Boiler Cover?

McClane54

Hi everyone

I have my first house and always remember my mother saying how important it is to have boiler cover.

Can anyone recommed any companys? My boiler and all radiators are british Gas made/fitted and are less than 5 years old.

I suppose I would only need a year check up? and free call outs should anything go wrong?

Any help or advice would be most appreciated.

daveyjp

Put £200 in a savings account every year and have the number of a local gas installer near the phone.

McClane54

whys that?

CashStrapped

Do the maths.

You pay £20 - £30 a month for boiler cover. That is £240 - £360 a year.

A yearly boiler service may only cost around £80.

So, if you save that £20 - £30 a month in to savings account and call it house repair the money is always there for you to use in emergency. More importantly the money is still yours.

Furthermore, if you have no major issues after 5 years your pot is big enough to replace the whole boiler if it does fail. With a service company, the money is theirs.

Many companies do not fully cover boilers if they are over 10 years old.

HappyMJ

McClane54 wrote: »

whys that?

As has been posted already....it's self insurance. The insurance company is going to take a cut out of the payments you make for themselves. They have to make a profit.... A 5 year old boiler is unlikely to break down.

If the boiler does break down you would have to call in an engineer. If you've got a boiler breakdown insurance policy the benefit is that they'll get someone fairly quickly...usually next day to come and have a look. Having a look does not mean it will be fixed the same day. They still need to order parts in and wait. You usually have a £50 excess to pay no matter how basic the fault is.

A local gas engineer might take an extra day to have a look depending on their workload. They can usually visit the local plumbing merchant and pick up the parts the same day and fit them the next day. They might have to order parts in too and wait. As they are a smaller company they tend to charge less as they don't have marketing costs to pay to entice customers to pay a monthly premium so they charge less. You might only have to pay £50 if the fault turns out to not require any parts at all and just requires some adjustments. They can get parts at trade prices and the quote will be much lower.

giraffe69

Agree with all this. I used to pay but felt it was not value for money and rarely used it other than the annual service which was a bit minimal anyway. Now I have a local engineer who is cheap and on the evidence thus far reliable and competent.

rgannon4

Most boilers already come with large warranties for parts and labour. Check your paperwork as some come with up to 7 year warranties.

I guess you just call the manufacturer?

macman

As above, a 5 year old boiler may well still be under manufacturer's warranty, as long as it has been properly registered and the annual service done. Take out boiler cover and you are effectively paying twice.

teddysmum

Our boiler is still under warranty and I have just paid (second time) the man who fitted it just £50 for the annual service.


He often has slots, at the end of days, when he has either finished an installation or has chosen not to start part of a job which will take too long that day, meaning he is likely to take a look at a possible repair fairly quickly.

McClane54

thank you for all your replies, it's most appreciated.

will start to put some money to one side

Pincher

I tend to call the manufacturer's support network.


I love Heat Team and Glow worm engineers.


They turn up, always have the parts, on the day the appointment is for.


Assuming I would have spent £300 a year with Scottish Power, on a maintenance contract, I am quids in in the last five years.