I'm in the process of looking to replace my old boiler and probably changing to an unvented set up, searching this forum has been very helpful in getting my head around it all.
What is apparent on looking for 2-3 quotes is that many engineers link themselves to one boiler company. I assume if you become an accredited fitter and fit x units per year you get increased discounts on the boilers/cylinders/controls etc? I can see the benefits for the installer, the manufacturer and the benefits to the consumer would seem to come in increased lengths of guarantee by going with a fitter linked to a manufacturer.
The only problem seems to be when you get a quote the boiler manufacturer is already chosen by the person quoting. I suppose you could liken it to a financial adviser who is tied to just offering products from his bank or a truly independent one offering "whole of market"advice.
I think it probably matters little (as ever I'll likely choose the person I most like, that's what usually happens and usually works well!). It just feels perhaps difficult to get truly independent advice as to what the best boiler may be when everyone seems to be incentivised to stick with one manufacturer. Am I right that this seems to be the way things generally are? I imagine if you don't align with one manufacturer as an installer you can't compete as well on cost and lose work as an accredited installer can offer longer warranty tems?
What is apparent on looking for 2-3 quotes is that many engineers link themselves to one boiler company. I assume if you become an accredited fitter and fit x units per year you get increased discounts on the boilers/cylinders/controls etc? I can see the benefits for the installer, the manufacturer and the benefits to the consumer would seem to come in increased lengths of guarantee by going with a fitter linked to a manufacturer.
The only problem seems to be when you get a quote the boiler manufacturer is already chosen by the person quoting. I suppose you could liken it to a financial adviser who is tied to just offering products from his bank or a truly independent one offering "whole of market"advice.
I think it probably matters little (as ever I'll likely choose the person I most like, that's what usually happens and usually works well!). It just feels perhaps difficult to get truly independent advice as to what the best boiler may be when everyone seems to be incentivised to stick with one manufacturer. Am I right that this seems to be the way things generally are? I imagine if you don't align with one manufacturer as an installer you can't compete as well on cost and lose work as an accredited installer can offer longer warranty tems?