... Well British Gas have solved this problem for me and I must say their Homecare cover is very good value for money and has more than paid for itself over the past two years. I have had problems with all three of the main things that run in the house, Central Heating, Plumbing and Electrics ... Read review
Advantages: Great Value Cover Disadvantages: None Yet
...don't have the money. Well British Gas have solved this problem for me and I must say their Homecare cover is very good value for money and has more than paid for itself over the past two years. I have had problems with all three of the main things that run in the house, Central Heating, Plumbing and Electrics and for a monthly payment of £25.99 a month I don't have to worry about paying out for any work should these develop problems. Below I will ... ...sewage pipe outside. After ringing British Gas to use my cover they sent someone out the same day but he was unable to locate the blockage so a camera was called out. It was found to be concrete debris god knows how it got down there but it was cleared at no cost and no excess to pay to me.
I found out from the man who carried out the work that it would have cost me over £800 had I not had the cover PHEW.
Electrics
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I am sure we all know how much it can cost if we have to call a plumber out or if we have a problem with the central heating it can run into £1000's of pounds and can have serious health implications if left unchecked because you don't have the money. Well British Gas have solved this problem for me and I must say their Homecare cover is very good value for money and has more than paid for itself over the past two years. I have had problems with all three of the main things that run in the house, Central Heating, Plumbing and Electrics and for a monthly payment of £25.99 a month I don't have to worry about paying out for any work should these develop problems. Below I will explain my experience of the main problems I have had over those two years I will only use an example for each but have called them out on many occasions and they have made a yearly visit to us to do a service included in the cost on the central heating and boiler.
Plumbing -------------
The plumbing cover is for all leaks and blockages and includes all materials used to repair the problem. We had a problem where our downstairs toilet had become blocked, I had tried clearing it but the blockage we later found out was in the sewage pipe outside. After ringing British Gas to use my cover they sent someone out the same day but he was unable to locate the blockage so a camera was called out. It was found to be concrete debris god knows how it got down there but it was cleared at no cost and no excess to pay to me. I found out from the man who carried out the work that it would have cost me over £800 had I not had the cover PHEW.
Electrics ------------
After a first visit to check all your electrics are safe they will cover you for all your wiring and sockets in the house as well as the fuse box. I had a problem where my fuse box kept cutting out and after a call to British Gas they sent someone out the next day to check it over. It turned out that a socket had gone faulty and they simply replaced the socket for me not a hugely expensive job but then electricians are not cheap nowadays and this saved me about £200.
Central Heating -----------------------
They will also after an initial check cover your boiler and central heating system which includes na yearly service on your boiler vital for preventing problems and any build up of carbon monoxide which can be deadly. Last winter our radiators stopped working and we called British Gas to see if we were covered and yes we were, the following day someone came around and checked it all out identifying the problem in minutes and replacing the pump that runs the system. This work alone as well as call out would have cost us in excess of £300 and that's erring on the lower end of a call out.
Appliances Cover -------------------------
Our house insurance covers all occurrences when it comes to appliances so we did not add this to the policy but for about £15 a month you can also cover all of your appliances for parts and labour, this if you don't already have cover and have appliances over a year old can be invaluable and save you an absolute fortunes especially with things such as washing machines and fridges.
Customer Service. --------------------------
I must say that British Gas customer service when it comes to Homecare is great you are answered on the phone within a couple of minutes at the most and call outs are very quick and relatively trouble free. The cover is extensive and you will be surprised at just how much is covered within a policy with no clauses that I have come across so far. They do a regular yearly service on your boiler to ensure safe running which in itself would set you back a good few quid should you get someone in to do it. I general check of all the house is carried out if you take out the full policy as I have for Plumbing, Central Heating and Electrics and if it is found that any are faulty they will not cover until it is put right which is fair enough. He people that have attended the call outs have always been quick, reliable and polite always seeming to identify the problem very quickly and professionally.
Website -----------
The Homecare website is really good and shows you exactly what is covered on each policy using very handy and detailed diagrams, you also have a huge wealth of information to help diagnose possible problems yourself and advice on energy saving and DIY. All this information is very easy to use find and if you have any further questions you have a FAQ section and an email service for further advice. A full contact list is also available on the site should you need to book a call out and all call outs are free of charge with no excess to be paid even if all is found to be well. If you sign up you can also get £250 off the cost of a new boiler and it will be fitted and supplied by British Gas giving you that extra peace of mind knowing that they have supplied and are responsible for it's maintenance.
Overall ----------
Overall British Gas Homecare is a very cheap and reliable service which will save you a fortune in the long run not to mention extending the life of your boiler through servicing. I have had no problems at all with the service and would recommend it to anyone who is not covered and worries about house repair costs when it comes to the above utilities. Their customer service is surprisingly good considering some of the stories I have heard and call out times are super quick with each call being treated as very important. I hope this review has been informative and if you have any further questions please feel free to comment and I will get back to you.
Advantages: Quick service - never had a problem Disadvantages: Pricey!
We've have a British Gas Homecare policy for a long time, initially just to cover our central heating system, we took this out some ten years ago in our first home, when we moved we move the policy with us. It covers any problems or repairs with your central heating system or boiler, there are different levels of cover - we always took out the 3 star service, you get an annual boiler check/service and then if you have a problem you call them and ... ...each occassion I have phoned British Gas Homecare, they send an engineer round, again it has always been next day, and fixed the problem - new pump, new switch, new circuit board etc., no cost all covered on the policy.
The plumbing cover is also as good, only used them once but service was very quick - it was contracted to Dynorod.
The downside.
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1) It is pricey, there is no denying this.
The good points
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...
hecticmum 26.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of British Gas Homecare
Advantages: NONE . . except numerous useless visits. Disadvantages: Waste of YOUR time & a waste of YOUR money
I've HAD IT with British Gas. I have had their homecare for boiler and radiator cover for 17 months and have had roughly around 13 visits from their engineers all of whom have said that there is no need for me to buy a new boiler but mine is just temperamental !! Having just had the last of 2 visits (all visits have required me to take time off work which they do not seem to care about) last week (Thursday & Friday) the boiler worked for a day and ... ...have explicitly explained to British Gas that my employers will not give me any further time off during work hours to resolve this problem to which I was PROMISED that someone from the planning department would call me to arrange an engineers visit between 6-10pm . . .surprise surprise NOBODY CALLED ! NO ENGINEER HAS COME. Now day 3 (of episode 14) I am still without heating or hot water. I am battling with British Gas to get someone to take this ...
Mella33 11.02.2009
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Review of British Gas Homecare
Advantages: Don't know - they've got the most engineers I suppose Disadvantages: There still aren't enough engineers to go around
...years ago.
We've had a British Gas HomeCare 200 agreement for 11 years, we took it over from the previous owners. I know they've missed at least one service but I don't pay that much attention really as long as the boiler is working. Anyway in the past year it's stopped working twice, and both times we've had to wait 3 days for an engineer to come round to fix it. (Currently still waiting, and freezing) When I rang up this time, on a Sunday afternoon, ... ...and then said that we're "eligible to upgrade" to another service, an extra £3 a month on top of the annual £236 we already pay, which would mean an engineer would come out same day if we ring before 10am, or next day otherwise. I declined, as it would have made no difference to the wait this time, and I was much too irritated by her cheek to consider it. Also I had thought we already had this level of cover but I guess they've added a new upper ...
holidaymaker 06.01.2009 (09.01.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of British Gas Homecare
Advantages: Emergency jobs get dealt with promptly Disadvantages: Even BG cannot cover every system
...ceiling, in desperation, I phoned British Gas and had an emergency Plumber sent, when at this stage I didnt even have an account with British Gas This visit was free and I did I subsequently signed up to the Homecare Package for peace of mind. However, on the 1st Service was advised the heating system is too antiquated (it is 1960's) and nop money should be spent trying to path it - just waiti until you need to and replace it entirely. Agreeing, ...
FullerCV 23.11.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of British Gas Homecare
...had none what so ever! British gas homecare is such a con! The customer service staff are terrible and using the system that they work with and do not give any information to the engineers or the customer who in my case had waited on 5 occasions and had no shows from engineers that i was told were coming out to my home! I am someone who works for a living i do not doss around at home so I REALLY HATE WAITING FOR IN ALL DAY FOR NO SHOW ENGINEERS!
...
mikeypro 29.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of British Gas Homecare
Competitiveness of APR
Comprehensiveness of ra...
Product package
Efficiency of service
Value for money
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Advantages: None that I can think of...oh..they have the word "British" in their name Disadvantages: Customer Service (lack of), Prices, Attitude...oh everything really
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In June 2001 BritishGas extended its electrical servicing business across Britain with the acquisition of National Homecare. BritishGas Services now provides cover for heating and kitchen appliances. *****
**** The Honest Truth ****
So, as you can see, BritishGas have got their mucky little fingers in lots of pies! BritishGas now compete with a whole host of other utilities providers some of whom are good and some are complete crap. Most, if not all, now offer dual fuel so you no longer have a separate Gas and Electric company. Many will even provide your phone service as well! As you may have read in the history bit, BritishGas now do electricity, telephones, plumbing and Kitchen Appliance cover. Is there no end to their talents?
In my opinion, the whole industry needs sorting out by Energy Watch, or whatever ...
eldergill 18.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of British Gas
Advantages: Might be useful one day Disadvantages: "Only part that's not covered"
This reveiw is regarding the homecare products that BritishGas offer.
I have had the full works, Plumbing, Heating, Electrical cover, etc for a number of years and had felt reassured in the event of an emergency.
Last year I had a leak on the heating system, caused by a faulty water softener. It was causing a flood that went through the floor into the flat below.
BritishGas were called and an engineer came out within two hours (as it involved water they sent out their plumbing contracters).
Unfortunately, they said that they could not fix the problem as it was part of the heating system!
BritishGas were called again and a heating engineer was sent out.
On inspection he came out with the usual cop out phrase "only part that's not covered" (my father heard the same thing from them although he had a different problem ...
HolyMoley 08.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of British Gas