Boiler replacement - Boxt.co.uk

neilmcl

Ajmason42 said:

Aren't gas boilers being sent to the scrap heap under this governments move to electric?  

There's plenty of years left in gas boilers, anyone looking to buy a new gas boiler shouldn't worry.

niktheguru

ButtersUK said:

Looking back over this thread it is remarkable how many people appeared, had a great experience with BOXT and then disappeared.

I was just reading that there are one or two other online only organizations that have started copying BOXT, I wonder if they, too, have customers who appear and disappear like this lot.

It is a bit of a minefield - I'm trying to come to a decision myself, but I think I'll give the online route a miss.  If there ARE genuine customers reading this please speak up.

Hey buddy,

just thought I’d reply. I’m a long time member here and not related to boxt at all. I had my own boiler done by a local fitter who was very good (as I wanted a valiant and didn’t know boxt existed back in 2017) however I did oversee a purchase of a new boiler from boxt 2 months ago for a rental property for a relative. I have to say the experience was very good. The order went through without any problems, I oversaw the installation and the installer was professional, did a great job, took pride in his work and everything worked as originally ordered. No extra charges, no surprises. He even rang the tenants the next day to check everything was alright. They were much cheaper than British Gas (by over 2k) who my relative was going to use as they have a homecare agreement with them, but I persuaded her not to. I had a British Gas installation back in 2000 when I was a student and pretty clueless, the boiler is great however the quality of workmanship was shoddy and required a complaint to get things sorted. (They even charged for a power flush but the guy didn’t do it and my dad at the time caught him and then they had to refund that money!) and their charges are crazy high.

anyways I’m beginning to sound like an advert and  definitely am not! It’s worth checking out boxt if you just need a standard boiler change and magnaclense. I would say if you need the whole heating system redone then go to an independent (as then you need more advice)

hope that helps.

Numberwang_2

ButtersUK said:

It is a bit of a minefield - I'm trying to come to a decision myself, but I think I'll give the online route a miss.  If there ARE genuine customers reading this please speak up.

Just had combi boiler installed through Boxt, very pleased with it overall. Significant saving on BG and local options. Which way did you go in the end?

brite2006

Well, I had two visits by British Gas - the first was virtual, and seemed to run fine. Then an hour later he rang to say he'd got the wrong house which was a completely different size so the boiler size he was going to recommend was wrong so called the whole thing off.

The second was a home visit in which the British Gas person basically included all the optional extras with no discussion. It was only after looking at the quote after I realized we'd not booked in an engineer but a salesman keen to get as much commission on as much as possible.

So I started looking around and saw Boxt come up. Whereas BG quoted around £3500, Boxt quoted just over £2800. I was initially very sceptical about the quote being cheaper - you get what you pay for, right? However, I already knew the BG quote was over-inflated.

Anyway, after doing a lot of research, I've finally ordered through Boxt, and this thread was key to assuring me that this was the right decision. Will soon find out after the 20th, when the engineer is booked in.

Have to admit being a little nervous, as I'm now disabled and don't like the thought of no heating or water all day. Additionally, the first BG quote said that upgrading our gas supply will be a massive task taking a couple of days, while Boxt say it should all be finished by 6pm. Here's sincerely hoping for a smooth install with no regrets!

brite2006

Not impressed. The day the install was supposed to happen Boxt tried to deliver our new boiler and materials to a neighbour's address. Somehow this didn't get flagged as a problem at Boxt's end, and it was up to me to chase up the company to try and find out what was going on, and to arrange an alternative appointment.

Two-days later they got someone in and the boiler and everything was installed. Only thing is after one of our radiator's will no longer work, they forgot to install the CO alarm, and the installers also didn't upgrade the gas connection to the boiler like Boxt claimed they would.

A week of phone calls and emails later and I still haven't had anyone from Boxt be able to advise on any of this to resolve them.

It appears that Boxt are just a sales company for selling Bosch boilers using local trades people, but that the company has invested very little in customer care. All the positive reviews for Boxt seem to be for the actual local installers they subcontract the work to, not Boxt itself. Any reviews of the actual customer care show how poor and unreliable it is.

Personally I regret going with Boxt now. I wish I'd gone with British Gas and simply argued to remove the optional extras their predatory sales engineer added to the quote. At least then I would have had peace of mind regarding the quality of work and the aftercare as well, which BG are actually pretty good with.

shiraz99

brite2006 said:

Not impressed. The day the install was supposed to happen Boxt tried to deliver our new boiler and materials to a neighbour's address. Somehow this didn't get flagged as a problem at Boxt's end, and it was up to me to chase up the company to try and find out what was going on, and to arrange an alternative appointment.

Two-days later they got someone in and the boiler and everything was installed. Only thing is after one of our radiator's will no longer work, they forgot to install the CO alarm, and the installers also didn't upgrade the gas connection to the boiler like Boxt claimed they would.

A week of phone calls and emails later and I still haven't had anyone from Boxt be able to advise on any of this to resolve them.

It appears that Boxt are just a sales company for selling Bosch boilers using local trades people, but that the company has invested very little in customer care. All the positive reviews for Boxt seem to be for the actual local installers they subcontract the work to, not Boxt itself. Any reviews of the actual customer care show how poor and unreliable it is.

Personally I regret going with Boxt now. I wish I'd gone with British Gas and simply argued to remove the optional extras their predatory sales engineer added to the quote. At least then I would have had peace of mind regarding the quality of work and the aftercare as well, which BG are actually pretty good with.

So what exactly is wrong with the install?

brite2006

shiraz99 said:

So what exactly is wrong with the install?

This:

brite2006 said:

Only thing is after one of our radiator's will no longer work, they forgot to install the CO alarm, and the installers also didn't upgrade the gas connection to the boiler like Boxt claimed they would.

The non-working radiator is in my disabled bathroom, and it's getting cold in there.

The biggest problem is that Boxt just don't seem to have any customer care. It's been 10 days now since I contacted them, and while I've had a couple of email replies saying they'll look into it, nothing else has happened. The company seems physically incapable of aftercare. To me that means their 10 year guarantee is effectively meaningless.

benson1980

Does the radiator just need bleeding?

shiraz99

brite2006 said:

shiraz99 said:

So what exactly is wrong with the install?

This:

brite2006 said:

Only thing is after one of our radiator's will no longer work, they forgot to install the CO alarm, and the installers also didn't upgrade the gas connection to the boiler like Boxt claimed they would.

The non-working radiator is in my disabled bathroom, and it's getting cold in there.

The biggest problem is that Boxt just don't seem to have any customer care. It's been 10 days now since I contacted them, and while I've had a couple of email replies saying they'll look into it, nothing else has happened. The company seems physically incapable of aftercare. To me that means their 10 year guarantee is effectively meaningless.

Yes, not checking all rads are working is poor but as mentioned it might be a case of bleeding the radiator, easy to do yourself and check that the radiator valve is actually open. Installing a CO alarm is also a fairly cheap and trivial exercise, you can picku one up for £15. As far as the gas connection is concerned, it may well be that you didn't actually require it in the end. Also, I think you're being a tad over dramatic claiming the 10 year guarantee is worthless, particularly as it's probably backed by the manufacturer, rather than BOXT.

Yes, you do get what you pay for, and you're install was always going to be a quick and basic affair, but you suspected that going in, evident by you earlier post when you made the order.

Bendy_House

Yes, these issues are relatively trivial provided, of course, they do sort them out.
If needs be, you can increase the pressure by giving them a date to do so - say one more week (since they've already had two...). Tell them you'll employ another GS to sort it if they fail, and sue them for the cost if needed.
Unemotive, and stick to the chrono facts.
"You installed X on the Yth. On the following day I discovered the disabled-use bathroom rad wasn't working. In addition, a CO alarm.... and the gas supply pipe wasn't upgraded. I contacted you on the Hth, and you have yet to... I now require: 1) the rad to be fixed. 2) a CO alarm 3) evidence that the existing gas pipe is adequate, and conforms with the boiler manufacturer's gas supply specification. If it does comply, and an upgraded pipe is not now required, then I will expect a suitable price reduction for this significant part of the installation. As you have already had K days in which to sort this, you have until the..."
Summat like that.
Best if you have LP on your insurance - call them up, and they will guide you.