BG Homecare - anyone use it?

[NikB]

Not sure if this breaks the name and shame rule, I guess it depends what people's experiences are?

BG have been trying to flog me this for a while now, saying that once I pay it, I don't pay anything for certain repairs and servicing. Now the boiler needs a service, and I need the heating checking out and possbily the motorised valve replacing, so I've got some wege to spend on it. Question is would I be better of using this service, or stick to a local plumber?

[Bee_Jay]

After spending over £300 for someone to 'fix' my boiler and them really getting nowhere, when I moved to my current house I signed up with Southern Electric for a similar service to the one you describe - £15.50/month and everything is covered, and they come and service the boiler and check all gas appliances once a year.

Excellent service so far in terms of servicing etc, but not had to call them out yet...

[Gylen]

My experience of it is that it isn't a good a service as they make out.

When I bought my first flat I was swayed by the fact that they offered me kitchen appliance protection as well (I had a hand me down washing machine/dishwasher etc) and they promised to 'repair or replace' any item that failed.

Probably my own fault for not doing enough research but when the dishwasher eventually gave up the ghost, I tried to claim and was told that as the fault was due to reasonable wear and tear (wiring loom runs up through the hinge in the front door and had just worn out) and there were no replacements available a repair would be impossible. If I liked though, I was free to accept a £100 dishwasher (apparently amount they pay is based on age/value of appliance) voucher for one of their suppliers. Cost me £150 in the end plus what I'd been paying for the service so basically, a new dishwasher.

That said, the heating/boiler side seems pretty good and they have repaired and maintained this without quibble.

[Simpo Two]

Insurance policies are sold hard because - guess what - they make a profit. That means that clever people called actuaries have decided that you will probably lose. It's just a question of how lucky you feel.

[Benny Saltstein]

I think if you know a good plumber/gas engineer who you trust not to fleece you then its probably not necessary. I moved to a new area a few years back and got shafted by a plumber when my boiler went up the spout.

I joined the Homecare scheme, more for the peace of mind and convenience of having one number to call rather than trawling through the phone book and getting some pikey in a white transit van who tells you the PCB is fooked and its 600 notes to replace it.