Treacodactyl
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Boiler service contractsMy gas-combi boiler is over three years old and I'm thinking of taking out one of those maintenance plans that'll give the boiler an annual service and fix it without extra costs. Something like British Gas' HomeCare 100 will cost £144 a year.
Now a service with a local gas engineer will cost about £65 so I'd be paying about £80 a year in insurance. That might seem expensive but after checking up on the price of parts and labour it doesn't seem that much. Does anyone use this sort of plan and would recommend other providers?
Another question, the British Gas plan includes a "Yearly Safety and Maintenance Inspection" does anyone know if this is a complete service?
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sean
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Re: Boiler service contracts | Treacodactyl wrote: | | "Yearly Safety and Maintenance Inspection" does anyone know if this is a complete service? |
I think not. Or they'd call it a service. It sounds to me like the bit where they look at your boiler and tell you that it needs loads of work doing on it.
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Treacodactyl
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Re: Boiler service contracts | sean wrote: | | It sounds to me like the bit where they look at your boiler and tell you that it needs loads of work doing on it. |
That would be fine as they would pay for it all. The boiler's too young for them to start suggesting it needs replacing.
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sally_in_wales
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We've got the BG one, they come out every year and check its fine, once they came out and replaced a pump or something, all very painless. Yes it does cost but currently it means I don't have to think about remembering to get the thing serviced.
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Green Man
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By brother signed up with Worchester Boilers for his nine year old boiler. He got his firs service fine, the next time the new engineer who was just out of nappies and said that the boiler did not have enough ventilation and condemned it. He suggested either my brother took the door off the boiler cupboard and made a 20 x 20 cm hole in his dining room wall so that a draught of air could ventilate the existing boiler or he could buy a new condensing boiler that would need no ventilation. I used to live in this house so I took over as a hole in the wall was madness as the boiler had new up to scratch ventilation when installed. It turns out the new engineer was using regulations for new builds and that existing boilers did not need to comply with them. The boiler was uncondemned and hopefully the next service will go without a hitch. The ironic thing is the boiler cupboard has so much ventilation that the pilot light blows out whenever it is windy. 
Secretly I think the Worchester engineer had been briefed to condemn boilers to make new sales.
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lottie
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My experience with British Gas was that as long as they can turn up and service it every year and it doesn't need anything else doing it's fine as soon as it's a few years old and needs odd bits doing they don't renew your contract.
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Treacodactyl
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I've also heard people complain that they've been told their boilers need replacing when they are actually fine, although as mine's less than 4 I should have a few years to go.
Another thing to think about, BGs new one off fee to fix the boiler comes in at about £200. 
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Behemoth
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Not sure about them. My experience is £50 for a service and when something went wrong with a valve a flat rate fee of £150 + vat parts and labour from the telephone number on the boiler, covers everything but the pump. I contacted the local gas engineeer at the end of the streeet and he said he'd be hard pushed to beat that. I assume some repairs are cheaper than others and its swings and roundabouts.
For some reason my combi is "common down south but not seen often in the north".
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sean
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It's probably not grim enough for northern conditions.
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