just had my renewal in (home care 200) and it's went up from £310pa to £380pa !! (to £31 a month) and I've not had any claims?

looks like I'll need to look elsewhere for cover.

any comments, recommendations appreciated.

Iain

call them! might be some movement Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Iain,

Call them and say that you will move to Homeserve or similar.

You should get an offer around last years price or maybe a little less.

That happened to me at my last renewal.

Good luck

Tom

I've always considered them as a cash converter, they collect your cash and turn them into huge profits, modern boilers are pretty reliable with a mean time between failures of about 4 years, so in your case that's £1520 assuming no more increases, a 32Kw gas combi condensing boiler of average standard ( i,e the ones BG fit) is about £1000, so you have £500 left over to have one fitted, if you pick like for like then a new boiler will take an hour to fit, in 24 hours the average time to wait for a new boiler ( you ain't going to get one fitted quicker despite what they say. Put your money in an account, if it dies this year then use plastic, it will still be cheaper.
I fitted a new boiler in 2005 and have spent the princely sum of £200 in spares, had it not been for a Christmas Day failure and the internet shops being closed it would only have been £120. The only bit you are not allowed to touch is the gas, anything else you can change or your mate if you are a bit DIY. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

I used to be with BG and on the one occasion I called them out they refused to do anything saying my (then) hot water cylinder was not covered and the problem was down to wear and tear! I had to pay privately to get the work done and then claimed the full costs and expenses back from BG. I wasn't out of pocket but it did not help the old stress levels. I switched immediately after I was paid and have not had anything to do with them since.

I'm with Dartman on the approach to take In addition to what he advises troubleshooting is helped by the internet and also the installation and maintenance manuals for the boiler - most are modular and spares are easy to source. Admittedly other parts of the system can be problematic such as pipes, rads and valves but once again a competent DIY'er can cope with those.

Why feed the greedy suppliers any more than you have too? No Longer the owner of a 2013MY Fuji White GS

"Fiat Lux" a philosophy not a car

BG (British gas) use their reputation as a tool for recruiting and keeping customers.
There are other choices.
I would not encourage anyone to attempt a D.I.Y repair to their boiler, and anything that involves removing the cover is regarded as gas work.
Modern boilers are very reliable and are regarded as white goods with a trouble free life of about 7 years (unlike the ideal standard boiler many people have replaced that was fitted in 1970's)
Most manufacturers offer at least a 5 year warranty, some up to 7 years (on condition it is serviced each year)
Manufacturers engineers will usually attend a fault the same day if you call before 9am.
At some stage BG will stop covering your Heating system and give you a quote to update.
At busy time BG will not attend for some days (Christmas, and very cold spells)
I would save my money, update the system (when needed) and use the manufacturers warranty.

Joe Fix it until it's broke !

I had the same trouble with BG Homecare. They say that you can re-join as a new customer after 3 months but I went back online the day after my policy ran out and got a deal with a £50 voucher.

They did mess up my order though putting it through with an excess ( when I didnt want one ) and claimed I wasnt owed the voucher as I hadnt been left for 3 months, so I just pointed out that they were idiots and should cancel the whole thing if they couldnt get it right.

I had the voucher within 2 days after that.

thanks Guys, I'll investigate the options suggested.

Iain

The cover that should not be removed is the one for the combustion chamber not the external dust and dirt covers. There are actually no guarantees that the fitter that arrives has a Gas Safe qualification, they are individual and not a business registered, beware of any van with the Gas Safe number on the van always ask to see the registration ID of the fitter it has a photograph otherwise you may as well DIY and you may be better than him, even if he is registered you still may be better
PS I wouldn't trust any Gas Safe fitter to fault find or change a electronic PCB they are gas fitters not electronic or fully trained boiler technicians who have completed a maintenance course. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Dartman, Unsure where you are getting your information from, and I realise Gas regs differ in Scotland.
Any work on a gas appliance or gas fitting should be carried out by a competent person (explanation of competency for working on gas can be found on H.S.E website or H.S.E literature)
If you or your mate (who is handy at D.I.Y) choose to work on your own gas boiler and it does not injure anyone or damage anything then you have saved yourself a few bob and hopefully no one will ever discover.
You must realise that on a modern gas appliance there are so many safety interlocks and it is very simple to bypass 1 or 2 to get your heating working and not understand the consequences.

I would not put my children, my neighbours or property at risk to save money.
All gas safe engineers carry an ID card with photo and type of gas work they are competent to carry out with expiry date.
You may call gas safe or check the web site to confirm the gas operative is exactly who they claim.
Gas safe domestic appliance module includes part P which confirms competency to connect and disconnect electrical parts within a boiler.
I do not want to contribute to an argument but can not keep quiet while you advise the OP something that is dangerous and against the law!

Regards
Joe Fix it until it's broke !

I did not advise the OP to do any work on the gas side of the boiler, I did advise him to ensure the gas fitter is registered and is who he says he is, the regulations in Scotland are no different to the rest of the UK however there have been quite a few cases of companies operating on just one registered number, certainly under the old CORGI system, hence the statement unless you ensure they are the registered fitter you may as well do it yourself.
Regarding the electrical side, competency to connect electrical parts is not the same as diagnosing the defect and changing the PCB. I am a competent person both in flammable and inert gasses and also in electrical systems, I am also trained in diagnosing PCB defects and repairing to component level, what I don't have is the certification to certify it is safe for official use, in other words I can't tick boxes on an official form. That doesn't mean it isn't safe, I didn't complete the most expensive and comprehensive apprenticeship in the world and use that training for 40+ years to blow up my house or my neighbours  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

I just need to confirm you fully understand that an unregistered person (not gas safe registered) installing a gas appliance, working on a gas appliance or gas fitting is both dangerous and illegal.

You would have to be an idiot to allow anyone who turns up in a van to enter your home without checking who they are? I would always check it takes 2 mins on phone or website (they make it easy)

Gas fitters working on modern combi's why would they repair a P.C.B? They will replace it with a guaranteed part.
There is no profit in returning to a call back boiler fault.
Also Modifying a component used in control of gas or flue products is dangerous this would include repairing a PCB (only manufacturers can offer this service)
You say working on anything else inside a boiler other than gas is ok, are you meaning the flue and it's components?
Fluing faults kill more people than gas explosions.
Gas regs differ slightly in Scotland look at compulsary use of CO detectors in certain domestic premises.
I hope you are putting your expensive and comprehensive apprenticeship to some good use and not just advising people on gas safety.

Joe Fix it until it's broke !

thanks again guys,

a bit of a minefield out there !! and one of the reasons I have stuck with British Gas for so long.

Iain

Joe, I really am not sure you actually know what you are on about, replacing a component on a PCB is not modifying it, modern boilers have balanced flues of very short lengths, should one need a conventional flue then a standard boiler is not an option without special order.
There are obviously idiots about, otherwise so many would not be giving away their bank details, it is no different with Gas Safe fitters, there are those about who can make their own ID and do, so easy with a PC and printer.
The main point is that I do know what I am doing, the question is do you really understand what is involved, by definition a fitter fits bits, they don't diagnose, similar to that new definition of technician in dealers, they can use the tools and change all the bits the diagnostics say could be the fault, some times if you allowed them to run riot plus labour a new boiler would be cheaper. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Dartman, I have been a member of the I.G.E.M for over 30 years, Whilst I am not going to list my qualifications or work/professional experience, I can assure you I know exactly what I am talking about.

I am not prepared to argue with someone who is talking out their arse about a subject in which they have little knowledge.
Balanced flues are not what you describe (your neighbours would themselves reading your post)
Imagine letting you loose with a soldering iron attempting to repair a P.C.B in a modern condensing power flued boiler
The industry mags offer a prize for the worst gas installation each month, perhaps you may send a pic of your latest efforts and win a tee shirt

You are obviously a guy who insists on the last word, and life is not long enough to entertain you.

Dartman You have made me smile

Joe

Apologies to OP the thread has gone way off. Fix it until it's broke !