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Original poster

my mum's having a worcester bosch boiler installed by british gas for 3,300.00 quid is this about right?

48 replies

cutekids · 24/02/2009 12:55

she said she gets 25yr guarantee on it etc.but is that really a reasonable price....she also gets a year's "free" services contract-can't remember exactly which plan she's on already.

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 24/02/2009 12:56

we paid a lot less than this for a worcestor bosch last year

Ponders · 24/02/2009 12:57

Is that just the boiler or a whole central heating system?

Ponders · 24/02/2009 12:58

The boiler should be c £1000 plus fitting & a year's service contract is about £150.

lou33 · 24/02/2009 12:59

british gas charge more than independent companies iirc from when my boiler was replaced

cmotdibbler · 24/02/2009 12:59

Depends on the size of the house, but I know that DH priced having our boiler replaced at about that

OrmIrian · 24/02/2009 13:00

Hmm.... we were quoted a price of 1700 to install one of those a few years back. That did include a discount because we already had a maintenance contract but that was only about 80.

We had it done by an idependent gas fitter for 1600. Better model too.

theyoungvisiter · 24/02/2009 13:01

British gas is eye wateringly expensive.

We got several quotes for replacing our boiler and doing some small extra work and British Gas was by far the most expensive. They quoted us £4400, and we eventually went with a v reputable local firm who charged us £2800 with a 5 year guarantee.

They also told us we needed to do a lot of unnecessary work (at our expense and not included in the quote) such as relocating our boiler to a different wall "as it would be impossible to service in its current location". This would have entailed refitting most of our kitchen.

Needless to say, the current location is fine and it's been successfully serviced several times.

The only reason to go with them is if you are prepared to pay the extra for the long guarantee and the peace of mind, as it's a 100% firm quote, unlike local firms which are usually provisional (although ours came in on the nose).

FriarKewcumber · 24/02/2009 13:01

I had a cheaoer than worcester boiler (Ariston) fitted for £1700 all in in London

Original poster
cutekids · 24/02/2009 13:05

well she's already on a service-plan but that apparently is free for the year.i'm just wondering if it is rather steep.thing is,she's determnined she's having this bosch one and nothing else but i bet the new one's not half as good as the one she's had.nothing seems to be these days does it?

OP posts:
FriarKewcumber · 24/02/2009 13:07

new one will be much more efficient. But any corgi registered plumber can fit a worcester boile for her.

theyoungvisiter · 24/02/2009 13:08

well the new one will likely be considerably cheaper to run which is the main advantage.

I love our new boiler - we also have a spiffy new thermostat which enables you to set different target temperatures hour by hour for each separate day of the week.

So I can have it nice and warm for getting up, cold on the mornings when we are usually at toddler groups, coolish for lunchtime naps, and then warm again for the afternoon, supper and baths.

Love it - wish we'd replaced our horrid old boiler years ago.

rubyslippers · 24/02/2009 13:09

the new boiler WILL be better but as a PP said, an independent plumber could do it all for a cheaper price

lilymolly · 24/02/2009 13:12

OMG

if that is for a new boiler only and not a whole new system then she is getting seriously ripped off.

A boiler is about £750-1000 plus installation @ about £300?

so its WAY expensive.

British gas is a rip off- far better going with a corgi reg plumber like my dp

artichokes · 24/02/2009 13:12

British Gas have just quoted £3700 for replacing our boiler. An independent plumber has quoted £1800 for same job.

theyoungvisiter · 24/02/2009 13:13

oh, and re the 25 year guarantee, she needs to consider if she will get enough use out of it to justify the price hike. If she is likely to move it won't add a penny to the sale value of the property.

Also check the small print in the guarantee, there are usually lots of exclusions.

Ponders · 24/02/2009 13:16

They stop making parts for a lot of boilers once they're past about 10 years old so the 25-year guarantee is bound to come with a lot of conditions.

Worcester Bosch is one of the 2 best makes but it will apply to them too.

theyoungvisiter · 24/02/2009 13:17

"A boiler is about £750-1000 plus installation @ about £300?"

To be fair I think it's normally a bit more than that as they have to flush the pipework if they are installing a condensing boiler in order to comply with the guarantee (which costs something like £300 I think), plus regulations now mean that you have to have thermostatic valves on all the radiators which costs money to install, plus you may need new gas pipe work. PLus of course you have to pay VAT on the final sum!

There's an explanation of the recent price hikes here

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 24/02/2009 13:19

Over the years I've had a fair few British Gas quotes and without fail they work out approx twice what an independent plumber charges.

Ohforfoxsake · 24/02/2009 13:20

British Gas quote silly money then tell you you get this discount and that discount.

They are by far the most expensive.

We got a new Worcester boiler last year for about £2,300. The system was flushed and all the rest of it.

And it has a two year manufacturers guarentee so their services contract isn't necessary.

Ponders · 24/02/2009 13:22

Oooh, that's really interesting, thanks, tyv.

We will need a new boiler before much longer & ours is on the opposite side of the house to the meter - it's about 30 feet away, and on a different floor, so mike's point 3 is very depressing news

lilymolly · 24/02/2009 14:33

theyoungvisiter
I was talking about a boiler change NOT a new system with TRVs and a power flush

I am well aware of costs BTW as DP has his own heating business and I do all the quotes/invoices.

theyoungvisiter · 24/02/2009 16:12

But I thought the point was you can't just swap the boiler any more because of the new regs requiring condensing boilers etc? At least that's what my engineer told me but I'm not an expert so happy to bow to your superior knowledge!

Nabster · 24/02/2009 16:14

BG are rip off merchants.

Much better people to do the job and not charge so much.

We got a quote which came in at about £3600 and half was for fitting it.

SecondhandRose · 25/02/2009 12:43

I have a Worcester Bosch - oil fired, I bought myself online for £1300 and it was fitted with an extra radiator and all pipework for £800.

GetOrfMoiLand · 25/02/2009 12:50

My Parents in law had a new boiler installed a couple of months ago, no new radiators but new pipes along with it, they paid £3000.

My DP (builder) was absolutely livid, he told then that British gas are notorious rip off merchants and are far more expensive than they should be. DP asked one of his plumber contacts to come in and give a quote, he quote £1900 for the same boiler and the same work. However, DP's parents 'didn't want to let British Gas down (!!!!!)' as they had already booked the installation, so they went ahead and paid the money to BG.

DP was pissed off but it is their money.

By the way Worecster Bosch are the best boilers apparently. But OP - tell your mum to get a couple of other quotes at least, to compare the prices. This is what DP's parents should have done, bless them for their stubbornness.