The system worked brilliantly. My boiler blew up in the middle of the freezing weather. 12 people contacted me, I shortlisted 3, and my chosen firm started work the following day. For the first time in my life I felt confident that I wouldn’t be taken for a ride.
Martin and John were great too. They are a small firm, not registered for VAT, and were available to start immediately, so I had my heating back before the weekend. A few muddy footprints and squashed plants were a small price to pay, and the lack of VAT made an enormous difference to the price.
I’m less impressed by the boiler itself. It’s a bit stingy with the hot water, and the heating controls are a lot less flexible than before. Overall a much less painful episode than I expected, and my heating bill is already visibly lower.