British Gas Boiler Cover

[orfoster]

Hi everyone,
I'm just looking for some advice in relation to my boiler cover. I had an issue a few days ago and the next day had an engineer out who ordered spare parts for the boiler, the next day another engineer came to fix and realised on taking more of the boiler apart that he said that the whole inside had melted, so many different components had melted and the flue rubber seals had melted.

He attempted to repair it but it didn't work, the boiler was beyond repair.

However, the policy states that if it caught fire that it would be repaired for free. There is nowhere in the policy terms that defines what a fire is but given so much of the boiler melted inside and had burnt.

Does anyone know the answer at all?

[echat11]

I think you need to make your case to BG. As you point out they haven't defined what they mean by 'fire', a fire might have caused the internal parts to melt. Also by trying to fix the unfixable BG might be trying swerve away from 'fire' stated in their Terms and Conditions.

It might be an idea to see if you can get a free quote from a local tradesperson who can establish cause of the melted parts and whether fire could be the cause. Engineers are trained to deflect away from direct costs to the company, even though you have 'breakdown' cover.

[orfoster]

Good evening,

British Gas have offered £750 in full and final settlement, despite us stating that we do not want the payment they're sending the cheque anyway - I assume by cashing the cheque we are accepting that in full? Or do we cash the cheque and then claim for the lesser amount?

Thank you for your email on 8 February, to our Managing Director Catherine O’Kelly, in relation to the level of service from British Gas Services Limited. I was sorry you had reason to complain and for the inconvenience caused.
Your Complaint
I understand that you were dissatisfied with the service provided when your boiler broke down. Despite multiple repair visits and installation of replacement parts, the boiler remained non-functional. Additionally, you were unhappy about being charged a £120.00 policy excess.
As a resolution, you have requested £3000.00 in compensation for the cost of the replacement boiler.
My Investigation
Following a thorough investigation into the events leading to your complaint, I’ve outlined the key details:
On Saturday 28 September 2024, an Annual Service Visit was completed on your boiler with all checks reported as satisfactory. A subsequent Annual Service was carried out on Monday 22 January 2025.
On Sunday 4 February, you noticed your boiler had broken down and promptly booked a repair visit for Monday 5 February.
The first repair attempt took place on Monday 5 February, where our engineer Gareth identified multiple errors and ordered necessary parts including a PCB and pump. The following day, our engineer Sean returned to install the new parts and discovered more extensive damage, noting melted components and a flue sensor fault. He ordered additional parts including a new heat exchanger, ignitor unit, harnesses, flue stat, drip tray, and gaskets.
On Thursday 7 February, Sean returned and replaced the parts that were ordered but despite these efforts, the boiler continued to fail and was deemed unsafe.
You then emailed our Executive Office on Thursday 8 February to complain about the ongoing boiler issues and request a refund or replacement. My colleague James attempted to contact you by phone on Monday 10 February, Wednesday 12 February, and Monday 17 February, leaving voicemails each time. He also sent you emails on these dates to try and discuss the matter further.
On Tuesday 11 February, you informed us via email that you were not happy for a revisit and had ordered a new boiler. In response, my colleague James highlighted the need for further investigation. After consulting with our Customer Delivery Manager Ron Jarman, he conveyed that Ron had spoken with you and clarified that the damage was caused by failed seals within the boiler, rather than a fire. This was the reason for proposing a follow-up visit, which you declined.
Ron explained that engineer Sean had visited to replace the PCB but identified multiple faults in the boiler. These included distorted seals, a split burner door gasket, and damage to components such as the heat engine, spark generator, flue seals, drip tray, and wiring harness. Sean addressed the issue by replacing the damaged parts. However, while emission readings remained elevated, the gas rate and inlet pressure were satisfactory. Sean suspected further problems with the gas valve or flue, but the vertical flue was beyond the scope of service. Consequently, you agreed that replacing the boiler would be the best course of action. A planned follow-up to resolve the issues was later cancelled, and ultimately, you chose to purchase a new boiler from a third-party supplier.
On Monday 17 February, you emailed us about a family emergency and reiterated that you had ordered a new boiler. Despite our continued attempts to contact you, including calls on Monday 4 March, Monday 10 March.
I took over the complaint from James on Friday 14 March, I attempted to contact you by email and telephone, but I was unable to reach you.
On Wednesday 19 March, you responded and advised that you were seeking legal advice. I explained that under our HomeCare Terms and Conditions page 11, a boiler replacement is provided under the following circumstances:
• The boiler is less than seven years old, or
• The boiler is between seven and ten years old, was installed by us, and has been continuously covered under either a warranty or a HomeCare product, or
• The boiler has caught fire or exploded, provided we were given access to perform the annual service within each agreement period.
I can confirm the boiler in question overheated but did not catch fire. Additionally, we were not given the opportunity to revisit and carry out further repairs before you proceeded with the replacement. I also noted that you have been refunded the £60.00 excess.
Our Technical Support Team reviewed photos of the melted parts and confirmed the damage resulted from overheating, not a fire. They noted that a true fire would have caused extensive damage to the entire boiler.
On Thursday 27 March, you disputed our position and addressed the assertion that British Gas were not given the opportunity to re-visit to undertake further repairs. You made this point clear that as replacement boiler had been ordered by this point.
While I understand your decision to purchase a new boiler was influenced by the advice of our attending engineer, we had agreed to send another engineer to determine if the issue could be resolved by replacing the necessary parts. However, you declined this follow-up visit. Had the appointment gone ahead, it’s possible we could have resolved the boiler issues, avoiding the need for replacement at this stage.
After reviewing the photographs of the melted parts with our Technical Support Team, they advised that significant damage would have occurred if the boiler had caught fire, and would not have just melted the parts but also fire damage would have been visible. I offered you £750.00 compensation in acknowledgment of the service shortcomings.
On 15 April, you rejected our compensation offer of £750.00 and requested £3,000.00 to cover the cost of the new boiler. You also provided a third-party installer’s report indicating the boiler was beyond repair due to a small fire.
As we have not been able to reach a mutual outcome on your complaint, I passed your concerns to my Senior Customer Manager for further review.

My conclusion:
I’m sorry this wasn’t the outcome you were expecting and as you were unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, I’ve reviewed your complaint with our Senior Customer Manager. Following further review, the outcome is supported and remains unchanged.
As your case has been reviewed in accordance with our escalation and arbitration process. I have organised a cheque of £750.00 to be sent to you, and it would be your choice to cash this or not. This will be received within 21 working days, and I can confirm this is our final position and I have now closed your complaint.
I understand this situation has been frustrating for you, Mr XXX. While we have been unable to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution, I want to assure you that we have taken your concerns seriously and conducted a thorough investigation.
I would like to assure you that British Gas is absolutely committed to delivering excellent service for all our customers. Whilst for the vast majority of our customers we do deliver great service, there are a few occasions when things go wrong. We always welcome feedback from our customers as it allows us to be aware of any problems that need fixing
A reminder of your rights
You have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge, but you must do so within six months of the date of this email. If you don't refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman won't have our permission to consider your complaint and will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances.

We have a letter from the replacement installer who confirms that there had been a small fire within the boiler that he replaced. In addition we know full well that Sean told us on 6 February that there had been a fire in the boiler but he said he could fix by replacing extensive parts, he fitted them on 7 February but said he couldn't get it right so that it was beyond repair, noting that it was in my sons bedroom that he recommended we got a new boiler.

Due to the weather and the fact that my partner was miscarrying during this period we ordered a new boiler on the evening of the 7 February for it being fitted on 11 February via BOXT this was because they'd told us it was beyond repair. It was the next day I realised that the policy should have applied here and British Gas should have replaced the boiler.

They did call me on 10 Feb I believe offering to come and repair it again (not replace), I disputed this with them and said their engineer had written off the boiler aside from the fact it had had a small fire.

Anyway, I see the breach being that it caught fire, and they should have replaced, this whole thing about repairing it after doesn't apply because the policy is such that it should have been replaced.

Does this make sense?

Apologies for the long post...

[echat11]

It might take sometime but you could make a complaint to the FOS, remember the FOS is 'flaky', no 'Rhyme or Reason' for their decisions at times.
It sounds like British Gas has just doubled down on their decision as expected. Put the cheque aside, write a letter to British Gas stating that you are not satisfied with their resolution to your complaint and will make a complaint to the FOS, give reasons for your decision. It actually costs British Gas, when the FOS investigates your complaint.

You need to combat the following, i.e. you lost total confidence because the British Gas engineer said this, said that etc. Why recommend a new boiler if one wasn't needed etc.

'While I understand your decision to purchase a new boiler was influenced by the advice of our attending engineer, we had agreed to send another engineer to determine if the issue could be resolved by replacing the necessary parts. However, you declined this follow-up visit. Had the appointment gone ahead, it’s possible we could have resolved the boiler issues, avoiding the need for replacement at this stage.'