No local spares for 7 year old gas boiler

NewClareman

I have a Dimplex System 30, installed 7 years ago. I moved from Bord Gais to Electric Ireland, who refuse to service the boiler, as they have it classified as obsolete. (I had a service contract with Bord Gais.)

Turns out that Dimplex no longer manufacture these, and Dimplex Ireland had no interest in my issue. Told me their obligation only extended to the 2 year guarantee.

I’m really pi$$ed about this, I expected spares to be available for at least ten years. My concern is what happens if it breaks down, particularly in the middle of winter, and I can’t get it fixed. It is working fine, and spares are readily available from the uk. However, any RGII agent I can find has no interest - all they want to do is upsell me a new unit at a cost of €2500++

homer911

Very odd, I have a 23 year old boiler I've had no issues getting serviced - has yours a bad track record?

L1011

You won't get an energy provider to support something with parts supply issues but there should be no problems finding an independent to do so. The energy providers plans are all based on trying to upsell to insurance deals which they can't underwrite in this situation; even if you wanted to pay them in full they wouldn't do it.

There's no way to force a supplier to stock spares unfortunately and at 7 years old you are out of time to take any action of any kind basically. All I can recommend is looking for different RGIIs.

Considering Dimplex *are* Irish, it is possible that there is no remaining supply of spares with them at all and the UK reseller has the entire stock.

Xterminator

Hi Op

you seem a little put out by the fact a 7 year old boiler has be classed as obsolete. You added "I expected spares to be available for at least ten years" but where did that expectation come from? Was it said to you at the time of purchase?

As i see it 7 years after purchase it is working fine. You have reached the end of any consumer rights, if it broke down.

So i am wondering if the person/company who sold you the boiler system set an expectation that you would get 10 years from it etc, sometimes you see that kind of claim on products.

NewClareman

homer911 wrote: »

Very odd, I have a 23 year old boiler I've had no issues getting serviced - has yours a bad track record?

The boiler is working fine and was under a Bord Gais maintenance contract, until this year. I think the issue is that there are few of them about and many RGII technicians are not trained to service them.

Some of the comments I’ve been given:

1. It was an early experimental model, best get rid of it.

2. They break down a lot, should replace it before winter.
(The Bord Gais guy was very knowledgeable about the model, which he said was reliable and had a stainless steel heat exchanger, which were now only on much dearer models.)

L1011 wrote: »

There's no way to force a supplier to stock spares unfortunately and at 7 years old you are out of time to take any action of any kind basically. All I can recommend is looking for different RGIIs.

I was considering taking action, I know that’s not a runner. But it is shoddy to leave customers without spares for an item that’s considered to have a 10 year lifespan, for insurance. In the UK, manufacturers must keep spares for a minimum of 10 years, after end of manufacturing period.

Anyway, I’ve found a large local company, with lots of RGII’s employed, who have no problem servicing it.

Graniteville

So it hasn't broken down and this is all if if.

You have found spares are available in the UK if it does break down.

Where's the issue?

NewClareman

Graniteville wrote: »

So it hasn't broken down and this is all if if.

You have found spares are available in the UK if it does break down.

Where's the issue?

I would have thought the issue was obvious.

I have found it extremely difficult to find an RGII able/willing to service a 7 year old boiler that cost €3500 to install 7 years ago.

While I have found an agent to service it, they have not committed to fixing it, should it go wrong. If I can find someone willing to do this, I will have to wait for spares to come in from the uk - which is not a nice prospect with winter upon us.

Graniteville

Spares from the uk will take 2 days. If they were here, it would still be 24 hours delivery at best

So the issue is a potential delay of 24 hours.

Hardly the end of the world.

colm_mcm

Can you not just change back to Bord Gais?

NewClareman

colm_mcm wrote: »

Can you not just change back to Bord Gais?

Oh, how I wish I could. The servicing technician knew his job, and would install spares, even if I had to source them myself. However, I am on a year long contract and Bord Gais will not issue new maintenance contracts for this model.

Never again will I have anything to do with a Glen Dimplex product.

Degag

NewClareman wrote: »

Oh, how I wish I could. The servicing technician knew his job, and would install spares, even if I had to source them myself. However, I am on a year long contract and Bord Gais will not issue new maintenance contracts for this model.

Never again will I have anything to do with a Glen Dimplex product.

Having a contract with Bord Gais for your Boiler is different to having one with Electric Ireland for you Gas/Electricity. You could have kept your maintenance contract with BGE while still changing to EI. However that point is moot if they won't now cover the boiler anyway.