British gas homecare - worth it??
Discussion
As much as I like doing DIY and maintenance when the proverbial s
t hits the fan and its the middle of the week in the middle of winter I can't be faffed with looking into it myself.
Looking at BG homecare 400 - covers Boiler, Central heating, Plumbing and drains and home electrics - is it worth the £25-£30 per month or is one just better getting some local trade people, using them and paying the call out fee??
t hits the fan and its the middle of the week in the middle of winter I can't be faffed with looking into it myself. Looking at BG homecare 400 - covers Boiler, Central heating, Plumbing and drains and home electrics - is it worth the £25-£30 per month or is one just better getting some local trade people, using them and paying the call out fee??
Having had the basic boiler cover for over 10years, before binning it off, the latter imo.
You'll probably be covered to some degree on your home insurance anyway. Stick the money you were going to give BG into an instant access ISA instead so you've got some ££ at the ready if the plop does hit the fan. It's surprising how quickly it builds up and an annual boiler service won't eat into it much.
You'll probably be covered to some degree on your home insurance anyway. Stick the money you were going to give BG into an instant access ISA instead so you've got some ££ at the ready if the plop does hit the fan. It's surprising how quickly it builds up and an annual boiler service won't eat into it much.
dojo said:
As much as I like doing DIY and maintenance when the proverbial st hits the fan and its the middle of the week in the middle of winter I can't be faffed with looking into it myself.
Looking at BG homecare 400 - covers Boiler, Central heating, Plumbing and drains and home electrics - is it worth the £25-£30 per month or is one just better getting some local trade people, using them and paying the call out fee??
I think the problem with the "local tradesman" approach is finding somebody reliable who could turn up at short notice and be able to source a wide range of replacement parts at very short notice.t hits the fan and its the middle of the week in the middle of winter I can't be faffed with looking into it myself. Looking at BG homecare 400 - covers Boiler, Central heating, Plumbing and drains and home electrics - is it worth the £25-£30 per month or is one just better getting some local trade people, using them and paying the call out fee??
We had BG cover for a good 12 years and the service was very good towards the latter part of the time because the boiler *Worcester Heatslave 9/24" was on it's last legs. We put a new Worcester in and since then I've switched to HomeServe so I'm paying £6pm rather than £16pm. Although there is a £50 excess I'd need to call them out twice a year for the costs to be the same and given that it's brand new I'm hoping that I won't need them.
TL:DR - depends how old your boiler is. if it's over 5 years then I'd definitely go with BG.
Swervin_Mervin said:
Go on boiler manufacturers website - find local manufacturer approved service trademen. Job jobbed. Not in the slightest bit difficult.
This. It would also seem that it can be a bit hit and miss as to who you may actually get from BG to sort your boiler, some of their technicians are better than other and also if you boiler is in the slightest bit "old" they'll be claiming you can no longer get replacement parts for it but of course they'll be happy to provide you with an extortionate quote for a new boiler. C0ffin D0dger said:
This. It would also seem that it can be a bit hit and miss as to who you may actually get from BG to sort your boiler, some of their technicians are better than other and also if you boiler is in the slightest bit "old" they'll be claiming you can no longer get replacement parts for it but of course they'll be happy to provide you with an extortionate quote for a new boiler.
We've had BG Homecare for a good number of years now.Without exception, every technician we've had out has been at least 'satisfactory' in terms of work carried out, most are better than that. They all tell us NOT to get rid of the old boiler, as it's a good one, and we've had a couple of pumps and about three of the heating/hot water control valves replaced at no cost. Don't forget that it also includes a service/inspection annually. We get ours done before the winter kicks in, so that we know all is OK with the system well before we need to use it. I'd recommend it.
yellowjack said:
We've had BG Homecare for a good number of years now.
Without exception, every technician we've had out has been at least 'satisfactory' in terms of work carried out, most are better than that. They all tell us NOT to get rid of the old boiler, as it's a good one, and we've had a couple of pumps and about three of the heating/hot water control valves replaced at no cost. Don't forget that it also includes a service/inspection annually. We get ours done before the winter kicks in, so that we know all is OK with the system well before we need to use it. I'd recommend it.
Sound similar to my own experiences with BG. In the last year they've replaced a pump, actuator valve and 2 TRVs as well as the annual inspection. Also said that the boiler (Ideal Standard) although not the most efficient is fine and the parts are readily available.Without exception, every technician we've had out has been at least 'satisfactory' in terms of work carried out, most are better than that. They all tell us NOT to get rid of the old boiler, as it's a good one, and we've had a couple of pumps and about three of the heating/hot water control valves replaced at no cost. Don't forget that it also includes a service/inspection annually. We get ours done before the winter kicks in, so that we know all is OK with the system well before we need to use it. I'd recommend it.
When we renewed our boiler we sacked off BG as it was a fair bit a month and did the hypothetical stick a bit away each month. This is fine and works well as long as you get no problems that need to be dealt with NOW!
As good as local trades are, and I do like to support local businesses wherever possible even if they cost a bit more, the thing that goes for BG is the ability and willingness to turn out at all hours 7 days and evenings a week. Depends how much you're prepared to pay for that.
As good as local trades are, and I do like to support local businesses wherever possible even if they cost a bit more, the thing that goes for BG is the ability and willingness to turn out at all hours 7 days and evenings a week. Depends how much you're prepared to pay for that.
Theres a lot to be said for one phonecall, and they're there to fix same-day or the next day. No researching reviews, 5min appointments that have to come back a week later, unknown costs, etc etc. With this sort of thing, you never need it until you need it. So its a peace of mind payment.
I've been in my house 8 years, the boiler is 20 years old and I've had a guy out I think three times to look at it. It's cost me (I think) £20 in total. I get pretty much any trade for free but even if I was paying call outs it would be what, 3x£50?
Compare to say £20/m for 8 years on British Gas' residual income scheme at nearly £2k?
fk that.
That said I live alone and the heating's never on so 1) it's not exactly stressed and 2) I don't worry about wimmin or children being warm.
Compare to say £20/m for 8 years on British Gas' residual income scheme at nearly £2k?
f
k that. That said I live alone and the heating's never on so 1) it's not exactly stressed and 2) I don't worry about wimmin or children being warm.
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