Everyone's talking up the green shoots of recovery these days. In the UK there been a bounce in mortgage approvals and signs of increased economic output. The number of loans handed out for house purchases in the UK rose by 16% in April compared with the previous month, according to lenders and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in Britain have just released figures indicating that the economy may have grown by 0.1% in May after a similar rise in April.
Just this month, a comment posted on a national news site reported that a building contractor has had to take on 2 apprentices as he is overly busy with an overwhelming demand for plumbing services and has been the busiest for 2 years . As far as they are concerned there hasn't been a downturn as bad as the media have hyped it up!
Meanwhile, a trade installer survey reports that as the credit crunch continues to bite, domestic customers are still very much feeling the pinch and tending to ask for the cheapest possible option rather than the best solution.
Cost is most definitely the key factor in determining customers' purchasing decisions. Over half of installers surveyed said their customers where looking for the cheapest possible heating solution, rather than choosing what is best for their homes with 60% saying that cost will always win over quality and are far less likely to take out a service agreement than they were 12 months ago.
These results are further underlined by 57% of installers polled saying that price is now the main deciding factor when purchasing new heating equipment compared with 35% five years ago. The survey also revealed that 29% thought quality is the key as opposed to 44% five years ago. Thirty three percent said energy efficiency was at the forefront of customers' minds compared to five years ago when it was considered to be as low as 14%.
Good plumbing training will always instruct on the vital importance of providing the best 'customer care' and advice throughout?