Hometree Finance and Insurance - help - left with no heating for over a month & counting

bexbw

I will keep this as brief as possible:

I have always had home cover - BG til a year ago, then Hometree since Oct 23.
I had an issue with my hot water being slightly too hot so Hometree came out and replaced the thermostat on my boilermate in the airing cupboard.

A couple of weeks later on the 9th September my 25 year old Potterton boiler broke down and Hometree told me they couldn't find the parts for it so I would have to buy a new one - they sold me finance the same day and had a company come and fit it 3 days later on Friday 13th September. This is where the problems started.

On commissioning the new boiler, the engineer informed my husband that the boilermate that remained in situ was no longer working and might have a blockage. The hot water was working, but the heating no longer worked (although working perfectly before the boiler stopped working).

The engineer left with the system switched on and making a scary gurgling noise, but at least we had hot water and were covered by the home cover....WRONG, 

The company that fit the new boiler said "not our problem - we fit a hot water boiler and the hot water is working". Hometree insurance said "not our problem, we don't cover Boilermates" (despite having fixed it a couple of weeks earlier and unclear T's and C's) - Hometree insurance shut my complaint down and referred me to Hometree Finance and the Ombudsman.

Hometree Finance have had my complaint since 25th September but only "formally" acknowledged it on the 1st October. Since then - nothing.

Our household is on the priority services register owing to my husband's health and I have children of 10 & 13 and we have now been without heating for a month.

My issue is that our heating was working until the boiler died - so no blockage in the boilermate prior to the fitting of the new boiler. It is my firm belief that whatever was done whilst fitting the new boiler (be that draining the system or otherwise) has caused the issue and I am therefore loathe to pay out for a mistake of someone elses. I was also led to believe that my entire central system was and would be covered when being sold the new boiler - this is not the case. If I had known this I might have explored different options.

Part of the new boiler fitiing was supposed to be a chemical flush - I have no proof this was done, but would this not have stopped or cleared any blockage that occured as a result of draining it?

Am I right to feel aggrieved? The service I have received has been nothing short of abysmal and I am at my wits end,,,,

born_again

What sort of boiler was installed?

bexbw

Hi there - it was a Glow Worm Energy 18 (18kW) - Hometree initially suggested another sort but their contractors did a video “walk round” and suggested the Glow Worm? All I know is that I told them I just needed something reasonable that worked with my system and that would be covered for any problems?