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Which are the best boiler manufacturers?

26/03/2019

Jo Alsop

Heating Hero

The Heating Hub

There are lots of boiler brands in the UK, some bigger than others. But how much does brand matter?

 

Which boiler brands offer the best boiler and after sales care package?

The main boiler makes in the UK are: Worcester Bosch, Ideal, Vaillant, Baxi, Viessmann, Intergas, Ravenheat, Glow-Worm, Main, Potterton, Alpha, ATAG and Ferroli.

Selecting a boiler make is done on trust. We want to buy a good quality appliance that will last. We also want to know the manufacturer will be there for us in the years that follow and the call centre is open when we need them. We have undertaken our own research to review the warranty periods, call centre opening hours, call waiting times and engineer response times to see which boiler brands offer a great all round service.

Call centre opening hours

Most manufacturers detail their opening hours on their website. Where they were not available or not comprehensive, we phoned the call centre to confirm their opening times. It is good to see that most main stream boiler manufacturers open 364-365 days a year.! Hours vary slightly. Only Ferroli and Viessmann offer a much reduced call out service for their boilers, closing Sundays and most Bank Holidays.

Call centre
opening hours
Worcester Bosch Vaillant Glow Worm Ideal Potterton Baxi Ferroli Viessmann Main Ravenheat Intergas
Mon - Friday 7am–8pm 7.30am–7pm 7.30am–7pm 8am–6pm 8am–6pm 8am–6pm  8.30am–5pm | Friday 8.30am–3.45pm 8.30am–5pm  8am–6pm 8am–5pm 8am–5pm
Saturday 8am–5pm 8am–3pm 8am–3pm 8am–4pm 8.30am–2pm 8.30am–2pm Closed 9am–2pm 8.30am–2pm Closed 9am–12pm
Sunday &
bank holidays
9am – 12pm 8am – 12pm 8am – 12pm  8am – 12pm   8.30am – 2pm  8.30am – 2pm Closed 9am – 2pm 8.30am – 2pm Closed Closed
Call centre
closed
Christmas
day
Christmas
day
Christmas
day
Christmas day Never closed Never closed Closed on all bank holidays Closed on all bank holidays with the exception of Good Friday& Easter Monday Never closed Closed on all bank holidays Closed on all bank holidays
Call centre
location
Worcester Belper, Derbyshire Belper, Derbyshire Hull Warwick Warwick Burton on Trent Telford Warwick Morley, Leeds Kidderminster
Phone number 0330 123 9559 0345 602 2922 0345 602 2922 01482 498 660 0344 871 1560 0344 871 1545 0330 205 0005 01952 675 060 0344 871 1570 0113 252 7007 01527 888000

 

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Call centre and engineer response times test

How long will I wait for an engineer to attend my boiler during the manufacturer’s warranty period? It is an important question! It is great to get a free extended warranty or guarantee from the manufacturer, but how quickly can they respond when you need them?

Test conditions

On Monday 11th December 2017, a cold day with temperatures at around 2 degrees and snow fall in many parts of the country, we phoned each manufacturer to see how quickly and easily we got through to a person (phone calls took place between 2.30pm – 3.10pm). We phoned the customer service line and, where options were presented, selected the option to book an engineer call out for a boiler fault within manufacturer’s warranty or guarantee period. We also asked how long it would be before an engineer could attend.

Test results

All manufacturers performed very well. This was a busy day with many call staff struggling to get into work themselves through the snow. The longest anyone would have to wait for an engineer was four days, with most customers getting booked with 24-72 hours of calling in.

NB: Vaillant and Glow Worm are part of the same group. Potterton, Baxi and Main are also part of the same group. In both cases the manufacturers in that group share a call centre and team of engineers.

Call centre
opening hours
Worcester Bosch Vaillant Glow Worm Ideal Potterton Baxi Ferroli Viessmann Main
How quickly did we get through to a person? 12.07 mins 3.13 mins 3.13 mins 1.58 mins 10.21 mins 10.21 mins 5.51 mins 0,21 mins 10.21 mins
How many 'options' did we have to go through to get to the right person? No options – went straight through to booking. Two options to get through to book an engineer’s visit under guarantee (opt 2 and opt 4) Two options to get through to book an engineer’s visit under guarantee (opt 2 and 4) One option to get through to book an engineer’s visit under warranty (opt 1) Two options to get through to book an engineers’ visit under warranty (opt 1 then opt 2) Two options to get through to book an engineers’ visit under warranty (opt 1 then opt 2) Three options to get through to book an engineer’s visit under warranty (Opt 1, then Opt 1, then Opt 1) No options – straight through to booking. Two options to get through to book an engineers’ visit under warranty (opt 1 and opt 2)
How long before an engineer could attend? Wed - Thurs Wed - Thurs Wed - Thurs Tues - Thurs Thurs - Fri Thurs - Fri Wed - Thurs Tues - Wed Thurs - Fri

Boiler cover summary

The length of boiler cover and who attends are important factors in manufacturer selection. Most manufacturers offer standard warranties of 2-5 years that are commonly extended at no extra cost to 5-10 years if fitted by an accredited installer. If you do prefer a particular boiler manufacturer then you will get a longer period of boiler cover by using an accredited installer. Some manufacturers now offer Guarantees instead of Warranties.

Most manufacturers employ their engineer workforce however many rely on approved sub-contractors during busy periods. Most boilers are manufactured in the UK. The table below sets out which manufacturers offer warranties or guarantees and the length of cover.

Worcester Bosch Vaillant Glow Worm Ideal Potterton Baxi Ferroli Viessmann Main
Employed engineers Yes Yes but some subcontract for back up Yes but some subcontract for back up Yes but some subcontract for back up Yes but some subcontract for back up Yes but some subcontract for back up Not Known Yes Yes but some subcontract for back up
Warranty or Guarantee (Guarantees are more valuable) Guarantee Guarantee Warranty Warranty Warranty Warranty Warranty Warranty Warranty
Length of FREE cover with registration / fitted by registered installer 7 - 10 years. 7 - 10 years. 2 - 7 years. 5 - 10 years. 7 years. 3 – 10 years. 5 years. 5 - 10 years. 3 - 5 years.
Country of origin UK / some CDi models in Germany UK UK UK UK UK Italy Germany UK

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