Good old BG, yes really!

[naffer]

I have been one of the strongest critics of BG over the years - careless maintenance, inability to fix problems and sky-high quotes for boiler replacement.

And this week I take most of it back.

Following yet another problem on my wretched Potterton Envoy 80, the BG fitter made me an offer - "You pay for a new boiler and we'll fit it free of charge". (My old boiler really was knackered, needed a new heat exchanger at about =A3300 plus labour, just a year since the last one).

We agreed on a Glow-Worm 30hxi, new pipework/angles, new filling loop, safety valve and gauge all done and signed off for very much less than =A3800 (inc VAT)!

I'm not sure I could have bought the boiler for that much.

BG gets the benefit of Glow-Worm's two year warranty and I have agreed, without any contractual obligation, to go on paying for the BG Homecare 100 contract.

So, since I've been very vocal in my criticism, I must also be vocal in my pleasure at BG's willingness to do a WIN/WIN deal.

Naffer

[Tony Bryer]

Having swapped an Envoy for a Glow-worm Cxi three years ago, you are doing the right thing. BG can't lose: if you get the new boiler and give up the 3* they save a fortune on fixing your Envoy every few months and if you continue to renew they keeping getting paid, this time for [not] fixing a boiler (because they are seriously reliable if my random sample of one is anything to go by).

[Andy Hall]

.. and the fitter gets commission on the deal.

Win-Win-Win....

[Roger Mills]

But if you had a parts and labour contract with BG, shouldn't *they* have supplied a new boiler if the old one couldn't be mended?

[Bob Eager]

20 quid, apparently.

[Andy Hall]

In the small print, there are get out clauses that allow them to terminate the contract and refund the balance of the contract payment if any.

Needless to say, they would like to retain customers. Hence, offer a seemingly attractive deal, save spares and service cost, retain maintenance contract.

[Brian G]

No, they will maintain the boiler until spare parts are unavailable and when a new boiler is needed - it's in the small print of the contract that the customer foots the bill.

Brian G

[Bob Eager]

Although....it really should read "until BG say spare parts are unavailable" ...

[naffer]

Further info: BG didn't say that it couldn't fix the boiler. This deal was entirely a voluntary job on my part. They had agreed to fix the boiler if I insisted.

Instead, their fitter engaged in a grown up conversation that explained that they didn't want to put in a =A3300 part into a crapped out boiler and I probably didn't want the on-going grief of frequent calls and loss of service. Common sense.

I have no obligation to continue my Homecare 100 contract after this exercise.

Since I had already decided to replace the wretched Potterton Envoy thisSpring for at least =A31,400 - 1,500, the deal at less than =A3800 was b good.

BG's quote for a similar replacement was =A32,500 last year but there was a lot of padding, (lots of earth bonding twaddle etc).

So, a couple of cheers for BG: New boiler, signed off with all the trimmings for less than =A3800! Hooray for competition.

Naffer