Frequently Asked Plumbing Questions

Basic Questions

What hours are you open for business?
Our normal business hours are from 7am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday. We’re available to take enquiries and complete urgent jobs after hours, weekends and during public hours. Jobs completed after hours attract a higher hourly rate to reflect the overtime rates we have to pay our team members.

We’re on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for urgent jobs, call outs and to take your enquiry.

What areas in Auckland do you cover?
We cover all areas of Auckland with our mobile team of plumbers and gas fitters. At any time, we have team members in the five major areas of Auckland (Auckland Central, North Shore, West Auckland, East Auckland and South Auckland/Manukau) so we can be at your property quickly if need be.

What services do you offer?
We offer all the major plumbing and gas fitting services, including:

What don’t you do?
There’s not much we don’t do. Being licensed plumbers, gas-fitters and drainlayers, our team have the training and experience to handle almost any job.

In some cases it may be more cost effective to get a specialist in to complete a specific job. For example, with a roof leak, we can often find and repair the leak, but the entire roof may require re-roofing. In this case, we can refer you to an recommended roofing specialist who complete the job.

Where do you source your plumbing supplies and materials from?
We source all our plumbing and gas fitting supplies from reputable and trusted suppliers here in New Zealand. You’ll know the names of many of these companies, including, Reece’s, Plumbing World and Chesters. You can buy from these companies direct if you have a specific product in mind, for example, as toilet. The advantage of using Collins Plumbing is that we have access to trade prices through the volume of materials we purchase from these suppliers.

If you’re unsure how to get the best deal, please contact us, or call 0800 766 899 and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Are your plumbers/gas fitters sub-contractors or employees?
All our team are bona-fide employees, rather than sub-contractors. This means we place a greater emphasis on hiring the right people first, training them well, ongoing professional skill development and customer service because our people are the most powerful representation of our business.

We take great lengths to hire the right tradespeople from the start, ensuring they already have an high level of trade qualifications and experience. Because how you feel, both before, during and after your job is completed is important to us, we make sure our team are proactive and customer focussed during the hiring process.

That’s why when you call Collins Plumbing, you’ll talk with and see an experience plumber or gas fitter, who strives to understand your problem, your timeframe, budget and any other questions you have. You won’t see an apprentice or in-experienced plumber turn up any your property, wholly unprepared and on their cell phone calling the office for guidance. That’s because, with the right people, they’ll fix the problem right the first time, requiring no call backs or qualm’s about workmanship.

What about regular maintenance? Is this something you can do?
Yes, we undertake maintenance from a number of commercial and residential customers. For commercial clients this services is ideal. Rather than having an in-house plumber on staff, you can utilise the specialist experience of the team at Collins when you need us.

For residential customers, maintenance is a good idea, especially for other properties. Just like you would take your car in for a service every 5 to 10,000 km’s, having a plumber ‘look under the hood’ of your home can identify potential problems and fix them before they become expensive.

Examples include:

• Blocked spouting and gutters caused by nearby trees and foliage falling from the roof
• Water leaks that could be raising your water bill unnecessarily
• Roof leaks that could expose your home to water during heavy rain
• Plus much more…

I’ve just got a quote from Collins Plumbing and I want to get this underway, what do I do?
Just call us on 0800 766 899 and we’ll book you in for a time that suits you. Then we’ll arrange for any materials/suppliers to be ready on the agreed date so the entire job goes smoothly.

How quickly do you respond to email enquiries from this website?
Any email enquiry will be responded to in the same working day, if not straight away. If you email after hours, if will be replied to on the next working day.

I need a plumber/gas fitter at my property asap.  How quickly can you be there to inspect the job?
Usually our plumbers can be there on the same day to inspect your job and quote a price. If you call us in the morning, then we can arrange a time that afternoon, if not earlier for you to meet one of the team.

I’m a Construction/Building/Property Management company. Can you work with us?
Yes, we work with a number commercial construction companies directly, and as a sub-contractor. We also have a number of residential builders and property management companies who refer their clients and landlords to use directly.

We can work with you to make it easy for the end client. Call us and talk with Simone about your requirements and we can put together a tailor made solution for you.

What do your customers and clients say about you?
Good things naturally! We consistently get good reviews and most importantly, repeat business from our growing database of customers, both commercial and residential. Because the plumbing game is so competitive, we are always keen to give our customers (you) every reason to choose us again, as we realise the competition is only one phone call away.

Check out some recent feedback from our customers here > Customer Feedback

If I have a problem/question/challenge regarding a job that’s already be completed, who can I contact?
You can contact us directly on 0800 766 899 and talk with Simone, our Office Manager. Simone will listen to your concerns as arrange to have a plumber fix it within the same day at no extra charge.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a question or concern. We’d rather hear from you and do whatever is possible to fix it than leaving the problem unresolved or requiring further attention.

Accounts and Admin Questions

What payment options to do have?
We accept payment by cheque, cash and bank deposit.

Who is the best person to contact about invoices, accounts or other general enquiries?
Best person to contact is Simone, our Office Manager on 021 918 585. Or call our toll free line on 0800 766 899 and we’ll put you directly in touch with Simone. With Simone’s warm and friendly approach to customer service, she can answer any question you have in minutes.

Quotes, Charges and Hourly Rates

If I get a quote from Collins Plumbing & Gas, will it ever exceed that price?
In general, no. Once we quote you a price, we guarantee never to exceed that price. That means you can budget with confidence that unexpected extra’s won’t blow the bill out of proportion.

In some cases, the job changes and the job requires additional man-hours and materials to complete. If this happens, before we proceed, we’ll stop and calculate the additional expense required. Essentially we would be re quoting on a now changed job, which requires your approval. Once approved, then we’ll get on to finishing the job as soon as possible.

We try to minimise surprises by anticipating possible snags and delays that inexperienced plumbers don’t see. We may be more expensive than your one-man band plumber, but our systems for quoting are more reliable, giving you confidence that the quote will remain unchanged. That way, you don’t get a price shock mid-way through your job, and the whole process goes smoother for both parties.

Your question not answered here?

If your question isn’t answered here, contact our team on 0800 766 899 or via our enquiry form