£4k boiler quote vs £3k boiler quote

[millimole]

Hi all, I’m terrible at making decisions so thought I’d ask for some Mumsnet wisdom. I don’t know any one who has had a boiler installed by a local company.

I’ve been quoted £4k for a new Vaillant ecoFIT pure 825 boiler by British Gas, with all the bells and whistles, such as power flush, Hive thermostat etc and a 5 year guarantee with British Gas.

I’ve also been quoted the £3200 for the same boiler by a local company but with a ten year guarantee with Vaillant.

I’m so confused who to go with. Do I go with British Gas for the peace of mind?

Or does it make sense to pay less and get the 10 year guarantee with Vaillant?

YABU: Go with British Gas
YANBU: Go for local company

Local company will be fine

Local company everytime - why would you pay £800 more for the same thing?

Local company is fine, British gas always charges more because they trade on their previous good reputation.

Are you sure you need a power flush? If they can’t get it working they power flush for free. Lots of the engineers don’t like power flush as it can force blockages in further, they do flush the system anyway.

id go British Gas, as they need to make sure all radiators are working fully before leaving, ie boiling hot to to the touch.

so our boiler needed moving a bit due to changes in regulations, new external vent then put in and lime chip Pit thing for the discharge, and then there were a couple of blockages in pipe worl they then fixed we got that for full price.

guy ended up here for two days and was all done for the quoted price. If I’d went local I’d have paid a lot more in the end

Thanks all.

I’ve just done an online quote with British Gas and it’s coming to £3k! But without the powerflush.

When the engineer/sales man did the quote he said he would install a new electric plug point as well.

Shall I just go with the only British Gas quote?

I've only ever gone with reputable local companies. The only one (and this may be nationwide) I wouldn't touch is A1 because they do an awful job. I ask for recommendations via Facebook or friends. I now have a number of local trades who can always recommend others.

We had a Worcester Bosch boiler fitted by British Gas last year for approx £2,600. Came with Hive, flush system etc. No regrets.

Get a quote from BOXT
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BG have made an absolute fortune over the years on power flushes. If you're having an installation with a reputable company they will clear the system of any dirt debris etc but they won't call it a power flush. Obviously a power flush is a thing but it's used by BG to up sell and add value to a quote. We have a power flush machine and we use it about 3 times a year and we have fitted 100's of boilers. I worked for BG for years, no one fits a new system without flushing and making sure the water is clear.

We went with Boxt 3years ago. Been brilliant, good service. At the time their quote was a third less than British Gas.

Local company as long as they are Gas Safe registered. Every time.

All bg do is subcontract the work and add on some profit for themselves.

Why would you pay more for that?

Think about it this way - why would you use BG?

The engineers are no better - in fact quite possibly worse than a local company who only have their immediate, local reputation to live off so need to be good.

You won't get tied up with all sorts of, frankly worthless, monthly charges etc., with the local company.

My uncle had paid BG a monthly fee for donkey's years and never needed anything but the annual service. Then, first time anything ever went wrong with an engineer came but couldn't find the fault. Another was sent and did find it but BG said it's not repairable so you need a new one and your policy won't cover that!

Local gas engineer fixed it with genuine parts for a fraction of the cost of a new boiler.

Don't let the fact you know the British Gas brand sway you into thinking it's worth paying more for them to do it.

British Gas have always been overpriced for this kind of thing. Go with a reputable local company and support a local business.

I'd go local and for the 10 year warranty. I've had 2 boilers installed and went with a decent local company each time over a national.

The 10 year guarantee should swing it. Apart from that, my memory is that Which? magazine found that people had better customer service from independents, and paid less.

I found that having a service contract "for peace of mind" didn't make a lot of difference when your boiler broke down in the middle of a cold spell in January, it was still "we can get someone out to you next Monday". Have stuck with local independents ever since. When my existing local chap retired, I looked for reommendations on the local facebook page, ignoring obvious "friends and family" recommendations "Emma Hartley posts "Excellent prices and service from Hartley boiler servicing""

Thanks everyone, really helpful. Does anyone know the company Amanzi? They seem reputable?