British Gas Homecare

[Allfurcoatandnoknickers]

Anyone use any alternatives at all? We've just had an email to say that our cover runs out on 30th September and they've quoted an eye watering £895 for the year.
They currently service a gas boiler (condensing) that's around 18 years old, a gas fire and gas hob.

My alternative is putting some money every month into a savings account and paying as I go. It tends to be cheaper and you aren’t tied to wait for that one supplier (I remember being told it would take 3 weeks for them to get to me once).

They are outrageously expensive. When I finally clocked it and realised I could have effectively had a new appliance annually for what I was paying them I knocked it on the head and just pay my local, reliable plumber when stuff needs doing/servicing.

I ducked out of it to as I could afford a replacement boiler if it came to it. The annual fee is ridiculous.

That's great - it's so ridiculous and we really don't get good value for money!

A gas safe plumber can do an annual check for much less.

I use YourRepair. Fixed price for 3 years and a great deal on TopCashback too.

Had a blocked drain on a Sunday and they came out within a couple of hours and cleared it. Also, an annual boiler service is included.

Is the cost becaue you have the all-singing all-dancing policy which covers every possible household emergency?

There are a range of policies available which offer different levels of cover. There is a very basic boiler cover policy which only covers the controls and boiler (not radiators etc) and doesn’t include a boiler service or anything else, for about £3 per month, if I recall correctly.

It depends what you want.

There are certainly much cheaper options availability to you.
Much depends on if you’ve got reserves of cash you can draw on in an emergency, which can remove the need for such plans. If you don’t, and certainty that you’re covered, so need a monthly plan, it will probably cost more overall in the long run for most (otherwise the company aims wouldn’t make money from it) bu there are definitely cheaper options and if you google you’ll see multiple firms offering a basic insurance scheme with boiler service and some offer an excess option, which also brings the prices down.

I have British Gas Home care and I have been toying with letting it go. I have just had an issue with my washing machine and the first appointment is 3 weeks away. My son went on YouTube and fixed it in 15 minutes .

@Allfurcoatandnoknickers

Anyone use any alternatives at all? We've just had an email to say that our cover runs out on 30th September and they've quoted an eye watering £895 for the year. They currently service a gas boiler (condensing) that's around 18 years old, a gas fire and gas hob.

Try homeserve, same service much cheaper

We just put money aside now.
Plus when we actually had no hot water, they couldn’t come for a month and we had to get someone local anyway!

There are so many insurances you can have these days….boiler cover, other household stuff, pet insurance, extras in top of standard car insurance. And most of them you’ll never claim in, which is good.

I think best way is to either have lots of savings and not be phased when a big bill comes, or if that doesn’t work for you, have a special bank account that you put the price of a couple of those insurances into each month. Then, when the problem that actually happens and requires cash can be funded from that pot if money. The best thing about this, is there is no ‘wasted’ money in that you only spend if needed, plus there are no excesses when a problem does occur. This only works though if you will leave the money there and not touch it until an emergency happens.

If there is no emergency and huge sums build up, after three years or so, I’d take half out for a big treat.

These insurance schemes work on the basis of fear….fear of a problem happening and fear of the price of it. But if you have money saved that fear is removed. As others say, even with these insurances, you often find British Gas or whoever can’t get out to you any sooner (and often slower) than a local plumber anyway.