British Gas Home Cover (British Gas HomeCare)

Member Name: BestMum

Product:	British Gas HomeCare
Date:	28/05/02 (22536 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Peace of Mind, No extra charge for parts and labour, Efficient service

Disadvantages: Price stays fixed for the first year only, and then subject to rise

Our house is 13 years old, and in relatively good condition; nothing that my husband cant sort out when he gets his act together anyway!! In the winter of 2000, in my heavily pregnant and hormonal state I decided that we had to make sure the house was like a sauna each day otherwise our baby would catch a cold. In order to do this, I wanted to make sure my heating system was working to the best of its ability.

On New Years Eve we got the chance to talk this through with our neighbours (as you do in the middle of a party!) and they mentioned that they had their heating system covered by a service contract through British Gas. Hmm, this sounded interesting and the week after I called to get some more information. I signed up straight away.

So, whats it all about?

CENTRAL HEATING/HOT WATER COVER:

This is a service contract that you can sign up for with British Gas to cover your central heating and hot water system against faults and failures. Just one phone call and a fully qualified engineer will come out and fix it, with no additional charge for parts or labour (subject to terms and conditions; no matter how many times you call them out), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for a fixed monthly fee.

So, if you wake up one morning and find that you cant move for the cold because your heating hasnt come on; or if you jump into the shower and turn the water on, only to find that its running cold, you have peace of mind that someone will quickly be out to fix it.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once you have spoken to British Gas via the telephone (0845-6005090), or their website as I did (www.house.co.uk), they will send you all relevant documents for you to check and sign.

Once you sign the agreement and direct debit form (although there are other ways to pay), British Gas will call you to arrange for a fully qualified engineer to visit (within 28 days) to do an inspection of your system, just in case its fall
ing to pieces and will cost them lots of money to fix once they are under contract to you!

Your system must be in complete working order for the contract to commence, or your agreement will not include the cost of the initial repair.

Once you have had the green light from the engineer that all is well, you will receive a confirmation letter through the post, giving details of your direct debit timetable and the number to call if you have any problems. Your contract will commence from this date.

The contract also includes an annual safety and performance inspection, which will include a heating efficiency check, and a carbon monoxide check.

DEALING WITH FAULTS:

Once your contract is up and running, if you do call them with a fault they will send a fully qualified engineer out to you normally on the same day. A friendly person on the end of the telephone will take all details and arrange for an engineer to visit, giving the call a priority rating.

Once the engineer arrives he will assess the problem and then explain to you how he will fix it. He hooks his computer up to the system, and then sets about repairing the fault. Once the fault is repaired, he will explain to you exactly what he has done, handing you a detailed printout for you to keep.

OUR EXPERIENCES:

We have had to call British Gas out five times since we have had our contract. Each time the call centre staff have been extremely efficient and professional in the way they have dealt with the call. Each time, the engineer who is visiting has called beforehand to let me know how long he will be (I am sure this is so that I can put the kettle on and have a cup of tea ready for him!!).

None of our calls have required any major work, but the engineer has always been very capable and friendly, although they do chat on their mobile phones a lot!

Our last callout was probably the most complicated, and lasted four
hours. We had to have a new valve replaced on our hot water cylinder as it was overheating and making a terrible noise. In order to repair this he had to drain the system, with which he had a little difficulty. He placed a hose from the cylinder (on the landing) into the bath (erm, in the bathroom), and then started work on the cylinder. Unbeknown to him, the hose had come out of the bath and fallen onto the floor, soaking my carpet. He did spend half an hour trying to dry it out before he left! I must admit I was in two minds whether or not to claim against them for the carpet, but I didnt in the end as it was fresh water and I am an honest girl! Honest!

After four hours work and a valve replacement you would expect a rather large bill at the end of it, and it was a great feeling not to have to pay a penny.

From my experience the call centre staff dont have much (if any) technical knowledge and so if you ask them for advice before arranging an engineer to come out, they will arrange for a visit anyway.

For example, two of my radiators were cold and all the others hot and when I spoke to the call centre they said they didnt know what the problem was and I was to have an engineer visit. Suffice to say that I could have done it myself as the problem was a very minor one, and took five minutes to fix. But we werent paying for the callout so I suppose it didnt matter really, apart from making me look very silly!

Price:

£12.00 per month
This is for central heating cover and hot water system cover.

Price applies for first year only so expect the price to go up next time. Although you do get a low user discount if you have had few claims. We are presently charged £15.50 per month.

ADDITIONAL PACKAGES:

Also available are the following:

Kitchen Appliance Care:

This works in the same way as the heating cover. You get to choose any three kitchen appliances to be cover
ed. If you visit their website, you will see a list of appliances like washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier, hob, oven, fridge freezer, etc. They must have been purchased in the UK and be in good working order.

The price per month includes the cost of parts and labour and there is no limit to the number of callouts. There is also no need for an initial inspection, as is the case with heating cover.

If you have a fault, you can normally expect a visit from an engineer the following day, and if they consider the item not to be of economical repair then they may contribute to the cost of a similar replacement model (sourced from the British Gas Appliance Replacement Service).

Cost: £10.00 per month.
Again, price applies for the first year only.

Home Electrical Care:

This covers all electrical wiring and fittings. Benefits include unlimited callouts, labour and parts included for repairs to home wiring, fittings and fixtures, no initial inspection.

Cost: £3.00 per month.
Price applies for the first year only.

Plumbing and Drains:

This covers any plumbing or drains emergency, leaks or overflow. Benefits include unlimited callouts, labour and parts included in the monthly price, no initial inspection, 365 day callout.

Cost: £4.00 per month
Prices applies for the first year only.

Gas Appliance Care:

This covers gas fires, water heaters and wall heaters. Benefits include an annual inspection, unlimited callouts, labour and parts included in the monthly price.

Cost: £6.42 per month.
Price applies for first year only.

SUMMARY:

I only have the Central Heating Cover, but British Gas do keep calling me to see if I can be tempted with the other packages and as yet I havent succumbed.

This service is an excellent one, especially if you are used to cold, harsh winters where your heating system is an absolute necessit
y for you. Parts and labour can prove to be so expensive; but you know you wont be charged any extra which is wonderful peace of mind. Certainly I have saved a lot of money for not having to search through the telephone directory for the number of local plumbers and heating specialists.

The price seems to be fairly reasonable, although I will be interested to see how much it is increased by when the time comes to renew the contract again. I feel a little bartering may be on the cards.

The service we have received has been excellent; they have been very helpful, friendly, and always arrived within the specified time. They endeavour to handle all emergencies within four hours, and this has always been the case in our experience.

There will always be months when we will never use them, but I know they are only a phone call away and that they will save us a small fortune when we do.

Summary: