Dyno-Rod/British Gas plumbing cover and (non)repair

Hokum

Afternoon, I hope this is the right section.

I had a blocked soil pipe which was leaking into my garage. I called Dyno and went for the £69 repair and cover. Thinking it should cover most things...

Well the chap turned up and managed to partly clear the block but recommended a Video survey to locate the cause.

This was done and it turns out to be a rest bend which may of slipped down or sunk a little.

So expecting this to be covered (the chap doing the video survey said it would be) I was surprised when and quote for £950+vat turned up to fix the pipe.

I called them and was told that it would not be covered under the repair and cover as it didn't include access on the initial repair.

I have checked all the terms and conditions and I cannot find this "clause". In fact the British Gas web site even states, "Cover up to £1,000 (including VAT) to gain access
and make good for each repair".

Apparently the the initial repair does not include this, (again I cannot find anything which says this).

Also as this fault was discovered as part of the repair this is now an "existing fault" and not covered by the Plumping and Drains cover.

I'm going to seek legal advice on this, but this seems very shady.

The site here mentions none of this, sorry I cant post links as i'm new..

Can anyone help?

Spender£

I used to have loads of problems with them eventually ditching them but if you vent a bit of anger on social media they might try to help you out, they hate bad publicity that other potential customers can see.
I would go through the complaints process on resolver or manually explaining everything and possibly get in touch with your local CAB for further assistance, it seems you might have got them judging by the T & C's.
These companies are full of surprises and pitfalls designed to milk the customer, i just put 10 quid in a pot every week and write plumbing insurance on it.

Davesnave

You knew there was an issue of some kind at the bend when you decided to take out the cover. It's a principle of insurance that you are not covered for faults known to be existing at the time of purchase.


Otherwise, why bother with it until a fault develops?


As a rest bend costs about £35 and is typically close to the house, I might decide to do the repair myself in your situation.

fezster

Davesnave wrote: »

You knew there was an issue of some kind at the bend when you decided to take out the cover. It's a principle of insurance that you are not covered for faults known to be existing at the time of purchase.

Except British Gas specifically market this as "repair and cover". From their website:

We'll give you a fixed price repair to get your plumbing and drains up-and-running again. And then our ongoing cover for the next year, so you don't need to worry if anything else goes wrong.

You'll get:
A fixed price, no matter how long the job takes or what parts we need.
Unlimited call outs[2], just in case you have any other problems with your plumbing or drains.
No call out charge, if we can't fix your problem, you won't pay a penny.

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/home-services/plumbing-and-drains/plumbing-and-drains-repairs.html

I think the OP has good reason to be aggrieved.

Davesnave

I may be misunderstanding something, as I'm not feeling particularly great this morning, but

"We'll give you a fixed price repair to get your plumbing and drains up-and-running again." sounds like the £950 repair

"And then our ongoing cover for the next year, so you don't need to worry if anything else goes wrong." Which hasn't been applied to this issue, because the option to repair was not taken up.

I'm not defending BG or saying their high priced repair would be what I'd go for, just saying that I can't see how an existing fault could be included, especially for £69.

fezster

Davesnave wrote: »

I may be misunderstanding something, as I'm not feeling particularly great this morning, but

"We'll give you a fixed price repair to get your plumbing and drains up-and-running again." sounds like the £950 repair

"And then our ongoing cover for the next year, so you don't need to worry if anything else goes wrong." Which hasn't been applied to this issue, because the option to repair was not taken up.

I agree that may make more sense from a business model perspective, but that is not what their website says. If you click the link, it specifically spells out the costs:

What it'll cost
Your repair will be £69. Your cover will be £9 a month.

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/home-services/plumbing-and-drains/plumbing-and-drains-repairs.html

Davesnave

fezster wrote: »

I agree that may make more sense from a business model perspective, but that is not what their website says. If you click the link, it specifically spells out the costs:

I would say it's misleading because it doesn't spell out the costs, but simplifies to the point when it trips the consumer up.


The fulll T&C do the spelling-out.