Best Boiler care plan?

[Andeh13]

We live in a 2007 new build property, and we moved in a few months ago. As the boiler (pressurised) & megaflow system reaches 7 years old I am wondering if I should start looking at care plans for them. they have patchy service history and being a ''new build'' system I cant imagine Taylor Wimpey went overboard on a decent/reliable system (will find the name of it when I get home).

We have a sporadic issue where the boiler fire at random to heat the two bathroom radiators when to scorching temperatures. This whilst the thermostat was saying the system (heating & hot water) was off, we have to leave these two rads turned off else they stay on permanently it seems.

Has anyone ever had a Homecare like plan? How good are they? Would they cover an issue like the above where the system works, but there is clearly something not quite plumbed/configured right and some diagnostics etc are required?

[Funkstar]

I've been looking at the British Gas plan just this morning, and they won't rectify an existing problem according to their terms and conditions. I would assume that they would all be the same in this regard.

But as for the general quality of respective plans, i really don't know. i'd be interested in other peoples input on that too. I did notice that the BG plan is a lot cheaper than I remember it being last time I looked. £17/month for their full cover and an annual service is very good value by the looks of it.

[Andeh13]

I've been looking at the British Gas plan just this morning, and they won't rectify an existing problem according to their terms and conditions. I would assume that they would all be the same in this regard.

But as for the general quality of respective plans, i really don't know. i'd be interested in other peoples input on that too. I did notice that the BG plan is a lot cheaper than I remember it being last time I looked. £17/month for their full cover and an annual service is very good value by the looks of it.

True that, and i am calling an engineer out separately to sort this fault, but for a fault like this - sporadic/hard to replicate/diagnostics required etc would they cover it or would they just say the system generally works not covered?

[Saracen]

I had a British Gas plan on a brand new boiler, that they'd installed. They told me I was supposed to get a "service" (see note, below), and that I'd get a reminder near the time.

So, no reminder arrived, and when I thought it seemed late and rang, two DAYS after the twelve months was up, they told me they're supposed to only do it within the 12 months. But when I pointed out .... no reminder, as promised, the agreed to do it anyway, so I renewed the plan.

So far, so good.

But, come "service" time the next year (about November) I rang to arrange the visit, only to be told I'd had it last year. I explained what had happened, only to be told I was "wrong", and that they hadn't agreed to do the service. And this by someone that wasn't party to the conversation, and they then told me, and I quote, that I was "lying" about it.

This despite having paid two years fee (one in the very expensive boiler installation cost), and having received one visit.

Also, as the whole system was covered, when I pointed out a leaky valve on a radiator, they 'tightened' the valve. I pointed out I'd already done that, but they said they'd come back if it didn't sort it. It didn't, and when I asked them back, they refused, saying it had been dealt with. Well, their 'repair' meant I started with a leaky valve, and ended with a leaky valve. Not 'dealt with' by my definition.

That's not the whole story, but it'll do as an outline. Suffice it to say that it's only my personal, direct experience, but there is NO WAY I'd use this lying, deceitful bunch of a-holes ever again. And if you do, I can only suggest you watch them VERY carefully, keep detailed records, and make ABSOLURELY sure you don't rely on getting a 'reminder' of a service visit, because for my two years, it didn't arrive two times out of two.


Note: The "service" I got is not like boiler services used to be, when things were checked, cleaned, etc. The engineer showed up, took the cover off the boiler, looked it over, and put the cover back on. He opened some kind of flue vent, stuck a meter (carbon monoxide??) in it, and checked the level, and replaced the cover. Then gave me a form to sign. Elapsed time, under 10 minutes. He didn't look at, let alone check or 'service' anything else. When I commented, he said (more or less) that there was no 'servicing' to do on modern boilers. As long as gas levels were okay, they either work or don't. When they don't, it's either replace the broken part, or if you're unlucky, replace the boiler. Whether that's true or not I don't know, but it's what the service engineer told me.

As far as I'm concerned, on a new-ish system, these "service" contracts are largely a con. They're basically an expensive insurance policy, with a nominal safety check thrown in as window dressing. So now, if it's on the water circuit, like a rad or valve problem, I'll sort it myself. If it's a boiler problem, well, I've found a decent, local independent, registered (with whatever they called the CORGI replacement body) who'll do a 'service' for a few quid, and is very competitive on actual work (which I haven't needed but I know people that've used him), and to hell with service contracts, and to the deepest pit in hell with the British Gas' version of it.

Yes, they give you peace of mind, but I've saved nearly enough in the last few years by not having one to replace the whole boiler if it packs up. And from about now on, I'm in profit every year.

So .... what value do you put on peace of mind? And, in my experience, BG is not the place to go if you do want peace of mind. YMMV.

[MarkyH]

This is something I've been asking about after hearing bad things about various care plans. From what people say, it's not really worth it if your boiler is relatively new. Also, sometimes your home insurance covers it, it's worth checking. It seems the best thing to do is find someone reliable who can fix it and see what they can offer in terms of regular maintenance.
You can ask around or look at one of the comparison sites, these are good http://www.servicemagic.co.uk/formul...ote-boiler.htm
Good luck.