MSE News: Thousands could miss out on Warm Front energy scheme

elvis1

Nobody is claiming this because all it ends up is problems after problems when they have done the work. Had a boiler replaced a few years back, it has never worked properly. They have never serviced it once which they were supposed to do every year. Waited in for them numerous times, they never turned up. I am now having to save up for a new one to replace it, should have kept the one I originally had.

Joyful

We were advised at work last week that they want many more people to apply for the Warm Front grants otherwise the money goes back to the Government. So take a look at their website and spread the word to anyone it can help.

rotoguys

Joyful wrote: »

We were advised at work last week that they want many more people to apply for the Warm Front grants otherwise the money goes back to the Government. So take a look at their website and spread the word to anyone it can help.

After my experience of this organisation, I am surprised that anyone is actually bothering to claim it!

Having said that, and if what you are saying is actually true of British Gas, then the unfortunate answer is that people will not claim for one reason or another. You only have to look at the figures for some disability benefits and Pension Credit to see that 30% of applicants that are entitled do not claim.

Maybe the real answer is that over the past year or so, there has been so much said about benefit claimants etc being 'scroungers and parasites' that people have actually come to believe that making claims and claiming the Warm Front grant is something that they do not want to get involved with. Who wants to think that the rest of the country would believe them to be social parasites.

[Deleted User]

jules6 wrote: »

Carillion are making all 200 engineers redundant, so who will be carrying out the work? At present their web site states 'inhouse engineers' but this won't be the case by March 2012.

ours was done in 2010 by subbies

Muttleythefrog

I was told by the inspector my barely functioning old back boiler heating system wouldn't be replaced because of cuts to the funding and fact I am only disabled and on my own... as opposed to having young children or being elderly. I ended up in a war of words and threw him out before he could complete the inspection or get assaulted.

Having read the above it sounds like I got off lightly.

pink_lady08

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

I was told by the inspector my barely functioning old back boiler heating system wouldn't be replaced because of cuts to the funding and fact I am only disabled and on my own... as opposed to having young children or being elderly. I ended up in a war of words and threw him out before he could complete the inspection or get assaulted.

Having read the above it sounds like I got off lightly.

We were told if you have double glazed windows, a WORKING heating system and a boiler, you have no chance of getting any work done via Warm Front.

allibee4d

Dear MSE fans
I had such an horrendous experience with Warm Front; shoddy workmanship and appalling customer care. I tried to take my case further but sadly met a brick wall.
So my advice would be to document EVERYthing. Take photos of your home before-hand, and photos of work completed. If you do have to contact them, is it possible to record any phone conversation or is that illegal? Anyway, depending on the response from fellow moneysavers, do it! You may well get fobbed off, time and time again. Make detailed notes of conversations you have, and get names. Record dates, etc. as well. I cannot begin to tell you what an ordeal I have been through with them. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and this really finished me off. It made me really ill, which is why, now that I've improved somewhat, I urge you to take my advice when dealing with them. There really is very little support for you out there when Warm Front goes wrong.

copa_feela

Do you have memory problems rotoguys? In one post you claim to have had "experience" of the Warmfront scheme, but in a post two days earlier you had only just found out about them?

rotoguys wrote: »

After my experience of this organisation, I am surprised that anyone is actually bothering to claim it!

rotoguys wrote: »

Surprisingly, given that I have spent hours over the past few months reading up on what help is available to pensioners,

I never realised that this scheme was available.

enlightened

No surprise this. As previously reported the system is so inefficient. A relative who qualified for help had a 12 year old boiler that was locking out randomly (could not be traced/fixed) so she applied for a replacement boiler. First question the survey engineer asked was "is it working?". Tried it and it worked. "Sorry cannot help you as it is working"! Nothing on the online application forms to say that, so everyone wasted their time. Be warned also that if it had not been working, it could have taken up to 6 MONTHS to get replaced!! Great having no heating or hot water for 6 months. Suggest the government scrap the whole scheme and put the money towards the national debt.

I_love_Harrison

I had my loft insulated a couple of weeks ago & I'm having cavity wall insulation done Saturday by the Marks group.