coverheat - full central heating cover

doc_strange

Ok folks got some news re Cover Heat. They use an outsourced call centre in other words they use other people to take the complaints, so no point screaming at them as won't get you anywhere at all. Trading standards have to have a very high number of complaints before they will investigate (their words). Two names for you, Clive Foley is the MD, Simon Pretty is the sales director. Were know under another name before going under and setting up again umder another name. They don't use their own engineers. Engineers they do use are sick and tired of not getting paid and getting screamed at by customers. So the engineers they do use are not good, normally young people just qualified. I'm taking Cover Heat to court as like you all they stitched me up, made 25 calls and never saw an enginner. I have two kids, 1 disabled. Now cost me £400 to get a plummer and the problem fixed. Will post some very more intersting news very soon as will shortly have their accounts. DON'T USE COVER HEAT, IF YOU'VE HAD ANY PROBLEMS CALL TRADING STANDARDS.

emmrecs

Just to add my experience as yet another furious customer of Coverheat.

I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say that eight days and eight (quite long) phone calls later we are still waiting for Coverheat to arrange to visit to put our boiler back into full operation.

I have sent the full details of our problem to the lady at West Sussex Trading Standards. Will report back on any repsonse received.

emmrecs

Ok. Said I would update this thread once anything changes.

Received a very helpful reply from Helen Wale at West Sussex Trading Standards, explaining that Coverheat were in breach of contract and how to go about letting them know that I would be organising a local plumber to effect the repair and then sending them the bill. This would almost certainly involve taking Coverheat to court and therefore how to go about this.

I was due to write the "official" letter to them this weekend and guess what? I arrived home today to find a message on my answerphone that they had "found an engineer" who would be contacting us "either today or tomorrow". I wonder if Trading Standards have been in contact with them? I also wonder whether this "engineer" will actually make contact?

Will update this as anything new transpires.

mortgageslayer

I only had a questionairre from West Sussex TS, rather than an actual response. It'd be interesting to know if they looked at my case that they could sort something out...?

Spoke to financial ombudsman who said they can't help...

emmrecs

emmrecs wrote: »

...... I arrived home today to find a message on my answerphone that they had "found an engineer" who would be contacting us "either today or tomorrow". I wonder if Trading Standards have been in contact with them? I also wonder whether this "engineer" will actually make contact?

Will update this as anything new transpires.

Suppose it goes without saying, I am still wating for the engineer to call (phone message was Friday, it's now Monday). Have just phoned again, lady I spoke to will "email immediately" to Kelly, who left the original message on my answerphone.

What's the betting I will receive ANY reply, either from Coverheat or the "engineer"?

true_information

Like everyone else, I too have had 12 months of non-stop agro with this bunch of halfwits. I feel so sorry for the staff that answer the calls, they too seem sick of the place. No wonder I speak to a different person everytime, the staff turnover must be sky high. I can't detail all the problems I've had, it would take too much time. Just trust me and stay away from Coverheat!

Canucklehead

Good evening: If you have had problems with Coverheat or any other central heating service plan provider, the Guardian would like to hear about it.

HTH

Canucklehead

Cardew

true_information wrote: »

Like everyone else, I too have had 12 months of non-stop agro with this bunch of halfwits. I feel so sorry for the staff that answer the calls, they too seem sick of the place. No wonder I speak to a different person everytime, the staff turnover must be sky high. I can't detail all the problems I've had, it would take too much time. Just trust me and stay away from Coverheat!

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you have reported them to the Trading Standards Authority.

Unless everyone does so, they will just carry on in the same fashion.

jcorbygas

I think a major point that was made by Coverheat in the Guardian article was that pcb's are not covered by their policy which makes it a total waste of peoples money to take out one of their policies.
We have replaced 2 pcb's this week and I would say it is in our top 10 of breakdown repairs.
It would also be very easy for a Coverheat 'engineer' to say that it was a pcb which was the problem with a boiler breakdown and that it wasnt covered, so the customer would then have to get a second opinion and pay for that.
Coverheat did send us an email some while back trying to get us to sub-contract from them and the terms and conditions were such that not many people would want to work with them unless they were hard up for work, which if you are a good engineer and run a good business, even in the current climate you have enough/plenty of work.

For a lot of people the best way to cover yourself in the way of heating, is to self-insure (put your monthly premium in an account to cover any future repairs) and find a local engineer who like us will service your boiler annually and will come out within a day (2 max) if you have a problem.
Ask neighbours, friends etc to recommend someone.

mortgageslayer

...Or use someone good like Domestic & General!