[Help] Swale Heating Boiler Cover

[Uh_huh_him]

I have a boiler cover/service agreement with Swale Heating.

Two weeks after my last service the boiler has stopped producing Hot water.
Checked the boiler and the pressure was down to 0 and the programming unit was blank.

Booked a repair for yesterday, received an automated response, and expected them to contact me when they were on their way.

Heard nothing.
Tried to contact them but have had no response via email, phone, whatsapp, online portal etc.
Spent an hour and a half in a queue trying to talk to someone. It was only when i got down to 2nd in the queue for 30 minutes, that I realised, no-one was answering and i had oly been moving up the queue as the others had also realised this or given up.

Read a few things online of similar experiences.

Was concerned that they may have gone bust, but then read they had been taken over by SureServe last year.
So presumably they are still agoing concern, just probably being absorbed into a bigger company and all that entails...

Any suggestions on what I should do next?

Just cancel the agreement and fork out for someone to come out and fix it, seems the most likely outcome.
But that's going to be irritating having paid for the service agreement for the last 6 years.

If anyone knows someone who works for them and can have a word... that would be great..

cheers all

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

NSC seems to have turned into Plumbsnet

 

[Uh_huh_him]

After 3 call outs and 10 days without hot water, I have been informed the issue is due to a scale build-up in the front plate on the hot-water exchange.
Arranged a separate booking to replace the part.

Despite paying £20 for, what I assumed was full cover. I'm going to be charged £274 to replace it.
Apparently Scale damage invalidates the cost of replacement parts.

What a racket.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I have a boiler cover/service agreement with Swale Heating.

Two weeks after my last service the boiler has stopped producing Hot water.
Checked the boiler and the pressure was down to 0 and the programming unit was blank.

Booked a repair for yesterday, received an automated response, and expected them to contact me when they were on their way.

Heard nothing.
Tried to contact them but have had no response via email, phone, whatsapp, online portal etc.
Spent an hour and a half in a queue trying to talk to someone. It was only when i got down to 2nd in the queue for 30 minutes, that I realised, no-one was answering and i had oly been moving up the queue as the others had also realised this or given up.

Read a few things online of similar experiences.

Was concerned that they may have gone bust, but then read they had been taken over by SureServe last year.
So presumably they are still agoing concern, just probably being absorbed into a bigger company and all that entails...

Any suggestions on what I should do next?

Just cancel the agreement and fork out for someone to come out and fix it, seems the most likely outcome.
But that's going to be irritating having paid for the service agreement for the last 6 years.

If anyone knows someone who works for them and can have a word... that would be great..

cheers all

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

After 3 call outs and 10 days without hot water, I have been informed the issue is due to a scale build-up in the front plate on the hot-water exchange.
Arranged a separate booking to replace the part.

Despite paying £20 for, what I assumed was full cover. I'm going to be charged £274 to replace it.
Apparently Scale damage invalidates the cost of replacement parts.

What a racket.

Have you got a filter or a scale reducer on your system? I know having them fitted can lengthen your warranty, so I guess not having them can have a negative impact.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Have you got a filter or a scale reducer on your system? I know having them fitted can lengthen your warranty, so I guess not having them can have a negative impact.

Yes I have one fitted.
The boiler is serviced once a year.
It's getting on a bit now (12 years)

Just annoying that I could have saved myself £120 a year and just had the annual service.
Should have read the t&cs of course.

 

[HeaviestTed]

It’s all a bit of a con, find someone local to service it who you trust and is reliable who you can call in an emergency

 

[Tubby Mondays]

Swale is in Kent.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Swale is in Kent.

He used to own Man City.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I have a boiler cover/service agreement with Swale Heating.

Two weeks after my last service the boiler has stopped producing Hot water.
Checked the boiler and the pressure was down to 0 and the programming unit was blank.

Booked a repair for yesterday, received an automated response, and expected them to contact me when they were on their way.

Heard nothing.
Tried to contact them but have had no response via email, phone, whatsapp, online portal etc.
Spent an hour and a half in a queue trying to talk to someone. It was only when i got down to 2nd in the queue for 30 minutes, that I realised, no-one was answering and i had oly been moving up the queue as the others had also realised this or given up.

Read a few things online of similar experiences.

Was concerned that they may have gone bust, but then read they had been taken over by SureServe last year.
So presumably they are still agoing concern, just probably being absorbed into a bigger company and all that entails...

Any suggestions on what I should do next?

Just cancel the agreement and fork out for someone to come out and fix it, seems the most likely outcome.
But that's going to be irritating having paid for the service agreement for the last 6 years.

If anyone knows someone who works for them and can have a word... that would be great..

cheers all

I’ve had similar crap service from Swale …and this month will be cancelling the contract with them as soon as I find someone local who can be relied upon to service the boiler and if necessary deal with a breakdown ….did you keep your contract?

 

[Justice]

Please stop getting sucked into these contracts. Use your local company these large companies want to upsell and make up jobs British Gas are renound for this.
They often don’t have enough engineers and occasionally I get calls asking if I will cover jobs. I always refuse as I think it will be a pain to get paid all they want is the customer off their back.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Please stop getting sucked into these contracts. Use your local company these large companies want to upsell and make up jobs British Gas are renound for this.
They often don’t have enough engineers and occasionally I get calls asking if I will cover jobs. I always refuse as I think it will be a pain to get paid all they want is the customer off their back.

I wouldn’t call it upselling as such.
We offer advice:
Central heating problems caused by sludge for example would be fixed first visit and customer advised that further problems caused by sludge would not be covered unless a filter was fitted.
On an electrical repair, we would make recommendations around consumer units.
We may also advise on more economical ways to control the heating etc.

Fair dos, most of the energy or efficiency advice we provide will cost money, but it is just that: advice rather than upselling

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Have you got a filter or a scale reducer on your system? I know having them fitted can lengthen your warranty, so I guess not having them can have a negative impact.

I have a "magna filter" on the system, which I assume is doing that job.