Home Energy Services = Awful service

bjwood

I would advise anyone considering using Home Energy Services to avoid them. Their customer service is terrible. Here's a short story:

The annual inspection

They failed to turn up to an annual inspection in December last year and didn't call me to let me know. I wasted half a day's holiday. (half a day's holiday wasted). The earliest appointment they had was two months later.

The emergency call-out

Within a month of it passing its inspection, our boiler refused to heat water up. We range HES and, as we have three young children and were classed as a priority, they came to the property three days later. In that time we managed to get some heat in the water but it was intermittent and luke-warm. The engineer came and said he thought there were a couple of parts needed. He said he'd file his report and someone should be in contact with in the next few days.

The resolution was that we had to replace our boiler. This was bad news. The real complaint is what happened between the engineer coming and this resolution.

The big problems

Two weeks after the emergency call-out, we'd heard nothing. I rang them to chase. To cut a very long story short this issue dragged on for another five weeks. In that time I spoke to 14 different people who couldn't help me. Each time they said they'd have to get someone to ring me back. In the majority of cases, nobody ever did. I then had to ring them up again only to go through the same process. I was on the phone a total of over three hours (over two and a half of that on hold).

I was told the parts needed for the boiler needed couldn't be found but they could get me a small discount on a new boiler.

What now?

It says in their Terms and Conditions that if they can't get parts for a boiler that's over seven years old then they won't replace it. I don't like it but if it's in their terms and conditions I can't really argue.

But should I have to accept poor customer services?

Has anyone else had a similar experience with this company?

Sterlingtimes

bjwood wrote: »

It says in their Terms and Conditions that if they can't get parts for a boiler that's over seven years old then they won't replace it. I don't like it but if it's in their terms and conditions I can't really argue.

If they know from the outset that they cannot supply parts then they should not accept the contract. They should inform customers that they cannot support the specific model. I think that there is an argument for contesting the contractual term as "unfair". They are in effect selling a policy that they cannot service.

bjwood

That thought had crossed my mind but you could read it as 'if your boiler's over 7 years old we can't replace it but we'll repair/get parts to fix it if we can'.

It just feels like a kick in the teeth after all the hassle I've had with them. Mine's not an isolated case of poor customer service; seems they've earned themselves a reputation for bad service.

naedanger

bjwood wrote: »

That thought had crossed my mind but you could read it as 'if your boiler's over 7 years old we can't replace it but we'll repair/get parts to fix it if we can'.

It just feels like a kick in the teeth after all the hassle I've had with them. Mine's not an isolated case of poor customer service; seems they've earned themselves a reputation for bad service.

Have you checked yourself (e.g. by doing a google search on the boiler name and the relevant part) to see if parts are available?

In any event the service you have received is a disgrace. However if you want redress I think you will probably need to submit a legal claim.

Sterlingtimes

If the insurance company knows at the time of renewal that parts are unavailable for the insured model then it is selling nothing in return for the premium (apart from the boiler service). The contract could never have been performed from the outset. If it become apparent to the insurer during the course of the contract for the first time that the machine is unserviceable then I can understand the need for the clause.

Each time it enacts the clause for a particular model, it should identify that on its database that parts are unavailable, and the not go on to insure that boiler model in future.

I would ask them (and ultimately the Ombudsman) whether they refused other policyholders with the same boiler prior to accepting your insurance or the renewal of it.

macman

Make and model of your boiler? The parts are almost certainly available, so do a Google search as above and use a local independent RGI to do the repair.

bjwood

Thanks for the responses.

I got home to find their response to my complaint. The summary of it is that they're sorry I've not been happy with their service and they've offered to refund me two months.

I'm not happy with this!

I'm going to try and get hold of the engineers report to see what parts were needed, check that they really aren't available, and also get a copy of the terms that I signed up to (I've had cover with them since they were part of E.On).

Thanks again.

naedanger

bjwood wrote: »

Thanks for the responses.

I got home to find their response to my complaint. The summary of it is that they're sorry I've not been happy with their service and they've offered to refund me two months.

I'm not happy with this!

I'm going to try and get hold of the engineers report to see what parts were needed, check that they really aren't available, and also get a copy of the terms that I signed up to (I've had cover with them since they were part of E.On).

Thanks again.

If the parts are available you must first speak to Home Energy Services and give them a chance to fix things before speaking to a local supplier.

If Home Energy Services will not then fix the boiler promptly then take them to court for the repair costs.

bjwood

I rang them to get the engineers report but they couldn't find it. They said it was on the old system and they're having trouble getting hold of it. They said I should try ringing at the middle of next week?!

I also found out that my contract started in 2010 which is much longer than I thought. I wonder how different their terms were back then. My boiler is also 18 years old so I'm surprised they agreed to cover it in the first place!

macman

Why are you wasting your time with these jokers? 8 years is not old at all for a boiler-parts will almost certainly be available for any mainstream boiler of that age. Make and model please?

bjwood

It's a Ferroli Optima 201. I've got the manual and it lists all the spare parts. I've looked online for each part and from looking at just one website, I've already found 16 of the 26 spare parts listed in the manual.

That's why I want the engineers report; so I can check whether the parts I need really are unavailable. The cynic in me is thinking that because the engineer said they might struggle to get the parts, the insurers didn't even bother looking for them and tried to sell me a new boiler instead.