Why have I not heard of you before?
Lots of people ask this! We don't advertise much - a big proportion of our
business comes through referrals from satisfied customers, and we like it
that way. It means we can spend more time focusing on delivering great service,
and less time on deciding where we should advertise. Please bear this in
mind when you use us - the success of our business relies on word-of-mouth,
so do pass on the word if you are happy with our service.
Why are you called Top Ten Plumbers?
Because we did a survey of existing customers and found that over 80% of
the jobs they wanted done fitted into a top ten list. They were all small
response maintenance style jobs that could be carried out quickly and efficiently.
The reason that most people can’t get a plumber is because they work
on big jobs lasting days and they take all their tools to that job. Hence
they don’t want to stop working, pack up their tools and drive across
town for a 5 minute job.
The name Top Ten refers to the list of most frequently requested jobs, NOT that we think we are in the Top Ten of best plumbers in the world…Edinburgh yes, UK maybe…but that will be for you to experience and decided, not us.
How much does your service cost?
£37 per hour or part thereof.
Does this include materials?
No - materials are charged at cost plus 25%. Most customers use us purely
as a labour service, but we are happy to fetch particular parts for you
if needed. We add a small mark-up to parts we supply to reflect the fact
that we are using our expertise to select and find the right materials.
Do your Plumbers come with all the right tools?
Yes! All our plumbers carry a full range of tools to tackle a huge number
of different jobs. They also carry a wide selection of small parts (joints,
pipe, washers, screws, nails and so forth).
Do you do free estimates?
Generally, we can give you a good idea over the telephone of how long a
job is likely to take. You can then book someone in, and when they arrive
they will confirm or revise the estimate based on what they find at the
job. If it is clearly going to take a lot longer than expected, and you
decide not to go ahead, we won't charge you anything. If you are happy to
go ahead then our plumber will do the job there and then. For larger jobs,
like fitting a new bathroom, we would usually make a separate visit first
to give you an estimate.
Are you insured?
Yes, we carry £2m of public liability insurance.
How quickly can you come out?
We are not really an emergency service - most of the work we do is booked
in a couple of days in advance. We can often squeeze jobs in on the same
day as they are booked, though, so it is worth calling to check availability.
Do you offer a 24hr service?
No - usual hours are 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. We can do jobs in the
evening or on Saturdays for a 50% premium. Our office is open from 8.00am
to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.
Do you have any CORGI registered engineers?
No. We employ response maintenance plumbers, who can all do a wide range
of jobs, but we are not CORGI registered, so we don't do any work with gas.
How do you know that the people you use are reliable?
Unlike many firms in the building and maintenance industry, all our plumber’s
work for us full-time, we don't just subcontract jobs out to other people.
Of the many job applications that we receive, we only interview about a
third of applicants, and offer jobs to about a third of people we interview.
In other words we reject 90% of applicants, and only take those who are:
skilled in the sort of work we take on; who are polite and well presented;
who are friendly and understand the importance of customer service. Bear
in mind, though, that all our jobbing plumbers are just that: jobbing plumbers.
There may be some jobs that we can't tackle, in which case we will always
tell you and try and recommend a suitable specialist to use instead.
Will I have to wait in all day for your plumber to show up?
No - we give specific one-hour slots in which we aim to arrive. We are nearly
always on time, but sometimes (particularly towards the end of the day)
we might be a little late. But we will always call you well in advance to
let you know our revised estimated arrival time.
How big a job can you take on?
The jobs we do generally range from 30 minutes to a day. We do sometimes
do much larger jobs lasting several days, (e.g. taking care of a long 'snagging'
list for a customer has just had builders in) For anything lasting longer
than about 5 days, you are better off using a specialist.
What areas do you cover?
We currently operate only in Edinburgh.
How can I pay?
We accept cash, cheques and soon we will accept credit cards. We are waiting
for delivery of special hand-held mobile devices that will comply with the
new chip and pin regulations.
Do you do office work?
Yes, certainly. Many companies use us to take care of their everyday maintenance
requirements. There is no formal account-opening procedure, just call us
on 0845 056 9428, we will send someone round and then bill you afterwards.
All we ask is that invoices are paid within 30 days.
If you require a regular visit (e.g. once a week) then we can set that up too, and we would be able to offer you a big discount off our usual rates. Please call 0845 056 9428 to discuss your requirements with one of our staff.
I can't dial your 0845 number from abroad - what is your landline
number?
Our regular landline number is 00 44 131 466 2885