Gas Boiler Maintenance

canny_scot_3

Nationwide Gas Cover are offering a 5 star maintenance cover for the whole of your properties hot water system (gas boiler etc) for only £11.99 per month plus you get the following

Free annual service and safety check
Free fire and cooker check
£50 cash back every year if only your annual service is required

This is much cheaper than British Gas. Has anyone heard of them of before?

https://www.nationwidegascare.com

hansi

I've just had a look at their site and I don't find it a lot cheaper than BG. I worked it out and apart from the free fire check and the £50 discount, it's not that much cheaper.

zain

I have never had cover of this kind and every year i think i ought to. We have been in our new flat for about 4 years and have not had any problems (yet!). I always feel that this kind of cover only covers you for things that are unlikey to go wrong? Am i right?

Is this worth having? Does anyone know what the initial check up is about and will it cost me anything? Even if they find something wrong?

hansi

There is no charge for the yearly inspection with BG. And yes, th cover is worth it. If you're stuck with a leaking toilet cistern as I was on a Bank Holiday, you'll be glad you did. Do you know how much it would cost you for a plumber, if you could get one, that is!

canny_scot_3

These guys do seem a lot cheaper. British Gas charge £186 per year (12 x £15.50), Nationwidegas only charge £143.88 (12 x £11.99) and if you don’t call them its only £93.88, that’s HALF the price! So I would say there is a significant price difference. An annual check is also included..

I just wondered if this deal was too good to be true?

I once spent 5 days of a Scottish winter without central heating; I won’t make that mistake again

zain

Ok guys, you are convincing me it is worth it. Less than £100 a year ( if there is no call out) seems very reasonable. Is there any small print we should be worried about?

zain

Also, do you have to stick out 12months with them?
Couldn't we just use them for the next 4-5 months ( during the winter) and then pull out. I am less worried if something goes wrong after the winter?

Oh BTW, Has anyone heard of nationwidegascare?

MarkyMarkD

I've just had a look at their site and I don't find it a lot cheaper than BG. I worked it out and apart from the free fire check and the £50 discount, it's not that much cheaper.

But BG do NOT include an annual service. The alternative is a far better deal.

As with all forms of insurance, it is NOT worth having this sort of cover unless you couldn't afford to pay for the repair in an emergency. It's better to build up your own emergency fund (in a savings account) to pay for repairs (of all sorts) rather than buying boiler insurance/extended warranties.

If you want an annual service, have an annual service and pay for it separately. Then pay for repairs if you need them. Your are far LESS likely to need repairs if you have a proper annual service than if you have BG coming out and doing naff all once a year. They make their service SEEM beneficial by not doing any meaningful preventative maintenance.

zain

I don't quite understand. Surely it is in their interest to do a proper service, so you don't call them out?
Also, how much does a service cost anyway? Presumably it is worth going with https://www.nationwidegascare.com
to get the service for less than £100

hansi

But BG do NOT include an annual service.  The alternative is a far better deal.

As with all forms of insurance, it is NOT worth having this sort of cover unless you couldn't afford to pay for the repair in an emergency.  It's better to build up your own emergency fund (in a savings account) to pay for repairs (of all sorts) rather than buying boiler insurance/extended warranties.

If you want an annual service, have an annual service and pay for it separately.  Then pay for repairs if you need them.  Your are far LESS likely to need repairs if you have a proper annual service than if you have BG coming out and doing naff all once a year.  They make their service SEEM beneficial by not doing any meaningful preventative maintenance.

Sorry, I have to disagree with that. I have had BG 3 Star service for many years and they DO include an annual service and they certainly do not do naff all with me. They always do a safety check on the boiler and check all the radiators. What more would anyone else do. Over the years I have had a new pump, new airing cupboard tank, and other things replaced bearing in mind my system is 20 years old. So I've certainly got my moneys worth.

MarkyMarkD

A safety check isn't a service.

If you go to most garages they will do a free "safety check" on your car.  It's a means of touting for work.  In other words, they'll suss if they can sell you some brake pads, or tyres, or an exhaust.

BUT THEY WON'T ACTUALLY FIX ANYTHING.

The BG "safety check" is much the same.  It might give you reassurance about the safety of your boiler.   But it doesn't involve them actually replacing any parts or actually doing anything.

And most central heating faults are easily fixed and not expensive.  But BG's instant response when anything goes wrong with an older system is to make out you need a new boiler.

If it makes you feel comfortable, then keep paying them the money.  But I've never had their cover and I've spend well less than £200 on central heating related problems in the past 16 years of home ownership.

I'd have paid BG at least £2000 over the same period: enough to pay for a couple of new boilers (not from BG obviously) and change.

BG only sell their cover by scaremongering.  For example, go to https://www.house.co.uk and hover over the link to their service plan page.  The hover wording says "£700 for a 2 minute boiler repair".  Well, I'm sorry, but anyone who pays a plumber £700 for a 2 minute boiler repair shouldn't think "wow, I must get BG service plan cover".  They should think "wow, I must stop being such a complete mug".

Our last emergency call out boiler repair (water was pouring out of the top of the boiler when it was turned on) cost us £73 including call out, parts and labour.  Less than the cost of 6 months of BG cover.

By the way, you list what you've had done over 20 years. A new pump and a new water cylinder? How much do you think those components actually cost to buy? And I mean REALLY cost, not what BG would quote to fit them.