Buying a boiler online

Buying a boiler online – Plumbles Take on Things

Buying a boiler is a daunting and reasonable expense when it comes to home renovations.

Not only is there so much choice out there but we now have the wonderful thing that is the Internet that helps us understand what Boiler is best for me and my home.

Or has this given us so much information that is so hard to make those choices?

Years ago, you would invite around 3 to 5 people round to discuss options. Look at costs and help you understand what would work best for you.

With online buying being one of the biggest changes in recent times, with the likes of Amazon, Tesco, Argos making it so easy to find something you like and buying it online, delivered to your door.

So we should have expected that Buying a boiler online would soon be explored and boy has it.

Now we have sites that allow you to buy a boiler online, without the need for a surveyor, salesperson or visit…from ANYONE! Companies like Boxt, Heatable, iHeat, Warmzilla to name a few names known to us at Plumble.

A good thing?

Here’s our take on Buying a boiler online

Pros:

Quick Price – When buying a boiler online, most of these companies online and will list a few down below.  You can now enter a few quick details based on your home and the current situation the boiler finds itself in and hey presto, your “fixed” price is with you within one to 2 minutes, you can choose your chosen date and book in.

Range – Most of these online companies have deals in place with certain manufacturers and based on your answers will offer you a range of boilers that “should” serve your homes needs if the questions you have answered are accurate.

Convenient – If you Boiler breaks in the middle of the night and you know it’s been one of those jobs you’ve been putting off. And you need a replacement, some of the companies listed boast of next day installation. So rather than wait for someone to come round.  You can get your Quote book your job in and turn that around very quickly.

Price – It’s claimed that buying a boiler online, due to not having to need a sales person who would command a wage and commission for a solid boiler, it said that this cost-saving is passed on to the consumer and subsequently your boiler purchase will likely be cheaper online than if you were to have someone round to Quote independently.

Prices do vary but I would say on the whole you will probably save some money by purchasing your boiler online via some of these companies and if the installation goes perfectly well that is likely to be the price that you pay.

 

Cons:

Compatibility – is your new boiler that you have chosen the right boiler for you? Truth of the matter is, these questions are very generic and don’t take into account lifestyle, quirks of the system,

Issues you’ve may have experienced with your system, those things that really drive you mad that you just wish would go away. Are you making the right choice for you and your home.

Installer choice – Now I wasn’t sure whether to put this in the con section, I went with my gut, it’s in. Now most of these companies will find most of the work is when it’s cold. So it makes sense to these companies for the bulk part to have contracted labour as their primary source of Installation resource.

Vetting processes will vary amongst companies, but the likelihood is you will get an engineer in there very own sign written Van who is offered their services to these companies for a set fee and they will be carrying out the work on behalf of the company you have purchased your boiler from.

Terms and conditions – now all businesses online should have made available to their consumers their terms and conditions on the elements of work that they will be offering to customers, it’s always good practice to look through these and fully understand what could happen in the event information wasn’t given or issues arise.

As a lot of these companies due to the fact that you are giving the information will protect themselves with terms and conditions that will allow them to charge additional fees for work “unforeseen”

Just a number – a lot of these companies on the face of it seem relatively faceless and you are very much buying into their brand, there’s a good chance you won’t know the owner, see the engineer again, speak to the same person twice, and once the job is complete, that may will be the end of your relationship.

 

Our Summary

To summarise, I personally believe there is a place for online quotations, for boilers that are already condensing and have a track record of delivering a good performance for both heating and or hot water.

If you’ve had no complaints over the past 10 to 15 years, then there is every chance buying a direct replacement is the right thing to do and why would you need someone round to tell you that. Buying a boiler online is the right fit for you.

However, if there are issues with your system, if your boiler has died young (someone can hopefully explain why).  You want to make improvements or you just want to get things right this time, then our preferred method of survey is a visited one.

Where we can check things like water pressure, understand lifestyle, check potential disruption to your home and inform you of this prior to work taking place and measure things!!!

Not only that but you get a real feel of the company that will be in your home leaving you something that will hopefully serve you for years to come.

Thanks for taking the time to visit and read our blog. We hope you found it useful.