The 7 deadly sins of a plumbing customer

Me and the team here at the Italian Plumber always do our very best to make our customers happy, and ensure that they are truly satisfied with the services we provide. But like any job, there are always going to be times when customers can become – shall we say – ‘challenging’. A few months back, I wrote the 7 deadly sins of a cowboy plumber, so I thought it only fair to take a Read More…

Ask Samuele: June 2022

This month, Terek from Molesey asks… Dear Samuele, I’ve always been one to drink bottled water, but now that the cost of living is skyrocketing, the price of water has become ridiculous. So my question is, how safe is it to drink normal tap water? Yours thirstily, Tarek Samuele says: Ciao, Tarek! And grazie mille for your question. Yes, UK tap water is very safe to drink. In fact, it’s amongst the safest in the Read More…

Meet the team: Spotlight on Eugene

About Eugene He’s tough. He’s rugged, and he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. Meet Eugene, a real man amongst men.   Hello Eugene, great to meet you. What keeps you busy at the Italian Plumber? Hello. I’m a plumber, heating and drainage engineer. I do mainly what’s known as ‘reactive’ maintenance. It means most of the time I’m attending all the nice jobs like blocked toilets, sewage pipes, that kind of thing.   So Read More…

How does a £5,000 grant towards a low carbon heating system sound?

Here’s the lowdown. I’m pleased to announce that The Italian Plumber has recently been awarded MCS certification, and are fully authorised to carry out air source heat pump installations. This includes being able to advise you on whether you would be eligible for a grant. Currently, we are only able to carry out installations in houses. What is it, and who’s providing the grant? It’s a government initiative run by Ofgem that was started back Read More…

Ask Samuele: May 2022

This month, Isabel from Chiswick asks… Dear Samuele, I’ve heard that the government is bringing in a new grant scheme to help homeowners replace their fossil fuel boilers with a heat pump or biomass boiler. Will I be eligible, and will I be able to use the grant towards an air source heat pump specifically? Yours sincerely, Isabel   Samuele says: Ciao, Isabel! And grazie mille for your question. The grant relates to the boiler Read More…

Meet the team: Spotlight on Matt

About Matt From a career blowing things up, to a new career making sure things don’t blow up… you couldn’t find a safer pair of hands to take care of your plumbing. Let’s meet The Italian Plumber’s new kid on the block, Matt.   Hello Matt, great to meet you. What do you do at the Italian Plumber? Great to meet you, too. I work as a plumber and as a trainee gas engineer.   Read More…

7 plumbing checks you need to make before going on holiday

You’re all packed. The tickets and passports are safe and secure. You’ve switched all electrical appliances off… including broadband, and you’ve allowed plenty of time to get to the airport. But in all the excitement of getting away, it can be easy to overlook a few of the other important domestic essentials. So, before you jet off to enjoy your holiday, take a few minutes to make these final plumbing checks.   1. Never switch Read More…

Ask Samuele: April 2022

This month, Eric from Richmond asks… Dear Samuele, I have just noticed that my toilet flush always seems to be making a noise, way after I’ve actually flushed the toilet. It’s almost like the water is continuously running. Considering that I have my water billed on a metered basis, this must be costing me a fortune, not to mention the annoyance of the noise. Is there anything I can do myself to fix it? Yours Read More…

Meet the team: Spotlight on Vicki

About Vicki She leads from the front. She follows a strict exercise regime, and if someone was to play her in a movie, you wouldn’t mess with her character. Let’s meet Vicki. Hello there Vicki, it’s very lovely to meet you. What do you do at the Italian Plumber? Hi, good to see you. I work in admin and customer service, which I do full time. Where are you from? I was born and raised Read More…

The 7 deadly sins of a (cowboy) plumber

There’s no doubt about it, over the past 10 years or so, the plumbing trade has really upped its game on the customer service stakes. The main reason being the rise of the online review. With platforms such as Check A Trade, Trust-a-trader, and Google My Business, there’s no hiding a poor customer experience. So with all that in mind, I thought I’d reflect on how the industry very much used to be. Sadly though, Read More…