My tip.
When I visit a Property.
I get to know the client. I also get to know the client's plumbing.
My first meeting and service of this client and their plumbing tell me about their general attitude to life.
eg: No maintenance in ten years.
The client wants some simple work done for nothing.
I discuss the options and what a good service history is (eg: every 3 years).
The client then responds they have never repaired there taps.
I am disappointed.
Further discussion highlights a problem needing to be solved.I can only solve a problem quickly and affordably if the client has a reasonable service history with a good plumber!
IF NOT: I share a simple easy fix solution to give them time to get the money together to fix the job properly OR I make them aware I can do it properly for 'X' amount of dollars and supply a quote (COD/Completion) and a time to solve the problem.
If you care about your plumbing, your plumber will care about you!
Thanks,
Take a quick vote: plumbingtips
If you are from Western Australia DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use Plumber John Stanley Phillips Plumbers License # 637 He is the worst plumber you could ever come across, takes short cuts, shocking customer service, disrespectful, arrogant and causes you stress, he demands payment for his dodgy work and if you do not pay him he threatens to engage in a debt collector. He does more damage than good. Just because there is a skills shortage and may have to wait a few weeks to get work done, I recommend you wait, be patient and get a plumber who will do the job correctly to save you the distress that I have been through. Please forward this email to everyone you know, your sister, your brother, your parents, your friends, and your neighbours and tell anyone else who will listen because I do not want anyone else to go through what I have. Yours faithfully, Brindusa Lili Murg An essential websites if you are having any plumbing work done in Western Australia.Plumbers’ Licensing Board: http://www.plumbers.wa.gov.au/default.html
Brindusa, you had better hope this plumber does not read your post.
Tools
I want to find out answers to these simple questions to better locate a great Plumber & Gasfitter?
1 – How often do you call a Plumber / Gasfitter?
2 – Would you prefer to have a single phone number or website for all Plumbers / Gasfitters in your local area?
3 – What is important for you?
fair price
urgency
quality work
answers phone
trust
service guarantee
reliability
on time
neat & tidy
local tradesman
keeps in touch
gives free advice
easy to remember phone number
has a website
OTHER……………………………………..I required a small amount of plastering in the bathroom/laundry, I had a man come over, he asked me how much i payed for the house, went on to say that’s its strata and you never really end up owning it and that duplex’s are crap (its my first home that i bought as a single gal in perth last year )and then I called him after thinking about his quote and he was yelling at me over the phone because I couldn’t understand his stupid fu**ing pommy accent amongst all the other loud noises in his background “are you bloody deaf of something” he said to me. He called back like 5 times but I didn’t bother picking up. Another guy a plumber came over, didn’t do anything, just looked at the walls and did this test thing to see if there was moisture, he wasn’t there for more than 20 mins, didnt get dirty or have to stick his hand in the shitter or anything and charged $88 (and that was apparently pension rate – I made my dad call so I could get the discount). Now $88 for 20 minutes that equates to over $4 a minute, if that isn’t fraud I dunno what is.
I’m just jealous cause I have a career In IT, I have to use my brain constantly and someone with an IQ of 5 will earn twice as much as me and works 5 hrs a day. YIPPEEEE happy dayz
Phorsha wrote:charged $88 (and that was apparently pension rate – I made my dad call so I could get the discount). Now $88 for 20 minutes that equates to over $4 a minute, if that isn’t fraud I dunno what is.Um… getting your Dad to call and get a pensioner discount that you're not entitled to????
Sorry, I'm not really meaning to be unkind – I just thought the irony was beautiful….
Hi Phorsha,
Did the plumber give you the answer you were looking for? Or give you advice to fix your problem?
Did you ask your dad to ask what the estimated cost would be before he came out?
If you knew the price, and I imagine you did as you wanted a discount, then why does it matter how long it took?
If you didn't get the service you were looking for that is another matter.By the way, the last paragraph of your post screams volumes about your attitude to tradies, and they can sense that from a mile off!
Phorsha wrote:YIPPEEEE happy dayzIf you care about better tradesman, please fill out the stuff on my blog.
Phorsha wrote:Another guy a plumber came over, didn’t do anything, just looked at the walls and did this test thing to see if there was moisture, he wasn’t there for more than 20 mins, didnt get dirty or have to stick his hand in the shitter or anything and charged $88 (and that was apparently pension rate – I made my dad call so I could get the discount). Now $88 for 20 minutes that equates to over $4 a minute, if that isn’t fraud I dunno what is.I’m just jealous cause I have a career In IT, I have to use my brain constantly and someone with an IQ of 5 will earn twice as much as me and works 5 hrs a day. YIPPEEEE happy dayz
Isn't it ironic that you are so brainy but you had to call a dumb arse plumber with an IQ of only 5, who had the knowledge and the equipment to do what you needed done ! Tradesmen don't provide a free service as some seem to think. If you want his services, you need to pay for them, simple as that! He came to your house, (who knows how long that took him), spent 20 minutes doing what you asked for, used equipment that he has paid for, and only charged you $80 plus GST, and that sounds more than reasonable to me.
Tools
merryc wrote:Oh yes, there's real electricity in the air now. Perhaps the idea of a web page with quotes is just a pipe dream after all. . .yeah; I think this thread has gone down the drain.
trakka wrote:Phorsha wrote:charged $88 (and that was apparently pension rate – I made my dad call so I could get the discount). Now $88 for 20 minutes that equates to over $4 a minute, if that isn’t fraud I dunno what is.Um… getting your Dad to call and get a pensioner discount that you're not entitled to????
Sorry, I'm not really meaning to be unkind – I just thought the irony was beautiful….
Yeh yeh i know how it sounds – but when you think of all the elemetns – first home buyer, single, perth property market – I didnt
even think twice. Its not like im some property tycoon complaining about paying $88 for one of my 10 properties.And of course i knew the costs thats the going rate, I mean its cheaper to go to the dentist and get a filling and they do a 5 year degree lol
diclem wrote:Hi Phorsha,
Did the plumber give you the answer you were looking for? Or give you advice to fix your problem?
Did you ask your dad to ask what the estimated cost would be before he came out?
If you knew the price, and I imagine you did as you wanted a discount, then why does it matter how long it took?
If you didn't get the service you were looking for that is another matter.By the way, the last paragraph of your post screams volumes about your attitude to tradies, and they can sense that from a mile off!
I was happy with the service ! I never spoke down to him and considering how many tradies have tried to pull a swifty on me i think im more than decent to them. All i mean is, at the end of the day I believe its a rip off and that’s obviously due to the skills shortage and the job has to be done so you pay it and move on with life. If i was like an IT techi, I personally could not go to someone’s house 5 mins away, do a virus scan and say its OK and charge $88, I would not sleep at night.
And i don’t think they can 'sense' my attitude because there isn’t one until they leave and i pay the bill. Having an attitude wont make them work any better or faster.
Tools wrote:Isn't it ironic that you are so brainy but you had to call a dumb arse plumber with an IQ of only 5, who had the knowledge and the equipment to do what you needed done !Perhaps Phorsha had the knowledge and equipment but it was a task that the gubbermint says you need a plumbing license to perform? If they allowed owners to work on their own property without a license, plubmers hourly rates would halve overnight (and emergency callout rates would probably double..)
Phorsha,
Unfortunately; your attitude has a big impact on their work ethic in a lot of cases. Even worse; sometimes you can be as nice as pie (as I always start off being with them) and they still dud you.
This, of course, is very unprofessional, and is one of the reasons why this thread even started in the first place.
It's endemic in the (building trades) industry, and when you call them on it, as we've done here on this site a few times, they get all aggressive and attack you. Call us all whingers, ungrateful, etc.
Just watch; I'll cop about 6 hate posts from this one.
Phorsha wrote:diclem wrote:
And i don’t think they can 'sense' my attitude because there isn’t one until they leave and i pay the bill. Having an attitude wont make them work any better or faster.Phorsha,
I would gladly pay an IT professional $88 to come out to my house and remove a virus from my system. In fact, I would be happy to pay more. Even if it took them two minutes…. if its something I can't do myself, I would happily pay a professional to do it for me.diclem wrote:Phorsha,
I would gladly pay an IT professional $88 to come out to my house and remove a virus from my system. In fact, I would be happy to pay more. Even if it took them two minutes…. if its something I can't do myself, I would happily pay a professional to do it for me.Have to agree there;
I had a tech come out to look at my computer a few months ago. His fee was $60 per hour.
He was here for 1 hour and 15 mins; $120. Did a great job.
He was running 20 mins late, and rang me to tell me so half an hour ahead.
But; there was no "call out fee". His travel time was his problem. I guess it was built into the 15 mins that he charged me $60 for.
The difference was there was no ambiguity about price; it was what it was, and there was no hidden anything. Bang; job done.There seems to be a few people who think they are better then the tradesman they hire.
MMmmmm…… maybe you could consider living in a 3rd world country where your facination with cheap labour and feeling good by whether you exploit or you get exploited gives you a sense of well being.
I love people who whinge about a plumber getting poo and meds out of their toilet for between $70 – $700 a visit when they are happy to pay $200 PLUS for a BAD haircut (fashionable if you ask them).
What idiot pays $200 for a haircut…other than John Edwards? (running for US President – he paid $400)
I like the KMart clippers, myself.
Phorsha wrote:
Another guy a plumber came over, didn’t do anything, just looked at the walls and did this test thing"Perhaps Phorsha had the knowledge and equipment but it was a task that the gubbermint says you need a plumbing license to perform?"
Srobbins, I would suggest that she didn't.
Tools
Phorsha wrote:I made my dad call so I could get the discountlol…..so its OK if you defraud others, but if they do it to you, you have a big whine?
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