[Help] Homeserve - any good?

[jcdenton08]

Considering joining for £1 a month, 12 month contract. £30 call out excess - this is for plumbing. Any experiences with them from users here?

 

[medwayseagull reborn]

Their service is OK but they become expensive over a period of time if you call them out. Certainly won't stay anywhere near that price after your 12 months.

 

[jcdenton08]

Their service is OK but they become expensive over a period of time if you call them out. Certainly won't stay anywhere near that price after your 12 months.

Thanks, I thought for £1 a month it’s worth it then seeing what the renewal price is like.

 

[Justice]

Use local tradesman. They will do as little as possible on the call out and then give you a massive price for a permanent fix. They aren’t surviving on £12 a year from punters.
I know this from their customers calling me for a second opinion. A burnt out kitchen light fitting somehow became a full rewire for £12k plus vat I replaced and tested for £120 job done.

 

[ac gull]

we had a boiler service contract with them - serviced boiler one Friday in the winter - last job on a Friday

an hour later realised no heating - no one available to call back until middle of following week

turns out bloke servicing boiler had left gas turned off

five days with no heating

bloke who fixed said its about the 12th job I have been to like this - and blamed his useless colleague

 

[ac gull]

we use a local plumber now - more expensive - but does it right

 

[Mr Bridger]

I would say shit and avoid from my experience.
They cover the trace and access side of leak detection which I do, and been to a couple of follow jobs which they were supposed to complete, but couldn’t.
But like all trades, you have a good and bad.

 

[LockStock]

Like most of the others have said, use your local trades people. These big corporate companies try to screw everyone, local trades like myself and most of the staff on their books.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

We had a problem with the RCD tripping out. One time it was the ground floor light circuit, then the boiler switch, then the ground floor sockets. Homeserve were clueless. They ordered a new PCB for the boiler, so no heating for a week. Came to fit it and the RCD wasn’t tripped when turning the boiler switch on, so that was a waste of time. Then they said it must be a problem with a junction box in the kitchen ceiling void, so our first floor floorboard would need to be taken up by someone else so Homeserve could investigate. I’d had enough by now and the plumber we use recommended an electrician. He came round and identified the problem as a fault in an outside security light that was causing other circuits to trip the RCD. Homeserve were total shit and sent electricians who weren’t fit for purpose. They even admitted they didn’t provide an adequate service and refunded the excess payment that had to be made when calling them out.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

We've had British Gas for about 15 years - we had a year break when their annual renewal took the piss.
We have an "un-vented" plumbing system and very hard water so heating valves only last 2-3 years but get replaced "free" by BG engineers.
Plus, annual service, free call-out and repairs.
Happy, while prices remain at £25-ish pcm

 

[Hove Lagoonery]

plumber we use recommended an electrician. He came round and identified the problem as a fault in an outside security light that was causing other circuits to trip the RCD.

Are you saying this light didn't itself trip the RCD when it came on? Was it a damp issue?

 

[B-right-on]

Are you saying this light didn't itself trip the RCD when it came on? Was it a damp issue?

I think he means the security light was tripping the circuit/RCD. Can happen easily enough as they're open to the elements and water doesn't mix well with leccy.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Are you saying this light didn't itself trip the RCD when it came on? Was it a damp issue?

I believe so

 

[Geoffbn2]

I think if you want the reassurance of a just in case policy then it's ok, Like any insurance policy there are excesses and then it's pot luck as to who they use / send out to deal with your issue.
I would suggest you double check your home insurance as you may already have this covered to a certain extent.

 

[Hove Lagoonery]

I think he means the security light was tripping the circuit/RCD. Can happen easily enough as they're open to the elements and water doesn't mix well with leccy.

I thought he meant that turning on appliances on other circuits was doing the tripping, but that this light was somehow the root cause. Difficult to say though when he neither put a like on your post nor indicated which of my two questions was being answered!

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

I thought he meant that turning on appliances on other circuits was doing the tripping, but that this light was somehow the root cause. Difficult to say though when he neither put a like on your post nor indicated which of my two questions was being answered!

The electrician believed it was a water issue with the outside light, but he also put the ground floor light circuit on a separate RCD so only that would trip if it wasn’t the cause. Had no problems since. He did explain why the root cause could affect other circuits and trip the RCD, but lost me there.

 

[Rogero]

It started at £1 per month and next year £25 .

 

[WATFORD zero]

I tend to find the annual subscription to NSC is better value for finding good tradesmen. Don't call them over the weekend saying 'I've just been doing a bit of DIY and ......

They don't like that