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We've spoken to two Watchdog viewers who have been having trouble getting their boilers fixed by company Hassle Free Boilers, after their boilers had broken down.

We met Bex from Wrexham who had her boiler installed by Hassle Free Boilers in 2016 and she agreed a 12 year contract. On top of that, Bex’s contract says the company aims to send an engineer out to fix any issues within a day if anything goes wrong. And at first, she was happy with the service company. But she says the quality of service has got worse in recent years. Bex has had continued trouble trying to contact the company to get her boiler fixed.

We also spoke to Ashley from Oldham, who had a boiler fitted by Hassle Free Boilers in 2016. He has a 9 year contract, which covers annual services and repairs. In January this year, Ashley’s boiler broke down, leaving him with no heating and in freezing conditions, along with his fiancé and 1 year old daughter. He has also had trouble with getting a hold of Hassle Free Boilers to arrange getting his boiler fixed. He ultimately had to dip into his own pocket to pay for an engineer.

We contacted Hassle Free Boilers and it said that Ashley began his agreement with the company in 2016. For the following years, Hassle Free Boilers directly scheduled his annual service, which was completed in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2020, the Covid-19 lockdowns significantly impacted the companies’ ability to conduct in-person services. Due to customer concerns regarding social distancing, Hassle Free Boilers shifted to a request-based system, allowing customers to initiate service appointments as needed. This approach has remained in place, though the company is actively reviewing it to ensure the best service for its customers.
Following the lifting of lockdown restrictions, Hassle Free Boilers experienced an unprecedented increase in demand, which led to some delays. However, it says it has never refused a service request. In Ashley’s case, his service was completed in February 2022.

Regarding Ashley’s recent difficulty in reaching it, Hassle Free Boilers said it acknowledges that during peak winter months, its phone lines can become congested. It says that this is why its automated message advises customers to use its website’s contact form or email at customerservices@hasslefreeboilers.com. Hassle Free Boilers says it has no record of Ashley attempting to contact it via these alternative methods. Hassle Free Boilers said that it is never its intention to make communication difficult, and that it is working to improve accessibility. It said it has recently experienced staff shortages, but has hired a replacement and anticipate improved service moving forward.

Following Watchdog’s inquiry, Hassle Free Boilers said it has reached out to Ashley to offer its apologies and schedule an appointment with its engineers to ensure his system is functioning correctly. Additionally, it says it has refunded him in full for the work he had to arrange independently, as it was previously unaware of this expense. Hassle Free Boilers said that it does not expect its customers to bear the cost of work that falls under its responsibility.

In regard to Bex, Hassle Free Boilers said that her boiler and heating system were serviced in 2023 and 2024 by a qualified gas engineer. At the time of service, all aspects of the system were deemed safe. Had any issues been identified, Hassle Free Boilers says it would have taken immediate corrective action, as it has done in the past for this customer. For this case, an engineer attended for a routine service and reported that the system was functioning properly. The company says it understands Mrs. Raven’s concerns regarding the quality of the service. However, all Hassle Free Boilers says that all it’s engineers are Gas Safe certified and adhere to strict safety protocols. When Mrs. Raven later reported a boiler water leak, Hassle Free Boilers initially scheduled the same engineer to return that day. Unfortunately, due to overruns on a prior job, the engineer was unable to attend. Hassle Free Boilers says it recognises that this was frustrating for the customer, and that it takes full responsibility for the delay.

To ensure the issue was effective, Hassle Free Boilers says it escalated the case to the manufacturer’s engineers. While this was not its preferred course of action due to the additional cost, it was the best way to ensure a manufacturer-certified engineer handled the repair. Manufacturer availability dictated some waiting time, which was Hassle Free Boilers says was beyond its control and indicative of an industry-wide issue rather than a company-specific one.

As a gesture of goodwill, Hassle Free Boilers says that it provided Mrs. Raven with £300 in compensation. Following the manufacturer’s visit, the boiler was repaired, though the engineer noted that the flue installation did not fully meet the manufacturer’s guidelines. This did not present any danger to the occupant’s health and safety, and the boiler was subsequently left running by the manufacturer’s engineer. Hassle Free Boilers now says that it has arranged an appointment to correct this issue and are in further discussions with Mrs. Raven regarding additional compensation. It says it is committed to improving its service times by increasing its staffing resources, though this process takes time.

Hassle Free Boilers went onto say that its phone line is just one of three ways customers can get in contact. Its website and email services are available 24/7, and its team responds to inquiries throughout the day. Hassle Free Boilers said it acknowledges recent staffing challenges and has hired a new customer service representative who is due to start the week commencing 17th February, which will improve response times. Hassle Free Boilers said it remains committed to further improving human availability for customer support and that this is reviewed weekly by the management team.

Hassle Free Boilers went onto say that in one case, the customer has had multiple appointments over the past few months, with all issues addressed and compensation provided for delays. While there have been some unavoidable delays, it says it has always responded as soon as a team was available.

The company continued that in the second case, the customer only attempted to contact it via one method, despite its phone line message advising two additional options—contact form and email. Hassle Free Boilers said it would never deliberately make it difficult for customers to reach it, and that it proactively provide multiple contact methods to ensure accessibility. It also says that it promptly reimbursed this customer for out-of-pocket expenses and are awaiting their confirmation regarding an appointment offer.
To improve its response times, Hassle Free Boilers says it has reviewed its staffing levels and hired a new employee. If necessary, it says it will expand its team further to enhance service quality.

Hassle Free Boilers says that it takes full responsibility for every boiler it installs. If a manufacturer declines to address an issue for any reason, Hassle Free Boilers says it covers all necessary repairs at no additional cost to its customers. In the case of Mrs. Raven, it says it has incurred over £1,500 in repair costs since January 2023, demonstrating its commitment to customer care and ensuring that manufacturers warranties do not impact service obligations.

In regard to Ashley the company continued that he has missed one payment, and its team will follow up in accordance with its collections process. Hassle Free boilers said its always strives to work with its customers to address failed payments.

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