Sales After getting a quote from British Gas for a new boiler, and being generally unimpressed with the pushy salesman and price (~£4000), we tried Nothern Gas Heating, who quoted ~£2500. The salesman was polite and not pushy. When we said we only wanted a quote to see how much we would need to save, he asked when they could contact us again, we said next summer, and we heard nothing from them until then. When they did phone, they were obviously keen for our business, so we were offered an option of 12 months interest free, after which we could pay off the balance in full, or pay back the money over a set period (with interest). We took them up on that, though we had to pay a deposit.
Installation They sent round an engineer before the installation date, to plan the installation, after which a few hundred pounds was added to the quote, but we argued that one thing they were offering wasn't necessary and that we wouldn't pay any more than we had been quoted so they agreed not to up the price. The installations guys turned up two weeks later. They said it would take 2 days, but it actually took three as they spent the third day checking every single power socket in the house in order to issue an electrical certificate. The guys were polite, hard working, and tidy. They told us when they would be arriving (usually about 10am as they had a 2hr drive up from Wolverhampton) and stayed until after 5pm each day. As they had to decide the best way to route the new pipework, they checked everything with us first before drilling holes etc. They removed the old tank and immersion heater, bricked up a hole in the wall where the old flue had been, replaced a radiator (at additional cost), and even turned two radiators round that had been fitted incorrectly a few years ago and so weren't working properly. Overall there was minimal disruption to the house, other than them having to turn the water off for a while, which was good as one day I was looking after my 8 month old baby at home. Everything seemed to go very smoothly, and we were impressed. We even got a 5 year warranty included, providing it is serviced annually.
After Sales Service Unfortunately the boiler broke last Friday at only 3 months old. Luckily it came up with an error message, saying it was a component fault (the fan). I rang Northern Gas as it was under warranty, and again were impressed with their service. They said it should be sorted within 24hrs. They then contacted the manufacturer, who rang me to arrange a visit. The manufacturer said they couldn't get anyone out until Monday, which was quite frustrating as I was home alone with the baby and the house was cold. I phoned Northern Gas Heating again, asking if there was anything their service people could do instead. They said 'you shouldn't have to wait until Monday' and promptly phoned the manufacturer and convinced them to come out the next day, much to my relief.
Summary I have been impressed with the sales, installations and after sales service aspect of Northern Gas Heating. They don't just seem interested in getting hold of your money. I know it doesn't look good that the boiler failed after 3 months, but that was an inherent component failure, and nothing to do with Northern Gas Heating
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Knowledgable sales staff, good back up service, reliable, hard working installers, Professional, long guarantees Disadvantages: None I can think of.
Advantages: Good heating system, Good salesman, Mixer shower now power shower Disadvantages: Lack of communication and also very poor communication, installers didn't care, without heating and hot water and damage to property
Advantages: Knowledgable sales staff, good back up service, reliable, hard working installers, Professional, long guarantees Disadvantages: None I can think of.
Oct 6th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
