At Marine Heating Solutions Ltd. we charge all our work at half-hour rates. This way clients are only ever billed for the exact works carried out, and not an inflated estimate. It is in our interest for all our boat heating engineers to complete work in a timely manner, without compromising on quality.
Unlike other engineers, we don’t charge you in full for every hour we start. All our time is payable by the half-hour, making repairs and servicing much more affordable. We are happy to offer custom arrangements and bulk discounts, for marinas, boatyards, caravan parks, etc. Please note that there is a two-hour minimum charge for every call-out.
Free Estimates and Assessments
Estimates and assessments for boat heating, plumbing, and electrics are free. Call-out travel expenses are payable as outlined below.
We are legally obligated to carry out safety checks of the entire installation for gas work. This obligation applies when we work on any part of it. These checks are normally done in the form of an LPG Safety Certificate and are charged at the normal hourly rate. We recommend doing this during the initial assessment. We can then see what is needed to bring the installation up to standard and add this to the estimate. Doing this after the job is completed is possible. However, it would lead to further call-outs and delays if we find something that doesn’t comply with the current standard.
Nationwide Call-Out Charges
Our call-out charge is £55, for all call-outs within a 1 hour drive of our workshop. If you are further away we would decide a call-out rate on an individual basis, depending on your location.
We can offer group bookings. Book together with your neighbours and nearby boats. We will charge a combined call-out rate. This rate splits the cost between you. Please note that London call-out travel rates are different.
Materials
We supply all materials and appliances. The cost for this will be added to your invoice and is additional to labour rates. If you would like to have an appliance installed that we don’t sell then you’d need to supply this yourself. We would then not be able to deal with any warranty issues.
Payments
All call-outs are payable directly to our engineer on the day. Services that take longer than 1 day, like fitting new heating systems, will require payment at the end of each day. We accept cash or card payments only.
Diesel & Solid Fuel Engineer, Plumber – Standard Rate – Monday to Friday: £84/h
Hourly rates are charged for diesel, solid fuel, and plumbing call-outs. Every half hour started is payable in full. A call-out fee applies, as listed above. This is the standard rate from Monday to Friday. See our premium rate for other times.
LPG/Gas Engineer, Electrician – Standard Rate – Monday to Friday: £89/h
Hourly rates are charged for LPG/gas engineer call-outs. Every half hour started is payable in full. The call-out fee applies as listed above. This is the standard rate from Monday to Friday. See our premium rate for other times.
Diesel and Solid Engineer, Plumber – Weekends and Public Holidays: £95/h
Hourly rates are charged for diesel, solid fuel, and plumbing call-outs. Every half hour started is payable in full. The call-out fee applies as listed above. This is the premium rate for weekends and public holidays. See our standard rate for all other times.
LPG / Gas Engineer, Electrician – Weekends and Public Holidays. Blackwater at all Times: £105/h
Hourly rates are charged for LPG/gas engineer and blackwater plumbing call-outs. Every half hour started is payable in full. The call-out fee applies as listed above. This is the premium rate for weekends and public holidays. See our standard rate for other times.
Returns of goods
We do not normally retail appliances or parts and as such we don’t hold stock. We order materials and appliances when you confirm that a job goes ahead. This means any ‘unwanted goods’ returns to our suppliers must be completed by us within two weeks of that date. The purchase date is the date that you accept our estimate or quote, even though we may hold some of these items in storage for you until the day on which work commences. If we deliver any purchases before the fitting date, or you are ordering directly to your location, the purchase date remains the day you accept our estimate or quote. The 2-week cooling-off period starts on that date. We cannot accept returns for unwanted items more than 2 weeks after that date.
Appliances and other goods that are made to order cannot be returned as unwanted. The manufacturing process starts when you place an order with us, and the factory or workshop will not accept a cancellation for products that are already in production.
This does not affect the manufacturers’ warranty for breakdowns and only applies to returns of unwanted items.
Warranty
Materials and appliances have their own warranties for breakdown or failure, which are specified by the manufacturer. These warranties could last up to 3 years. During this period, the manufacturer will repair or replace faulty appliances free of charge. However, there will be terms and conditions attached to the manufacturer’s warranty.
Please note that manufacturers usually only cover the repair or replacement of broken parts. Most manufacturers will not cover our labour and travel for removing and refitting the part. The cost of removal and refitting of any parts that have been/are to be exchanged or repaired by the manufacturer needs to be covered by you. For exact warranty terms and warranty lengths for individual appliances, please see the manufacturer’s website or email us.