SOT: British Gas query

[Scott]

I thought all utilities had a duty to communicate in clear language, but maybe I am missing something here? A friend has a new boiler with a five-year warranty. He has received a letter where page 4 states:

5 year warranty £0.00 Plumbing and drains cover £61.05 Home electrical cover £42.12 Other charges - amount paid for previous products removed from agreement £264.67 Total yearly price £367.84

I cannot see what the £264.67 is and why it is added and not subtracted from the customer no longer owns the previous boiler. I am assuming the plumbing and drains cover (£61.05) and home electrical cover (£42.12) are optional extras, which he does not want as he knows plumbers and electricians. Any insights would be welcome.

[Theo]

That's not a utility, that's British Gas flogging boilers and service contracts. It's likely a different subsidiary and not covered by regulations for utilities.

It's hard to understand the exact charges without the context, but this sounds like they're trying to upselling him on an annual service+insurance contract, at a ridiculous price.

The warranty shouldn't require any extra payment, although it may require annual servicing - check the small print. I'm not sure whether they are legally allowed to force you to buy the servicing from them, or whether another appropriately trained person can do it to maintain the warranty.

Theo

[alan_m]

It looks as if your friend has not got the manufactures boiler warranty but has been mis-sold an expensive maintenance contract that the utility companies are so keen to push because they get so much in commission.

[jim.gm4dhj]

and drains seldom need fixing

[Colin Bignell]

Mine have needed to be cleared twice in the past five years, once due to roots invading the pipes and once because somebody put Kleenex tissues down the pan, which lodged at a bend and blocked the pipe.

[Robin]

Need to see those figures in the context of the rest of the letter (Homecare contract?) -and preferably also the previous one. But cd be they contracted for cover for a year which included the old boiler and has to pay for that for the rest of the contract period even though the new boiler needs no cover.

[Scott]

I appreciate that but I didn't want to post the bill for GDPR reasons as it is not mine.

I think the servicing is free in year 1. I cannot imagine what 'amount paid for previous products removed from agreement' is supposed to mean in the context of a replacement boiler.

[Scott]

??? But it says the cost of the warranty is £0.00 so what is it they are purporting to have sold?

[Scott]

£264 seems a lot for a part year. Far from paying for the rest of the contract, he also says he received a refund for the unused portion.

[alan_m]

Many boiler manufacturers are offering a 10 year warranty for 'free'. The gotcha is that it has to be serviced once a year by an approved installer/technician.

I assume what has been sold is the maintenance contract including the servicing once a year and some insurance for faults that are possibly already covered by a manufacturers warranty. The insurance probably covers problems with drains etc. and possibly problems with the plumbing and CH.

I've just had my boiler checked/serviced for £90. This job took approx

45 minutes and each part of the manufactures check list were performed and ticked off. The magnetic filter was also flushed.

The last BG boiler service that my mother had took all of 10 minutes! She then changed to a local company for boiler service, which was around half the price of a BG contract.

[Scott]

Thanks, but:

1. Are British Gas warranties sold as a single payment for 5 years? I thought payments were annual.
2. How can a maintenance contract be described as an 'amount paid for previous products removed from agreement'? This is neither a comprehensible description of the service offered, a form of wording that would meet any concept of plain English, or mathematically logical as removals are conventionally preceded by a minus sign.