Back on the tools.

[pointman]

A question mainly for self employed plumbers/drainage engineers/ch engineers.

Lads, i am currently considering going back on the tools after an absence of 3 years, although i have still kept my hand in, and am fully aware of the new rules and regs, i'm a bit concerned about the current state of the trade, what with the eastern euoropean influx, and there inferior work etc.

So before i invest in yellow pages, web sites, van and paperwork etc, i thought i'd give you a shout to see how the trade's shaping up.

Does anyone on here advertise in the YP, down south(central london) if so, is it still a viable option coupled with the normal word of mouth jobs.

Serious answers only please guys, as i'm willing to invest a lot of money to start up again

Time served, 22 years in the trade.

Thanks for all your replies in advance, Danny.

 

[Agile]

You dont say exactly what you plan to do.

If its non gas plumbing then the east europeans do all the work for builders and have driven down the price for bathroom fitting to about £300 for budget installations for landlords.

Advertising in YP. Thompsons and BT will get you a few jobs but its not very cost effective.

Probably better to do a leaflet drop as you can do that yourself and keep the cost to a minimum.

If you can do gutters and lead flashing then thats expanding the range of jobs.

There is a glut of people lured by the prospect of high earnings who did short courses who cannot get any work and fill the papers with adverts.

You might struggle to make £20 k in the first year.

Could be better to keep at whatever else you are doing.

If you are CORGI registered then its a bit brighter particularly if you can competently repair boilers and understand lambda compensation.

The traffic, parking and congestion charge in London makes small jobs very time consuming just to get there.

Tony

 

[Paul Barker]

I am planning to completely stop all advertising next year, the books have all totally priced themselves out of the market. They have invented so many sections that plumbers have to advetise in that they deserve to have non of our business..

I am deadly serieous it is a complete con; don't support them.

Once you get started and meet joiners and builders and suchlike on jobs they keep pestering you do to jobs and your problem is not getting the work but turning it down.

 

[pointman]

Thank's for youre replies lads, well appreciated.

I am a plumber/ drainage engineer, but currently getting quotes for the ACS course, and i know it's a costly and time consuming but needs must unfortunately, although i am fully aware of how to maintain and fault find on most makes of combi & conventionals (pre legislation days) i dont think it's worth taking a chance, there's to many chancers out there, and the trade has suffered enough bad press over the years.
So i'ts back to school for me, coupled with a few day's a month with my mates, of whom are corgi reg'd, i should sale it, wish me luck.

Thanks again lads. cheers tony.

 

[Agile]

You should get a few more views at the weekend but my advice is that its NOT a good time to enter plumbing because of the vast number of inexperienced British people trying to work and lots of experienced East Europeans.

Its actually worse that I thought ! Last night I spoke to someone in the Midlands who had been made rudandant from peugeot. He finds that many jobs are now advertised as for the Polish only.

There are still a few supervisory jobs about if you have much experience as a supervisor or manager or estimator. They are usually advertised in the IPHE and CORGI magazines and the free ones.

Tony

 

[Paul Barker]

I have to agree with Tony times are very hard. The breakdown work has shrunk massively too as bigger firms and insurance companies have sewn it up.

The most common call is from pushy people who have just bought a cooker or had a kitchen fitted and demand the gas work done imediately out of the blue, then moan you can't get a plumber if they can't get one.

What the customers want is a plumber on tap the moment they think of it.

Imagine expecting your dentist solicitor accountant car mechanic to drop everything the moment you need them?

The reason that I advise against phone book advertising is because they have upped the ante to a level that this now poorly paid trade can't afford. You've got no choice but to opt out of it, unless you just want to work for overheads.

It's no good following the line of better adds to get more work to employ people or to select the better jobs.

The better jobs don't reveal themselves (or ther reverse, the worst jobs don't reveal themselves) until you are entrenched into them so far to walk away would be costly.

Employing people is a skill initself that I have proved time and again I don't have, all you are doing is working for overheads and other people if you take that route.

Many customers will try to steal from you. They perceive that you are wealthy and can afford it. To them every penny they have to pay you goes towards your next cruise, so why should they pay you when all they can afford is two weeks in Florida?

Good luck.

 

[Paul Barker]

I'm not saying you can't make it, just saying trim your sales, and watch out for the media driven public miconceptions.

Do work of the highest standard be pleasant, so that work breeds work. That's what you want really, a good reputation.

People who sell bathroom stuff will hand out your card with another 20 cards, but it will get you work. Tell other local plumbers you need work. I am delighted to have someone to hand out work to. I get far too many enquiries and and very far behind (because I can't harness a profitable work force effectively so have gone back solo). There is a lad local who has left his brothers business that I am delighted to recommend, there must be other established businesses in your area with similar needs. All you have to be is skilled straight and pleasent to deal with to be of value to them.

 

[namsag]

Not sure if just now is the right time to start up because you can cerainly tell the difference this year ,people are reigning in the purse strings. The merchants will tell you they are well down on sales with more people chasing less work.
If the housing market continues to decline more site plumbers will then come back into the work place. Warmfront are also taking a lot of the installation work with the £2700 grant they get . I am honest to the point of stupidity and have put several people onto this in the past month.

But then again in the past week and a half we have had enough quotes(boiler intallation work) accepted to keep 2 of us going to the middle of november, which is not bad but in pevious years by end of sept we would be booked till xmas.

We don`t have any problem with polish or eastern european in our area taking work if they are they are working within there own community.

 

[pointman]

I really appreciate your honest replies lads, today (friday) i picked up a copy of the london YP, it's got so big now, you need two hands to pick the thing up.
I also noticed in my local newspaper, that they are still advertising for trainee plumbers at these so called, 6 week city and guilds courses, saying that there is a skill shortage, surely this is illegal, promising high earnings after a 6 week intensive course, not to mention the money they charge to do it, my apprentiship lasted six years in total, and it was only after the third year that i was allowed to become an improver, even now i'm still learning, so how can they justify there claims, it's bloody scandalous, anyway rant over.

Once again cheers lads, (still undecided) but my hearts in the game.

 

[Softus]

A question mainly for self employed plumbers/drainage engineers/ch engineers.

This belongs in trade talk, then.

Lads, i am currently considering going back on the tools after an absence of 3 years, although i have still kept my hand in, and am fully aware of the new rules and regs, i'm a bit concerned about the current state of the trade, what with the eastern euoropean influx, and there inferior work etc.

You might want to revise your attitude before starting out again - not all plumbers are "lads", and most inferior work that I see isn't anything to do with Eastern European tradespeople.

So before i invest in yellow pages, web sites, van and paperwork etc, i thought i'd give you a shout to see how the trade's shaping up.

You've just listed a whole bunch of overheads that aren't essential. Don't invest anything - just contact all your old customers and make them aware that you're working again.

Does anyone on here advertise in the YP, down south(central london) if so, is it still a viable option coupled with the normal word of mouth jobs.

Personally, I use word of mouth only.

Serious answers only please guys, as i'm willing to invest a lot of money to start up again

Seriously, your money would be better off with Northern Rock. Just focus on working and putting the word around.

 

[oilman]

Personally, I use word of mouth only.

I'm sure everyone here would agree you do,............................................ and on every conceivable occasion

 

[Softus]

Fair play oilman.

 

[pointman]

So what's wrong with the word "Lads" as it become politically incorrect to use the word nowaday's, as the trade sunk to the lower depths of the nanny state, or are you a female, and consider it a sexist post, next someone will be telling me that it's a pre-requisite that i have to wear a pink apron to change a ball valve.
As for the eastern europeans, it is what i am being told, not an observation by my self, and was never intended to contain racial under-tones.

So, no apologies.

 

[Softus]

So what's wrong with the word "Lads"

There's nothing wrong with the word - I was just pointing out your assumption that the people you're addressing may well include tradeswomen.

...as it become politically incorrect to use the word nowaday's, as the trade sunk to the lower depths of the nanny state, or are you a female, and consider it a sexist post

No, no, no, and no.

next someone will be telling me that it's a pre-requisite that i have to wear a pink apron to change a ball valve.

But you don't have any customers, so you won't be changing any ball valves.

As for the eastern europeans, it is what i am being told, not an observation by my self, and was never intended to contain racial under-tones.

So, no apologies.

You seem a bit defensive - nobody mentioned racism.

With the number of assumptions you make perhaps you'd be better off house-bashing (rather then being self-employed and called upon to solve problems) - the camaradary amongst the "lads" is very good, and you wouldn't need to invest any money in advertising.

 

[pointman]

I think what i'll shall do, is continue driving my black cab around central london' and maybe give out some cards etc, to my fairs.

thanks for all the replies Lads & Lasses.

Gotta rush, need to count my takings from last night.