Open question to all plumbers everywhere

LCFC_Foxile

Hi fellow Moneysavers,

A bit of a strange one this, but I hope I get some responses which will allow me to understand the angle plumber's coming from.

We have a number of jobs which we want undertaking in our house, amongst them a powerflush, installation of a new shower unit, & replacing & moving a cold water storage tank in our loft.

We've contacted 4 different plumbers from our neighbouring area or ones which have been recommended by friends, to provide a quote (over the phone) or visit our place to see for themselves what needs to be done, & perhaps make their own recommendations.

Out of the 4...

One visited, said he would put together something once he had sorted out the costs for sourcing the shower etc, & then provide us with a full quote incorporating all of the jobs. After 3 further calls, over the course of 10 or so days, when he promised on each occasion to get back to us, he didn't, & in the end, we just gave up because we got the impression he wasn't bothered.

Two said they would visit, but then missed 2 appointments each that they had made to visit, but then didn't even bother to let us know that they weren't able to make it, or reschedule.

The last (most recent), said he would pop round. Cancelled & rescheduled 3 times, so after the third time when he didn't even call to reschedule, I texted him the details of the work needing to be done, & asked for a ballpark-quote. Has since not called to reschedule, or replied to the text.

Since most of the missed appointments have been followed-up by me calling up the plumber to find out their whereabouts (instead of them letting me know that they were going to miss the appointment), can any plumbers/fellow Moneysavers give me some advice on whether I'm going about this the wrong way?

When I've had to find out where a plumber is, in most instances he ends up apologising & mentions that he's on an emergency call-out.

Should a plumber be able to give me a ballpark-quote, or it is absolutely necessary for them to visit?

I understand that our jobs (certainly at the moment) aren't an immediate priority to those who require our appointed plumber in an emergency, but is the reason why we are being constantly rebuffed because our work simply isn't as lucrative as an emergency?

On a side note, if anyone can recommend a plumber in the Windsor/Berkshire-area that can keep appointments &/or provide a quote for the work we need doing, I'll be grateful!

Cheers...

swarby_2

i certainly wouldnt give ball park figures over the phone, there are just too many variables, and whats the point in me telling you it could be between £100 and £500, you probable knew that already!!!

but then again i have never missed a quote that i arranged an appointment for and phone if i am running late,

i had to get a quote from a decorator the other day and he turned up exactly when he said but then didnt get the quote back to me for nearly a week when he said it would be 3 days, to me thats poor business and i wont be using him

WestonDave

My non plumbers take on this is that 3 calls in ten days is hassling and may have marked you down as a pain in the backside who's going to be hard work to do a job for. Most plumbers are small operations where the business owner is doing the admin (accounts, quotes etc) in what most would call leisure time. Some of the tradesmen I know have one or two nights a week set aside for this sort of thing to allow family/social life to go on on other nights. If you've phoned up nagging before he's even got to his first admin night then in his mind you've expected him to drop his evening out etc to do your quote - in his shoes I'd be a bit down on you!

Also if they are going to drag themselves out in the evening after having cleaned up and sat down, its more likely to be for a high charge emergency job than a quote for a relatively small job. Try being more flexible about when you see them - what about going in to work late and inviting them first thing so they can call in on the way to their first job of the morning, or being home early enough so they can drop in on their way home.

It may sound unfair but if the simple truth is that its a sellers market in quality plumbing in your area then you have to go the extra mile to make your job more attractive than the other 10 that are also clamouring for their services. I hope I'm not being too hard on you - I know when you get all psyched up to get these things done you kind of want it done tommorow, but maybe if you look at things from their perspective and be a bit more "matey" with them you'll bring out a better side. I may now get shot down by the plumbers on here!

LCFC_Foxile

Thanks for the replies so far. In reply, I can provide the following additional info.

1. I can honestly say that I've not been the one bugging them. For example, in relation to the first plumber I mentioned, he came round on a Thursday, & said he would provide a quote the following Monday.

I waited until the Wednesday of that week to contact him about the quote he had promised. This process/delay was pretty much repeated on the other 2 calls I mention in relation to this plumber.

2. With all of the appointments, the person determining the the visit at a certain time has been plumber in every instance.

Across all 4 plumbers, there have been 7 separate occasions where I have either gone into work late, come back from work early, or my wife has changed her plans to accommodate the plumber's diary.

Those have been the occasions when the plumber failed to call to let us know of his eventual non-show - an example is last Friday, when the plumber said he'd visit between 5.30 & 6.30. I waited until 7.30 before contacting him.

Hope that fills in the gaps.

I too, had also assumed that there would be too many factors involved in being able to provide a quote over the phone.

I thought I'd be helping them in saying they could do so, because of the missed appointments we had already experienced, but this was obviously a wrong move on my part.

Cheers...

Canucklehead

Good morning: I wasn't going to post on this thread as I have a rep for defending the trades especially plumbers/CORGIs (I'm married to one) so would just be going over old ground...however I must say that WestonDave's comments are spot on! I'm the one who types up the quotes and gets more frustrated then my OH when potential clients who have said they will get back to him (and that includes a number of MSErs :eek: )vanish into thin air..common courtesy should extend both ways but sadly doesn't as demonstrated by the OP's post and our experiences.
If you lived in Kent or near Surbiton I could guarantee at least one plumber/CORGI showing up for the appointment and presenting a written quotation withn a reasonable time frame.;)

HTH

Canucklehead

swarby_2

I'm the one who types up the quotes and gets more frustrated then my OH when potential clients who have said they will get back to him (and that includes a number of MSErs )vanish into thin air..common courtesy should extend both ways

tell me about it, i recently had a customer email me back FOUR months after i sent the quote, if you have already left it that long please just dont bother!!

john175bramley

I've had many plumbing jobs done in my time and can sympathise with your plight. I've found that the more simple jobs (ie. installing a new gas hob) are pretty easy easy to get done, more complex jobs, such as yours, can be a nightmare.

The amount of time I've wasted waiting for a plumber to appear to give me a quote must run into many days, how difficult is it for them to pick up their mobile and give you a quick call to tell you they can't make it? If they aren't interested in doing your job why can't they tell you? I've never had a plumber say they aren't interested in giving me a quote, I've had plenty who just don't bother to turn up.

It makes me laugh when TV programs like Property Ladder tell you to get 3 quotes, ask them for references and then choose the best, I've never even been able to get 3 plumbers to turn up!

I know this post isn't very helpful to you but I just wanted you to know you're not alone, everyone has these problems. In the 21st century you would think it would be simple to pick up the phone, get a plumber to visit and give you a quote and get the job done, it's rarely that simple.

Hopefully someone on here will know of a reliable plumber in your area and you can get the job done, there are reliable plumbers out there it just takes time and luck to find them.

1jim

have to agree with john above...it cant be that hard to keep appts can it??? to be honest I would be much more impressed if the plumber said "look sorry mate am too busy,, sorry your job is just too small for me,,,, sorry your job is just not viable for me at the moment" rather than coming out, making the right noises and then promising to quote but not doing so

If they are not typing up quotes then they should have a realistic idea of when it will be done and with the customer, if they were honest about when the quote would be done then customers would not chase them up to see where the quote has got to

Whilst plumbing might be in demand I would have thought that a good plumber would be aware of providing good customer service because there will come a time when the tables have turned and there is shortage of customers!

After many years of this poor service I now have a plumber, an electrician and a builder that I always use, I dont usually get more than quote (especially the case with builder) as have found them competetive in the past an know that they will come and quote when they say they will and will do the job on time and in a professionally

Canucklehead

1jim wrote: »

After many years of this poor service I now have a plumber, an electrician and a builder that I always use, I dont usually get more than quote (especially the case with builder) as have found them competetive in the past an know that they will come and quote when they say they will and will do the job on time and in a professionally

Good afternoon: My OH has longstanding clients who will call on his services and will wait for him in preference to trying to round up another plumber/CORGI...reliable and competent trades are always in demand (and usually pricier) and good customers (i.e.pay on time, don't chop and change etc...) are appreciated but sometimes in short supply (we have to keep an eye open for those 'rogue customers' especially these days;) ). In the end, having a list of 'housetrained' (my OH's words) trades to call on is an excellent idea

HTH

Canucklehead

LCFC_Foxile

I must say I really envy those of you that have managed to find trustworthy (in every way possible) plumbers, electricians, builders etc.

At the end of the day, I don't mind paying a decent sum for a decent job. Not too much to ask is it?