Oftec Insurance Backed Warranty

[Burnerbob]

Hi guys,

Just got an email from OFTEC saying they might be introducing a mandatory insurance scheme where registered members have to offer a 6 year warranty with all installs.

Here's the email:

[FONT=&quot]INSURANCE BACKED WARRANTY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Changes in the authorisation criteria for the OFTEC Registration scheme may mean that OFTEC technicians will soon need to be able to offer their customers an Insurance Backed Warranty, and possibly deposit protection, on their installations. The Insurance Backed Warranty will provide the householder with cover for all notified works for a period of 6 years and will ensure that if you go out of business, retire or move regions they will be able to have corrective work carried out under this warranty. OFTEC Insurance Services are working hard to offer a low cost solution for Registered Technicians. When your customers ask ‘why I should use an OFTEC Registered Technician?’, you will be able to say that as well as being inspected by OFTEC you can offer an additional assurance that should there be any problems with an installation within the 6 year period, they will be able to have it put right. Watch OFTEC e-News Update for further information.[/FONT]


Looks like a lot more expense for those of us that bother to register with OFTEC. Also has anyone ever got anything like a competitive quote with the OFTEC insurance services or anything else to do with them for that matter.

Interested to hear what everyone else makes of this.

 

[SimonG]

It will need some clarification. If you are OFTEC registered then your installations go along with the OFTEC requirements, thats when you manage to do an installation because the non OFTEC bloke who doesn't give a rats about the requirements chucks the boiler in at a much cheaper price.

It's just OFTEC trying to squeeze more money out of it's registered members rather than spending time, money and effort fixing the underlying problems.

Rant over.

 

[kimbo]

Some installers can offer a free 5yr warranty with certain boilers if they only fit one make. It doesnt cost anymore. I sometimes take out an insurance for the customer and include it in my price. If I fit a certain make of boiler they will give the customer a free 5yr warranty. I would say 6yr warranty on a combi boiler is probably a good idea. Oftec are obviously trying to get us to take it up so they can get their cut they did have a failed attempt before which very few people took up.

I believe that you dont have to be oftec registered to install as long as you are registered with a competent persons scheme that is recognised.

Depending on the cost of this it may be cheaper to go through building control and not be registered.

 

[Reg Man]

This is not new. Its part of self certification through a competent person scheme. It only covers faulty workmanship for 6 years, incase you move out of the business and are not therfore in a position to rectify the problem.