HeatLink failure

[Seanqmt]

I have installed installed NEST thermostats in two holiday properties 3 months apart.  After approx 2 years, both HeatLinks failed and my guests were without any heating for > 12 hours. I had to fit temporary standard thermostats on two separate occasions. Nest replaced the HeatLinks, but they arrived about 10 days later. NEST offered to pay up to £100 to fit the temporary thermostat and the new HeatLink, but it cost me far more than that and they insisted on ridiculously complex formatting of the invoice that my engineer refused to comply with. So I could not claim. I had to compensate my guests £200 each as well. I cannot afford failures and no heating every 2 years so I am considering removing the systems.  I note on these forums that lots of other customers have the same problems. Also, when I posted on Facebook, many others confirmed the same issue.  There seems to be a design fault in the HeatLink.  Can Nest please assure me that this has been note and fixed in the replacement units?  

[AlexD]

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your experience. 

I am glad to hear you received the replacement units after getting in touch in touch with us.

That is correct, we can offer not only a replacement, should it be deepend necessary, but also assist with some costs for the temporary thermostat, the installation and for the replacement Heat Link installation. This is within the certain budget we have available to offer that has been deemed to be generally sufficient to cover in most cases the costs fully. Keep in mind that these reimbursements are offered in addition to the replacement unit. We can't change that amount and our senior colleagues that process those reimbursements require  an invoice with all the mentioned details to be able to log and get it approved in the system.

You may see other users with similar behavior from their devices. Keep in mind that this is only part of the user base, while unexpected behaviors can occur, like any electronic device, this is only a small part of the total user base. No matter what happens with a device we're always happy to try and assist. 

I don't have access to any information about the Heat Links design that I can provide at this time. Rest assured that all our products are designed to last as long as possible and we're always on the look for new ways to improve them, as well as our services. 

Should anything occur with the replacement units, let us know here or reach out to us on any of our support lines, and we'll make sure to assist you as soon as we can. Me or any of my colleagues are always happy to assist. 

[Seanqmt]

Thank you for getting back. I appreciate that you do not have the answers I seek, ie, reassurance that the HeatLink faults have been identified, investigated and resolved in the replacement units that you are providing to so many of your customers. However, can you please escalate this to your engineering/technology/design team and ask them to address my question, feeding this back to me.  Otherwise, I am going to have to remove my NEST systems and replace with a product from one of your competitors.  I cannot afford to have this sort of disruption repeatedly, as my holiday let guests are without heating and hot water whenever this happens.  I do not think you appreciate that this can go on for days and although your replacement service is helpful, it does not cover the cost to me both financially, in the use of my time and in the damage to my reputation. 

[AlexD]

Rest assured that our colleagues are always on the lookout for unexpected behaviors and always take steps to get things on track if anything occurs, like a server outage for example.

I don't have any way to contact them directly, but rest assured that our senior colleagues always look over the cases and pass on any feedback to them. 

I do understand it is more than an inconvenience if such a situation occurs. Even if my colleagues set up a replacement immediately it will still take a bit for things to get back on track. And I am sorry that the issued reimbursement amount did not cover the cost. That is the amount we have on hand to offer in such cases, with the invoice information, as you already know. 

Hopefully things will go smoothly now. But should anything occur, reach out to us and we'll do our best to get things back on track as fast as possible.

[DragosC]

Hi there everyone. I'm just following up on the previous message. How's it going, do you still need our help? Keep me posted. 

[Seanqmt]

I am not really getting the answers I require but appreciate that you have done all you can.

[DragosC]

Understood, thanks for letting me know. In this case I'll close this thread for now. Should anything else come up, we're just a message away! Have a good one!