Introducing Mears - Longhurst Group's new heating and repairs contractor
Previously, we had a number of heating repairs and servicing contracts in place across Longhurst Group.
With some of these coming to an end – and the Group coming together as one organisation on July 1 – there was an opportunity for us to consolidate these into one, new contract.
A single contract gives us the opportunity to provide a more consistent and improved service to our customers.
We have appointed Mears to deliver this important service to our customers.
How can customers report a repair?
Customers are now able to report heating repairs directly to Mears by calling our new single telephone number - 0300 123 1745
One of the key benefits of the new service is that Mears will manage all phone calls directly, including the out-of-hours service during evenings and weekends.
They also have more appointments available, which means customers will be able to book a convenient slot straight away.
Once customers have reported their repair or booked their servicing with Mears, they will receive a text message confirming when a member of the team will attend. They will also receive a text reminder the day before their appointment. Soon, customers will also be able to use the new online facility, giving 24/7 access.
How will repairs be prioritised?
There will be two types of heating repairs – emergency and non-emergency repairs. All non-emergency appointed heating repairs will be fixed as soon as possible within 10 days, with the aim of a ‘first time fix’, ensuring minimum inconvenience.
MOT-style gas servicing
As well as our new contractor, we are further improving the service we deliver to customers by introducing MOT-style gas safety inspections. MOT style gas servicing will mean we can retain the same expiry date of the gas certificate each year and, unlike the old method, the expiry date will not keep moving forward each year.
Over the next 18 months, we plan to move most of the annual servicing to the warmer months to allow for increased resources during winter periods to deal with break downs and enable us to provide a better service to you.
We will contact customers around two months prior to the gas service due date to arrange access to their home.