Home repair policies, I think someone is taking the Mick!

[big jim]

A few weeks back one of our internal door locks broke and jammed the door closed, a simple issue, basically the barrel wasn’t going far enough back to clear the metal plate on the frame when you pressed the handle, only a couple of MM in it so putting a slim screwdriver down the gap managed to open it 

 

anyhoo I’ve got British Gas lock, pest and glazing cover so I I thought well I’m paying for it I may as well use it as there were a couple of other dodgy locks that seemed to be going the same way, the doors are normal B&Q/Wickes 6 panel doors with normal handles as seen below 

 

 

they came out 2 weeks ago to do the job and the bloke was here a good 3 hours! taking the handle off the door and the locking mechanism out, he checked the other doors and advised there were 2 others needing changing (as I suspected), he didn’t have the bits on the van So would get them ordered and advise us when they would be ready to fit

 

so basically 3 standard Off the shelf handle and lock sets as can be bought in Wickes for £30

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Toronto-Victorian-Straight-Latch-Door-Handle-Set---Satin-Nickel-3-Pairs/p/188341

 

this morning I got a call to say the work had been authorised by the insurance company, however our Policy only covers up to £500 and the job is more than that!

 

when I asked how much they said I needed to pay an extra £270, the whole job of replacing 3 locks and handles was £770! 
 

i asked them to break down the cost of the repair and all she said was “I think you must have special locks, and we only use one supplier” to which I replied “can I get a job supplying your cups of tea, I only charge £200 a cup?” Not even a chuckle from her!

 

i was genuinely speechless, it was more laughable than being angry with them, in the end I said to forget the job I’ll do it myself and not to try and bill me for work already done other wise I’ll send a bill from my suppliers for the toilet roll used by their engineer on the 4 occasions he visited my toilet in the 3 hours he was here, I only charge £50 a sheet, again no so much as a chuckle out of her! 

 

anyway I’ve told em in the pleasantest of  terms where they can stick their cover and am currently in line on the phone trying to cancel the policy, I’m going to just cancel the direct debit anyway and pop to Wickes and buy some handles myself! 
 

ive has the glazing drains and pest cover for years with British Gas without issue and have used them to remove wasps nests, squirrels in the attic, blocked drains etc even had them out for a couple of dodgy external locks where sent out a local tradesman to do the job but it appears they have switched to using one of these do it all “property maintenance companies” who quite frankly are taking the mick

 

Another concern is If this had happened to a vulnerable person and they got a call asking to pay £270 to complete the work and they paid it without question they would have been very much out of pocket!

 

anyway I’m off to Wickes to buy some door locks! 

[AndrewC]

I find Screwfix is generally a bit cheaper than Wickes. Also more likely to have them in stock. 

[phil-b259]

6 minutes ago, big jim said:

A few weeks back one of our internal door locks broke and jammed the door closed, a simple issue, basically the barrel wasn’t going far enough back to clear the metal plate on the frame when you pressed the handle, only a couple of MM in it so putting a slim screwdriver down the gap managed to open it 

 

anyhoo I’ve got British Gas lock, pest and glazing cover so I I thought well I’m paying for it I may as well use it as there were a couple of other dodgy locks that seemed to be going the same way, the doors are normal B&Q/Wickes 6 panel doors with normal handles as seen below 

 

 

they came out 2 weeks ago to do the job and the bloke was here a good 3 hours! taking the handle off the door and the locking mechanism out, he checked the other doors and advised there were 2 others needing changing (as I suspected), he didn’t have the bits on the van So would get them ordered and advise us when they would be ready to fit

 

so basically 3 standard Off the shelf handle and lock sets as can be bought in Wickes for £30

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Toronto-Victorian-Straight-Latch-Door-Handle-Set---Satin-Nickel-3-Pairs/p/188341

 

this morning I got a call to say the work had been authorised by the insurance company, however our Policy only covers up to £500 and the job is more than that!

 

when I asked how much they said I needed to pay an extra £270, the whole job of replacing 3 locks and handles was £770! 
 

i asked them to break down the cost of the repair and all she said was “I think you must have special locks, and we only use one supplier” to which I replied “can I get a job supplying your cups of tea, I only charge £200 a cup?” Not even a chuckle from her!

 

i was genuinely speechless, it was more laughable than being angry with them, in the end I said to forget the job I’ll do it myself and not to try and bill me for work already done other wise I’ll send a bill from my suppliers for the toilet roll used by their engineer on the 4 occasions he visited my toilet in the 3 hours he was here, I only charge £50 a sheet, again no so much as a chuckle out of her! 

 

anyway I’ve told em in the pleasantest of  terms where they can stick their cover and am currently in line on the phone trying to cancel the policy, I’m going to just cancel the direct debit anyway and pop to Wickes and buy some handles myself! 
 

ive has the glazing drains and pest cover for years with British Gas without issue and have used them to remove wasps nests, squirrels in the attic, blocked drains etc even had them out for a couple of dodgy external locks where sent out a local tradesman to do the job but it appears they have switched to using one of these do it all “property maintenance companies” who quite frankly are taking the mick

 

Another concern is If this had happened to a vulnerable person and they got a call asking to pay £270 to complete the work and they paid it without question they would have been very much out of pocket!

 

anyway I’m off to Wickes to buy some door locks! 

 

I have always been suspicious of these homecare style plans.

 

The adverts make a big thing of “only xx pence per day” but in reality how often do things go wrong?

 

I had a new boiler a few years ago - but made sure it was a Which recommended Wooster Bosch model and it’s not let me down once. Similarly the previous boiler dating from the late 1990s when the house was built only went wrong once in the first 5 years.

 

Being an engineer in terms of job skills, I accept there are things I’m quite happy to tackle that ordinary folk won’t - but even so I reckon you would be far better getting a tradesperson in when things go wrong.

 

 

[big jim]

Must admit I can’t fault the British Gas home Care  we had for the boiler and kitchen appliances, no issues at all, always quite to come out and repair things but the lock/glazing and pest cover (which is subbed out to contractors) has gone terrible 

 

a lot of home insurances now include or have discounts on boiler repairs etc included in the policy as it’s in their interest to have pipes and heating working, next time it’s up for renewal I’ll have a look 

[didcot]

19 minutes ago, big jim said:

Another concern is If this had happened to a vulnerable person and they got a call asking to pay £270 to complete the work and they paid it without question they would have been very much out of pocket!

 

Yes, when my Grandfather had to move into a nursing home we found he was still paying insurance cover on a vhs recorder that was built by Noah! 

[hayfield]

I stick to local traders, certainly they are far cheaper and mostly far better at doing their jobs,

 

Regarding the first point they do not have the overheads these large organisations have. and in most cases anyone who is any good seems to start their own businesses. However a big word of warning. Just because someone is self employed does not mean they are any good, the best option is to use a trader who comes highly recommended by someone you can trust

 

A few years back we needed a new central heating boiler, my wife's hairdresser recommended a gas engineer and we got what we found out was a highly competitive price, excellent work and the annual service charge was again compeditave, our neighbours son at the same time started working for one of these large companies on the sales side, he enquired about the price and said he would have had to charge double the price.

 

We moved to a new (to us) house and soon after moving in the thermostat went, the  previous owner had the central heating serviced by British Gas. I called them and enquired about their costs,  once I picked myself up off the floor I called the estate agents who sold us the property and asked for a recommendation, needless to say the engineer who came (a sole trader) did a great job at a fraction of the price

 

These large companies have massive overheads to their businesses, usually being contractors using either employees or subcontractors, in addition have a large team of background staff who are needed to keep the cogs of commerce going. All of whom need premises to work from, accounts dept, buying dept, sales teams, personnel teams, their own maintenance team etc and endless levels management.

 

Needless to say the sole trader has none of these areas to support, and if they are no good or give bad service then they go bust.

 

Just go and get a decent locksmith, or as you said if its something within your own skill sets then its even cheaper

 

 

[Fat Controller]

I've found a useful source of comptent trades-people to be the local estate agent, especially if they manage lettings.

[stewartingram]

3 hours ago, hayfield said:

I stick to local traders, certainly they are far cheaper and mostly far better at doing their jobs,

 

Regarding the first point they do not have the overheads these large organisations have. and in most cases anyone who is any good seems to start their own businesses. However a big word of warning. Just because someone is self employed does not mean they are any good, the best option is to use a trader who comes highly recommended by someone you can trust

 

A few years back we needed a new central heating boiler, my wife's hairdresser recommended a gas engineer and we got what we found out was a highly competitive price, excellent work and the annual service charge was again compeditave, our neighbours son at the same time started working for one of these large companies on the sales side, he enquired about the price and said he would have had to charge double the price.

 

We moved to a new (to us) house and soon after moving in the thermostat went, the  previous owner had the central heating serviced by British Gas. I called them and enquired about their costs,  once I picked myself up off the floor I called the estate agents who sold us the property and asked for a recommendation, needless to say the engineer who came (a sole trader) did a great job at a fraction of the price

 

These large companies have massive overheads to their businesses, usually being contractors using either employees or subcontractors, in addition have a large team of background staff who are needed to keep the cogs of commerce going. All of whom need premises to work from, accounts dept, buying dept, sales teams, personnel teams, their own maintenance team etc and endless levels management.

 

Needless to say the sole trader has none of these areas to support, and if they are no good or give bad service then they go bust.

 

Just go and get a decent locksmith, or as you said if its something within your own skill sets then its even cheaper

 

 

I can't help thinking that this has parallels in the railway industry. Most jobs not done in-house, but (due to the way privatisation is set up) contracted (& sub-contracted) out. I'm not necessarily in favour of re-nationalising, nor indeed staying privatised, but can see the costs involved. I also have retired from a firm that was (is) heavily involved with LU in a similar way, and am aware of the charges and related inefficiences which they passed on

[phil-b259]

3 hours ago, hayfield said:

I stick to local traders, certainly they are far cheaper and mostly far better at doing their jobs,

 

The only exception I would give to that is if its an emergency situation or where there isn't time to spend ages researching a good trader.

 

In such circumstances (like fixing a broken boiler in the middle of winter) the £75 one off repair fee (plus parts) British Gas charged me was very reasonable - especially as if anything went wrong with the repair it would be a lot easier to get it sorted. Unless you have a chronicity unreliable appliance it also works out cheaper than their  "only xx pence per day" service plan.

 

Needless to say when the boiler was replaced, an independent trader was used for the reasons you cite.

 

 

[hayfield]

Phil

 

You were lucky, I would have greatly accepted that cost. 

[phil-b259]

16 minutes ago, hayfield said:

Phil

 

You were lucky, I would have greatly accepted that cost. 

 

Well, the defect was the circuit board (fortunately still available as a spare part) rather than anything fundamentally wrong with the boiler itself so it was relatively quick repair (i.e. it could be fixed within one 30minute slot).

 

This was exactly what I had expected the issue to be - other central heating related stuff  like replacing the diverter valve and circulating pump is within my DIY skill level so I wouldn't have called out British Gas to change those.

 

The engineer did however warn me that manufacturer support for that make of boiler was due to be withdrawn in the near future - hence I invested in a new boiler 6 months later.

 

This was around 5 years ago too so prices have increased - it seems as if they now charge £99 for the same service https://www.britishgas.co.uk/home-services/boilers-and-heating/boiler-and-heating-repair.html?cid=PPC_OD_UK_Brand_BG_OD_Repairs_Core_Terms_Exact&gclid=Cj0KCQiAq97uBRCwARIsADTziyamsiptkYJnt1xyXSges-cVCbUvEgfxfrCy3eTVCHixDaCAqLs86LcaAv9oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by phil-b259

[polybear]

2 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

The engineer did however warn me that manufacturer support for that make of boiler was due to be withdrawn in the near future - hence I invested in a new boiler 6 months later.

 

 

BG tried this stunt with my OH's back boiler (baxi bermuda) and tried to persuade her to invest in a new boiler.  So I phoned baxi and asked. Their response was that they'd sold so many over the years they were effectively their pension policy.....

Basically BG scare tactics IMHO.

[phil-b259]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

BG tried this stunt with my OH's back boiler (baxi bermuda) and tried to persuade her to invest in a new boiler.  So I phoned baxi and asked. Their response was that they'd sold so many over the years they were effectively their pension policy.....

Basically BG scare tactics IMHO.

 

Well it didn't work in the way they intended - although I did invest in a new boiler it a Which best buy fitted by an independent not BG.

 

 

[kevinlms]

11 hours ago, didcot said:

 

Yes, when my Grandfather had to move into a nursing home we found he was still paying insurance cover on a vhs recorder that was built by Noah! 

That can be a problem with direct debit, OK if you check your statements and keep on top of it.

From the business PoV, if someone is giving you money, each month or whatever, why would they want you to stop? It's money for nothing.

[spikey]

Based on my own experience, two firms I wouldn't touch with somebody else's bargepole are British Gas and Domestic and General.

[didcot]

We used to have BG cover on our boiler. It was 24 hour next day call out, although they never did! So the boiler starts playing up and some kid comes to look at it. It's kettling he said as it was making banging and popping noises. Not sure what he did but when I ran a bath my wife came running in to say the spare room, where it was, was full of smoke. The boiler was so hot it was boiling the water in the heating side and venting steam from the air vent! 

I went nuts at BG and they sent the kid back the next day. He was leaving when I got home so didn't speak to him. He was clueless and having seen the boiler overheat told my wife that when we want hot water run it and then turn it off, run another tap to cool it down. I went ballistic. I made a formal complaint straight away. I could not believe that they gave advice like that. As I pointed out had it been in the kitchen my wife and children could have been scoulded. The kid should have told us to stop using it as it was very dangerous. BG tried fobbing me off, but once they realised I knew what I was talking about they put me through to the head office in Oxford. The guy I spoke to realised there had been a potential injury in the making and was on our door step the next day with a kit of parts to fix the boiler. It was a blocked heat exchanger which wasn't covered on our policy, but given what we had been told let us have it all free. Based on that we cancelled our policy at the next renewal.

[big jim]

I’ve just had an email asking me to give feedback on “my recent home cover call out“, looking forward to filling that later 

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, didcot said:

We used to have BG cover on our boiler. It was 24 hour next day call out, although they never did! So the boiler starts playing up and some kid comes to look at it. It's kettling he said as it was making banging and popping noises. Not sure what he did but when I ran a bath my wife came running in to say the spare room, where it was, was full of smoke. The boiler was so hot it was boiling the water in the heating side and venting steam from the air vent! 

I went nuts at BG and they sent the kid back the next day. He was leaving when I got home so didn't speak to him. He was clueless and having seen the boiler overheat told my wife that when we want hot water run it and then turn it off, run another tap to cool it down. I went ballistic. I made a formal complaint straight away. I could not believe that they gave advice like that. As I pointed out had it been in the kitchen my wife and children could have been scoulded. The kid should have told us to stop using it as it was very dangerous. BG tried fobbing me off, but once they realised I knew what I was talking about they put me through to the head office in Oxford. The guy I spoke to realised there had been a potential injury in the making and was on our door step the next day with a kit of parts to fix the boiler. It was a blocked heat exchanger which wasn't covered on our policy, but given what we had been told let us have it all free. Based on that we cancelled our policy at the next renewal.

Not to mention the cost of the gas, to keep the water boiling!