Smith & Byford Reviews 649

No hot water again! Plumber yesterday, electrician required they don't have availability until Tuesday......and high priority on medicalgrounds!!!
Pathetic service

The government need to revoke all contracts with this company immediately. They are slow, undependable and have such poor communication. It is ridiculous. Their treatment of domestic customers needs to be investigated immediately.

How can you leave us in below 5 degree weather with no hot water or heating - absolutely disgusting, i'm contacting house ombudsman and reporting this company - customer service told me Tuesday! I'm expected to wait from Friday to Tuesday with no hot water or heating. How inhumane of a company. All your employee had to say was their hands was tied.

Absolutely useless.

Avoid at all costs – terrible service and no support for vulnerable families

I contacted Smyth and Byford because my boiler has a fault, leaving me with no heating or hot water, and I have young children in the house. Despite this, I was told I wasn’t considered vulnerable. Cate, the after-hours worker, explained that the engineers “select who they want to see,” which is unbelievable for an emergency service.

I’ve already had to leave my home with my son, who had tonsillitis, because of the lack of heating. What’s the point of having an after-hours service if you’re told you still have to wait until the following morning—with no time frame given?

They also ask completely unnecessary questions. I’m explaining that the boiler is faulty, so why am I being asked to set times on the thermostat as if that would fix anything? The whole experience has been extremely frustrating and completely unhelpful.

This company seriously needs to review how it operates or stop claiming to offer emergency support.

We have had our appointment cancelled two days in a row, its beyond a joke.
Again my toddler is unable to sleep in her room as we cant use the radiator. I was told I would receive a phone call if they were unable to send someone today, instead they booked an appointment without checking if anyone could be in. Myself and my partner work full time and are unable to take time off at the drop of a hat. Especially seeing as two days have been taken off for two cancelled appointments, two days waiting in all day for nothing.

I did expect the decency to call rather than just rebooking and sending a text.

I’ve had a very disappointing with this company.
Their customer service is awful they take an unreasonable amount of time to order parts for my boiler and communication is terrible.
They do not show up for scheduled appointments which left me with out hot water and heating for more than 10 days .
Based on my experience I would not recommend their services .

They never come with shoe covering. I called twice put on hold for about 7 mins just for the man to come back and tell me “I sent a message to the engineer and we will see what we can do”. I called the customer feedback team, the lady said “ I will have to put you through because I don’t know what they do each team handles things differently”. Protect the customers and the customers protect you.

Smith and byford sent me a text saying my repairs had been escalated to the 24 Oct 2025.
I waited in all day and no one turned up

Smith and Byford are the gas safety inspectors for many social housing landlosrds and they are the worst ever. I had an appointment that for a Monday, received a voicemail onthe Friday saying it's cancelled. Called them Saturday to rudely be told that I can't choose an appointment day. On the Sunday received a text saying the Monday Appointment (first call) is still on. Monday morning told it's cancelled. Just after 10am, after leaving home I got a call from an extremely rude, offensive and abusive woman saying the engineer is on the ay. After hanging up on her she called again, within a minute and pretending to be someone else, after complaining about the previous call she said, "that was me and hung up". On the 12th September I received a letter saying I have "an appointment on the 11th"? After that I have received nothing from them but have received a notice from my landlord threatening to proscute me and force my door to do an inspection, with me being charged for the damage done? Considering S and B checked my gas supply and boiler in June, after a new gas meter was installed the law is clear in that the gas supply / boiler doesn't need inspecting until next June says that S and B are accepting that they have no confidence in their own engineers and don't consider them fit for inspections yet they are the ones that are contracted to do them. The worst company ever and they are very offensive towards disabled people, which is criminal. I contacted them after receiving the threat of court action and they said they'd contact my landlord and nothing has happened.

Smith and Byford have been bullying me into a gas safety check on a date with 2 days notice and refused to change the appointment (first). I work and I need 2 weeks notice to give my employer. Smith and byford refuse the day I can get off and they said they will send the engineer anyway and I’ll be marked as a no show even though I’ve offered dates and times, I was told it’s tuff.
This is disgusting waste of time and money.
There’s plenty of time before my boiler certificate runs out .

Thank you Tony you was an absolute star professional, skillful, respectable and pleasant when you came today to fix my boiler, and I am also very grateful for the prompt action and the kindness and respect from the office staff. Please thank Tony on my behalf.

Terrible Customer service . Received an appt letter , that i hadn't made and couldn't make so phoned to change it but was told I couldn't and that an engineer will come out and leave a card through the door . I said please dont as I've notified you that im not home and it will be a waste of time. He said its down to legislation and he has to come. Bearing in mind the annual boiler appt they wanted to make was at 10 months ! Phoned the next day and spoke to someone else who was able to change the appt no problem , no mention of legislation. First bloke didnt kniw what he was talking about and was willing to waste the engineers time. Im wondering if they still get paid!!!!!! 🤔

Absolutely terrible experience.a bloke came round to take water samples from the loft,2 hours.2 weeks later they rang up and said he didn’t get them to the laboratory in time so made another appointment.didn’t turn up and no apologies.over the next 2 months they made another 5 appointments and never turned up,no apologies a month later I came downstairs to find a card through letterbox.sorry we missed you.the card had 7.30 on it and I hadn’t made an appointment.today without an appointment bloke just turned up.I told him about the terrible experience I had .let him in,in and out within 5 minutes .let’s hope he gets it to the laboratory in time.

Disaster of a company. I am heavily pregnant and had a high CO2 reading at midwife appointment, they suggested I contact gas company to hv gas supply checked. Gas company came and capped the gas 2 days ago but Smyth and Byford hv refused to come and inspect the boiler and switch it back on until I email them blood test results from midwife! I hv explained the CO2 test is done with a handheld machine and no blood test and they hv said I must go to the hospital and do a blood test otherwise they will not attend the house. We hv small children in the house with no hot water and no gas, I can not get a blood test appointment and results would come out in days anyway, so basically no gas for potentially weeks. Doctor has made it clear a gas company have no right or reason to your private medical information in order to provide a service.
The staff just want to get you off the call with no help or solutions and no managers available. This issue was reported on a Thursday evening, I am now being told the team who deal with ‘blood tests emails’ are not even open today (Saturday) so nothing can be looked at until Monday.
Basically if I can not email them a blood test they refuse to attend the address to resolve the reported boiler issue.

They are the worst of the worst do not know how to deal with communal heating.it always goes of may to October but I have to keep ringing up keeps coming on they do not care even though as a nurse can cause medical issues eg. Headaches in̈crease someone's blood pressure.so they do not care

Smith and Byford how’s the worst customer service? No remote they don’t care about anyone. I’ve been having problem with my boiler pressure keep dropping and every time they come they keep saying they were investigated no investigating has been done. I’ve had them come around more than five or six time already within two months and I’ve put a complaint in. They just can’t be bothered to do anything I would say no one should do business with them worse worse

Engineer came to uncap gas as I am a new tenant.

Curtious, efficient, friendly.

I rarely review anything but was so impressed by this gentleman I just had to let everyone know.
It's a shame not all engineers were as proficient.
Think his name was Chris, it's a shame more works can't an won't represent the company this well.
If any one from Smith and Byford read this, you need more staff like this.

They installed my boiler dangerously, with the flue pushing against a wooden part of the structure of my flat and with the boiler not even straight on the wall. Unbelievably, they sent a surveyor who asked whether it was a ‘big issue’ for me. It is downright dangerous - and the worst thing is I have no choice what cowboys are sent as a social housing tenant. Social housing shouldn’t mean s*** and dangerous housing.

I had to give this company one star because I had no choice, but in my view, they deserve no stars.For about 10 and a half months my boiler works perfectly okay. I have heating and hot water when I need it. Then I get the dreaded letter and email to say my gas safety check is due. I don’t know what they do when the do eventually come out. I don’t know if it’s deliberate so they can keep coming out or the engineers they send out don’t know what there doibg. But 99% of the time after they have left my boiler goes wrong. Then we have to go through the long process of getting someone out. When they come out lo and behold it needs a part they don’t carry on the van. Then it’s a long process to get them out again. This time was the same so my partner had to take a day off without pay as he had no more leave left. They came out and fitted the part. Couple of days later it went wrong. Had to have an emergency engineer out that night who said the part was not fitted right and there was something els wrong with it. Engineer should have noticed the other fault when he came out the first time. Partner had another day with out pay and they came back and supposedly rectified it. Friday night it’s gone wrong again. No hot water unless we rebooting it and have it in constant which cost more. I’m disabled and can’t stand in the shower so need a bath. There supposed to be coming out today. Let’s see what happens. I wish my housing association would get in a new company but there probably cheep. If you don’t have to deal with this company avoid at all cost

Absolutely shocking company. I would rather not deal with them but due to the council I have to! The customer service agents on the phone seem very stressed out and tired. It's also a waste of time speaking with them as you get all different information each time you call. Based on the reviews how is this company still trading!!!!!