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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that British Gas Homecare policy is a fraudulent scheme ?

115 replies

ThinkingtheUnthinkable · 04/01/2022 14:11

Repeatedly cancelled appointments (mostly with no notice). People book annual leave time off work to wait in only to find it wasted or they turn down a shift to be in for an engineer who cancels last minute so they're out of pocket 'cos they could have worked that shift after all.

If an engineer eventually turns up after waiting over 2 months (caused by 2 arranged but cancelled appointment during that time).

Repairs that don't fix the problem so you have to wait another umpteen weeks with no heating or hot water before someone else comes and has another try.

Service staff who "don't do repairs" 'cos they're not trained for that apparently, so they find a problem during their service visit (which isn't even annual now so more problems can build up causing more breakdowns) and leave you having to wait for a repair engineer who may or may not actually bring a needed part with them.

Online chat help staff who promise a manager will ring you back but of course the managers NEVER ring back, so it's all lies.

Being told that because of excess demand at this time of year (coupled no doubt with Gas staffing issues) you can arrange your own repair by a certified heating engineer and British Gas Homecare will refund the cost but then it turns out they won't, so it's all lies.

Being told that customers must respect/understand that British Gas Homecare has to give priority to the more vulnerable but then seeing online that people's 80 year old parents still have to wait weeks for engineer visits and they too get cancelled so it can be months for them in an unheated house/no hot water. Besides that, they're running a business charging all homecare customers on the same basis, it's not like it's the NHS.

They're making millions by ripping their homecare customers off.

Please can some one suggest a reliable alternative service provider as I'm done being a British Gas Homecare policy customer.

OP posts:

cadburyegg · 04/01/2022 15:58

I have Homecare, started with them after being ripped off by a local plumber who I paid nearly £300 to and boiler still wasn't fixed. Nothing but good service from them

JollyHostess · 04/01/2022 16:01

It's definitely much much worse than it used to be.

I've had it for many years and it was very helpful when I had a dodgy boiler. Now I'm not sure, it's so unpredictable whether you'll get someone out the next day or in a week.

Starcaller · 04/01/2022 16:02

We have the full package for our house we rent our and it's been great as tenants can just report any faults themselves via the app and get repairs arranged without having to always go through me. Never had issues with cancellations or delays but perhaps there is a postcode lottery element with it.

It is expensive though, I wouldn't use it for my own house when I'm not viewing it as a business expense. We use a local company for all our boiler and heating needs.

Itwasgoodwhileitlasted · 04/01/2022 16:05

Awful. My records showed a boiler service which was never booked and no one ever showed up.

I was promised £65 refund in Dec....Still waiting.

Cancelled plan. Absolute cowboys

Starcaller · 04/01/2022 16:07

(If it was just boiler I wouldn't even bother in our rented house and just get a local firm, but their top package covers pretty much everything including electrics so I find that useful).

Belladonna12 · 04/01/2022 16:09

@AdobeWanKenobi

I recall many years ago we had their cover for our boiler and pipework. Had to call them out as we were having issues with the heating. They came, barely looked at anything and decided we needed a power flush, which apparently 'wasn't covered' and would cost about a grand!!

DH at the time worked for a local authority and asked one of the plumbers who said it sounded like something else and to send off a sample of water from the radiator for testing, (I confess I don't really understand this bit). Tests came back that radiators were clear and didn't need flushing.

Complained loudly to BG who relented and refunded us our years subscription, at which point we employed a proper plumber who balanced everything and sorted it in an hour.

20 years on they are still working fine and never needed flushing.

I had the same experience.

TequilaShot · 04/01/2022 16:09

Honestly, the last engineer we had out was great! Really can't complain at all. We've always been able to book an annual service too. Maybe it depends where you are in the country?

Belladonna12 · 04/01/2022 16:12

@TequilaShot

Honestly, the last engineer we had out was great! Really can't complain at all. We've always been able to book an annual service too. Maybe it depends where you are in the country?

Maybe it does if you are only getting an annual service you haven't really tested it.

Freebus · 04/01/2022 16:13

Agree they are not good. Used to be better. We have had 3 cancelled appointments and are going to leave them once we get a new boiler.

Have lost faith in their ability to sort anything out tbh.

Shiloh139 · 04/01/2022 16:24

I've been a Home care customer for years but cancelled my direct debit a couple of weeks ago. Never had an issue with the Home are service before, always had same day or next day visits when I've called whether on the plumbing/drains or heating side. However this year on evening of 16 Dec my 21 yr old boiler broke down so no heating or hot water. Went on BG website to discover the soonest appointment they could offer me for a repair was 19 January!

Decided to just buy a new boiler and cancel the Homecare. Shocking that I was paying them £35pcm but couldn't get them out and could see on their social media that complaining would make no difference as it was already full of people with vulnerable relatives unable to get BG to come out when promised or in any kind of reasonable timescale. Clearly Brexit and Covid are causing them issues but knowing the cause is no comfort when you're basically paying them for nothing right now.

RandomLondoner · 04/01/2022 16:27

I've always found I managed to get good value out of them. Have only used them once since Covid though, and that was a simple job of replacing my failed timer.

My best ever call-out they replaced the PCB and pump completely for free, because they determined from their database that the problem was likely caused by an incompatibility with a pump they fitted several years earlier.

I used not to stay signed up permanently, whenever I had a problem, I signed up for a cheaper repair and 12 months membership, which overall cost slightly less than just paying the full rate for the repair.

I actually now have a £5.50 a month membership which I keep permanently though. I think the difference to when the premium was in the region of £20 is that now there is a £99 excess on each call, instead of call-outs/repairs being completely free.

RandomLondoner · 04/01/2022 16:31

Have only ever once had them reluctant to do the expensive repair I guessed needed to be done, but after being called back a couple of times because the problem wasn't solved, they went ahead and did it. On every other occasion, they turned up when they said and did the expensive repair on the spot. (On two occasions merely a pump, but on at least three occasions, a PCB replacement. They always managed to have a spare PCB for my ancient boiler with them when they came, just in case one was needed.)

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 04/01/2022 16:35

MIL has BG cover, they came out in early summer 2020 to service the boiler, all well and good, and then end of summer last year she mentioned to dh that no one had been in contact for the annual service and he checked to see on the website that they were contacting people and not to contact them as they were all Very Busy

Reassured MIL, but she did try to call them a couple of times but got lost and persistently disconnected in a confusing round of menu options.

In October he rang them to be told that the annual service due early summer 2021 could be done, at their discretion any time up until summer 2022....so that's a nice little earner for them....annual payments for a two year wait for an alleged annual service.

DH managed to get them to come out ....he phoned in October and the earliest they could do was mid December.

I tweeted a complaint, complete with the photo of the message that they were contacting customers....two phone minions denied this message was ever up, one put the phone down on him, and then when the manager called back we got the December appointment.

That message is STILL up on site.

Some DM Journo directmessaged me, but I did not respond, and i deleted her name, but I guess if anyone tweeted she'd probably message if they are trying to garner DMsadfaces for an article.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 04/01/2022 16:37

Im shocked that people still pay for these rip off policies....i've owned my own houses for over 20 years and never had a boiler breakdown....even if i did i would have called a local plumber or heating engineer...

Viviennemary · 04/01/2022 16:40

They are a bunch of crooks.

DahliaMacNamara · 04/01/2022 16:41

Definitely used to be better. I'd switch, but I can't find any firms that will take on my age of boiler. Our savings wouldn't cover an expensive repair, to anything. The engineers I've had round have so far always been good, I will say that much, but lately it's been last minute cancellations all over the shop. In this part of the country they're citing emergencies rather than priorities, which would be fair enough in snow and ice, but they're certainly not reducing their prices along with the level of service.

BestIsWest · 04/01/2022 16:52

@munda I know! we have a great guy who services our boiler - and has fixed hers twice. But she is so stubborn. I think She might be wavering though.

Brainwave89 · 04/01/2022 16:57

The product started off as being very rich and good. However, like most providers, the service has been "hollowed out", i.e. staffing both in contact centers and engineers have been reduced to the point where the quality has been significantly impacted. The value of the cover is very questionable. If you have a good local boiler person use them.

Easymeasy · 04/01/2022 17:14

I had a broken toilet. Called them and they came 2 days later. I had a text and a call to remind me they were coming.

Pugdogmom · 04/01/2022 17:18

Wouldn't let BG enter my house!
We had them for years, and their service was pretty good. Then Wouldn't come out for 2 days ( my husband is on vulnerable list). Prices started going up and we had a call out charge on top of what we were paying monthly. Then to add insult to injury, they broke the reset button on our boiler, then lied about it.
Got a new boiler a couple of years ago and local company service it.

Musicaltheatremum · 04/01/2022 17:25

@Shiloh139

Cancelled mine too recently. Kept cancelling appts to fix boiler. Local guy came and sorted it straight away.

Oh they had failed to wire up my immersion properly so when I had to use it it didn't cut off and boiled the system down completely. Disaster

AKAanothername · 04/01/2022 17:26

MIL has homecare and someone came to service her boiler in November. While he was there he very thoughtfully told her that she ought to have a carbon monoxide alarm and he sold her a battery one a fixed it to the wall for her, the cost was £20.

Her house is two years old, slap bang in the middle of the kitchen ceiling is a mains operated carbon monoxide alarm that's still within its expiry date. We complained on her behalf and they refunded the cost but it makes you wonder how many other elderly people they're ripping off.

Loopyloulou007 · 04/01/2022 18:43

They made twice as much profit on the previous year, because due to covid, no one got anything done. Also bad working conditions, lots walked out. So they now rely on any old boiler repair man. Who can and do decide what jobs they do as they get paid per visit. Call centre I got put through to, was in South Africa, who couldn't give a toss whether your heating is not working, not able to speak to a manager, just had to keep calling back after 3 missed appointments, when boiler broke in the middle of the cold spell. Jokes. Cancelled mine, only way to change things, is by your feet. All about profit for the shareholders, not the service they provide.

Belladonna12 · 04/01/2022 19:46

@DahliaMacNamara

They may not do an expensive repair anyway though. It's quite likely that they would say they can't get the parts and you would have wasted your money on the cover.

DahliaMacNamara · 04/01/2022 19:55

@Belladonna12 They've been warning me about that for years. I have no intention of getting my next boiler from them, and when the guarantee runs out on that one, someone else will be servicing it.
They've done some expensive work for me in other areas.

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