British Gas Homecare 400 - any cheaper alternative

loofer
loofer Posts: 562
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I'm looking to cut my outgoings.

I have British Gas Homecare 400 - insurance cover for breakdown of electrical and heating system such as boiler etc and also drainage. Includes an annual service.

They increased the price of the cover a few months ago from roughly £20 to £27. A substantial increase. Not keen on downgrading the service (they have other options available) as I prefer the peace of mind that it covers most eventualities. Obviously I accept that peace of mind comes at a cost but I'd like to reduce that cost if possible.

Does anybody know if there is another alternative that does similar cover for less £?

Thanks.
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  • devon_guy
    devon_guy Posts: 287
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    Have you looked at homeserve? I think they might be a bit cheaper. If not just google cheap central heating cover.
  • mtc95
    mtc95 Posts: 112
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    The comparison sites like uswitch have a facility for looking for this type of cover.

    It's always worth giving British Gas a ring to see if they will reduce their fee. My renewel for Homecare 200 just came through and they had increased it from £18 to £22 month. I phoned to complain and threaten to cancel and they immediately offered to reduce it to £19.50. In the end I went for their "flex" option which offers the same cover but you have to pay a fixed £50 for each time you call them out for a repair. This brought it down to £12 a month. It might be worth considering that if your system is quite reliable and you don't expect to call them often.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    Scores of posts on this subject.

    Most schemes just get a local plumber who is 'on their books' to visit, and your service depends on how good(and honest) the plumber might be.

    There have been some real horror stories reported and I don't think there has been a 'best buy' reported.
  • Hi,

    I used to be with BG Homecare and sacked them off when I realised I'd paid them a fortune for being completely useless.

    I'm currently with Domestic & General, they've been great so far and are cheaper than BG :)
  • Try AOS. switched to them having been mucked about by BG Homecare from day 1. AOS turn up when they say, seem to do a good job and are a significantly cheaper as well.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    Obiewahn wrote: »
    Try AOS. switched to them having been mucked about by BG Homecare from day 1. AOS turn up when they say, seem to do a good job and are a significantly cheaper as well.

    They don't have nationwide cover though - mainly in the South East I believe.

    Also they aren't particularly cheap with plans starting around £179 pa
  • Gerrard_8_lfc
    Gerrard_8_lfc Posts: 794 Forumite
    edited 21 May 2009 at 10:48PM
    Well have you tried mixing and matching your policy with ourselfs?, We offer a flexi agreement on everything except gas appliance checks or care. but they will reduce your payments per month. I heard someone saying Domestic and General earlier but do they do annual services ? and I think there is a call out limit. Im the first one to say BG aren't the cheapest but you get what you pay for e.g unlimited call outs. Reading the terms and conditions of our major competitors you really should take time and read over them yourself.

    And with the price going from £20 to £27 on hc 400 is okay considering you are paying them same as new customers even with your prices tailored to your specific boiler manufacturer. Prices vary on what the whole sale supplier charges BG for bulk buying of parts.
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  • mintymoneysaver
    mintymoneysaver Posts: 3,527
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    I changed from British Gas to Eon and I have been very pleased with them, I'm not sure if they do the full cover that you require as I just have the central heating cover though.
  • I changed from British Gas to Eon and I have been very pleased with them, I'm not sure if they do the full cover that you require as I just have the central heating cover though.

    This thread has been quiet for a while, but I thought I'd start it up again as this is exactly the question I am facing - is there anything cheaper than Homecare 400 out there that covers all the things 400 does? ie heating, plumbing, electrics....


    Thanks!
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    This thread has been quiet for a while, but I thought I'd start it up again as this is exactly the question I am facing - is there anything cheaper than Homecare 400 out there that covers all the things 400 does? ie heating, plumbing, electrics....


    Thanks!

    If you get Dual Fuel from BG they have just started a scheme called 'EnergyExtra50'.

    You pay £2 a month and any callout for heating, electrics, drains etc costs £99.

    Obviously no boiler service is included.
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