LocalcountyplumbersArvostelua 

I’d had a fall and expected to be hospitalised when I discovered, in the middle of the night, that a pipe had burst and the utility room was an inch deep in water. Frantically I started to ring round for an emergency plumber. I started by knowing I must ask how much they would charge, but as time went by and no-one answered my phone calls I grew increasingly desperate. I would have been asleep on my feet but for panic, so when someone finally answered the phone, I forgot to ask.

The man on the other end of the line was miles away, but he contacted Local County Plumbers, and Owen Davies fixed the leak. I knew the job would be expensive – no-one comes out in the night for the same money as they earn by day – but I was surprised the bill was £300! I don’t know why my card failed to work when I tried to pay, but next morning I was worried. 1 have met tradesmen who try to overcharge a lone woman, and the previous night I’d been far more vulnerable than my usual daytime self...

I needed advice, but it was New Year, so I’d have to wait before I could consult the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Also I had to be X-rayed in the local Minor Injuries Unit, which has no monstrous queues like A & E, but it’s not open all the time. Until then I didn’t know if I’d be hospitalised or not, which would obviously result in delay.

When I could speak to the CAB I discovered the following:

A lone plumber may advertise a 24/7 emergency service and charge about £150, but he has to sleep some time, so you may not get hold of him. Alternatively there are networks of emergency plumbers with someone always ready to answer the phone, so there are other people in the system to be paid and £300 is normal. As soon as I knew that I paid straight away, but not before Owen, who apparently misunderstood what I said about hospital (he appeared on the doorstep before I’d had a chance to be X-rayed) had become really agitated and sent me a threatening letter.

In his defence, I later discovered that unfortunately many plumbers do go unpaid – grossly unfair! – especially when someone has driven some distance to work at a time when people prefer to be asleep! I am grateful to Owen for fixing the leak at that time of night so I didn’t have to worry about floods in an empty house. I would give him four stars if he hadn’t threatened to have my car towed away, and bring the total up to five if he hadn’t left me without hot water. He told me he needed an item that he didn’t have with him, but the plumber who restored the hot water disagreed. He fixed the hot water very quickly without needing anything not already there.

Maybe Owen’s fear of non-payment is founded on past experience, but how can you pay from a hospital bed if you’ve lost your mobile?

I hope he now understand my viewpoint as I try to understand his, but I’m left wondering – he expects instant payment, but what happens if you have an emergency like mine but don’t have £300 in the bank? Not everyone does!