maintenance contract against paying for repairs

[Ron]

Hi I have a maintenance contract with British Gas for £12.50 per month on a

15 year old gas warm air heating system and hot water. Am I throwing money away, as has been suggested by a friend, or would it cost more to pay for a yearly service and to pay for any repairs that need done. I am already thinking of replacing the thermostat myself to a more efficient one which has different temperatures for different times of the day and days of the week etc so should I cancel the gas maintenance contract(after the next service of course)?

Thanks Ron

[meow2222]

=A312.50 pcm =3D =A3150 pa. Over the 15 yr life of your boiler so far thats =A32250. If your boiler lasts another 5 it'll be =A33,000. Couldnt you pay for the occasional callout for much less?

Is your boiler one where BG will refuse to do any work on it if it goes wrong, but will happily take your money while its working?

Those stats are worthwhile, they pay back their cost and more. Its not just the handy variable temp ability, but the fact they also maintain a closer temp, thus avoiding fuel waste.

NT

[Bob Eager]

But, in fairness, the cover is also for the H/W cylinder, pump, 3 way valve, piping, stats, programmer, and possibly the radiators...

[meow2222]

One would assume so, yes. Its also quite possible the cover doesnt even include the boiler. BG are known for this little trick. The OP will only find out when it breaks down.

NT

[Bob Eager]

They make a specific statement (every year) that boilers over seven years old are not covered.

Over the last three years, I've made a net profit on my contract!

[<me9]

OP says gas warm air system. Most were dry systems (and innefficient). BG were ineffective in maintaining the ones used round here when they were new. I doubt if they have improved. I would recommend putting the money in a tin under the mattress, and putting it towards a replacement system installed by anyone other than BG.

[Grumps]

Where do they say that? I've got a BG contract, and they mention every year that there are parts which are unobtainable (20 year old boiler). But they've still made repairs. I think I'm at the stage where I might be better saving my £150 per year, and calling out a repair man when necessary.

[Bob Eager]

Sorry, I meant for boiler replacement, not repair.

[Michael Mcneil]

It depends who wrote the contract and what your solicitor said about it before you signed. Does it cover all costs?

Because what it will come down to if you think one thing and the other party thinks another is a charitable benefit for solicitors.

No contract written by an interested party is going to very impartial, is it? They rely on their reputation to screw another few shillings out of you according to a recent Watchdog programme. Was that what your friend was talking about?