"Left Freezing for 2 Weeks—Disgraceful Treatment of Pensioners"
My wife and I are both in our late 70s. We've been loyal customers of Openfix for 8 years, never missed a payment. When our boiler broke down two weeks ago, we genuinely believed our policy meant we'd be looked after. How wrong we were.
Two Weeks Without Heat or Hot Water
It's the middle of February. Temperatures dropped below freezing. My wife has arthritis—she's been in constant pain without warmth. We've had to boil kettles just to wash, and sleep in our coats with hot water bottles that go cold by 2am. The stress has been unbearable.
"Emergency" Service?
We reported the breakdown immediately. They promised an engineer within 24 hours. Nobody came. We called again. "Tomorrow morning," they said. Nothing. This went on for five days. Each time we spoke to someone new, no record of our previous calls. My wife was in tears on the phone—I'm not ashamed to say I was close to tears myself. We're not tech-savvy people; we kept thinking we must be doing something wrong, that we weren't explaining properly.
The Engineer Finally Came—Then Left
When someone finally arrived (day 6), he said he needed a part. "Two days," he promised. We waited. Nothing. More phone calls. More being told "it's with the parts department." We asked to speak to a supervisor. "They're busy, they'll call back." They never did.
Spoken to Like We Were a Nuisance
One young man called Oliver actually sighed when I explained we'd been waiting over a week. He spoke so fast, using jargon we didn't understand. When I asked him to slow down, he said, "Look, there's a process." A process? We're pensioners freezing in our own home!
We Had to Borrow Money
After 12 days, our daughter insisted on paying for an independent engineer herself. £2,200 we now owe her—money we don't have on our fixed income. The new boiler was fitted in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Openfix still hasn't returned our calls or done anything to help us, we could easy have frozen to death.
The Final Insult
Yesterday we received an email (we don't even have email—our neighbour printed it) saying our claim was "closed due to customer arranging own repair." No apology. No explanation. And they'll still take next month's premium unless we cancel.
To Any Other Elderly Couples Considering This Company:
They don't care about you. You're just a policy number. When you're vulnerable and desperate, you'll be passed around different reps, given false promises, and left to suffer. We trusted them with our wellbeing. They betrayed that trust without a second thought.
We're reporting them to the Ombudsman. Not for the money—we'll never see that—but because no other elderly person should go through what my wife and I have endured.
Shame on you, Openfix, You left two pensioners to freeze.
Regards Mr Ali
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At OpenFix, we're all about doing things right. We offer homeowners and landlords reliable home and boiler care plans, backed by our national network of skilled tradespeople. Whether you need an emergency repair or your annual boiler service, we'll ensure you receive the highest quality care.
