never did for 6 months!!!

Terrible company. Not fit for service!

We reported our heating to smyth & byford in advance of the warning of freezing temperatures, Monday this week 6th jan we had smyth & byford attend our property. They couldn't or wouldn't fix the problem, then it was swiftly handed over to Worcester as a manufacturer fault. Next day 7th January Worcester arrives, He said it wasn't a manufacturing fault. And it was electrical. He then also left a note saying the boiler hadn't been commissioned correctly as the documents remain with no entries. So he leaves. I call smyth and Byford back tell them that my heating still hasn't come back on, and I need someone out as our home is freezing. Thursday 9th jan smyth and Byford again tell me they have issued the job to Worcester. So another man arrives from Worcester, he was laughing at the lack of effort by smyth & byford, and he said that it was an electrical error, and the boiler wasn't receiving the correct signals. Again he spoke to smyth & byford on the phone this time. And they arranged for a 12 hr call out same day! Late Thursday night same guy from S&B come out... and he decided that a part needs ordering! (Took 4 men & 5 days to get to this part!)... OK so now we been to told to manually over ride the heating and hot water valve by hand to bring our heating on, but this won't turn off with it being done by hand, and then the heating just boils the house to a dangerous heat.. So I call S&B again today 10th jan I beg them to please tell me when our boiler will work, as it freezing and we the heaters we bought arnt even touching the surface. They told me it's been handed to planning... wtf? Text comes through appointment made for Wednesday 15th jan... So nearly 2 weeks of no heating in a vulnerable household. Brilliant... thanks so much smyth and Byford... Complaint will escalate further. Its an absolute joke that you think your engineers are actually competent enough to perform this jobs! Your messing with people's wellbeing and health... its -2 outside for God's sake.

I’ve had no heating and hot water since Xmas Eve, they ordered the parts, and didn’t make any attempt to book appointment, I rang up, only appoint available was days away, I wait, during under zero weather, now another part needed ordering It’s -4 currently and I’m still being fobbed off with being unable to speed up the process off getting this part fitted. The most disgusting customer service, day 17 I received a convection heater that should been given on day 1. Child under 2 at the property too and they don’t seem to care. Avoid this shambles of a company

This company an absolutely a joke of a company.
We have been left with no hot water and no heating when it’s minus degrees outside for over 48 hours have two daughters with special needs too.
If I had my way wouldn’t even get 1 star
Joke this is

This company needs to be reported to Trading Standards. They should not be trading.Their gas engineers are not trained. Had the pleasure of meeting one of their ‘gas engineers’ called Dan who was an absolute laughing stock. He was booked to arrive on the 23rd Dec.. didn’t bother showing up after I wasted the whole day waiting for nothing! He eventually showed up the following morning with a face on him looking like he was chewing a wasp. He clearly didn’t want to do the job from the get go. Not only was he so arrogant and dismissive and rude, he wasn’t even properly trained to do the job! Simple job such as connecting pipes to a gas cooker. He was in the property less than two minutes, shrugged his shoulders and said ‘sorry this ain’t gonna get done’, ‘can’t do this’ and just walked out. Contacted Smith and Byford to make a complaint and they have done diddly squat.
Ended up finding an actual qualified gas engineer from another company who did what Smith and Byford called ‘a four hour, two-man job’ in one hour on HIS OWN!!!

In response to Smith and Byfords reply: I do find it funny how you are using the fact that I had a new kitchen fitted, as an excuse for the poor customer service and incompetence of your engineers…the ‘third party engineer’ I found privately wasn’t at all put out by a new kitchen being fitted. People have new kitchens fitted all the time. This does not stop trained and competent gas engineers from rerunning a pipe and fitting a gas appliance. The ‘private’ engineer I found was able to complete the work on his own in exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes. Wasn’t difficult. But YOU, smith and Byford, made it unnecessarily difficult. Please ask yourself why do you have ONE star reviews?! Clearly something isn’t right!
Unfortunately, we can’t rate ZERO stars on here.

We have without heating and hot water for Tree days now.
We have tree children. Age 9-6-2. My husband is disabled the cold impacts his health conditions very badly, he is sick for a few days and now with no heating his health is getting worse.
I phoned them today I asked to have someone emergency they didn’t care about what I was saying. The gay on the phone said that they have a 24 hours service system.
I was explaining to him that we can not wait 24 hours more without heating and hot water he was just saying that it is the system he can not give an emergency appointment.
They just lie, don’t listen to what we have to say. We have problems with the heating since October.
We live in Greenfield Avenue Berrylands. The Smith &Byford has all our details if you would really be interested in finding the solution you can do it.
just don’t pretend to care about costumers issues

I'm a Southwark council resident, if you like being lied too then choose this company ,they do as they please change appointments at will send the wrong guys to do the job the other guy said needed doing, every time the guy visiting says it was the manager, this manager you will never get to speak to like vermin he hides in the gutters/behind his desk, lowest of the low.

No the appointment was completed not the job as the job was changed hence my comment above