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warmsure cover complaint
kev1744
Posts: 162 Forumite
hi all,
i took out the boiler cover with homeserve that contracts out to warmsure.
i recently had (and still have) a problem with my boiler.
just wanted to post the complaint letter i have sent in detailing the farce of a service i received from them.
bear with me it is a little long :-)
Dear Pinocchio
I hope you don't mind me calling you Pinocchio but as all I have received from your company so far is lies, I'm assuming the name will fit all your employees.
I took out the boiler cover for my ideal boiler through homeserve. Policy number is ############
On the 11/12/09 I was awoken in the early hours to the sound of water running in my kitchen. On investigation I found this to be my boiler had developed a massive leak which was causing water to spray everywhere and this had in turn shorted out the electrics.
Luckily I am quite handy and I isolated the boiler thus preventing further damage.
Remembering I had the boiler cover I thought "thank god at least I know I can get competent people out to fix it"...how wrong can I be?
I called ideal and explained the problem. I got the reply no worries sir we can get an engineer out to you on Sunday (13/12/09). I did think this was a little longer than I had hoped, but as I had managed to turn the water off I thought"fair enough 2 days without hot water and heating I can manage"
An engineer did then attend on Sunday, he identified that the problem was the heat exchange was leaking, which had caused the wiring harness to short out and the user controls to blow as well.
I think you can agree this sounds fairly serious and the engineer did state that it was a good job I had managed to shut off the water supply or it may have been much worse. He even joked did I want a job!
In retrospect I should have taken it, I may have got my boiler fixed quicker!
Anyway off the engineer went saying he would order the parts and put a rush on them (sounds impressive doesn't it?) I was under the impression rush meant it would be quicker than normal? Obviously my dictionary is out of date and the term has been changed to mean “at the pace of a crippled snail walking uphill"
I then started the long wait to hear from warmsure/ideal.
Thinking as it was described as a rush job I would try and find out if there was any date set I called warmsure/ideal on Monday to enquire if all was going to plan.
I was told yes not a problem parts ordered and should be sorted soon. Great I thought at least this will be done quickly. After all the pats are for an ideal boiler and I stupidly assumed that ideal would have the parts for its own boilers. After all I had checked online and discovered I could order the parts and get them next day delivery, so surely ideal could do the same?
It then got to Wednesday 16/12/09 and I was getting a bit worried. the weather was freezing, work were getting concerned as I seemed to be taking lots of showers at work (remember no hot water at home) and I was looking longingly at my radiators wondering if they would ever be warm again.
So I called warmsure/ideal and made enquiries as to the state of play.
A friendly chap told me ill look into it and give you a call back. Fair enough I said, however I work shifts can you call before 13; 30 hours? "No problem” says he.
I wait, I wait, I wait a little longer...huddled in 2 jumpers clutching a hot cup of coffee in an attempt to keep myself warm, wondering if I can sneak into work an hour early as the locker room will be empty and the showers free.
But I get no call, so off to work I go.
At about 17; 00 hours I get a missed call on my mobile (I was driving at the time ) so I pull over and see it’s from warmsure.
Hurrah I thought they must be calling to arrange an appointment. Ill call them straight back and get it sorted.
So I do...to be told the call was to inform me that they have just ordered the parts.
Now if you recall this was a "RUSH" job? I.e. quick? I.e. sooner rather than later? now I'm being told not only was the call not in relation to me asking for a call back but it was to inform me that parts that I was under the impression had been ordered 2 days previous had only just been ordered. I was less than impressed.
I then started to try and find out when something would be done to fix my "RUSH JOB" problem. I called department after department, got put through to warmsure, then ideal, then warmsure, then ideal again.
And lo and behold eventually someone told me that my parts had in fact been ordered on the Monday.
Great says I, when will my boiler be fixed?
I'm then told that the engineer that came and diagnosed the problem in the first place couldn't do the repair as he wasn't confident enough to do it!
at this point I must remind you this is the chap that was confident and competent enough to diagnose the problem and I'm assuming presented as confident and competent enough to get a job as one of your engineers, but isn't confident to undertake fixing the problem?
Perhaps he wasn't joking when he offered me a job?
I then have a succession of phone calls where everyone is very polite in telling me there is nothing they can do and another engineer will have to attend.
Today Thursday the 17/12/09 I make another phone call to ask what is the situation. Im told "good news your parts are here" remember this is 4 days after the engineer had attended and put a "RUSH" on them. And if you recall on the internet I could order them for delivery within 24 hours?
But no matter at this point I am happy to forgive all as long as my boiler is now going to get fixed.
So I ask....should I put the kettle on? Buy biscuits for the engineer who is no doubt RUSHING to my house right now to fix this problem?
Oh no it would appear as the original engineer is not confident to do the work another engineer is going to have to attend....and he can’t come till Wednesday the 23/12/09 as he is on holiday!
But hold on surely there are other engineers? Am I really being told there is only 1 person in this area qualified enough to fit these parts? YES is the reply I get.
At this stage I admit to having a humor meltdown. And after calling to cancel my cover due to the unsatisfactory way it has been dealt with. Im eventually put in touch with a manager at ideal named David.
David listens to me rant and rave for a while. Makes all the right sounds in all the right places to provide me with the reassurance I need. Agrees that the RUSH job which I reported on the 11/12/09 shouldn’t really have to wait till 12 days later to be rectified.
Let me just highlight that for you
YOU WERE INFORMED THE BOILER BROKE DOWN ON THE 11/12/09
AN ENGINEER CAME OUT ON THE 13/12/09
DECLARED IT A RUSH JOB
AND THE NEXT AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT IS THE 23/12/09
AND THIS IS A RUSH JOB!!!!
David then contacted the recall department himself to see f this could be sorted out; after all he agreed this was very poor quality of service.
David put me on hold whilst he did this...mainly due to the fact I didn’t trust anybody at the company to call me back. As so far no one had bothered to.
David then came back on the line. To inform me the next available appointment was ...Wednesday 23/12/09.
Im not happy.
David said there was nothing he could do but would send all this info to one of the managers in the escalation department (hopefully that doesn’t have the same meaning as "RUSH" in ideal)
And that I should get a call in the next couple of hours...im waiting.
I can only assume if when I had made the initial call I had said sorry im not capable of turning the water off it may have got sorted sooner. But I doubt it.
I can honestly say this is the worst service I have ever received off any type of company.
The quality of service is so poor I don’t believe it falls in the category of even adequate.
perhaps if the heating and hot water was turned off in the offices where I have been calling and all your staff were told "you’ll get heating/hot water in 12 days when we find a competent engineer that’s not on holiday to fix the problem" they would appreciate how low a level of service is being provided they would understand my frustration.
This was the first time I have had to use this service. It will be the last.
I will be making a point to not only not recommend this service to my friends /colleagues but will also not be recommending it to my enemies as not even they deserve this.
I believe I have been dealt with very poorly, that the level of service is well below that which I as a customer should receive,
I do not know what the answers are for the company, but for me I will certainly be looking at changing my boiler when I need to for something that is not par of the ideal range. Not because im dissatisfied with the boiler but due to the very poor service of yourselves. I will certainly be looking at getting different boiler cover...one that does not involve ideal or warmsure in any way.
I am hoping that I receive a reply (it will be a novelty as it will be the first ive had) and im hoping that reply can explain why this situation has been allowed to escalate to a point where I have lost all confidence in ideal/warmsure to carry out there part of the contract.
Feel free to email me, send a letter, send a personal visit or send Morse code. I would say phone me but I can only assume due to the lack of call backs I have received that the phones in ideal/warmsure are not capable of making outgoing calls.
As a result of this whole farce I have also had to cancel my family visiting for Christmas, as without heat and hot water it would be less than pleasant.
Oh and to add to it all....severe weather warning just issued,
Yours less than happy
###################################################
anyone else had this kind of service? or am i just unlucky?
i took out the boiler cover with homeserve that contracts out to warmsure.
i recently had (and still have) a problem with my boiler.
just wanted to post the complaint letter i have sent in detailing the farce of a service i received from them.
bear with me it is a little long :-)
Dear Pinocchio
I hope you don't mind me calling you Pinocchio but as all I have received from your company so far is lies, I'm assuming the name will fit all your employees.
I took out the boiler cover for my ideal boiler through homeserve. Policy number is ############
On the 11/12/09 I was awoken in the early hours to the sound of water running in my kitchen. On investigation I found this to be my boiler had developed a massive leak which was causing water to spray everywhere and this had in turn shorted out the electrics.
Luckily I am quite handy and I isolated the boiler thus preventing further damage.
Remembering I had the boiler cover I thought "thank god at least I know I can get competent people out to fix it"...how wrong can I be?
I called ideal and explained the problem. I got the reply no worries sir we can get an engineer out to you on Sunday (13/12/09). I did think this was a little longer than I had hoped, but as I had managed to turn the water off I thought"fair enough 2 days without hot water and heating I can manage"
An engineer did then attend on Sunday, he identified that the problem was the heat exchange was leaking, which had caused the wiring harness to short out and the user controls to blow as well.
I think you can agree this sounds fairly serious and the engineer did state that it was a good job I had managed to shut off the water supply or it may have been much worse. He even joked did I want a job!
In retrospect I should have taken it, I may have got my boiler fixed quicker!
Anyway off the engineer went saying he would order the parts and put a rush on them (sounds impressive doesn't it?) I was under the impression rush meant it would be quicker than normal? Obviously my dictionary is out of date and the term has been changed to mean “at the pace of a crippled snail walking uphill"
I then started the long wait to hear from warmsure/ideal.
Thinking as it was described as a rush job I would try and find out if there was any date set I called warmsure/ideal on Monday to enquire if all was going to plan.
I was told yes not a problem parts ordered and should be sorted soon. Great I thought at least this will be done quickly. After all the pats are for an ideal boiler and I stupidly assumed that ideal would have the parts for its own boilers. After all I had checked online and discovered I could order the parts and get them next day delivery, so surely ideal could do the same?
It then got to Wednesday 16/12/09 and I was getting a bit worried. the weather was freezing, work were getting concerned as I seemed to be taking lots of showers at work (remember no hot water at home) and I was looking longingly at my radiators wondering if they would ever be warm again.
So I called warmsure/ideal and made enquiries as to the state of play.
A friendly chap told me ill look into it and give you a call back. Fair enough I said, however I work shifts can you call before 13; 30 hours? "No problem” says he.
I wait, I wait, I wait a little longer...huddled in 2 jumpers clutching a hot cup of coffee in an attempt to keep myself warm, wondering if I can sneak into work an hour early as the locker room will be empty and the showers free.
But I get no call, so off to work I go.
At about 17; 00 hours I get a missed call on my mobile (I was driving at the time ) so I pull over and see it’s from warmsure.
Hurrah I thought they must be calling to arrange an appointment. Ill call them straight back and get it sorted.
So I do...to be told the call was to inform me that they have just ordered the parts.
Now if you recall this was a "RUSH" job? I.e. quick? I.e. sooner rather than later? now I'm being told not only was the call not in relation to me asking for a call back but it was to inform me that parts that I was under the impression had been ordered 2 days previous had only just been ordered. I was less than impressed.
I then started to try and find out when something would be done to fix my "RUSH JOB" problem. I called department after department, got put through to warmsure, then ideal, then warmsure, then ideal again.
And lo and behold eventually someone told me that my parts had in fact been ordered on the Monday.
Great says I, when will my boiler be fixed?
I'm then told that the engineer that came and diagnosed the problem in the first place couldn't do the repair as he wasn't confident enough to do it!
at this point I must remind you this is the chap that was confident and competent enough to diagnose the problem and I'm assuming presented as confident and competent enough to get a job as one of your engineers, but isn't confident to undertake fixing the problem?
Perhaps he wasn't joking when he offered me a job?
I then have a succession of phone calls where everyone is very polite in telling me there is nothing they can do and another engineer will have to attend.
Today Thursday the 17/12/09 I make another phone call to ask what is the situation. Im told "good news your parts are here" remember this is 4 days after the engineer had attended and put a "RUSH" on them. And if you recall on the internet I could order them for delivery within 24 hours?
But no matter at this point I am happy to forgive all as long as my boiler is now going to get fixed.
So I ask....should I put the kettle on? Buy biscuits for the engineer who is no doubt RUSHING to my house right now to fix this problem?
Oh no it would appear as the original engineer is not confident to do the work another engineer is going to have to attend....and he can’t come till Wednesday the 23/12/09 as he is on holiday!
But hold on surely there are other engineers? Am I really being told there is only 1 person in this area qualified enough to fit these parts? YES is the reply I get.
At this stage I admit to having a humor meltdown. And after calling to cancel my cover due to the unsatisfactory way it has been dealt with. Im eventually put in touch with a manager at ideal named David.
David listens to me rant and rave for a while. Makes all the right sounds in all the right places to provide me with the reassurance I need. Agrees that the RUSH job which I reported on the 11/12/09 shouldn’t really have to wait till 12 days later to be rectified.
Let me just highlight that for you
YOU WERE INFORMED THE BOILER BROKE DOWN ON THE 11/12/09
AN ENGINEER CAME OUT ON THE 13/12/09
DECLARED IT A RUSH JOB
AND THE NEXT AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT IS THE 23/12/09
AND THIS IS A RUSH JOB!!!!
David then contacted the recall department himself to see f this could be sorted out; after all he agreed this was very poor quality of service.
David put me on hold whilst he did this...mainly due to the fact I didn’t trust anybody at the company to call me back. As so far no one had bothered to.
David then came back on the line. To inform me the next available appointment was ...Wednesday 23/12/09.
Im not happy.
David said there was nothing he could do but would send all this info to one of the managers in the escalation department (hopefully that doesn’t have the same meaning as "RUSH" in ideal)
And that I should get a call in the next couple of hours...im waiting.
I can only assume if when I had made the initial call I had said sorry im not capable of turning the water off it may have got sorted sooner. But I doubt it.
I can honestly say this is the worst service I have ever received off any type of company.
The quality of service is so poor I don’t believe it falls in the category of even adequate.
perhaps if the heating and hot water was turned off in the offices where I have been calling and all your staff were told "you’ll get heating/hot water in 12 days when we find a competent engineer that’s not on holiday to fix the problem" they would appreciate how low a level of service is being provided they would understand my frustration.
This was the first time I have had to use this service. It will be the last.
I will be making a point to not only not recommend this service to my friends /colleagues but will also not be recommending it to my enemies as not even they deserve this.
I believe I have been dealt with very poorly, that the level of service is well below that which I as a customer should receive,
I do not know what the answers are for the company, but for me I will certainly be looking at changing my boiler when I need to for something that is not par of the ideal range. Not because im dissatisfied with the boiler but due to the very poor service of yourselves. I will certainly be looking at getting different boiler cover...one that does not involve ideal or warmsure in any way.
I am hoping that I receive a reply (it will be a novelty as it will be the first ive had) and im hoping that reply can explain why this situation has been allowed to escalate to a point where I have lost all confidence in ideal/warmsure to carry out there part of the contract.
Feel free to email me, send a letter, send a personal visit or send Morse code. I would say phone me but I can only assume due to the lack of call backs I have received that the phones in ideal/warmsure are not capable of making outgoing calls.
As a result of this whole farce I have also had to cancel my family visiting for Christmas, as without heat and hot water it would be less than pleasant.
Oh and to add to it all....severe weather warning just issued,
Yours less than happy
###################################################
anyone else had this kind of service? or am i just unlucky?
0
Comments
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Have you checked your policy to see if there's any expected timescales or committments in there?Kavanne
Nuns! Nuns! Reverse!
'I do my job, do you do yours?'0 -
ah think i have been found online and not willing to have him peeking63 mortgage payments to go.
Zero wins 2016 😥0 -
live in midlands...but thanks for offer :-)
been told they can now come out monday, so will sit tight and wait.
as for timescales...yep they have them but only applies to initial visit being within 48hrs...which this was. its the week wait for the one and only competant engineer to come back off holiday that gets me!0 -
ideal engineers should have the parts on the van to fix the boiler. If they have not got the parts they should pick them up from the local parts centre where spares are kept in stock for the engineers.
I would not hold your breath for the engineer to fix the boiler when new spares arrive. Ideal boilers are crap and so is the service. That why they are fitted by the warm front grant. Ideal was in trouble then along come EAGA fitted on the warmfront scheme and is partners with ideal. warmfront/warmsure/ideal its all the same company.0 -
just wanted to give an update....after much ranting and raving, 2 guys turned up today and fixed the boiler....hurrah!
then 15 minutes after they left i had a phone call to inform me engineers would be here on wednesday to...yep fix the boiler!
i know i should have told them its been done but after the lousy service ive had i thought sod it they can come again :-)0 -
My parents had a boiler fitted through Warmfront. Actually it was Eagaheat who fitted it. They had their 1st annual service on friday and guess what? The engineer switched off their heating and hot water as there was insufficient gas getting to the boiler! Its been like that since they installed it because the idiot that installed it connected the boiler to the old gas pipes instead of fitting new ones because he couldn't be bothered. Had a mare trying to contact, Warmfront, Warnsure or Eagaheat as they just pass the buck. Meanwhile poor parents, sitting in cold with no hot water or heat.
I can see this is going to drag. Surely there must be some muppet you can complain to?!:mad:0 -
Hi RE Eaga -
I used to work there lasted 3 months, what a joke of a company - understaffed, disorganized and money grabbers. But anyway that not the point.
I can't help out in regards to Warmfront much as I didn't work on that contract but if anyone needs any help in who to complain to please PM - I can help with contact info.
SS:money:I secretly think martin is super sexy!! LOL!!:money:0 -
We had similar problems with Homeserve/Warmsure. Boiler broke down at the start of January when it was bloody freezing with several feet of snow outside (in Scotland too!).
Called Homeserve who said "no problem, someone will contact you within 24 hours to arrange a time for the engineer". No one called. Called them the next day, "it looks as though your request for call out was cancelled" ... and they didn't think to call to let us know so that we could arrange a repair from somewhere else!
Another 3 days went by, each time with a promise of 24h callbacks and each time not hearing a thing. It finally got resolved when OH called up Homeserve to tell them that this was unacceptable - we eventually got given a number for Warmsure and the guy at Homeserve faxed through the details to Warmsure three times, "so that they can't say they've lost it or not received it". Professional, huh?
Called Warmsure who, suprise suprise, "couldn't find it". They then told OH that they "don't have access to the fax machine until 10am". What sort of company doesn't have access to their own lines of communication?
Got it sorted in the end, engineer was in for 10 mins, job done, though it was around a week since the original call and we had to buy two small electric heaters to get through it! Luckily it's not a service we pay for and just a free perk from a certain current account!0 -
My parents had a boiler fitted through Warmfront. Actually it was Eagaheat who fitted it. They had their 1st annual service on friday and guess what? The engineer switched off their heating and hot water as there was insufficient gas getting to the boiler! Its been like that since they installed it because the idiot that installed it connected the boiler to the old gas pipes instead of fitting new ones because he couldn't be bothered. Had a mare trying to contact, Warmfront, Warnsure or Eagaheat as they just pass the buck. Meanwhile poor parents, sitting in cold with no hot water or heat.
I can see this is going to drag. Surely there must be some muppet you can complain to?!:mad:
Hi LionKing
I tried to PM you but for some reason it wouldnt let me.
PM me and I'll see what I can do to get your complaint seen to.
Lisa£2 Savers Club #156!
Looking for holiday ideas for 2016. Currently, Isle of Skye in March, Riga in May, Crete in June and Lake District in October. August cruise cancelled, but Baby due September 2016! :j0 -
My mother and father-in-law have contract with RYAS who use warmsure. They have now been without heating or hot water for 10 days and they are both 86 years old. I can't believe a company can leave elderly people for so long, I was assured they have ordered parts as express delivery but after hearing your story I will be making a call to trading standards tomorrow to see if they can help. They have two small heaters which they bought some time ago for emergencies but were never offered any by the company. I will try to get a local engineer out I don't want this dragging on as they are quite frail. Thanks for your posting it has helped me see what I was thinking. You came up on Google Search by the way.
Many thanks
Muffy0
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