Received an interesting call the other day from a nice sounding lady from Kensington enquiring if I rode a smart looking motor-bike! I responded in the negative and enquired as to why she was asking. Whereupon she replied that she was down on her luck and couldn't afford to have her central heating repaired and was in the process of tracking down the bike riding heating engineer who owed her a favour. It appeared she was calling in the favour!! -----------------------
Hhmmm, If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before clients are paying us plumbers and engineers with a pound of frozen sausages instead of cash.

I have purchased an annoying little contraption to stick into my ear in order to please both existing customers and future ones.

I will, for my customers sake, continue looking like an idiot with a giant oblong earwig crawling out from my ear. Who says tradesmen don't suffer for their trade!

In a previous blog I explained how it was difficult to answer my phone when working, especially when on a callout with the clock ticking and the customer in avid attendance.

I am pleased to report I seem to have found a way to address the issue. The earpiece, which takes some getting used to, now allows me to automatically answer incoming calls whilst working. Much as I hate to say it, the device is extremely useful. I only wish I had some hair so I could hide it and not look like a poseur!

Have upgraded the company van to a very smart Mercedes Vito Automatic. As the van is much larger than our previous vehicle we are able to carry a larger stock of repair parts which means faster repairs for our customers. The seats are much more comfortable and the air-conditioning, parking sensors and automatic gearbox makes driving from one job to another a pleasure, rather than an ordeal, as in some vans.

I am now officially a 'White Van Man' or silver van man to be precise!

Reading the newspapers and watching the news makes me wonder just how bad this economic downturn really is. I am in the fortunate position of not working in the finance industry, so my job isn't at risk, but naturally I wonder how long it will be before customers start to tighten their belts and think twice before calling or maybe start calling in the unqualified, but cheaper tradesmen. I haven't noticed any slowdown in my work, so hope my chosen trade is recession-proof! But read on...
Lehman Brothers, the world’s fourth largest investment bank has gone bust, Bradford and Bingley was effectively nationalised (not to mention Northern Rock which started it all), Fortis Bank of Belgium was nationalised and the list is far from finished. When the City is in trouble the rest of the economy is likely to follow. It is worrying and we feel the anxiety in every part of our lives.

The problem stems from stalled inter-bank lending systems. Under normal circumstances banks lend money to each other at minimal interest above the official rate. However, since the economic downturn they each been hoarding their cash and only lending to each other at very high interest rates, effectively throttling the lifeline of every large western economy.

Further risks lie in the fact that banks in Western Europe are highly leveraged, meaning they have 40% more loans than deposits, making them very vulnerable to fluctuations in the credit market.

The general cry seems to be “why should I care if a couple of over-paid City bankers lose their jobs?”

The answer is that if banks go bust, the ramifications are far and wide. Companies are unable to invest and develop the economy. New property developments are already coming to a halt in the UK with immediate effect on some parts of the plumbing and heating industry. Companies that cannot borrow to invest also are not going to take on more staff. Since more people lose their jobs than people that find new jobs, there is less income for the general public to spend on home renovations such as installing that long overdue new boiler.

Although this may sound very bleak there are other more positive aspects to it. Since the property market is slowed down, more homeowners have taken to renovate and improve their current home, since they do not want to move. Most renovations include re-decorating and some basic plumbing and heating work (new radiators, unvented cylinders etc.). This is good news for tradesmen such as myself, who only cover residential works

There are some plus points. With recession bringing less demand, it seems that commodity prices are coming down (including the all important oil). This will allow the Bank of England to lower interest rates, which would help company and home owners alike. The US government has pledged $700 billion as a special package to help the American banks out of their difficulties and other European governments are following suit including the UK.

It is undoubtedly one of the most difficult and worrying financial downturn for decades. Hopefully matters will improve in the not too distant future.

Apologies for the delay. There are many reasons why workmen don't always answer their mobiles. In my case it is usually because I am in a clients home and in the middle of a delicate job, other reasons include:
Hands are filthy.
Nowhere near the phone.
Can't hear the phone due to the roar of drills etc.
Under pressure to finish the job.
Received too many calls already.
In a clients home and being paid by the hour, Client will be unhappy if too much time is spent answering calls at their expense.

That's just a few. In my case a client can always call the landline number and be answered immediately in person any time between 7.30am - 5.30pm
After 5.30pm until midnight the phone is usually answered in person with the the occasional machine pickup.

The first quarter of the year has seen us busier than last year which is a good thing.

Despite the mild weather boiler installations are slightly up on last year. Saniflo repairs always seem to come in threes and then die down for a few weeks, odd that.

i have also been attending a series of training days at Worcester, Vaillant, Potterton and Ariston as well as a top up on controls and wiring at Honeywell. I find it surprising that other engineers see it as a waste of a days money and don't update their knowledge as new boilers come onto the market.

I also like having a break from the stress of making/answering 50-70 calls a day whilst working, I should add.

It's also a chance to express ideas and ask questions and learn about the boilers from the experts.