BG Homecare Taking The Michael

Vern1961 · 25 Apr 2017 at 20:14

Had our annual renewal from BG this morning, jumped up from £285 last year to £330 to renew this year. That's around a 15% increase. It is their Level 2 cover which TBH excludes more than it covers and they can't even guarantee parts for the boiler (Ideal Classic masquerading under British Gas logo). Really tempted to tell them to stick it as we can get an annual service done by an indie for around £60 - £70. Only lingering doubt in my mind is the loss of a guaranteed call out if something goes wrong but then if they can't fix it anyway... cue paying 150% more than anywhere else for a replacement boiler. The other fly in the ointment is that we have our annual service booked for mid-May (there was a 6 week waiting list!) so guess we will lose that if we cancel.

So is this a bit of a rip off or is it still worth it for partial peace of mind, given the cover specifically excludes sludge and blocked pipes which is the biggest PITA with our system?

bremen1874 · 25 Apr 2017 at 23:32

It's not something I've ever bothered with, but I've got a simple Combi setup and know which end of a blow torch gets hot.

I wouldn't touch the actual boiler, but the rest I can fix (and is very unlikely to go wrong anyway).

You could spend that Homecare money getting your sludge problems fixed instead if that's an issue.

SMN · 26 Apr 2017 at 08:14

Just go through the usual dance - call up, cancel, they'll give you a price less than 285 quid, you accept, its done. If they dont, then go through with it and cancel and get a new customer offer under your partners name. Every year they try and put it up 20% with me, and every year I get it cheaper than the previous, they just try this tactic as it works on lazy people.

novaenough · 26 Apr 2017 at 08:32

You could save the £285 a year so you have a fund if and when you need it and to pay for the service.
It's an insurance policy, you don't need to have it and only you can really decide if it's worth the peace of mind it gives you.
I'll be honest and say that I do like the idea of being "safe" from any problems but as you've said they manage to exclude things and I'm too tight to pay that a year just in case.

Vern1961 · 26 Apr 2017 at 08:35

I already do a drain and clean every couple of years myself. System has already had two power flushes in the 11 years we've been here and eventually the sludge comes back. In fact, last year the BG engineer pretty much admitted the age of the system plus microbore piping on some of it makes a flush ineffective anyway.

I think I will try the cancellation bluff first and see if that works.

The_One · 26 Apr 2017 at 20:55

Did you have bg out over the last 12 months for any faults or issues?

Vern1961 · 28 Apr 2017 at 07:03

No callouts other than the service.

However I can report some success. I took the advice and phoned British Gas to cancel, laid it on heavy about the cover not being worth much due to the exclusions etc. They came back with a 20% discount, down to £264 which is £24 cheaper than last year! So it does pay to haggle...

robj20 · 28 Apr 2017 at 07:20

How is it not better to put that money into an account and use it for a service and any repairs as and when needed?

Haggisman · 28 Apr 2017 at 07:27

Have you tried shopping around? Pretty sure I've never paid more than ~£80/year for boiler cover

Maundie · 28 Apr 2017 at 08:39

Vern1961 said:
No callouts other than the service.

However I can report some success. I took the advice and phoned British Gas to cancel, laid it on heavy about the cover not being worth much due to the exclusions etc. They came back with a 20% discount, down to £264 which is £24 cheaper than last year! So it does pay to haggle...

How long have you had boiler cover and how many claims (apart from yearly service) have you made?

I looked at this when we had our combi installed (just in case you know) but in the 4 years we've had it I've only ever had it serviced (a bloke I used to go to school with is a plumber and he services it for £50, even flushed the system and put some more inhibitor in last time) so it's cost me £200 in the last 4 years (boiler also has a 7 year warranty) instead of the £250 BG wanted a year for cover.

Vern1961 · 28 Apr 2017 at 10:36

Well first off I will state I am happy with the revised quote and accepted it.

The last call out on the boiler was about 3 years ago when it wouldn't run for more than a few seconds.

As I pointed out earlier, I know even £264 is dearer than £80 or thereabouts for a service, the issue being peace of mind. If the boiler fails at 1630 on a cold winter Friday, BG will (hopefully) get someone out ASAP. Without the cover, you're left ringing round the indies or as a last resort the £150 call out people in the Yellow Pages (which still doesn't guarantee attendance as we found last year when our kitchen tap broke). So in my personal little check of VFM in this particular case - £264 is yes, £330 is no.

Haggisman · 28 Apr 2017 at 18:49

Vern1961 said:
Well first off I will state I am happy with the revised quote and accepted it.

The last call out on the boiler was about 3 years ago when it wouldn't run for more than a few seconds.

As I pointed out earlier, I know even £264 is dearer than £80 or thereabouts for a service, the issue being peace of mind. If the boiler fails at 1630 on a cold winter Friday, BG will (hopefully) get someone out ASAP. Without the cover, you're left ringing round the indies or as a last resort the £150 call out people in the Yellow Pages (which still doesn't guarantee attendance as we found last year when our kitchen tap broke). So in my personal little check of VFM in this particular case - £264 is yes, £330 is no.

That £80 I mentioned was for a service and covered for a year, near on £300 does seem very expensive

In fact a quick check on their website shows homecare level 4 which covers boiler, heating, plumbing, drains & electrics is £17.70/month, or £212/year, plus £50 off with quidco cashback

Their level 2 cover is £12.24/month (£147/year) plus £10 cashback = £137, almost exactly half what they want from you at the moment!

So I guess the answer is yes, they are taking the Michael

The_One · 28 Apr 2017 at 19:20

^they are excess policies

i.e pay an excess when you call them out that's why its cheaper

Haggisman · 28 Apr 2017 at 19:50

The_One said:
^they are excess policies

i.e pay an excess when you call them out that's why its cheaper

£17.25/month for level 2 with £0 excess, which is still a lot cheaper than his current price!

Dolph · 29 Apr 2017 at 11:35

robj20 said:
How is it not better to put that money into an account and use it for a service and any repairs as and when needed?

Depends on numerous factors, whether you know good local tradesmen, how quickly you need things turned around and how much your time is worth, for example, it isn't just about straight cost.

I could put the money I spend on homecare away in case of emergency, but then when the emergency comes, I have to find local tradesmen, get quotes, arrange and agree it all, then hope the issue isn't going to cost more than I've saved. With homecare, I make one call and it's sorted in a couple of days (or support provided if they can't sort immediately). That's worth the possibility I might save money by not doing it.

Vern1961 · 30 Apr 2017 at 12:50

You got there before I did, Dolph!