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British Gas central heating cover
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We had BG service contract for 18 years no problems,until last year the pump broke down on the Thursday before Good Friday they came out Thursday night,said they couldn`t fix it until the following Tuesday as the parts dept.,were on holiday.
I asked about their advert 24/7,yes we will come out 24/7 but in doesn`t say they can fix it,never again.A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
El sabio muda el consejo, el necio no.0 -
I've kept out of this thread as robert will recall that I don't like these contracts. But surely Tam's experience is enough to lay the lie to the "it's worth paying the insurance premium for the guarantee of good service".
There are hardly a large number of different pump types that the average BG van couldn't carry a stock. And to have no stocks available outside ordinary office hours is completely pathetic for any organisation which claims to offer a 24 hour 7 day service, IMHO.
Self insurance is far better value and just as likely to lead to an effective repair in the case of dire need.0 -
MarkyMarkD wrote:I've kept out of this thread as robert will recall that I don't like these contracts. But surely Tam's experience is enough to lay the lie to the "it's worth paying the insurance premium for the guarantee of good service".
There are hardly a large number of different pump types that the average BG van couldn't carry a stock. And to have no stocks available outside ordinary office hours is completely pathetic for any organisation which claims to offer a 24 hour 7 day service, IMHO.
Self insurance is far better value and just as likely to lead to an effective repair in the case of dire need.
There seems little point in resurrecting an argument covered in this thread.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=7718&page=1&pp=10&highlight=insurance
Some, like Tam, have had unsatisfactory experiences; many have nothing but praise for BG and there are plenty of other threads on this subject.
The objection to your contributions in the above thread were that you have never used the service and yet were the most vocal critic – and you appear not to have lost the opportunity here either. How does the single example of Tam’s case “lay the lie --- etc." Lie! hardly a balanced comment!
I usually find in forums like this, people are more disposed to criticise than praise; especially as British Gas as an organisation hardly endears itself to anyone. However, on balance, in threads on this subject there has been more praise than criticism.
I readily concede that there is a valid argument for ‘self insurance’ and said so earlier. Tam’s case is not the norm, as many have verified, and so equally there is a case for taking out this form of insurance.0 -
Cardew wrote:I think you are absolutely correct and I would do the same.
However, and it is a big however, most of us do not have access to your reliable, honest plumber. One who can work on Gas appliances and doesn't go on holiday and will be there in 5 or 10 years time.
As has been said before BG is simply insurance and most of us don't have access to your cheaper 'premium'.
So true - took me 3 months to get a Corgi engineer to fit a gas fire.
~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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I think the same applies to the whole of this thread, which is all going over old ground.Cardew wrote:There seems little point in resurrecting an argument covered in this thread.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=7718&page=1&pp=10&highlight=insurance
As with all forms of extended warranty, and to a large extent insurance, it's almost always cheaper to self-insure than to pay the premium. The exceptions are where you have a greater risk than the insurer assesses of you, and (as argued here) where you cannot purchase the goods/services at all, or at a reasonable price.
In BG's case, though, there are other reasons why they are unfair.
Some of their staff will happily service what they have already determined is an obsolete boiler, letting you pay premiums year after year, whilst they know that should anything significant fail, they'll claim that the parts are not available, serve a defect notice and suggest you have it replaced by them for 50-100% over the going rate.
And BG get lots of benefit by the impression naive people have that they are "the Gas Board" and consequently that they are 100% trustworthy.
I don't know why you think that it's necessary to have bought something duff to have an opinion about it! It doesn't have to apply to anything else on this forum.0
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