Domestic and General

[jelunga]

Has anyone else decided that Domestic and General are a load of shysters?

In our rented out house we installed a new Beko double oven for our tenants. We took out an insurance with Dom and Gen to cover breakdown after the 1 yr makers warranty expired at £42 a year and it included accidental damage. Now at renewal tine they want £78 p. a. and have removed the accidental damage cover. Sharp practise I feel. I will not renew on principal.

Does anyone know of any other provider of appliance breakdown cover?.

[alan_fincher]

I believe it is fairly standard practice for people providing cover on "domestic" stuff to try to sell you a pretty expensive policy in the first place, but then hike the price massively once the original term is used up.

 

Every one I have ever seen, (on the rare occasions I have taken a cover in the first place), has been so ludicrously expensive, the renewal invitation has been immediately binned.

 

When my mum died, I found she was paying a ludicrous amount each year for cover on an elderly and very basic fridge freezer. Enough that she could have replaced it every couple of years for a new one, and been quids in.

 

These sharp practices are not confined to just appliance insurance. Because there is a known problem with the materials that were used for the domestic water supply to houses where we live, I reluctantly took out an insurance against problems for the supply on my site, knowing paying for a complete reinstallation could be prohibitively expensive.

 

The cost of this cover then doubled on renewal.

 

I could see no restriction on cancelling the policy, then immediately taking out another one from the same company at a "new customer" rate, being half my quoted renewal cost. (There was just a restriction on not being able to claim for first 10 days, I think?).

 

So I did that - and presumably if the same occurs next time, I'll do the same again.

 

It all relies on your inertia, and just accepting renewals at the hiked cost. No doubt they make far more out of people prepared to pay the massively inflated costs than they do out of initial policies sold very much less expensively, (albeit still expensively!).

 

(That's my second insurance rant of the day, and it is not yet noon! )

[BargeeSpud]

I believe it is fairly standard practice for people providing cover on "domestic" stuff to try to sell you a pretty expensive policy in the first place, but then hike the price massively once the original term is used up.

 

Every one I have ever seen, (on the rare occasions I have taken a cover in the first place), has been so ludicrously expensive, the renewal invitation has been immediately binned.

 

When my mum died, I found she was paying a ludicrous amount each year for cover on an elderly and very basic fridge freezer. Enough that she could have replaced it every couple of years for a new one, and been quids in.

 

These sharp practices are not confined to just appliance insurance. Because there is a known problem with the materials that were used for the domestic water supply to houses where we live, I reluctantly took out an insurance against problems for the supply on my site, knowing paying for a complete reinstallation could be prohibitively expensive.

 

The cost of this cover then doubled on renewal.

 

I could see no restriction on cancelling the policy, then immediately taking out another one from the same company at a "new customer" rate, being half my quoted renewal cost. (There was just a restriction on not being able to claim for first 10 days, I think?).

 

So I did that - and presumably if the same occurs next time, I'll do the same again.

 

It all relies on your inertia, and just accepting renewals at the hiked cost. No doubt they make far more out of people prepared to pay the massively inflated costs than they do out of initial policies sold very much less expensively, (albeit still expensively!).

 

(That's my second insurance rant of the day, and it is not yet noon! )

A tip top top post.

Edited January 7, 2013 by Spuds

[Grace and Favour]

Has anyone else decided that Domestic and General are a load of shysters?

In our rented out house we installed a new Beko double oven for our tenants. We took out an insurance with Dom and Gen to cover breakdown after the 1 yr makers warranty expired at £42 a year and it included accidental damage. Now at renewal tine they want £78 p. a. and have removed the accidental damage cover. Sharp practise I feel. I will not renew on principal.

Does anyone know of any other provider of appliance breakdown cover?.

 

You're 100% correct

 

There are other bizzies out there that provide cover (not that I use them) Have you thought of looking at the Which? website

(I think £1 buys you a brief membership?)

[KevMc]

Has anyone else decided that Domestic and General are a load of shysters?

In our rented out house we installed a new Beko double oven for our tenants. We took out an insurance with Dom and Gen to cover breakdown after the 1 yr makers warranty expired at £42 a year and it included accidental damage. Now at renewal tine they want £78 p. a. and have removed the accidental damage cover. Sharp practise I feel. I will not renew on principal.

Does anyone know of any other provider of appliance breakdown cover?.

I've never bought extended warranties .... under Sale of Goods Act or whatever has replaced it I understand that you are entitled to expect goods to work for a lot longer than a year - white goods should give you 5 years and if they fail within that time then its up to the retailer to repair or replace, so basically you are paying for nothing

[Guest]

Thanks to the OP I have just double checked if we are still paying for cover from D&G for a Indesit dishwasher we bought s good few years ago - and we are and the cost is working out at just under £100 per annum.

 

It slipped through when we changed banks last year as I intended cancelling then.

 

Now cancelled.

 

[Rich]

I've never bought extended warranties .... under Sale of Goods Act or whatever has replaced it I understand that you are entitled to expect goods to work for a lot longer than a year - white goods should give you 5 years and if they fail within that time then its up to the retailer to repair or replace, so basically you are paying for nothing

 

I think that after six months it is up to you to prove that the item has an inherent fault when you bought it. Up to six months the seller has to prove it was your fault or wear and tear.

[Tiger 1057]

I believe it has been shown that most domestic appliances are unlikely to fail within the first few years of their use (that doesnt mean that some won't). As you know most come with a 12 month warranty (except John Lewis who I think give 2 years and sometimes 5). Should the item fail after the 12 months I understand it is cheaper to pay for the repair rather than the cost of the insurance policy!

 

I would never ever buy an extended warranty. As the OP has shown there is only one winner in this fixed game

[Ange]

I believe it has been shown that most domestic appliances are unlikely to fail within the first few years of their use (that doesnt mean that some won't). As you know most come with a 12 month warranty (except John Lewis who I think give 2 years and sometimes 5). Should the item fail after the 12 months I understand it is cheaper to pay for the repair rather than the cost of the insurance policy!

 

I would never ever buy an extended warranty. As the OP has shown there is only one winner in this fixed game

 

Totally agree. We never buy extended warranties and have never had cause to regret it.

 

If you add up what we've saved over the years we've replaced a few appliances with that money.

[tillergirl]

We never buy extended warranties either. In most cases a repair would probably cost about the same or slightly less.

[alan_fincher]

Ah, but we have exceptions......

 

We drink far too much "real" coffee, and our filter coffee machines are always run several times a day, and often left on to keep the pot hot.

 

I have yet to find a domestic machine that will withstand the pace, and we have blown up a wide range of machines by De Longhi, Morphy Richards, Philips and others who's brands are now lost in the annals of time.

 

I have never I think had an extended warranty on one of these machines that I have not cashed in. Typically I have paid £5 to £10 for cover to get replacement machines in the £20 t0 £40 price range.

 

So there are some selected cases where I can make it pay.

 

I should probably follow the same strategy with electric drills, the way those have tended to go - I would probably come out just about even on angle grinders!

 

 

Some domestic products are engineered on the assumption they will get very little use, and we do have a habit of stress testing them more than the manufacturers plan for.

[Guest]

2 products bought this xmas in the Dog House household have a two years manufacturers warranty at no extra coast - one from Bosh and one from Argos - hopefully they are catching on that piece of mind is a good selling point...

[davey b]

Ah, but we have exceptions......

 

We drink far too much "real" coffee, and our filter coffee machines are always run several times a day, and often left on to keep the pot hot.

 

I have yet to find a domestic machine that will withstand the pace, and we have blown up a wide range of machines by De Longhi, Morphy Richards, Philips and others who's brands are now lost in the annals of time.

 

I have never I think had an extended warranty on one of these machines that I have not cashed in. Typically I have paid £5 to £10 for cover to get replacement machines in the £20 t0 £40 price range.

 

So there are some selected cases where I can make it pay.

 

I should probably follow the same strategy with electric drills, the way those have tended to go - I would probably come out just about even on angle grinders!

 

 

Some domestic products are engineered on the assumption they will get very little use, and we do have a habit of stress testing them more than the manufacturers plan for.

 

That's an interesting comparison... The coffee machine at work has just failed after nearly 4 years of being used almost constantly and rarely left without either one or two pots being kept warm. Its replacement - same model just slightly newer cost £228. I wonder how the maths would work out there? Slightly pointless as the boss wouldn't ever pay for a warranty - why waste money on that when there are procurement projects for very purpose of wasting money!

[jelunga]

Ah, but we have exceptions......

 

We drink far too much "real" coffee, and our filter coffee machines are always run several times a day, and often left on to keep the pot hot.

 

I have yet to find a domestic machine that will withstand the pace, and we have blown up a wide range of machines by De Longhi, Morphy Richards, Philips and others who's brands are now lost in the annals of time.

 

I have never I think had an extended warranty on one of these machines that I have not cashed in. Typically I have paid £5 to £10 for cover to get replacement machines in the £20 t0 £40 price range.

 

So there are some selected cases where I can make it pay.

 

I should probably follow the same strategy with electric drills, the way those have tended to go - I would probably come out just about even on angle grinders!

 

 

Some domestic products are engineered on the assumption they will get very little use, and we do have a habit of stress testing them more than the manufacturers plan for.

True. We went through fans in our land bed room like nobodies business. We bought a cheap one from Argos, paid the lowest levek of extended warranty abd it went on for ever!

Only took out the warranty on the oven since our tenants are idiots and it included accidental damage.

We bought a 2kw Dimplex convector in Sept 2011. Overheat cut out keeps cutting out. 3 yr warranty from Dimplex included. New one being delivered later in week. So no need for extended qarranty on that

[GUMPY]

only ever bought 1 extended warranty.

Was with D&G, the washer/dryer was in the flat and was replaced twice in the first two years FOC due to abuse by my stepsons, worth every penny AFAIAC.

didnt renew on the fourth year.