Considered to be a bit of a gamechanger in the central heating market, WarmZilla burst onto the scene back in 2018 with a mission to shake-up the way consumers buy their boilers. Cutting out the salesman, WarmZilla take the hassle out of buying a boiler with an instant online price quote, that is fixed, includes installation and has no ‘hidden extras’. By checking online prices daily, WarmZilla also offer a best price guarantee as well as choice of the leading brands and boiler models.
Sounds good? Well, the online reviews certainly seem to give the WarmZilla approach the thumbs up. We take a look at why WarmZilla is such hot property.
Who are WarmZilla?
WarmZilla was conceived in 2017 by two heating engineers from South Wales who brought a combined 25 years of industry experience to their new boiler business concept. The company went live in October 2018, initially just in Wales before going nationwide a year later. And its innovative online approach got WarmZilla quickly noticed, not least for its brand mascot, Derek the Dinosaur.
The premise behind WarmZilla is to capitalise on e-commerce to make the process of buying and then getting a boiler installed as hassle-free as possible for the consumer. With the ability to get instant and fixed price quotes online then take delivery of the boiler and have it installed within days rather than waiting for weeks, WarmZilla effectively uses digital technology for the benefit – and convenience – of their customers.
Throw in a competitive range of the most popular boiler manufacturers and models, as well as a price-match guarantee and WarmZilla seems to be going from strength to strength.
How Does WarmZilla Work?
By focusing on its online platform and a fully automated approach when it comes to quoting, WarmZilla cuts out the need for a physical sales team, reducing both their costs and the time it normally takes to visit customers face-to-face for the initial quote. This also means that the company can pass on some of their overhead savings to their customers, making the Warmzilla concept both fast and competitively priced.
WarmZilla works by asking customers to complete an online survey about their boiler requirements. The process takes minutes to complete and results in an instant quote which recommends the best boilers suited to the individual’s home, budget and heating needs. All the recommended boilers listed are shown with a fixed price quote, which includes VAT and the installation cost so you can be sure there are no hidden fees. And all their boiler packages come complete with a system cleanse and filter, inhibitor, smart controls and any other accessories you may need.
Other attractive features to the WarmZilla approach include their Best Price Guarantee, where they guarantee to beat any other cheaper quotes on a like-for-like boiler by £50. And as another sweetener, each boiler comes complete with a Derek the Dinosaur toy which has a unique reference number which can be selected at random for every 100 boilers the company sells. If your number is selected, you will be fully refunded your purchase price. While not the reason to buy a WarmZilla boiler, effectively giving away one in every 100 boilers sold is a nice touch.
The WarmZilla Boiler Quote Process
So, how does the Warmzilla online quote process work and is it quick and effective to do? We put it through its paces and were pretty impressed.
To obtain your WarmZilla quote you need to work through a multi-choice online form, which takes no more than a couple of minutes to complete. The information you need to give – including the type of boiler you currently have and its fuel source, the size of your property, the number of bathrooms, where you want the boiler located, the type of roof you have and the position of your existing flue – is easy to supply thanks to the click through picture options and also gives WarmZilla details on whether your current set up is Gas Safe.
The questionnaire feels sufficiently in-depth without being too onerous and the information supplied will also help the installer plan and decide whether extra parts and components are needed for effective installation.
Another bonus to the initial quote process is you only need to give part of your postcode, so no detailed personal contact information, unless you want to go forward with the quote. And this is a clever way to get you to complete your quote, as who hasn’t been put off by giving too much personal and contactable information too soon when all you want is an idea of cost!
Once completed, the quote is pretty instant, and lists the boilers considered suitable for you and your home set up, with the costs clearly indicated next to each recommendation. All prices are fixed and include VAT as well as installation. Plus, you get a finance option so you can see how much it could cost as a monthly payment if you want to spread the cost.
Click on a recommended product you are interested in, and you get much more information, including warranty details as well as the option to choose an installation date. When completing the form, we were able to choose a delivery/installation date within three days which, again, was pretty impressive.
At this point, if you have decided on your boiler and want to progress, you give your contact details, as well as property address for installation and payment details. And that’s it – WarmZilla will do the rest.
How Much Do WarmZilla Boilers Cost?
The price of boiler you choose through WarmZilla depends on its kilowatt output and your home’s heating needs, but the company is able to offer a good range of products from entry level to premium. Plus, as they are able to offer deals on most models, you are going to get a competitive price. To give a ballpark figure, boilers on WarmZilla start from around £1,500, rising to around £2,500, including VAT. At the top end of their range, you can expect to pay in the region of £4,000, but again, these prices include VAT and installation.
For the price, you also get installation plus the following as standard:
A full system cleanse
This ensures your new boiler is pristine and performs exactly how you would expect. A full system cleanse from the Warmzilla team will also include the use of an inhibitor which will clear out any rust or sludge that may have been left behind in your heating system and could filter into your new boiler if left unchecked.
A system filter
Once your central heating system has had a full cleanse, the engineer will then fit a system filter to help keep your new Warmzilla boiler cleaner for longer. A system filter will work to catch sludge that could otherwise block up your boiler. Your system filter should also be cleaned out at every annual service.
A smart thermostat
This is a handy bit of kit that Warmzilla will install (although you don’t have to have it!) and could save you money. The smart thermostat will link into your smart device, giving you fingertip control of your heating and potentially lowering your heating bills.
Gas Safe Installation
The company only works with their own UK-wide network of Gas Safe engineers, affectionately known as WarmInstallers. This gives you extra peace of mind that your new boiler has been correctly and safely installed by professionals.
What Types of Boilers do WarmZilla install?
Gas, LPG and oil boilers are all available via the Warmzilla website. However, if you are looking for an LPG or oil system, you will be advised that you need to speak to a WarmZilla advisor as these systems are a little more complicated than gas to quote on, due to specific installation requirements.
Across the whole range, WarmZilla can install system, combi boilers or regular boilers depending on your heating needs and home set up. Brand-wise, you are also in good company, with Ideal, Vokera and Worcester Bosch WarmZilla’s boiler brands of choice.
Guarantee Deals with Warmzilla
Another plus with the Warmzilla system is that you can also get a good deal on the warranty of your new boiler. As well as their own 12-month labour guarantee, Warmzilla are also able to negotiate some excellent deals when it comes to manufacturer warranties, all adding to the value of going through their instant quote system. For example, Warmzilla are currently offering seven year guarantees with many of their Ideal boilers and a deal-worthy 10-year warranty with many of their Worcester boiler models. But these deals can change so always check at the time of your quote to see what Warmzilla are currently offering its customers.
WarmZilla Payment Options
Buying and installing a new boiler is an investment for any home and WarmZilla offers a flexible choice of payment options to help you get the heating system you need. As part of the online quote service, you can pay the one-payment price online at the completion of your order.
Alternatively, you can choose to spread the cost of your new boiler with WarmZilla’s finance options, via their finance provider, Vendigo if you can’t afford or don’t want to pay the whole boiler an installation price upfront. Payment terms are flexible and can be spread over, 2,3,4,5,7 or 10 years, with the option to choose your own deposit amount, as long as it is between 10-50%. The current interest rate for finance is 9.9% APR, although WarmZilla is able to offer 0% finance on selected boiler models – this will be indicated against the boiler when you progress to finance options.
As the finance provider is Vendigo and not Warmzilla, you will need to complete a separate application if you are choosing to opt to spread the cost via a payment plan.
WarmZilla state that acceptance rates on their finance options via Vendigo is ‘high’ so customers may still be able to get finance on their new boiler, even if they have a bad credit rating. And another good feature of the Warmzilla payment options is that you can change your monthly payments and overpay if you want to complete your outstanding balance sooner.
WarmZilla Reviews
So, now we have outlined the WarmZilla business premise, looked at its online quote process and discovered first hand exactly what you get for your money, what do consumers actually say about this innovative online boiler retailer?
If their scores on Trustpilot are anything to go by, then WarmZilla has a high trust rating amongst its customers, with an average review score of 4.8 out of 5 and being rated as ‘excellent’ by 90% of reviewers. The company’s customer service comes out high too, with many highlighting WarmZilla’s communication, speed of service and installation quality. Their competitive pricing and finance options also scored highly.
On the company’s own Facebook page, they get 5 out of 5 on the ‘would you recommend?’ scale while their Google reviews average out at 4.6/5 with their competitive pricing and fast installation service once again coming out top.
Which all adds up to a good approval rating for this (relatively) new boiler e-retailer on the block and shows that when it comes to pricing and fast installation, WarmZilla is a company to really warm to.
And Finally, Who is Warmzilla Best For?
Taking into account the easy-to-use service, the competitive prices and generally positive customer reviews, we’d say buying a boiler from Warmzilla is suited to most householders!
Warmzilla have boilers to suit most budgets and home set ups, they work hard to get you the best price and they can take the hassle out of getting your new boiler installed, without having to wait weeks to organise and get the work done. Plus, you can also get good deals on warranties and the extras they throw in when your boiler is installed are certainly worth having.
So, if you are looking for hassle-free shopping, great service and fast installation, all at a competitive price, we’d say give Warmzilla a go.
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