Wibo night storage heaters

Smilzz

Having been in the energy field for many years and having just read some of the posts on this forum, some advice.

1. Insulation, insulation, insulation. Before installing any heating system you must make the most of what you have so insulate the loft preferably with a wool based insulation material. Put additional insulation on the hot water tank, insulate walls etc.

2. Draught proof everything. Thick curtains are great for keeping heat in and don't forget to close the damper on that unused fireplace as the flue is designed to draw air out of the room and into the outside sky taking your expensive heat with it. No damper, then stick some cardboard up remembering to take it out should you ever wish to light the fire again.

Get advice on the best, balanced, form of heating for your home. The options available are diverse and anything is possible depending on your budget. (Solar thermal, photovoltaic, ground and air source heat pumps).

Don't get ripped off. There is an British made heater similar to the WIBO at a third the cost. Saying that if you dont have a gas supply you can have a conventional wet central heating system with an electric boiler for heating and hot water which works out cheaper than the WIBO system!

I have current prices for the WIBO range of heaters and will send to anyone who wishes to have a copy.

Regards and stay warm.

Thevideoproducer

I recently and unexpectedly came across these WIBO heaters and am quite disturbed. My french mother who lives in France completed a brochure enquiry form which when arrived had no prices so she dismissed it, however a week or so later she had an unsolicited visit from the local WIBO sales rep (or technician as he described himself) anyway to cut a long story short he left having baffled her with science and managing to get her to sign an order for 2 heaters at a jaw dropping cost of €5800. He also failed to tell her that she was entering into a contract with the option to withdraw within 7 days. I am fully aware that a 2kw heater is a 2kw heater a £20 from B&Q will give out exactly the same heat for your money as one of these WIBO things, the only possible advantage would be if they were storage heaters and used off peak electricity but she isn't going to recoup that cost in her lifetime. I don't believe these heaters are even worth 10% of what they are charging. I immediately wrote and told them to cancel the contract and my mother would not be purchasing them even though it was beyond the 7 day cooling off period. They have just replied and said to withdraw from the purchase she will have to pay a 30% cancellation fee (€1740). As far as I can see this company prey on the elderly and vulnerable. I will be calling a lawyer in the morning. Any advice much appreciated as €1740 for nothing I can only describe as a complete conn.

thelurch

Sounds exactly like my mothers situation except I was able to stop the appointment going ahead fortunately.
This company need the watchdog treatment at the very least as the salesman I spoke to got very rude and abusive when he happened to call while I was at my mothers, she had phone on speaker so I heard everything and he tried every trick in the book to get the appointment back. It was only when I took the phone and told home about my research of the company that he turned on me.
A really unpleasant man and a company who con the vulnerable and rip them off. Disgusting.

Cardew

Thevideoproducer wrote: »

I recently and unexpectedly came across these WIBO heaters and am quite disturbed. My french mother who lives in France completed a brochure enquiry form which when arrived had no prices so she dismissed it, however a week or so later she had an unsolicited visit from the local WIBO sales rep (or technician as he described himself) anyway to cut a long story short he left having baffled her with science and managing to get her to sign an order for 2 heaters at a jaw dropping cost of €5800. He also failed to tell her that she was entering into a contract with the option to withdraw within 7 days. I am fully aware that a 2kw heater is a 2kw heater a £20 from B&Q will give out exactly the same heat for your money as one of these WIBO things, the only possible advantage would be if they were storage heaters and used off peak electricity but she isn't going to recoup that cost in her lifetime. I don't believe these heaters are even worth 10% of what they are charging. I immediately wrote and told them to cancel the contract and my mother would not be purchasing them even though it was beyond the 7 day cooling off period. They have just replied and said to withdraw from the purchase she will have to pay a 30% cancellation fee (€1740). As far as I can see this company prey on the elderly and vulnerable. I will be calling a lawyer in the morning. Any advice much appreciated as €1740 for nothing I can only describe as a complete conn.

5,800 Euros for two heaters has beaten the record!

Someone doesn't need to sell many to make a good living!

Tell them to take a hike for any money - let alone 1,740 Euros- and let them take you to court - they won't.

Contact her local French trading standards office, and as many 'Watchdog' type programmes as possible.

Thevideoproducer

May be this is good news as she has not parted with any cash at all.

Thevideoproducer

Thevideoproducer wrote: »

May be this is good news as she has not parted with any cash at all.

My mother is very distressed about this and I think she is going to pay the €1740 Euros to cancel the contract as the lawyers we spoke to said she signed the contract and there is not much you can do unless she is regarded as Vulnerable which she isn't really.

She told me today that the sales guy said they would pay for themselves! Well her electricity bill is currently about €720/year so if the "up to 30%" saving they claim was applied she would recoup the money back when she reached 105 years old !

SO thanks WIBO €1740 for absolutely nothing in return.

If anybody would like to contribute from their personal experiences to my impartial documentary about the benefits and short comings of the WIBO Electrical heating systems including any pre-sales and post-sales experience please let me know. That includes any technical experts who can provide expert content on electrical heating efficiency.

Coming soon to a YouTube Channel.

Cardew

Thevideoproducer wrote: »

My mother is very distressed about this and I think she is going to pay the €1740 Euros to cancel the contract as the lawyers we spoke to said she signed the contract and there is not much you can do unless she is regarded as Vulnerable which she isn't really.

She told me today that the sales guy said they would pay for themselves! Well her electricity bill is currently about €720/year so if the "up to 30%" saving they claim was applied she would recoup the money back when she reached 105 years old !

SO thanks WIBO €1740 for absolutely nothing in return.
.

French law is presumably different to UK law on this type of selling?

I would let them take me to court and ensure that the maximum publicity was given to the case.

Cardew

Yvonne465 wrote: »

These former Wibo salespeople have realised how easy it is to con the British public. .

We have been preaching this lesson for several years on MSE.

One problem is that some people, who have been conned, cannot bring themselves to admit that fact.

Instead of Martin concentrating on schemes where you can buy two corn plasters for the price of one, he could destroy these companies who rob people - mainly the elderly - of £thousands with these heaters.

thelurch

I'm just so glad my mum happened to tell me about this rep coming round and I was able to stop it before he got in the house.

And then to be there when he called to try and convince her to re book the appointment, was also great as she was able to hear exactly how nasty this piece of scum became before I told him his fortune.

These people prey on the vulnerable and should be stopped.

Makes me so angry. I'm fully expecting him to call her anytime and try again. Unfortunately my mum is of the generation that takes people at their word and believes everything they are told and feel as they have an appointment booked, it would be rude to cancel.

Shhhh

Hello everyone,
firstly I have aquired 3 twelve year old wibo heaters. They are EXCELLENT! My father bought them in a moment of madness and admitted he'd paid too much to tell me what it cost....his justification was that there was no central heating in his 3 bedroom 200 year old remote cottage, and that he believed the 3 wibo heaters would heat the whole place for minimal cost due to their construction.
I was skepticle to say the least. But now 12 years on I find myslef living here in his cold cottage with these AMAZING heaters. They cost next to nothing to run, heat up in minutes, dont smell, are easy to move around. In the previous years to the wibo's we used gas-heaters, fan heaters, oil filled etc etc but nothing felt as cosy as these.
Incidently fan heaters cost a fortune to use despite all the people on here saying that whatever you connect up to an electrical point uses the same amount of elcetricity to run for as long as it's plugged in...well that seems like tosh to me, look at the power needed to keep the fan heater going on and on, when the heat hardly stays around for long. Also a tumble drier uses HUGE amounts of electricity to run. It all depends on the WATTAGE and AMPAGE. If you look at whatever unit you are buying you can find both somewhere on it's instructions or ask the salesperson!
The heaters my father bought only run on the same usage that a lightbulb runs on for a day..........Fan heaters run on much more for instance. You just have to do your research before buying anything.
In later years my father had central heating installed, which cost thousands and thousands to put in. Now it costs thousands of pounds a year to run and keep the house warm, a total con.
By using the wibo heaters we are saving thousands a year....
My dad was right all those years ago. These heaters have paid for themselves. It only takes 3 to heat up the whole house or just leave them on all the time on their own thermostats.
Brilliant.
Im glad I never paid for the original outlay but still I think they are fabulous and worth the money and savings generated in the past few years