FITTING THOUGHT 1
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A funny thing happened on the way to the forum !
By
Rory Macnamara
Whilst the headline relates to a musical comedy , this month ’ s topic is not funny , and the forum is our industry .
We are all in business to make a fair and reasonable profit while applying the ethics of business and standards . By doing so , we treat the customer fairly and they are satisfied . The work done and products used are made to last an equally satisfactory period .
We need to reinforce compliance and integrity in our industry . Methods through which to do this include being careful about what will be charged when accepting a job , as well as the competence of sub-contractors when they need to be appointed – for example , some building work may need to be done for a certain plumbing job and plumbers are not qualified to build .
Should that sub-contractor mess up the build side , it will all need to be redone – wasting the customers time and eating into the plumber ’ s profit . The plumber can certainly fight with the builder , but that is time consuming and costs money , as time is money .
IOPSA runs an excellent online course on the “ cost of doing business ”, which brings in the little issues that cost one money – your money if not followed ! Such issues can include making changes and not confirming these in writing , not considering travel costs , change of material , and expecting the customer to cough up when they were given one price that later changes . Remember , the customer is protected by the Consumer Act and if they refuse to pay , getting uptight and bolshy with them is unprofessional and the plumber will end up the loser .
Business is a serious business . It has a top line , and from that comes all the costs incurred – reaching the bottom line which is the profit or loss . To reach profit , you must do your sums correctly , be transparent with the customer , and aim to be efficient in the service provided .
By doing this the headline becomes , A serious thing happened when I made a profit , and keep on making profits .
Off topic – but enormously important – was and is the collapse of a building in George . While the issue is not a plumbing one , we do record our sympathy for those whose lives were lost , those who were injured , and the affected families . While blame is being apportioned left , right and centre , our view – which both we and IOPSA have written about before – is a lack of enforcement of laws . If the inspectorate were doing their jobs correctly , the cutting of corners would never have happened and they would have enforced SANS 10400 and other compulsory standards that applied .
Until we have enforcers doing their work properly , tragedies like this will continue . So , we come back to dysfunctional municipalities claiming a lack of capacity . We do not believe this as they get the money and / or should collect what is due to them in outstanding monies . PA
Rory
Rory Macnamara , Editor | Email : rory @ interactmedia . co . za
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July 2024 Volume 30 I Number 5 www . plumbingafrica . co . za