How are HomeServe still in business

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  • I have worked as a sub-contractor for Homeserve and other national firms with call centres, as a locksmith and maybe this is somewhat different from heating etc, but I have always treated my customers with repect and called by phone prior to call out then visited within 1 hou,r often faster. Gain entries or repairs have been done to a high standard and quickly. Homeserve is expensive but so are all national call out firms operating largely as a result of emergency calls. All the call centres, advertising etc has to be paid for. The answer really not just for locksmiths but heating, electric issues is to call out a local contractor, he will undoubtedly be cheaper and if local unlikely to rip you off. If his business is small he may not even pay VAT so should be even more competitive. He may well also be a subcontractor for all the bigger firms such as Homeserve. I never pay for boiler insurance, if it goes wrong I call my local plumber who fixes it similarly any electric issues I call a local electrician. All the junk mail advertising insurance for lost keys boiler breakdowns etc I bin. I recommend that you have a prepared list of local tradesmen with tel numbers handy and as needs arise use that. Your list can be updated with any recommended local firms. Any national firm with call centres is always going to cost more, and be less interested in resolving complaints IMHO.
  • tco03
    tco03 Posts: 73 Forumite
    What have mwe learned?

    Always use a local self emlpoyed tradesman,

    they have more to lose and depend on thier reputation and word of mouth, therefore you are going to get a better service.

    These large companies that spend millions advertising employ fresh out the college door types with little or no experience in the trade they represent.

    Steer clear and halve your costs by using proper LOCAL tradesmen, the smaller the business the better imo:

    the same person will book you in, complete the work, and deal with any problems. none of this call center and departmented crap that gets you nowhere.
  • Hi All,
    just a point of interest, HOMESERVE are trying to sell policies for your household outside / inside plumbing problems, if you have building insurance with a reputable company you will find that most of what Homeserve is trying to sell you cover for is already covered by your own building insurance.
  • Mehdi
    Mehdi Posts: 71 Forumite
    edited 20 February 2012 at 1:58PM
    tco03 wrote: »
    What have mwe learned?

    Always use a local self emlpoyed tradesman,

    they have more to lose and depend on thier reputation and word of mouth, therefore you are going to get a better service.

    These large companies that spend millions advertising employ fresh out the college door types with little or no experience in the trade they represent.

    Steer clear and halve your costs by using proper LOCAL tradesmen, the smaller the business the better imo:

    the same person will book you in, complete the work, and deal with any problems. none of this call center and departmented crap that gets you nowhere.

    A nice idea in theory but finding tradesman who don't try to take advantage isn't easy. Replacing a pump for example, something I had to do twice on my old boiler, will cost you close to £100 inc parts & labour so paying £10 a month for insurance is a risk worth taking - as long as it's not with Homeserve.
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,008
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    But that policy would cost you £120pa, every year. So unless you were changing the pump every 10 months, it would cost you much more in the long run.
    Reliable RGI'c are best found by asking friends and neighbours: the good ones have little need to advertise.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • roddydogs
    roddydogs Posts: 7,478
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    An elderly neighbour had Homeserves home plumbing policy, she noticed a leak on the outside of the building (it was the Loo cistern overflow) so she called HS, and was asked for her bank details(she shouldnt have given them I know) They charged her £90 just to adjust the ball valve, this is NOT covered by the HS policy as it was a "leak to the outside". Absolutely Disgraceful.
  • Hi

    Homeserve has asked us to post a response

    Please ask your neighbour to contact HomeServe via heretohelp@homeserve.com and we will try and assist them.
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  • reck_uk wrote: »
    Anyone used them?

    i used to work for them and i am going to tell you some home truths about them. They say they are a 24/7 company. There is no cover between the hours of 6am and 8am. Their on oncall shift finishes at 6am and the first shift of the day starts at 8am. They would always look after partner job like barclays, natwest,direct line etc.... before their own policy holders because this was fresh money coming into the company. even if it meant sending an engineer 50 miles away. and of course if you the customer was waiting and had to phone up chasing the engineer they would lie and tell you the engineer has been delayed on an emergancy. the reality was the enginner might have been 10 mins away but they would send him 50 miles away chasing the dollar. The quality of some of their plumbers is appaling. some of the re-attends i had to attend were frightening. long story short. STAY CLEAR. you only have to read the latest press about the company. all senior managment are jumping ship.:mad:
  • reck_uk wrote: »
    Anyone used them?
    s5cotty wrote: »
    Had a doorstep visit from Homeserve this evening. My 81yr old mum answered the door. The spiel...they were clearing the drains next-door and wanted to check if our drain was also blocked. She let them in and they had a look and said yes the drain was blocked but they could clear it for a price. She told me about this and I said to her not to allow them to do any work. If we have problems with drainage we will call someone ourselves. What I wanted to ask was is it common practice for this kind of doorstep call? Do you think they were genuinely concerned about a possible blockage at our home? Was it more likely to be a ruse to get some extra cash from a vulnerable lady? Was I just being paranoid? Should I have allowed the work to be carried out? Any thoughts on the subject welcome...

    if your drains are shared then it is the local water boards responsibility to clear it at no cost to you. it sounds like the engineer was after a bit of cash in his pocket and not under hs direction.
  • I was with Homeserve for three years. I was advised to join them for emergency repairs, should I require it?

    I didn't need to contact them at all in the first two years but come the third year, I really needed some help.

    A storm had damaged a gutter and water was coming in, damaging the plaster. I called Homeserve, but they were quick to inform me that It wasn't considered an emergency. I got a tradesman to fix the guttering and I did the plastering myself as I could not find a plasterer.

    Next up was my electricty consumer unit which began to melt. I called Homeserve and was told that they didn't do consumer units and I would have to find my own electrician to do the job. This I did, and it cost me quite a bit, which made me rethink about paying Homeserve. Every emergency I had, I ended up paying someone else to fix?

    A leak in my bathroom from a mains pipe meant that I had to call Homeserve again. You want an emergency plumber, sir? One will be with you in 48 hours! they said. They also told me that as this was technically my third call out in the same year, I had used up my quota with them. Again, I had to solve the problem myself, and quick. I never saw the plumber.

    My renual was up shortly after that and I told them I would be cancelling. I also told them that according to their terms, I could reclaim the whole year's subscription if no work had been done within the year. I didn't hear from them after that, so I reminded them of their obligation. A letter came back stating that I had not informed them of my cancellation in good time, so there would be no refund.

    Its a long story, but I managed to get my money back in the end.
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