Should I take a boiler repair contract?
Should I take a boiler repair contract?
If you are considering a central heating boiler maintenance and repair policy you now have the option of many suppliers. Whilst a heating boiler service is often an optional extra these contracts give you security against unannounced breakdowns for a small monthly or annual charge. Regrettably with choice comes complexity and there are a wide range of options available at differing price layers. It looks like a mystifying picture at the beginning, but fundamentally they all operate the same way.
gas boiler repair and repairs
We are not speaking of an annual gas boiler service here rather emergency assistance for unexpected breakdowns - this gives you access to a trained heating plumber to quickly call and fix your unforeseen boiler breakdown - expect to see diverse service level options available with this type of contract. The service company will want to keep your custom and may offer a no claims bonus off the cost of future years gas fired boiler contracts.
Check whether your policy incorporates a no callout charge as these can be expensive - in the event of a boiler emergency you could find yourself paying up far more than the cost of an annual service just to get a plumber or engineer to your house, so this is a great advantage, particularly if your system is starting to have issues. The plans typically also cover the cost of a central heating boiler breakdown and parts and labour so you do not have anything additional to pay. You’ll pay a reasonable amount more than you would for a simple central heating boiler service with local small heating engineer but this type of heating boiler service contract is essentially a central heating boiler insurance policy and may make sense if you fear surprise bills or have any worries about your central heating system.
Including an annual heating boiler service
If you choose to take out a central heating boiler service option or a separate boiler service contract you will get a 12 month service in all likelihood at the same annual rate or even cheaper than the organisations typical ad-hoc charge. There are advantages of having the same company providing emergency protection and servicing your boiler. Most organisations providing the annual service will remind you that it is now due long in advance of the end date so that the service can be scheduled at the time that is convenient to you. Sometimes diagnostics are used to check that the gas fired boiler is running well, on different occasions some servive prividers will dismantle the central heating boiler as part of the service.
Are there advantages in having a gas fired boiler service contract?
You need a crystal ball to answer this as it will depend upon your boiler breakdown experience. Typically a boiler service contract pays for itself on the first failure. One breakdown will recover your expenditure. If you do not know of a good local plumber can call quickly when you need you should investigate any gas boiler maintenance contract. Of course you do not need to take out any heating boiler repair contract if you have a good friend who is an experienced plumber.