Just found out my 5-year boiler warranty is void because I missed a 'required annual service' no one told me about... is this normal??
Posted by RAV957_YT@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 29 comments
My boiler broke down after 2.5 years. It's still under the 5-year warranty but the manufacturer refused the repair because I "didn't get the annual service" which I didn't even know was required. £420 out of pocket for a new pump.
Just learned the same thing applies to fridges, dishwashers, washing machines etc. Warranty is literally useless unless you do random maintenance and keep proof.
Did anyone else know this?
Lubz3@reddit
I feel your pain OP. You'd think dropping that with that much money spent on an appliance, you could rely on it to work properly without having to spend more money on it every year lest a fault develops.
Feels like daylight robbery. Kinda looking forward to gas being phased out. Boilers are a never ending money pit.
thescx@reddit
Had a new boiler fitted and the company couldn’t stress enough about servicing the boiler annually for the 10 year warranty to be valid.
It’s also in bold print in the user guides.
TheToolman04@reddit
British Gas can fuck right off! We needed a replacement boiler because in our old house, it was old as time itself. BG quoted us £4,200 or something near that number, straight swap out for a modern one with capacity to service our house.
Got a local plumber to quote, pretty much half the cost and they threw in a service after the first year for free. They also specced a slightly better boiler for the same capacity.
72dk72@reddit
A warranty means nothing, look up your consumer rights. Start at the momeysavingexpert website. However , every9ne should know that servicing a boiler is no different to servicing a car... What's has gone wrong with the boiler?
notouttolunch@reddit
Servicing a boiler is different to servicing a car.
72dk72@reddit
It's not , in that they both need servicing annually at least.
bucketofardvarks@reddit
Why would you NoOT spend £30 to get the thing most likely to explode and burn down your home checked each year? Without that even home and contents insurance are likely to ignore your claims
Koda614@reddit
An annual service and inspection is important for safety and longevity of boilers, and this is usually well communicated to you by the manufacturer, installer, and paperwork.
Yes, it's necessary to service in order to maintain an extended warranty beyond your first year.
I get mine done once per year. After 7 years I had a part go bad, and when claiming on the warranty they asked for proof of servicing for the last 2 years. As soon as they verified that they proceeded with the warranty claim without any hassle and had the part delivered the following day.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
Yes but the services cost money so you take that risk a little bit. Not the same for things like fridges, usually only have a year or two on them anyway.
EntirelyRandom1590@reddit
Normal on boilers. If it's any help you're only about £200 out of pocket having not paid for servicing.
Also note that house insurance might cover boiler replacement, but only if serviced. Wood burners need sweeping annually for insurance purposes. Most cars need annual servicing for warranty (tesla the exception with none, some have longer duration of 2 years).
You live, you learn.
mothsugar@reddit
Just checked my last 5 years of boiler service invoices, they total £582 inc VAT
OP's all good.
TeaBoy24@reddit
Yes.
It's common knowledge they have to have annual checks.
Home ownership 101.
Swimming_Possible_68@reddit
With boilers? Yes, absolutely normal.
I'm not aware of it for white goods though.
jimber_13@reddit
It’s not usually random maintenance it’s once a year. Standard on boilers. It’s not standard for normal white goods.
Jose_out@reddit
I'm pretty hopeless with this kind of stuff but even I know you have to service the boiler annually to keep it in warranty.
DaughterOfATiredMech@reddit
Pretty common on most serviceable things for warranty to be valid
PsyTek_@reddit
Boilers and cars, yes. Fridges, washing machines, and ovens? Not usually, no.
mechismo@reddit
I've never ever had a fridge, dish washer or washing machine serviced. It is not a requirement for any I've owned. My dishawasher was repaired under warranty after a few years no problem.
Boilers are important to service anually for safety and efficiency reasons and as others have said, it's written all over the documentation.
subbiedavie@reddit
Pretty common practice for a boiler and regardless of the warranty, it’s really important for safety reasons.
Whoever provided / installed it should have made this very clear tbh so you could ask them to prove that they informed you. Unfortunately, it’s very likely in the warranty T&Cs.
geeered@reddit
For most products, the warranty offers considerably less than your statuary consumer rights.
Unfortunately in your case the act specifies it to be what a "reasonable person" expects and it seems likely they could easily argue a reasonable person would expect a boiler to be serviced.
You really should have been made aware of this when it was installed - and I'm surprised the installer didn't so they could get the repeat business!
xxMegaBabexx@reddit
Boiler services are common knowledge. I'm sure the paperwork and installer would have mentioned this too.
mordac_the_preventer@reddit
Even ignoring the warranty, you should get your boiler checked every year.
mturner1993@reddit
Uh, yeah? Services are completely normal for boilers. Not for much else. They should have pointed out the service book when you got it.
Same as a car warranty is invalid if you don't service a car.
Kientha@reddit
All boilers should be serviced annually. It's an important part of both keeping them safe and working properly and a standard clause of all boiler warranties it's not "random maintenance"
Other white goods do not typically have a service requirement. My washing machine has never been serviced but I was able to get a PCB replaced under warranty several years after purchase. They will however have exclusions for issues caused by the customer rather than a fault in the equipment.
Tim-Sanchez@reddit
This is common knowledge for boilers and would have been clearly mentioned in the warranty agreement. It also applies to cars. I've never heard of it applying to other white goods though, I just checked and I have a 5 year warranty on my washing machine that doesn't require a service.
Lazy-Kaleidoscope179@reddit
Boilers and cars both need servicing annually.
Rough-Horror-2402@reddit
Yeah it’s frustrating but pretty common most warranties need annual servicing to stay valid always buried in the fine print unfortunately.
ApprehensiveTrust779@reddit
It’s pretty common knowledge on a boiler.
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