Central heating service contract

babygirl101

I have a contract with one of the major suppliers to service and maintain my central heating system i.e. boiler, rads, thermostat and timer.

I took the contract out a few years ago. The carried out an initial inspection and were quite happy to cover the system as my boiler was only 1 year old. They quoted me a price which I was happy with.

It is now 4 years old and yesterday they came out to service it and suddenly announced that I was on the wrong contract for my specific boiler and that someone would call me today to increase the price as my boiler was 'state of the art' and therefore would cost more to repair.

Does anyone know whether they can simply increase the price at will? The contract was renewed last month for another year. I can't find anything in the paperwork that indicates that they can do this mid contract. This is their error not mine. They have serviced and maintained it over the years without any quibble.

Any help gratefully received as I'd like to know if there's anything I can do or do I simply have to accept an increase in price.

BG

macman

But why did you take out a maintenance contract on a 1 year old boiler? All new boilers have a manufacturer's warranty of at least 2 years, and many give you 5 years cover. All you needed to do to retain this warranty was have an annual service.

dogshome

There are lots of Boiler maintenance/repair service contracts on the market - On some the work is done by their own staff, whilst others simply contract the work out to another company - So the quality of the service is highly variable and you should post the name of your particular supplier for advice, and it would also help if you listed the Make & Model of this 4 year old State of the Art ? boiler

On the information in your post, the quick answer is that they can't change the Terms/Price part way through the contract, unless that is, that there is something in the small print that allows them to do so

ihateyes

babygirl101 wrote: »

I have a contract with one of the major suppliers to service and maintain my central heating system i.e. boiler, rads, thermostat and timer.

I took the contract out a few years ago. The carried out an initial inspection and were quite happy to cover the system as my boiler was only 1 year old. They quoted me a price which I was happy with.

It is now 4 years old and yesterday they came out to service it and suddenly announced that I was on the wrong contract for my specific boiler and that someone would call me today to increase the price as my boiler was 'state of the art' and therefore would cost more to repair.

Does anyone know whether they can simply increase the price at will? The contract was renewed last month for another year. I can't find anything in the paperwork that indicates that they can do this mid contract. This is their error not mine. They have serviced and maintained it over the years without any quibble.

Any help gratefully received as I'd like to know if there's anything I can do or do I simply have to accept an increase in price.

BG

which company???

babygirl101

My apologies for not supplying enough information (my first post!). The boiler is a Rehema Avanta 18v and came with a 2 year guarantee, but I wanted to ensure that all repairs to my central heating system were covered which is why I took out cover with Southern Electric. To date I have had no problems at all with this boiler, it is extremely efficient and all they have had to do is service it.

I've repairs done by them but not to the boiler itself (the central heating timer switch was faulty so they replaced it). I am wondering if they are wanting to increase the premium as it's now a few years old. I can't find anything in the agreement that allows them to increase the price.

BG

macman

If they've agreed a contract for a further year then that should be honoured. If not, you are entitled to ask them to cancel and refund you the unused part of the year.

babygirl101

I must admit that's sort of what I thought, but I really wasn't too sure, which is why I thought I'd ask on here. They are meant to be phoning me today to discuss it so I'll see what they have to say on the matter.

Many thanks for the advice

BG

macman

Is it Homeserve via SSE? Please name and shame.

babygirl101

Yes, it is.

BG