by Gary Mays | Apr 17, 2012 | City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Insurance, Marketing, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Maintenance, Whywait Plumbing
Credit card payments to pay accounts is now the most common method of payment our clients use to pay for the plumbing services we provide at Whywait Plumbing. Yes we accept the following credit cards:
- American Express
- MasterCard
- Visa
And NO we don’t charge you any form of surcharge.
Unlike many companies Whywait Plumbing do not charge you a surcharge on credit card payments
From our perspective the fees the bank charges us to accept a credit card are negligible, with the benefits of same day payment far outweighing the bank fees.
This policy is unlikely to change as we continually see other companies charging excessively their own clients to make payment via a credit card. It is increasingly the norm with businesses that charge a surcharge for using a credit card to charge double what the bank charges them. This is disguised as administrative fees that would be incurred whether you pay by credit card, cash or cheque. Far too many companies are making additional profit from their own clients using a credit card.
At Whywait Plumbing we bank with Bendigo Bank and the fees they charge us for processing Visa and MasterCard is 0.72%. Unlike other banks Bendigo Bank deposit credit card payments into our bank account same day. With American Express it is slightly different as we have to pay 1.8% and it can take up to 48 hours for the money to be deposited into our bank account.
Put simply the installation of a toilet suite for a service partner costs $758.02 and if they pay by Visa or MasterCard the cost to us is $5.46. Even if they pay by American Express the cost is still $13.64. Either way you look at it those fees are much less than the administrative cost of sending out an invoice, then waiting for payment to arrive.
At Whywait Plumbing we guarantee we will never charge clients for the convenience of using a credit card to pay. We urge you to challenge the validity of businesses that frequently charge you 3-5% for using a credit card when it is highly unlikely they are paying anything like that to their bank.
by Gary Mays | Sep 20, 2011 | Bathrooms, Plumbing Renovation, Whywait Plumbing
Despite being call reality television, programmes such as The Renovators or The Block are in reality simplistic and just good for broad concept ideas. A poorly planned and constructed renovation of areas such as kitchens or bathrooms will frequently devalue a property.
Kitchens, bathrooms and the laundry are highly functional rooms built for a purpose. The critical infrastructure in these rooms is the plumbing. Unfortunately reality television shows present renovation as being a DIY concept. In reality in the real world renovation of a kitchen, bathroom or laundry requires complex designing before beginning a project coupled with planning and building approvals.
Once the project begins a project program requires formulation to co-ordinate all of the tradesman and product deliveries. This is seldom seen on reality television as it is not the entertainment that is needed. Reality television renovation is solely driven by the entertainment value where contestants and renovation are packaged into a program. Unfortunately all of the backroom side of a renovation has little entertainment value so it is not seen.
Sustainable development is now much more than a buzzword it is in fact law especially in areas of plumbing and it is not something you can choose to opt out of. Whywait Plumbing has specialised for many years on being at the forefront of sustainable renovations. Sustainability needs to be part of the initial design not an optional add on. For this reason when planning a renovation of a kitchen, bathroom or laundry it can be advantageous to spend time in our Plumber Direct showroom to ensure you get it right from the beginning.
In most instances to renovate a bathroom correctly and compliantly you need to strip the bathroom back to bare concrete and frames so
Stripped out bathroom needed before a renovation can start
that there is literally a clean canvas to start with. The installation of new drainage frequently requires cutting up of concrete which is noisy and dusty. This is when earlier shortcuts and mistakes show up. It is these unexpected issues that lead to cost blowouts as plumbers are legally obliged to ensure that all work undertaken is compliant with AS/NZS3500 through the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002. Once again unless it is something sensational this sort of issue is not seen on the reality television show.
It is generally accepted that reality television renovation programs have a positive impact on getting home owners thinking about renovation and providing ideas but sadly they do not reflect reality. After having been involved in numerous real renovations the plumbers at Whywait Plumbing Services know only too well that home owners need to take off their rose coloured glasses when watching reality renovation programs on television.
The reality is there is an enormous amount of planning, quality control, co-ordination and installation work to get from a bathroom that is stripped bare as in the picture above to the end result as in the picture on the right. Unfortunately the reality is a renovation is not a 60 minute television program that has been packaged to maximise the entertainment value.
Ultimately all we can recommend is that you spend time with the expert staff at Whywait Plumbing utilising the resources of Plumber Direct to assess your design ideas and ensure
- design compliance with appropriate council and state laws
- undertake a cost analysis to ensure there will be no unexpected cost surprises
- choose practical plumbing products that suit your design, are easy to maintain into the future and most importantly deliver on your lifestyle requirements
Above all just always remember reality DIY renovation television programmes are entertainment not reality.
by Gary Mays | Jul 21, 2011 | City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, DIY Plumbing, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Insurance, Plumbers Gold Coast, Whywait Plumbing
Legal DIY or do it yourself plumbing work is extremely restricted in Queensland to protect the integrity of the potable water supply and ensure the high levels of public health. Plumbing laws nationwide safeguard the health of the nation.
Plumbing is and always has been part of the public health solution. This, in itself, has created a level of complacency within the community about the benefits of good professional plumbing practices and the laws that enforce them. Plumbing laws are frequently unappreciated with professional plumbing being a victim of its own past success. Many sections of the community do not appreciate the vital role that plumbing plays in everyday health because we have always had professional plumbing to bring a clean potable water supply into our homes and to remove the used water from our toilets, showers and laundry.
In Queensland plumbing law is covered by the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002, Plumbing and Drainage Regulations 2003, Standard Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2003 and Queensland Plumbing and Waste Water Code 2010. These acts and regulations are comprehensive and regulate individual plumbing licences and training plus call into law AS3500 for installation.
To be a plumbing contractor in Queensland, a company or individual must also hold contractors licences issued by the Building Services Authority under the Building Services Authority Act 1991. This licence ensures that all plumbing contractors have the correct technical qualifications and occupational license issued by the Plumbing Industry Council. No one other than a licensed plumbing contractor can undertake plumbing work no matter what the value of the work is. The threshold amount of $3000 does not apply to plumbing, drainage or gasfitting that applies to several other trades
So what an unlicensed person can undertake plumbing work on their own home is not a great deal and for a good reason, as outlined above. The Standard Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2003 outlines quite specifically in Schedule 3 Unregulated Work what this work is. Unregulated work is defined as the following:
- cleaning or maintaining ground level grates to traps on sanitary drains
- replacing caps to ground level inspection openings on sanitary drains
- maintaining an above or below ground irrigation system for the disposal of effluent from an on-site sewerage facility
- installing or maintaining an irrigation or lawn watering system after the isolation valve
- replacing a jumper valve or washer in a tap
- changing a shower head
- replacing a toilet cistern drop valve washer, float valve washer or suction cap rubber
And those seven tasks listed above are the only plumbing related tasks that you may undertake without a plumbing licence.
It is not worth the risk to undertake DIY plumbing. It is illegal.
Plumbing is public health, now, and in the future.
by Gary Mays | Jul 10, 2011 | City of Gold Coast, Climate Change, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Green Plumbers, Health Issues, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Whywait Plumbing
Plumbing is health as plumbing protects the whole community, and individual plumbers protect the nation’s health.
Whywait Plumbing Services has consistently promoted the importance of excellent plumbing 
practices combined with sustainable plumbing exercises based on plumbing is health. Whywait Plumbing was the first GreenPlumber in Queensland and remained the only fully licensed GreenPlumber on the Gold Coast.
At the 2011 National Plumbers Regulators Forum, Dr Barry Gilbert, a Specialist in Public Health, spoke on the costs of poor plumbing, confirming that plumbing is public health. Issues highlighted by Dr Gilbert were at the heart of future plumbing practice and were:
- The complex global problems of scarce potable water, the use of recycled water, global warming and climate change, together with the influence that man has on the environment, all determine the risk to the population. In the future, plumbing will have an even more critical role in mitigating those risks as plumbing is health.
- Plumbing is a significant part of the public health solution and always has been.
- Plumbing is at risk of being a victim of its past success since the population at large does not appreciate the vital role that plumbing plays in everyday community health.
- Just as vaccination protects individuals and the community, plumbing protects the whole community, and individual plumbers protect the health of the nation.
- Plumbers are obligated to impart their knowledge and experience to the community and demonstrate the potential impact that poor plumbing will have in the future.
- Plumbing is public health, now and in the future.
Ray Herbert CEO of MPMSAA
Whywait Plumbing has always been at the forefront of sustainability so being part of GreenPlumbers was a natural choice when MPMSAA founded it in 2001. Ray Herbert, CEO of MPMSAA, worked with RMIT University to develop the training and recruited Gary Workman to run the courses.
MPMSAA, or Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia, is one of Australia’s oldest Associations, having been founded in 1891 when 57 Melbourne plumbing contractors paid a £5 ($10.00) entrance fee and £1 ($2.00) subscription to enable the establishment of the Associated Master Plumber of Victoria. Therefore, it was only natural that MPMSAA has taken the lead to ensure plumbers are at the forefront of water sustainability and water conservation.
Most of the plumbers at Whywait Plumbing have now completed their GreenPlumbers training of the five basic courses which are focused on plumbing is health:
- Climate Care – how to take care of our climate, including gas emissions in homes and businesses that cover hot water heating, energy consumption, heating appliances, and cooling appliances.
- Caring for Our Water – an introduction to the water cycle process and the new technologies and behaviours that contribute to conservation through topics like water-efficient products, reducing household water consumption, stormwater runoff pollution and prevention, and household water audits.
- Solar Hot Water – the latest information on new technology in the solar hot water industry, rebate information, retrofit sizing and installation.
- Water Efficient Technology – an overview of the ever-changing technologies that shape future conservation efforts through the use of Recycled Water, rainwater, Greywater, Septic Tanks/Wastewater Treatment Systems, and Environmental/Public Health/Safety Regulations.
- Inspection Report Services – overview of domestic and commercial water auditing, inspections and reporting, assessment and strategies—including water and energy audits, commercial/industrial and residential buildings, and creating a master plan for future improvements.
Whywait Plumbing is the only fully licensed GreenPlumber on the Gold Coast, as we are committed to promoting plumbing is health. As a Licensed GreenPlumber, we differ from an Accredited GreenPlumber as we have committed to requiring all licensed plumbers working for the company to become fully accredited GreenPlumbers to protect your health.
