Question 1

Are you an insured business and do you guarantee your work?

Accepted Answer

I have full Public Liability insurance and all of my work is fully guaranteed. I am rarely called back to check a job, but if the customer has any concerns, I am always happy to pop back and check it.

Question 2

How did you decide to get into your line of work?

Accepted Answer

I knew I wanted to be in one of the trades as I felt I couldnt work in a stuffy office, sitting at a desk.  The opportunity of a full plumbing apprenticeship came along with North Shore Gas (now AGL) and I thought that would be good as it would mean that although they would make sure I was trained in all aspects of plumbing, I could also become a specialist in gas.

Question 3

Do you have a favourite customer story you would like to share?

Accepted Answer

I have a regular customer who recently undertook quite a large renovation.  Plumbing was part of the work, so I spent a few days working there.  When I had finished he told me he hoped not to see me for some time, as the entire renovation's budget had blown out and he was out of money.  Only a week later, he realised he had a blocked drain.  Not wanting to spend any more money on anything, he decided that he would have a poke around and see if he could sort it out for himself.  Part of his sewer pipes run through his garage - mounted to the ceiling - and in the middle of that pipework is an inspection cap.  He decided that this would be a good place to start (obviously he forgot about the existence of gravity), and placed a ladder next to his wife's brand new, 3 day old car, and proceeded to climb up and  turn the cap. He tells me he had only done a slow half turn, when the cap shot off, out of his hand, and before he realised what had happened, he found that he, his garage and his wife's brand new car, were all covered in toilet paper and everything else you can imagine that goes with the toilet paper.  His wife was ready to kill him, and a major clean-up would now need to be done.  "At least I have solved the blocked drain problem", he thought.  Two days later, the toilet was backing up again, and with his tail between his legs, he found himself calling me and telling me the whole story.  I explained (after I finished laughing)  that all he had done was temporarily relieve the pressure as the sewer was blocked much further down and I would have to come and clear it.  When I arrived he was rather red faced, and admitted that this was the biggest do-it-yourself mistake he had ever made, and although he was able to laugh about it now, it had ended up costing him a lot more money as his wife's car had to be cleaned by professionals, and the garage clean-up was a nightmare, not to mention, he had to throw away everything he was wearing at the time.  He now understands why plumbing problems should be left to plumbers to deal with, but he says its a great story to tell to his mates at the club, as everyone gets a great laugh out of it.

Question 4

What do you like most about your job?

Accepted Answer

I like the variation of the work. Its not just the same old thing all of the time as just about every job is different.  I also like that I am out and about and that I get to meet so many interesting people and see some great houses.  I also like that often people are quite distressed about their particular job, especially if it is an emergency, and I enjoy the look of relief when I arrive to sort it out - and I do always come when I say I will.

Question 5

What questions should a customer ask to hire the right service professional?

Accepted Answer

The most important questions are :- "are you licensed" - this can be checked on the Fair Trading website to verify.   "are you insured" - extremely important "do you have experience" - everyone has to start somewhere, but the more experience the tradesman has the quicker and easier the job will be.

Question 6

What questions do customers commonly ask and how would you answer them?

Accepted Answer

Many customers ask if natural gas is safe - I always tell them that it absolutely is.  They also ask if their house can blow up if they get a gas leak - i tell them unless the house is completely air tight and they then have a spark from something, no it cant blow up.  The other thing new customers ask a lot is "will you actually show up" (seems a lot of tradies dont these days), I tell them I always show up when I say I will.

Question 7

What makes you the most reliable and trustworthy person for the job?

Accepted Answer

I have been in business for 30 years so I must be doing something right.  I always come when I say I will, am happy to call customers when I am on my way if they have to leave work etc to meet me.  I have clients that have been using my services so long now that they trust me to come when they are not home - they just leave the back door unlocked for me to get it, or tell me where the key is hidden and there are never any issues with that.

Question 8

Why should a customer hire you over another service provider?

Accepted Answer

I have over 30 years experience in all aspects of plumbing, draining and gas fitting.  I am a gas specialist.  I am fully licensed and insured.  I am the owner/operator and offer fast, friendly and efficient service at reasonable prices.  I also have a restricted electrical license which means that when a customer replaces and an electric Hot Water System, they dont need to also call an electrician as I can do the whole job. If you have a plumbing problem that is causing you concern, I will get to it as quickly as I can, but can usually reassure you that these things are not usually as bad as they appear and will also offer advise on what to do in the meantime to make the situation manageable for you.

Question 9

What are the typical things that you need to know before you can provide a quote to a customer?

Accepted Answer

I need to know as much as they can tell me about what needs to be done.  I will ask the specific questions so as to try and get the best idea of what is required to carry out the work without having to do a site inspection.  Some jobs are more involved though and I would need to have a look and provide a quote.

Question 10

How can a customer save money before you start the work? Please give 3 tips

Accepted Answer

Wherever possible, its good to have clear access to a problem, so if there is vegetation overgrowing an area where you know you have a problem, its good to have it clear before I come.  If any significant non-skilled manual labour is involved in a job, for example, trench digging, tile removal etc, I always give the customer the option to do it themselves if they are physically able to. I will tell them exactly what is required and guide them along the way so that they can be confident in what they are doing, and this means my time doing the job is significantly less. If they are doing something like a new bathroom, or a new or additional gas point installation, it is good if you are certain where you want everything installed before I come.  I know sometimes you have to wait and check something with me regarding regulations etc., but you would be surprised how long I have spent on some jobs, doing nothing much while the customers argue about where they want the basin in the new bathroom, or where they will be putting the natural has BBQ or room heater.  If this can be decided before I arrive, it means I spend less time there.

Question 11

Are there any special offers you would like to offer to Oneflare customers?

Accepted Answer

For customers who have natural gas installed, I am offering a free gas pipe pressure test.  Customer must book me in to do an actual plumbing job and while I am there i will test the gas pipes for leaks.  I will show the customer if there is a leak so they can see for themselves.  Many houses on the Northern Beaches have old gas pipes which do tend to leak.  Often these leaks cant be detected as they are underground or under a house and many have been leaking so long that customers dont see a change in their gas bill - they see the bill go down once a leak is detected and repaired - in some cases customers have been paying for leaking gas for over 10 years! Mention that you want to take advantage of this offer when booking me in.

Question 12

What makes your pricing competitive?

Accepted Answer

I dont charge a call-out fee, I only charge for the time I am there.  I know what I am doing, so dont waste timing fiddling around. I get the job done quickly and efficiently which in turn means that I am there for the shortest possible time which results in the customer receiving a lower bill than they would with someone who may not be as confident or experienced.

Question 13

How do you normally charge for your service?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what sort of job it is.  Some things are a standard price, like a replacement Hot Water System, some things are an hourly rate and some jobs, particularly new or additional gas pipe installations, i work on a per metre of pipe basis.  This last instance means that if a customer can rough measure approximately how many metres of pipe would be involved (and I can advise them on what and where to measure), I can give them a price for the job, based on that measurement, over the phone which means they dont have to wait at home for me to come and have a look and that also means in one phone call they can get their price, accept it and book me in which appeals to a lot of people as it is so simple and doesnt take up a lot of time.  If I have quoted a job this way, I will always check the measurements and confirm the price (or advise if it will be less or more due to incorrect measuring) before I do anything so that the customer knows exactly what their bill will be.

Question 14

Is there a particular aspect of your trade or industry that you specialise in?

Accepted Answer

I am experienced in all aspects of plumbing and can take care of all plumbing needs, but I do also have a specialty in gas fitting, both natural gas and LPG, having been apprenticed by AGL for my entire 6 year apprenticeship and then becoming an installation contractor with AGL for over 15 years (until they changed their procedures and no longer used sub-contractors).

Question 15

What experience, skills, qualifications or training do you have to make you the right person for the job?

Accepted Answer

I have 30 years of experience - there is probably nothing now that I haven't seen before.  I can deal with all plumbing issues, and also have a wealth of experience with gas - both Natural Gas and LPG.  This an area that some plumbers are not licensed for, or just shy away from for some reason.  Other plumbers call me to look after their customers gas requirements, as they are not confident to do it.  I also have a restricted electrical license for disconnection and reconnection of Hot Water Systems, which means that the customer will not have to also call in an electrician if they call me,  I am the owner/operator of this business, so I am the one you will always deal with.  I always come when I say I will.

Michael O'Mara Plumbing Pty Ltd

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