Boiler Insurance with British Gas

with nor qith and £100 Not £!00. Sorry I didn't proof read that very well, but I.m cold!!

Unless it's changed in the last couple of years British Gas use local plumbers to answer emergency calls.

My son is gas-safe qualified and when he had his own business he had a contract with British Gas every winter in the Sheffield area.

We used to be with BG - but they messed up so many times, we didn’t renew the contract and found a local company - 20 years ago.
They used to charge £53 for an annual service, plus the cost of any parts. That cost has now risen to the dizzy heights of £60. I use them for my Landlord Service and certificate at my rental and 4 friends are now using them too, on my recommendation. On Mother’s Day this year, I had a leak and they came out that evening, for no extra cost other than the usual £60. Heroes!

Best choose a local reputable plumber. We had boiler insurance for years with different energy companies thinking this was the best way to be covered. Paid £15 a month and an extra £50 for a call-out. Our boiler broke down 2 days after a ‘service’ and when I rang they refused to forgo the £50 call out fee, so I cancelled our contract with them and found a local plumber.

He worked on the boiler for 4 hours and said that it had never had a proper service! Apparently these companies do the bare minimum safety checks and leave it at that.

I had a bad experience with BG , they simply did not help when I needed them in spite of me paying a hefty insurance with them at that time. I did manage to get a refund eventually though.
I now just rely on a local gas qualified man who services the boiler properly once a year and comes here if there is a problem with it.
He is quick, efficient and his charges are most reasonable.

😳 £1000 per year. No I would not pay that, I would put that money into a bank account strictly for a gas service & maybe a new boiler down the line.

Product insurance.
A very clever Legalised scam perpetrated on the public through fear.
If a white goods product is going to break down it is more than likely in the first year.
Needless to say we have never had one of these insurances.
I wish people could realise most faults are easily fixed.
I fixed my first washing machine in the mid 70s. The machine wasn’t pumping out. I pulled the machine out, turned off electric, disconnected the pump and lo and behold there was a bra bone.
These companies want you to think that the majority of these faults are rocket science: it’s not.
And now we have this wonderful site called YouTube where you can view everything that needs fixing.
That was a bit of a rant but these policies really annoy me 🤬

£1000, for a yearly service is robbery, I get a local guy, who has his own business, he charges £99..

pably15

£1000, for a yearly service is robbery, I get a local guy, who has his own business, he charges £99..

The OP did amend that figure.

I use an excellent local company to service my gas boiler annually, service charge is £ 85 per annum and includes a very thorough gas safety check. They are prompt; attentive. Old fashioned service; nothing is too much trouble.

My old boiler (age 16) never had a problem between annual services until this year when it has a little hiccup in May just as annual service fell due.

The cost of replacement (electronics) part was high; it made no sense to sink part+ service charge into such an elderly boiler so we had it replaced. Cost under £5K, no mess, and the (silent) new boiler comes with a 12 year warranty.

When I lived in East London I made the decision several years ago to cancel my BG insurance for my central htg and boiler. I was recommended by a close friend to the plumber they used, and he really was excellent.
Back then (I left that area in 2019) he would charge £70 for the annual service,, but was available for emergency call-outs. Indeed, my friend actually got him to her house one Christmas Day!!!
My daughter also used him and he was wonderful for the first few years with her very old, and very poorly boiler, somehow keeping it working for her until she could afford for him to replace it.
If you know of someone good, no doubt a local person is much better and cheaper than British Gas.

OP does your BG insurance cover breakdowns of those appliances? Will they be fixed (including parts) on the cover you have? Or is the £100 per year just for an annual service?

If the £100 per year covers both repairs and annual service, then I would say it’s a good deal.

£100 per year is good for service, providing it covers some parts- still can get a cheaper service, especially if you don’t require a certificate.

I think you need to speak to the local Gas engineer before you make the decision to quit one for the other, ask him about call outs in an emergency? Charges and time scale , build a relationship with them e.g use the same one every year for your service checks be a good customer if you are then they will be good tradesman. This is what I have found over the years. A tradesman likes to know what the equipment is like it and the state of it, it makes a call out so much easier. You definitely seem to paying a lot for the service you are receiving.

British Gas were awful to me. During thick snow when we had that "Beast from the East" heavy snowfall, my boiler packed up so I had no heating or hot water, I'm in my 70s and have health problems and live alone.

I rang BG because I had a service contract with them and they were prepared to leave me with nothing for 3 days in that weather. I managed to find a local gas engineer who was actually on his way home through the snow, but when he learnt of my plight, he turned around and came back to help me.

That was the end of BG as far as I was concerned, and I now have a local contract.