Plumbing is not something that the average person gets to talk about or investigate very much, beyond how it looks in the shop. To be be honest, plumbing is not that complicated.
To quote my father, Jack Young, "Plumbers only need to know two things - water runs downhill and payday is Friday!"
To quote my father, Jack Young, "Plumbers only need to know two things - water runs downhill and payday is Friday!"
So I’m always a little surprised when I hear people getting themselves into hot water (or not), with the costs paid for plumbing work. We all hear stories of clients paying up to three times the going price of work, which could have easily been checked with just a couple of phone calls asking for a ball park figure. I have covered this before, but given today’s tight economic times, I’ll lay it out for the interested amateur:
1. Try to identify what what the problem is. The clearer your idea of what needs to be done, the better you can convey the to the plumber, the better the price you are going to get and avoid getting the wool pulled over your eyes!
2. Plumbing retailers are impartial. Showroom people are going to give you good advice and tend to be knowledgable once they know what you are trying to do. So while you’re instore, with the aid of your mobile phone, take a photo that you can show your plumber. A picture is a great way to get you around the language of plumbing. To some of my customers, plumbing sounds like ‘dirty talk’…male and female, cocks and nipples etc. Local suppliers such as Reece, Samios, Western Plumbing, Tradelink, Plumtek, Bunnings, Bathroom International are also a good source of knowledge and can inform you which plumbers are active in the area, the type of work they do and who is reputable.
3. Find a someone who is going to do the job. Once you know what you’re going to do and understand a little bit of the lingo the next step is getting some quotes. I look at the quote process a little bit like an interview. You lay out what needs to be done and they address it both by method and by price. Not everyone is going to do the work the same way, and there’s often many correct ways, each having various benefits and limitations, so ask the questions ‘what and why’ etc.
Personally, I don’t think that you can beat the comfort factor when dealing with tradies, if you ‘feel’
comfortable with someone and their quote then there’s a fair chance that if issues arise while carrying out the job, good lines of communication and your comfort factor is going to help resolve it.
4. Do not take the first quote unless the job takes less than a couple of hours’ work.
5. Not all quotes need a visit. Sometimes a quote can be obtained simply by making a phone call, but ask the plumber to confirm the figure quoted when they arrive.
6. Ask for a ‘firm’ quote. Most work like changing a hot water unit’s valves should have very little surprise elements. For example if the unit was working before, then it should continue working after the job is completed.
7. Make the quote idiot proof! Write the quote down, date it, draw a picture of the work to be done. The more info you get down on paper prior to the job commencing the less room for error. Australian consumer law gives you rights, which allow you to
stop the work at any stage and take technical or legal advice.
8. Tradesmen are people too. Treat your tradie the way you’d like to be treated. Courtesy goes a long way to getting your job completed smoothly and on good terms. On longer jobs your tradie might stop for a break, or heaven forbid…go to the toilet! You’d be amazed at what some people would consider unreasonable!
9. Payment. That dirty word. Even after 40 years I am amazed that some people want to haggle at the end of thousands of dollars worth of work. My advice is to haggle before and pay immediately after.
1. Try to identify what what the problem is. The clearer your idea of what needs to be done, the better you can convey the to the plumber, the better the price you are going to get and avoid getting the wool pulled over your eyes!
2. Plumbing retailers are impartial. Showroom people are going to give you good advice and tend to be knowledgable once they know what you are trying to do. So while you’re instore, with the aid of your mobile phone, take a photo that you can show your plumber. A picture is a great way to get you around the language of plumbing. To some of my customers, plumbing sounds like ‘dirty talk’…male and female, cocks and nipples etc. Local suppliers such as Reece, Samios, Western Plumbing, Tradelink, Plumtek, Bunnings, Bathroom International are also a good source of knowledge and can inform you which plumbers are active in the area, the type of work they do and who is reputable.
3. Find a someone who is going to do the job. Once you know what you’re going to do and understand a little bit of the lingo the next step is getting some quotes. I look at the quote process a little bit like an interview. You lay out what needs to be done and they address it both by method and by price. Not everyone is going to do the work the same way, and there’s often many correct ways, each having various benefits and limitations, so ask the questions ‘what and why’ etc.
Personally, I don’t think that you can beat the comfort factor when dealing with tradies, if you ‘feel’
comfortable with someone and their quote then there’s a fair chance that if issues arise while carrying out the job, good lines of communication and your comfort factor is going to help resolve it.
4. Do not take the first quote unless the job takes less than a couple of hours’ work.
5. Not all quotes need a visit. Sometimes a quote can be obtained simply by making a phone call, but ask the plumber to confirm the figure quoted when they arrive.
6. Ask for a ‘firm’ quote. Most work like changing a hot water unit’s valves should have very little surprise elements. For example if the unit was working before, then it should continue working after the job is completed.
7. Make the quote idiot proof! Write the quote down, date it, draw a picture of the work to be done. The more info you get down on paper prior to the job commencing the less room for error. Australian consumer law gives you rights, which allow you to
stop the work at any stage and take technical or legal advice.
8. Tradesmen are people too. Treat your tradie the way you’d like to be treated. Courtesy goes a long way to getting your job completed smoothly and on good terms. On longer jobs your tradie might stop for a break, or heaven forbid…go to the toilet! You’d be amazed at what some people would consider unreasonable!
9. Payment. That dirty word. Even after 40 years I am amazed that some people want to haggle at the end of thousands of dollars worth of work. My advice is to haggle before and pay immediately after.
