Have-a-Go Plumbers Could Land in Deep Water!

If your plumbing sprung a leak, would you reach for the telephone or the toolbox?

A new survey shows that one in ten people would try tackling an emergency plumbing repair themselves - or would get someone else in the house to have a go.

The survey, commissioned by British Gas, also reveals that more than half of us don't know the number of a plumber to call out in an emergency.

Results of the MORI survey have been published as British Gas launches its new plumbing service to customers - part of the company's move to providing a wider range of services for the home. The cover is available as an additional product to customer's existing Three Star Central Heating Service Cover, from just £3 extra per month.

A massive 51% of people surveyed said they wouldn't know the number of a plumber to fix a leaking pipe. And of those who did call out a plumber around 11% said they were dissatisfied with the service they received.

Among the worst plumbing nightmares were complaints about:

  • Bad workmanship
  • Overcharging
  • Failing to keep appointments
  • Taking too long over a job
  • Causing damage
  • High call out charges

Customers also spoke about having to face rude and unfriendly behaviour, jobs not being finished and problems with 'cowboy' operators.

Households were asked to list the most important things they would look for in a plumbing service. Top of the list was Speed of Response, cited by 54% of people. This was followed by Expertise at 49%, and Cost and Value for Money, both at 42%.

Marketing Director of British Gas Services Jamie Buchan said: "The research clearly shows that people value expertise, reliability and value for money. With our highly trained engineers and excellent customer service network, we believe we can match all those expectations. This is part of our plan to offer a wider range of affordable home services to our customers."

"We were surprised to discover that so many people would tackle emergency plumbing jobs themselves," he added. "We would advise against a DIY approach - it's a job for the experts and you could cause a lot of unnecessary damage by having a go yourself."

Plumbing Cover from British Gas offers an affordable way for householders to protect themselves from plumbing problems throughout the year. Key features of the service are:

  • costs from just £3 per month, with no call-out fee.
  • repair and emergency cover for burst pipes and water leaks.
  • 24-hour priority helpline, so help is only a phone call away.
  • A network of over 5,000 trained British Gas engineers - all fully experienced in heating and pumping.

To find out more about Plumbing Cover from British Gas, call at local rate on 0345-365 100.

Technical details

The survey was carried out by MORI among a nationally representative quota sample of 1,960 adults. Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in home, between 4 and 7 June 1999.

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