Why We Built an Instant Plumbing Estimate Tool for Christchurch Homeowners

One of the biggest frustrations when you need a plumber is often not knowing what the job is going to cost.

You might have a dripping tap, a toilet that keeps running, a leaking waste disposal or a hot water cylinder that needs replacing. You know it needs attention, but there’s often a question sitting in the back of your mind:

How much is this actually going to cost me?

For smaller plumbing jobs in particular, that uncertainty can be enough to make people put the job off.

At MJR Plumbing & Gas, we wanted to make that process a little easier. That’s why we built our Instant Plumbing Estimate tool, giving Christchurch homeowners an indication of what common plumbing jobs are likely to cost before they even pick up the phone.

Why plumbing costs can be difficult to predict

Plumbing isn’t always easy to price without seeing the job.

Two houses can appear to have exactly the same plumbing problem but require very different amounts of work once a plumber gets on site. Access, the condition of the existing plumbing, the materials required and what has actually caused the problem can all affect the final cost.

That means we can’t promise an exact price for every plumbing job through an online tool.

But that doesn’t mean customers should have no idea at all.

We already have years of experience carrying out plumbing maintenance and repairs, job history details in our system, and that gives us a good indication of what many common jobs involve. By using that data, our experience, knowledge and our pricing information, we can give customers a realistic indication of what they may need to budget.

Giving customers more information before they book

We believe customers should be able to make informed decisions about work on their property.

The Instant Estimate tool is designed to provide greater transparency at the very beginning of the process.

Instead of wondering whether a plumbing job might cost $200, $500 or $2,000, you can select the type of problem you have, answer a few simple questions and receive an estimated price range.

There’s no obligation to book a plumber afterwards.

You can simply use the information to understand the likely cost and decide what you want to do next.

What plumbing jobs can you estimate?

We’ve started with common plumbing jobs that Christchurch homeowners regularly contact us about.

These include jobs such as leaking or running toilets, tap repairs and replacements, waste disposal problems, hot water cylinder work and other everyday plumbing maintenance.

We’ll continue developing the tool as we gather more information about the questions our customers are asking and the jobs they want estimates for.

An estimate isn’t the same as a quote

This is an important distinction.

The figure produced by the tool is an estimate, not a fixed-price quote.

Until a plumber can properly assess the problem, there may be things we simply cannot see. A straightforward repair can sometimes reveal another issue once work begins.

But the estimate gives you a useful starting point.

And if you decide you’d like MJR to take a look, you can send us your details directly through the website and our team can take it from there.

Why we built it

MJR Plumbing & Gas has been serving Christchurch since 1955, but being an established business doesn’t mean we should keep doing things the way they have always been done.

We want to use better systems, data and technology to make dealing with a plumbing company simpler.

For us, that means giving customers better information, communicating clearly and removing some of the uncertainty traditionally associated with calling a tradesperson.

Our Instant Estimate tool is one small part of that.

If it helps a homeowner understand what a repair is likely to involve — and gives them the confidence to deal with a plumbing problem before it becomes a bigger one — then it is doing exactly what we designed it to do.