Which? scores on most reliable boiler

[jellycat]

People often seem to post looking for info on best boiler to buy. Which? magazine has a report on this, so thought would post findings here in case people find it useful.

These are the scores on the doors for reliability and customer satisfaction:

Gas Boilers

Worcester-reliability 79% customer satisfaction 89%
Vaillant 77% and 86%
Viesmann 77% and 86%
Alpha 75% and 68%
British Gas 75% and 70%
Main 75% and 64%
Glow worm 74% and 72%
Ideal 72% and 62%
Potterton 72% and 64%
Baxi 69% and 63%
Vokera 62% and 62%

Oil Boilers

Grant 72% and 79%
Worcester 70% and 79%

 

[JohnD]

removed due to stalkers

 

[roguetrader]

Also worth pointing out that worcester, vaillant and viessmann are toward the top end of price point where as vokera, potterton and baxi are towards the bottom end.
If some one has paid good money for a good installation as opposed to being on a tight budget and going for the cheapest install, they may well encounter less aggro with there system.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Also people don't realise how worthless Which reviews are due to the methodology.

 

[JohnD]

removed due to stalkers

 

[jellycat]

Also people don't realise how worthless Which reviews are due to the methodology.

What are the flaws in the methodology?

 

[Dan Robinson]

As I said previously.

Read their own website. It is pretty obvious.


Besides. I'm driving at the moment.

 

[vulcancontinental]

Also people don't realise how worthless Which reviews are due to the methodology.

What are the flaws in the methodology?

Well I work for Vokera. A couple of the flaws are that you need a minimum of 50 for Which to call it a representative sample, we got 55 this year and just made it but have missed out previous years because of low returns yet we are the fifth largest manufacturer in the UK.

Depending on market conditions we will hit between 60,000 and 80,000 boiler a year in the UK so you could look at the sample two ways; one people tend to complain loudly when things go wrong and only 55 people did reply to the survey so we're marvellous. Out of over 60,000 even though 21 of 55 had a failure perhaps our customers are so unhappy they cannot even be bothered to reply,or the sample is unrepresentative because of its restricted geographic area.

Which subscription base is Southern, the vast majority of it's subscribers are in the South but we outsell Worcester and Vaillant in Scotland and Ireland and have done for years.

As we are unable to compete with the marketing of the big two our name isn't as well known down South we sell the boilers cheaper than the competition. This means they are bought often by the knowledgeable looking for a quality at a competitive price but also by those looking for the cheapest quote throw it in brigade which often are not as careful with the installation as time is money.

British Standards Institute did an audit of boiler reliability, failure within warranty, we came out best, but even that wasn't fair as each manufacturer presents their figures differently so interpretation is important.

Interesting that the independent installer, servicing and repairing the boilers scored higher than British Gas, CORGI or the boiler manufacturers own insurance schemes.

The installer/service engineer is more important than the machine mostly.

 

[JohnD]

removed due to stalkers

 

[Dan Robinson]

Did you the nature of the failure get published?

How is do we know it is not a simple system pressure drop and therefore not sure the fault of the boiler.

Which surveys are based on subscriber provided data. Those subscribers will only be purchasing products their blessed magazine tell them.

Hardly reliable and representative.

What do you do for a living John? What makes you such an expert on boilers?

Or are you going to suggest I'm being libelous towards Which and then like a penis in the cold, shrivel up and vanish.


Or perhaps go and wine to the mods because someone doesn't agree with you.

 

[oph]

Did you the nature of the failure get published?

How is do we know it is not a simple system pressure drop and therefore not sure the fault of the boiler.

Which surveys are based on subscriber provided data. Those subscribers will only be purchasing products their blessed magazine tell them.

Hardly reliable and representative.

What do you do for a living John? What makes you such an expert on boilers?

Or are you going to suggest I'm being libelous towards Which and then like a penis in the cold, shrivel up and vanish.

Grt it all the time.

problem that new boiler. Er, no my jice new boiler is revording a system loss nothing else


Or perhaps go and wine to the mods because someone doesn't agree with you.

 

[JohnD]

removed due to stalkers

 

[Dan Robinson]

Funny you should say that.

 

[jeff the gasman]

The correct answer is..........
They are all good when working and all carp when they don't.
Jeff

 

[D_Hailsham]

A couple of the flaws are that you need a minimum of 50 for Which to call it a representative sample

When I did a Statistics course, many years ago, we were told that a sample had to be over 1000 for the results to have any reliability.

The only manufacturer in the Which? survey to meet this requirement is WB.

To say that a sample of 50 is "representative", is ludicrous.