starting an emergency lear repair service

[bluebenz1]

Hi all, I have just registered with this site...I am mainly a kitchen/bathroom installer but carry out most home renovations and have been doing so for the last 20 odd years. I am located in north London and am thinking of focussing on a call out emergency service aimed at north London. I already have some key equipment ie rofrost freezer kit. I just wondered if anyone has experience with call out's....the pitfalls...charge rates, key tools/equipment needed, tips and tricks etc etc... any info would be welcome.....
cheers...

 

[jtsplumbing]

First will you be doing this yourself ? or contracting to a larger Co ? if for yourself when do you intend to sleep ? you will need to keep a large amount of parts on board, and you will be competing with some large Co, Then it comes down to charges ! look at the large Co they always take payment up front, and you will need very good insurance cover .

 

[Leo21]

Pitfalls are crappy hours.


Pros are good money.

 

[REDSAW]

theres a leak on boiler, cylinder, stopcock! what do you do?

will you just be tofo'ing them as first response?

 

[Stanios]

Customers love to have their leak fixed today without using the word "emergency"
I'd say the hardest thing is getting enough work. Being an emergency plumber you can't arrange 10 jobs for next week you need 1 job every 2 hours for 10 hours and they just don't come like that. You can't book any work in advance because then you can't respond to an emergency. Very tricky

 

[Leo21]

Customers love to have their leak fixed today without using the word "emergency"
I'd say the hardest thing is getting enough work. Being an emergency plumber you can't arrange 10 jobs for next week you need 1 job every 2 hours for 10 hours and they just don't come like that. You can't book any work in advance because then you can't respond to an emergency. Very tricky

That's why dedicated emergency call out firms are so expensive. You have to make your money from less jobs.

 

[snowhead]

The other problem is money.

Expect customers to say that they aren't paying the £60 or whatever you quoted as you've only been there 2 minutes and fixed it.
The fact you've driven 30 miles round trip and it's 2 o'clock in the morning and you've saved their a** means nothing to them.