British gas homecare cover

[kpaddy]

hi all

i use British gas as a on-demand customer for my boiler and washer/dryer and fridge i have found them good but a little on the pricey side i worked out that if i took out the full cover i will be paying almost double what i pay now but would have unlimited call out. the contract and terms&conditions seem a little bias in their favour but what large companies isn't. i was considering taking out the full homecare package but before taking the plunge wanted to ask the view of others.

thanks

[Loz]

Q1. How many times have you called them out in the past few years?

Personally, I have never called out anyone to repair a fridge (they are pretty robust) and I need a washer repair about once every 5 years. I can't see that being cost-effective.

Boilers? Well, perhaps. As usual with such things, the people over at Money Saving Expert are good to consult.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/boiler-insurance

[kpaddy]

hi Loz

i get my boiler serviced every year which i find very reassuring and value for money, i have only really used them once to replace a door seal on my fridge and once to replace the pump on my washer all within the five years i've been a customer.

the sales pitch from the engineer who replaced the pump made it sound like a no brainer but when you look at it in black and white it dose appear a little unnecessary,thanks so much for your comments and the link

regards karen

[Loz]

Out of interest, what is the annual cost for you contract?

[Penguin68]

I have British Gas cover for my boiler and central heating system. Over 28 years I have had 3 new pumps, one boiler/ hot water timer control, one heat exchanger (would have been very expensive), 2 boiler thermostats, a major leak in the central heating sorted out, and several leaky radiators dealt with, and the radiators rebalanced twice. All for no extra cost over and above the annual fee. Very good value, as far as I am concerned (and no, I do not now, nor have I ever worked for British Gas).

[Tlong]

Penguin68 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have British Gas cover for my boiler and central

> heating system. Over 28 years I have had 3 new

> pumps, one boiler/ hot water timer control, one

> heat exchanger (would have been very expensive), 2

> boiler thermostats, a major leak in the central

> heating sorted out, and several leaky radiators

> dealt with, and the radiators rebalanced twice.

> All for no extra cost over and above the annual

> fee. Very good value, as far as I am concerned

> (and no, I do not now, nor have I ever worked for

> British Gas).

hi penguin68

yes its would seem that you have had a lot of work done over your 28 years membership, but would you dare tally up the combined cost of all work carried out if it was via private contractors or even British Gas on a on-demand basis and compare it to the total of what you have paid them over those 28 years of your cover.

I'm not a British gas customer and therefore accept that i am not best placed to comment on their service and its value, but i do know this, no company in history have ever set-up in business for the purpose of making their customer rich.

what i would say to you Karen is that if you think and feel that its fair then go with and feel secure in thew knowledge that as long as your payments are up-to-date that you will always have them at the end of the phone, but if you have any doubts then don't, at least not until you feel completely confident that it is the right thing for you

[Penguin68]

What you are paying for is peace of mind (and a pretty quick service) delivered by engineers who are backed by a pretty big concern (so, if they don't do the job right, not that I've had that problem) you've got a big company to get back to. If you are sure you can get service within 24 hours (24/7) at no additional cost and from an assured service company, fine. But I would guess I've had my money's worth, in terms of actual service and peace of mind. I wouldn't use them for some other types of work (domestic appliances other than heat and hot water) as the money spent would go (probably more than all the way) towards buying a new one of whatever - but for 'proper' engineering work it's worth it to me. An engineering call-out is going to be ?60 - and then there's the cost of parts and almost certainly another ?60 as the time to fit trickles magically over an hour. With the 'insurance' there's no benefit in extending the job to ramp the price.

But everyone makes their choice about what is 'value' to them. For me British Gas Homecare is.

[Loz]

Just checked Homecare prices just for boiler and CH cover only. ?160 a year with a ?60 excess, or ?220 a year with zero excess. You get annual service, so knock ?60 off that for something you would/should actually get done every year. So you are effectively paying ?120+?60excess/?180 a year to cover boiler/CH breakdowns. And if you need a new boiler and your old one is more than 7 years old, you're still going to have to fork out for a new boiler yourself.

As far as I see it, it's like any insurance/service contract/extended warranty - you should only pay cover for costs you can't afford. If a ?500+ plumber cost would cause you real financial difficulties, then maybe consider it. If a ?500+ plumber cost would be an annoyance, then you're probably better off taking the risk.

[bawdy-nan]

Our landlord has this cover for our boiler and appliances and, over the last 12 years, we've used it loads: boiler call outs and repairs, washing machine, dishwasher and cooker all fixed several times