Anyone else have central heating breakdown cover?
Discussion
I have had an ongoing issue with British Gas since my renewal dropped through the letter box in September 2014 for £340/yr.
A fairly simple telephone call you might imagine to negotiate a better deal to compare to competitors at around £200/yr for the same level of cover.
Anyway, two telephone calls that failed to result in a new price, due to "computer issues". Followed by various methods of them delivering the same £340/yr renewal quote with no explanation. Plus my complaints via on-line message through the website and to various complaints/customer service email addresses has still not resulted in a resolution.
The most annoying fact is after the initial phone calls they said I would continue to be insured, and they would take the direct debit at the monthly amount stated. Now they never did this, so i would assume I am not insured, but they have not responded to my questions to confirm this.
Very boring issue, sorry for cluttering up PH with this, but please give some thought before you take one of these policies, and not just with BG by the sounds of it. I am going to try and find a good recommended boiler service guy and hope that any breakdowns and repairs are not too painful.
Thanks for reading..
A fairly simple telephone call you might imagine to negotiate a better deal to compare to competitors at around £200/yr for the same level of cover.
Anyway, two telephone calls that failed to result in a new price, due to "computer issues". Followed by various methods of them delivering the same £340/yr renewal quote with no explanation. Plus my complaints via on-line message through the website and to various complaints/customer service email addresses has still not resulted in a resolution.
The most annoying fact is after the initial phone calls they said I would continue to be insured, and they would take the direct debit at the monthly amount stated. Now they never did this, so i would assume I am not insured, but they have not responded to my questions to confirm this.
Very boring issue, sorry for cluttering up PH with this, but please give some thought before you take one of these policies, and not just with BG by the sounds of it. I am going to try and find a good recommended boiler service guy and hope that any breakdowns and repairs are not too painful.
Thanks for reading..
No because I work on the logic that every insurance company/scheme must make money for somebody so will overall cost more than me financing repairs myself. I can only see the point in insurance when I legally have to have it (car insurance) or a worst case scenario would be beyond my means to put right (house insurance/house burns down).
I pay £240 a year that is Condenser boiler servicing.Radiator cover and electric repairs.Our boiler is not the best quality type of boiler Isar He 24.It takes a while for water to heat up.On central heating boiler works fine about five minutes radiators are hot.
The boiler had a few repairs about seven years old now.Also radiator piping replaced and thermostat valve fitted.
I would say the most sensible thing to do in your case have the boiler serviced once a year.My daughter has this done plummer charges about sixty pounds.The reason I am carrying with this service plan is that we had the boiler fitted for free.Any problems with the system and they are here in 24 hrs.We are with Corgi Home plan.
The boiler had a few repairs about seven years old now.Also radiator piping replaced and thermostat valve fitted.
I would say the most sensible thing to do in your case have the boiler serviced once a year.My daughter has this done plummer charges about sixty pounds.The reason I am carrying with this service plan is that we had the boiler fitted for free.Any problems with the system and they are here in 24 hrs.We are with Corgi Home plan.
I don't disagree with either of you!
I just don't want others to expect a big household name like British Gas to actually be able to provide the simple level of service that one would expect.
I mean why else would you take this sort of policy if it wasn't for it's simplicity of a simple monthly payment and reasonable annual cost, with the prime reason of giving you piece of mind in case of a breakdown, otherwise I may as well just self insure and put the money in my "emergency" account.
I just don't want others to expect a big household name like British Gas to actually be able to provide the simple level of service that one would expect.
I mean why else would you take this sort of policy if it wasn't for it's simplicity of a simple monthly payment and reasonable annual cost, with the prime reason of giving you piece of mind in case of a breakdown, otherwise I may as well just self insure and put the money in my "emergency" account.
Kicked BG into touch this year - they upped the premium by 20%. They always try it on and I call them and say I'll pay a couple of percent more only. Usually works, not this time - in fact I dislike giving them the business as its chancy disloyal way of doing business that I dont like. I give long term customers that trust me DISCOUNTS not grabby inflated quotes!
I took a policy with Homeserve for £24! £100 Excess but as I'd just had the b leaky rubber O rings replaced again (cracking design that Worcester Bosch!) took a risk. Dont expect service as good as BG, and renewal will be much more, but it could save me a lot for 1 year.
I'd say I was very much ahead ahead overall though having been with BG about 5 years - the service is excellent but you cant hike costs by 20%!!!
BG engineer said they were losing a lot of business due to their pricing and often kicking their heels...
I took a policy with Homeserve for £24! £100 Excess but as I'd just had the b leaky rubber O rings replaced again (cracking design that Worcester Bosch!) took a risk. Dont expect service as good as BG, and renewal will be much more, but it could save me a lot for 1 year.
I'd say I was very much ahead ahead overall though having been with BG about 5 years - the service is excellent but you cant hike costs by 20%!!!
BG engineer said they were losing a lot of business due to their pricing and often kicking their heels...
z06tim said:
I am going to try and find a good recommended boiler service guy and hope that any breakdowns and repairs are not too painful.
If it's just boiler breakdown you're concerned about then see if the manufacturer of your boiler has a annual scheme. Or often they'll do one off repairs, whatever the total cost, for a fixed fee.Rick101 said:
A friend who has worked for BG for quite some time says the cover is worthless as they can claim dirty water in the system if they don't wish to pay out.
This is true and I shelled out for a magnetite filter by Fernox as I could see their 'upsell' here after the annual service. Had it fitted for half their inflated quote... Then it was a bit leaky after a boiler fix and the BG chap just swapped it for a solid brass one. It is good service as I said but they cant be twice the price of others...I was going to take Npowers policy at £186/yr for new business (£212/yr 2nd year), then i discovered that they can weasil out of payments, when a repair of about £500 is deemed to be more than the value of the boiler.
If this is the case, anyone with an older boiler (their policies class 7 yrs as older), and mine is 12 years old, doesn't really stand a chance of getting a major repair done. Instead expect a £3000+ quote for a new one, followed by the teaser that they will deduct the £500 repair cost from this!
As stated above a new boiler should be a lot cheaper than this. £1000 seems a bit optimistic, unless you are in the trade, but i'm sure less than £2000 is perfectly possible.
My main reason for wanting an insurance policy was the fact that if a breakdown occurs it is attended to very quickly. If you have to make your own arrangements in an emergency, you could be without heat for a lot longer. This could be particularly difficult if you need a new boiler.
Anyway i soldier on with my old boiler, knowing that it could need replacement one day, but for now, it is quiet and cheap to run. Surprisingly cheaper than the average dual-fuel bill and we keep our house pretty warm. I fully expect to have to foot the £2000 new boiler bill myself one day, but i don't wish to be forced into doing this (by an insurance policy) when my boiler is still repairable.
As a footnote the BG engineers were all very good. They gave an honest appraisal of my boiler and although they do push the new boiler option "because you wouldn't want to be without heat in the winter", one chap recommended purchasing some of the parts that are unavailable to them, to keep, and they would fit them when required. It's a shame their customer services is so poor, and the money grabbing management at BG can't make the policies more reasonable in terms of annual cost, and what is actually covered.
It must be tough for British Gas trying to maintain their £1billion annual profit, and pay their millions in directors salaries and benefits.
If this is the case, anyone with an older boiler (their policies class 7 yrs as older), and mine is 12 years old, doesn't really stand a chance of getting a major repair done. Instead expect a £3000+ quote for a new one, followed by the teaser that they will deduct the £500 repair cost from this!
As stated above a new boiler should be a lot cheaper than this. £1000 seems a bit optimistic, unless you are in the trade, but i'm sure less than £2000 is perfectly possible.
My main reason for wanting an insurance policy was the fact that if a breakdown occurs it is attended to very quickly. If you have to make your own arrangements in an emergency, you could be without heat for a lot longer. This could be particularly difficult if you need a new boiler.
Anyway i soldier on with my old boiler, knowing that it could need replacement one day, but for now, it is quiet and cheap to run. Surprisingly cheaper than the average dual-fuel bill and we keep our house pretty warm. I fully expect to have to foot the £2000 new boiler bill myself one day, but i don't wish to be forced into doing this (by an insurance policy) when my boiler is still repairable.
As a footnote the BG engineers were all very good. They gave an honest appraisal of my boiler and although they do push the new boiler option "because you wouldn't want to be without heat in the winter", one chap recommended purchasing some of the parts that are unavailable to them, to keep, and they would fit them when required. It's a shame their customer services is so poor, and the money grabbing management at BG can't make the policies more reasonable in terms of annual cost, and what is actually covered.
It must be tough for British Gas trying to maintain their £1billion annual profit, and pay their millions in directors salaries and benefits.
Edited by z06tim on Sunday 25th January 10:00
Edited by z06tim on Sunday 25th January 10:53
BoRED S2upid said:
No. I could get a new boiler fitted for a grand so figure if this one lasted 3 years there is no point with boiler cover it's lasted 20 years so far so fingers crossed. We do get it serviced once a year £50.
Same as us. Service by local plumber once a year for £50. With the Internet, forums, youtube etc you can find out a lot of info about faults/issues. I obviously don't/can't work on the gas side of things but it's nice to be able to learn a few things. Prevents you being ripped off and overcharged.
We've had cover from British Gas for 20 years now, ranging from £11 to £16 a month.
Over this time we've had a yearly service (on a previous back boiler we were constantly told to change it as it was awful - more recently we're being told that the earth strap on the outside meter needs updating!!!)and various leaks and failed thermostats changed.
But more recently we've had 15 visits to fix a faulty 4 year old Worcester 30si boiler (tripping out when running bath and heating and washing machine are on), and they've now literally re-placed every part they can.
If it goes again the Tech Service Manager, who came out last time and left us his mobile number, has been told under no uncertain terms that they won''t be able to touch it again and we want the whole thing replaced - this he agreed with.
So, I think we've had out moneys worth.
Over this time we've had a yearly service (on a previous back boiler we were constantly told to change it as it was awful - more recently we're being told that the earth strap on the outside meter needs updating!!!)and various leaks and failed thermostats changed.
But more recently we've had 15 visits to fix a faulty 4 year old Worcester 30si boiler (tripping out when running bath and heating and washing machine are on), and they've now literally re-placed every part they can.
If it goes again the Tech Service Manager, who came out last time and left us his mobile number, has been told under no uncertain terms that they won''t be able to touch it again and we want the whole thing replaced - this he agreed with.
So, I think we've had out moneys worth.
t they will usually help out.z06tim said:
Fastra - You've done well there. But will they replace it within the cover of the policy when the time comes, or do you have to foot that bill? My understanding is that replacement is only generally included, if the boiler is under 7 years old.
That's correct, replacement if under seven years old, so ours is covered for the total cost. They've been servicing it from new and we've had a magnetic filter fitted by them (£200) so they know it well and we've followed all their advice as to maintenance so can't really say anything else, they've had more than enough chances to fix it and we've taken enough time off work to let them in so there will not be a next time, only a replacement.
I must say though that we've never had any problem with any of their engineers and they've always been polite and courteous. Plus they've always managed to turn up within a day or so when ever we've had any problems.
For that 'piece of mind' then I'd thoroughly recommend them.
Take what you were paying per month before and bung it into an ISA, call that your boiler repair fund and as long as you don't have a real lemon of a boiler you will soon have a lump sum if you need to replace the thing, and you won't be lining the pockets of some company in the process.
It's one of the few insurances that the premiums don't actually reflect the price of the insured items and in my eyes is a rip off.
It's one of the few insurances that the premiums don't actually reflect the price of the insured items and in my eyes is a rip off.
Ken Figenus said:
On the 'annual service' thing - do they actually do anything? They certainly don't dismantle anything or vacuum burners or remove soot or replace components that will wear out (fan flue etc). What do they do other than a visual and function check?
You need a different plumber. Mine strips it apart, cleans it out with a tiny Hoover, checks all pressures, does an emission test and bleeds and flushes the system and adds new sentinel. BFG TERRANO said:
Ken Figenus said:
On the 'annual service' thing - do they actually do anything? They certainly don't dismantle anything or vacuum burners or remove soot or replace components that will wear out (fan flue etc). What do they do other than a visual and function check?
You need a different plumber. Mine strips it apart, cleans it out with a tiny Hoover, checks all pressures, does an emission test and bleeds and flushes the system and adds new sentinel. BG came to an old person we help look after who had an old floor standing boiler did and extremely through job, but apparently on modern combi's they've decided taking them apart was causing a lot of problems so all they do is a safety check on emissions etc.
Boilers used to get full of dust when they were taking air from with the house but that doesn't happen with room sealed boilers.
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