Boiler guarantees

Times are a little hard for boiler manufacturers at the moment.
There is a lack of new houses being built so their products are in less demand.

In the past manufacturers offered developers large discounts because of the volume of boilers they brought. They tended to leave the smaller companies out of the loop, leaving space for lesser manufacturers offering lower quality products to fight it out with each other for the rest. Extended warranties were unheard of except for developers.

Oh how times have changed! Now the big boys are scrambling over one another to sell their products to absolutely anybody. First they offered the ‘cash back scheme’. Installers would recommend their boilers, install them and after a week or two would claim back £50 or so from the manufacturer.

When all did the same, the next big thing was reward packages offering all sorts of gifts in return for the installers loyalty.

Then once the credit crunch started to hit the smaller companies too, many wanted something more than a days racing, £50 or whatever. What they wanted was an extended guarantee, something that could be the difference to persuading customers that they were the company to have their boiler changed with.

It went on, manufacturers started to offer 5 year guarantees. This was brilliant!! “But hang on, how about all that remedial work we might be losing out on in the future? ” they asked.

So that set the scene, companies would take the offer of a 5 year warranty from the manufacturers but would not pass it on to customers. If the boiler broke down, fantastic, not only would the customer pay for a repair to the unit, the installers would not have to even purchase the part but would be able to charge for it.
Easy money!!

Some manufacturers stated that the qualifying criteria for the warranty was that the heating system water needed to be tested independently by a water treatment company to prove that the ‘Powerflush’ that had been excessively charged for, had been successful.

This saw off many installers who would then decide that it was too much effort and opted out, taking a one or two year option instead.

So when your heating company offers you a two year guarantee ask why not a five year. If they offer you the 5 year option you can be confident that the system is clean and free from and protected against corrosion.

If you are paying the money, please ensure you get the FULL benefit.