Our annual boilers survey has revealed a surprising nugget: those who pay for boiler cover could be better off forgoing their contract and paying for repairs on an ad-hoc basis. Do you pay for boiler cover?
Almost half of gas and oil boilers will develop at least one fault that needs a repair within the first six years of its life. Of course, getting yourself a Which? Best Buy boiler is a good idea, and drops this to fewer than two in five.
Despite the likelihood that your boiler will eventually develop some faults, weâve found most people who own a boiler would be ÂŁ50+ a year better off without boiler cover.
We compared the cheapest servicing contract (ÂŁ183 per year), which includes an annual service, against the experiences of 5,322 Which? members who donât have cover. Instead, these members paid for repairs on an ad-hoc basis as well as a yearly boiler check-up. The great majority (93%) are still better off without boiler cover to the tune of ÂŁ50 or more.
My boiler servicing story
Iâve owned my combi gas boiler for just over three years now, having inherited it when I got the keys to my two-bed flat. Iâve never paid for boiler cover, but I have incurred some costly repairs. Hereâs my story (violins).
About two years ago I woke up on a bank holiday weekend with water leaking from somewhere within the casing of the boiler. Being a bank holiday it was difficult to get hold of a plumber, but eventually I found one who was willing to interrupt his weekend to come out and take a look. He diagnosed the problem as a couple of corroded washers and came back the following day to replace them. The cost of the parts that needed replacing – ÂŁ15. Total cost of call-out and repair on a bank holiday – ÂŁ261. Ouch.
As a result of that rude introduction to boiler maintenance, I now pay ÂŁ85 for a service each year to keep my boiler in good working order.
So in the three years I have owned my boiler, I calculate that it has cost me ÂŁ431 to maintain it. This is the first time Iâve added it up and that seems like a lot for three years – I keep my fingers crossed that I wonât need any more costly repairs going forward!
My experience tallies pretty well with the results of our survey â even though I had a pretty costly repair to shell out for in one year, one of the unlucky few; I would have had to pay at least ÂŁ549 over the last three years for even the cheapest boiler cover contract, so I am now more than ÂŁ100 up.
Iâll continue to pay for an annual service and then any repairs as they come up as, despite my bad experience, I donât see much value in a servicing contract at the moment. I might get scalded again with costly repairs, but for now it feels like an acceptable risk.
Your boiler servicing stories
So, how about you? I would love to hear about how much your boiler has cost you. Are you, like me, in the 93% who are better off without insurance? Or one of the unlucky 7% who have incurred very costly repairs?
Further, are we giving boiler cover too much of a hard time? It would be great to hear from those of you who have had great value from one of these contracts.
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