This is a story from the Daily Mail newspaper, for confirmation go to:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money-savers/article.html?in_article_id=408713&in_page…
British Gas asked £650 for £10 job
Daily Mail - 2 May 2006
A householder told by British Gas that it would cost £650 to repair his central heating did the job himself for £10.
Jim Jackson rang the gas company when his boiler did not appear to work properly. He has a heating and plumbing maintenance contract with the firm and thought he would be covered.
Mr Jackson said: When the engineer came round, he told us there was a blockage somewhere in the piping and it wouldn’t be covered under the terms of the deal that we have. He wrote out a quote of £653, which included paying labour fees of £190 an hour.
A friend suggested that Mr Jackson, a lorry driver from Bramhall, Stockport, check the valves on the central heating pump, and he found dirt in them.
He said: ‘ I nipped down to the local hardware shop and got two new valves at £1.35 a piece. I needed a spanner to do the work as well, but the whole job cost me £10. We pay £231 a year for the maintenance contract, but what’s the point if it doesn’t cover something as basic as this?’
British Gas apologised to Mr Jackson and said their engineer should have removed the blockage. But spokesman Mark Duffell added: ‘We wouldn’t advise anyone to try to fix their own system.
Anyone working on any gas appliance has to be Gas Safe-registered for safety reasons. We will be offering Mr Jackson a safety check on the work he’s done.
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
This shows yet again the poor value of this type of contract; there are lots of get-out clauses. The astronomical price quoted was for a Powerflush, a particular favourite with British Gas, and in nine out of ten cases completely unnecessary. We can understand why Mr Duffell advised against anyone fixing their own heating; if they did, he, along with the overpriced maintenance contract, would be out on their ear. The further statement, intended to install fear in the general public, is complete rubbish, you don’t have to be Gas Safe registered to fix your central heating; since when has a pump been a gas appliance and why would it need a safety check. We will show you how to fix any problem with your central heating for a very small fee.
This is a story from the Guardian Newspaper, for confirmation go to:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/money/guardian/features/2006/03/11/the-family-that-went-nine-days-with-no-central-.html
The Family That Went Nine Days With No Central Heating.
Kate Donoughue is one of the thousands of people who have been let down by British Gas after claiming on her £200-a-year HomeCare policy. She, her husband and children Joe, two, and Jessie, six, endured nine days without central heating during January and February and three days without hot water. Despite numerous attempts by engineers to fix the boiler, and a long wait, it was eventually declared repaired - only for it to start leaking again a few days later.
“I have made repeated phone calls to British Gas, waited in a freezing cold house with a two-year-old for no-shows and late arrivals. I have had staff promising to call me back and not doing so. I’ve had different problems diagnosed at different engineer visits and at no time have they had the part .We were told we needed a new boiler and then told we didn’t”
Mrs Donoughue says she has endured the company’s staff being rude and condescending and watched as the engineers failed to contact other British Gas departments as they tried to assist. One staff member told her that the appointment system is pointless because the engineer “just gets to you when he can”. She was also told the company “simply does not employ enough engineers”.
“We had three completely missed appointments, two appointments attended late, one that shouldn’t have happened anyway, two that they might as well not have bothered attending and two appointments that might have been useful if they’d had the parts – but they didn’t.”
“We have had to buy electric heaters and use my electric oven to keep my house warm. We have had to bath our children at neighbour’s houses and carry them home in pyjamas in near zero degree temperatures. The standard of service has been staggeringly bad, it defies belief that a large company like British Gas is being run in this way.”
“I’m now waiting for compensation. We were offered £20 off our next premium, which is laughable. Why would I want to renew the contract?”
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
This is another example of the awful service provided by British Gas. British Gas trades on the misconception that they are still the friendly caring company that it was when it was a Nationalised company; most people don’t realise it’s a private company motivated by profit. It trades on peoples fears of being left in the cold with it’s Homecare heating insurance, unfortunately it cannot supply the service it promises due to a lack of engineers. It is also a very costly way to maintain your heating system; you would do far better to use an independent engineer who comes with somebody’s recommendation.
This is a story from the Guardian Newspaper, for confirmation go to:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/money/guardian/features/2006/09/9/british-gas-turns-up-the-heat-on-prices.html
British Gas Turns Up The Heat On Prices
British Gas is quietly putting up the cost of it’s gas boiler and central heating cover – to the extent that some customers will pay more than 50% extra for cover this year.
Millions of home owners rely on the Centrica-owned company to come and fix their gas central heating when it breaks down, and until now they have typically paid £192 a year to cover their boiler and heating system.
However, over recent weeks British Gas has started sending customers renewal notices featuring much higher charges - particularly if they live in London and the south east, or if they have called out an engineer during the previous 12 months.
Chas Melton, who has had a British Gas policy for his property in Shadwell, east London, for the past three years, has just received a renewal notice for his HomeCare 200 agreement, covering both the boiler and heating system.
“I couldn’t believe it when I opened the letter and the monthly payments had gone up from £15.50 to £21.49, which I calculate as a whopping 38% rise” he says.
He was particularly annoyed by the fact that there was no explanation given for the size of the increase. “overall, I think it is outrageous, and the justification is shaky to say the least. What was worse is the cynical omission of any explanation from the renewal notice. Presumably, the hope is that nobody will notice, or the usual inertia effect will prevent folks from switching.”
Other customers have reported even bigger increases. Some have seen their annual bill rise from £192 to £300 – 56%.
One of the reasons for the big rises appears to be that the company has brought in a new pricing structure, which charges according to where you are in the country, and to the size and age of the central heating system.
Until now, consumers have paid a fixed fee. The opening, flat rate of £192 a year is now only guaranteed for the first year. After that, the risk-based pricing kicks in.
A spokesman for British Gas denies that the charges have been brought in on the quiet and says all adverts now point out that the price quoted is for the first year only.
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
You would have to be a very unfortunate individual to have between £192 and £300 in repair bills every year. On top of this the Boiler itself is not covered, only the component parts; so when British Gas say you need a new Boiler, you will have to get one fitted to remain covered. Homecare insurance simply provides an exceptionally high cost for the level of cover it provides; you would be far better off using an independent Heating Engineer.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money-
British Gas asked £650 for £10 job
Daily Mail -
A householder told by British Gas that it would cost £650 to repair his central heating did the job himself for £10.
Jim Jackson rang the gas company when his boiler did not appear to work properly. He has a heating and plumbing maintenance contract with the firm and thought he would be covered.
Mr Jackson said: When the engineer came round, he told us there was a blockage somewhere in the piping and it wouldn’t be covered under the terms of the deal that we have. He wrote out a quote of £653, which included paying labour fees of £190 an hour.
A friend suggested that Mr Jackson, a lorry driver from Bramhall, Stockport, check the valves on the central heating pump, and he found dirt in them.
He said: ‘ I nipped down to the local hardware shop and got two new valves at £1.35 a piece. I needed a spanner to do the work as well, but the whole job cost me £10. We pay £231 a year for the maintenance contract, but what’s the point if it doesn’t cover something as basic as this?’
British Gas apologised to Mr Jackson and said their engineer should have removed the blockage. But spokesman Mark Duffell added: ‘We wouldn’t advise anyone to try to fix their own system.
Anyone working on any gas appliance has to be Gas Safe-
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
This shows yet again the poor value of this type of contract; there are lots of get-
This is a story from the Guardian Newspaper, for confirmation go to:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/money/guardian/features/2006/03/11/the-
The Family That Went Nine Days With No Central Heating.
Kate Donoughue is one of the thousands of people who have been let down by British Gas after claiming on her £200-
“I have made repeated phone calls to British Gas, waited in a freezing cold house with a two-
Mrs Donoughue says she has endured the company’s staff being rude and condescending and watched as the engineers failed to contact other British Gas departments as they tried to assist. One staff member told her that the appointment system is pointless because the engineer “just gets to you when he can”. She was also told the company “simply does not employ enough engineers”.
“We had three completely missed appointments, two appointments attended late, one that shouldn’t have happened anyway, two that they might as well not have bothered attending and two appointments that might have been useful if they’d had the parts – but they didn’t.”
“We have had to buy electric heaters and use my electric oven to keep my house warm. We have had to bath our children at neighbour’s houses and carry them home in pyjamas in near zero degree temperatures. The standard of service has been staggeringly bad, it defies belief that a large company like British Gas is being run in this way.”
“I’m now waiting for compensation. We were offered £20 off our next premium, which is laughable. Why would I want to renew the contract?”
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
This is another example of the awful service provided by British Gas. British Gas trades on the misconception that they are still the friendly caring company that it was when it was a Nationalised company; most people don’t realise it’s a private company motivated by profit. It trades on peoples fears of being left in the cold with it’s Homecare heating insurance, unfortunately it cannot supply the service it promises due to a lack of engineers. It is also a very costly way to maintain your heating system; you would do far better to use an independent engineer who comes with somebody’s recommendation.
This is a story from the Guardian Newspaper, for confirmation go to:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/money/guardian/features/2006/09/9/british-
British Gas Turns Up The Heat On Prices
British Gas is quietly putting up the cost of it’s gas boiler and central heating cover – to the extent that some customers will pay more than 50% extra for cover this year.
Millions of home owners rely on the Centrica-
However, over recent weeks British Gas has started sending customers renewal notices featuring much higher charges -
Chas Melton, who has had a British Gas policy for his property in Shadwell, east London, for the past three years, has just received a renewal notice for his HomeCare 200 agreement, covering both the boiler and heating system.
“I couldn’t believe it when I opened the letter and the monthly payments had gone up from £15.50 to £21.49, which I calculate as a whopping 38% rise” he says.
He was particularly annoyed by the fact that there was no explanation given for the size of the increase. “overall, I think it is outrageous, and the justification is shaky to say the least. What was worse is the cynical omission of any explanation from the renewal notice. Presumably, the hope is that nobody will notice, or the usual inertia effect will prevent folks from switching.”
Other customers have reported even bigger increases. Some have seen their annual bill rise from £192 to £300 – 56%.
One of the reasons for the big rises appears to be that the company has brought in a new pricing structure, which charges according to where you are in the country, and to the size and age of the central heating system.
Until now, consumers have paid a fixed fee. The opening, flat rate of £192 a year is now only guaranteed for the first year. After that, the risk-
A spokesman for British Gas denies that the charges have been brought in on the quiet and says all adverts now point out that the price quoted is for the first year only.
OUR ENGINEERS COMMENTS
You would have to be a very unfortunate individual to have between £192 and £300 in repair bills every year. On top of this the Boiler itself is not covered, only the component parts; so when British Gas say you need a new Boiler, you will have to get one fitted to remain covered. Homecare insurance simply provides an exceptionally high cost for the level of cover it provides; you would be far better off using an independent Heating Engineer.
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