Out-of-Area

I normally provide domestic plumbing repairs within 10 miles of Salisbury.

Within this area I have a minimum charge of £70 for up to one hour's labour, but no additional callout fee. A radius of 10 miles gives me more than enough work to keep me busy, even at the quieter times of year, so there is no economic incentive for me to extend beyond this. If I do so it is only to help you when you seem to be in dire need of a plumber and unable to find someone more local to you. That said, I am usually booked up a few days ahead, so I am rarely in a position to respond to real emergencies.

Out-of-Area
On those occasions when I do make an exception and go out of area, I charge an additional callout fee that is equivalent to what the extra travel time would otherwise cost me in lost earnings. My average travel time between jobs (when I stay within area) is about 15 minutes. But let's say, for example that you live 13 miles from Salisbury, and that according to Google maps it is about a 25 minute drive. This will take me an extra 10 minutes on both the outward and return journeys, so the round trip will take me an extra 20 minutes. Without an additional charge, this would cost me £20 in lost earnings. In this example, if you're happy to pay a £20 per visit out-of-area charge in addition to my normal rate, then I'm happy to go out of area. So for this example, my charge would be £90 for up to an hour, and then £60 per hour to the nearest 0.1 hour. Charging an out-of-area fee stops it being less profitable for me to serve a slightly wider area. My out-of-area charge applies per visit, so if I'm going out of area I like to try and make sure I'll have the necessary parts for the job and will be able to fix the problem in a single visit. So I may ask you to send me some photos via email or WhatsApp. I find that people are often happy paying extra once, but are reluctant if two visits are needed.

Google Maps
You can check how far you are from Salisbury by clicking on this link to Google Maps. If it's more than 10 miles, take the estimated journey time, subtract 15 minutes to calculate the extra travel time each way, double it to include the return journey, and equate minutes with pounds. This is how much the out-of-area fee will be in addition to my £70 minimum charge.

Example locations:
Shrewton - 12 miles - 20 minutes - £10
Durrington - 10 miles - no extra charge
Anna Valley - 16 miles - 25 minutes - £20
Stockbridge - 16 miles - 25 minutes - £20
Whiteparish - 10 miles - no extra charge
Fordingbridge - 12 miles - 25 minutes - £20
Sixpenny Handley - 15 miles - 25 minutes - £20
Chilmark - 13 miles - 25 minutes - £20
Shaftesbury - 21 miles - 40 minutes - £50

While I am prepared to go out-of-area if there's a real need, often when I mention my out-of-area charge people express some degree of resentment. In that case, I can only politely ask that you look for someone more local.
Hamish the Plumber
16 Ashlands, Salisbury, SP4 6DY
Hamish the Plumber
16 Ashlands, Salisbury, SP4 6DY

Web design by Hamish? Och aye! That too.
© 2020 Hamish Erskine, h@htp

Web design by Hamish? Och aye! That too.
© 2020 Hamish Erskine, h@htp