Boiler company 'to give free services to vulnerable' in return for good recommendations
GasKing founders Jamie and Adam Harvey. - Credit: GasKing
A Rainham boiler servicing company says it will give out thousands of pounds worth of free services to vulnerable people in Havering in exchange for good recommendations by word of mouth.
As part of the Recorder's There With You This Winter campaign, which is raising awareness of support on offer to the community through this winter, this newspaper spoke to GasKing about its initiative.
GasKing founders, brothers Jamie Harvey, 44, and Adam Harvey, 43, said it will offer free services to those in need from January 2022 via monthly competitions held on its Facebook page.
Rainham-based Jamie is the company’s gas engineer and Romford-based Adam is the “business mind" behind the company, which was set up in 2018 and offers boiler installations, repairs and servicing.
The pair hope the initiative will reduce the amount GasKing spends with Google to advertise while also helping it to have a positive impact in society.
Adam said the pair want to “do things a different way” and “give back to the community in return for good promotion and trust”.
The idea will cost the siblings around £5,000 a month, an amount Adam said he is happy to spend on “helping people in need or giving back to the people that help us every day”.
He added: “We want to help key workers such as nurses and bus drivers, vulnerable customers over 70 and families with sick children or newborn babies.
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“If it keeps the boiler on and helps them and in return, secures trust in our services, then it’s well worth trying.”
The co-founder is planning to collaborate with charities such as Age UK and will also connect with vulnerable customers through the business's Facebook page.
GasKing aims to provide the free services to people in areas such as Upminster, Romford and Hornchurch.
Adam added: “We would rather spend money giving people free things - it’s an experiment and one we’re willing to take.”
The company will continue to use Google Ads, but the founders hope this experiment will lessen their reliance on the conglomerate.
Adam added: “We want to get better all of the time. It’s been hard the last couple of years, but we’re dealing with the situation as best as possible.
“If this turns out to be a doable way of promoting our business, while giving back to the community, we’ll do it this way, and if it does work, everybody will follow us.”
