Jim's Plumbing was operated for years under a licence agreement outside of the Jim's Group framework that involved customers paying up front for a call-out, even if no work was done. This, and relatively high prices, led to a number of customer complaints. The parent company, Metropolitan Plumbing, was also the subject of a critical story by A Current Affair in late 2022. As a result, the rights to the Jim’s brand were withdrawn in early 2023.

Jim’s Plumbing has now been launched as a standard Jim’s Group franchise. All calls are taken through Jim’s Group national office, allowing careful monitoring of complaints and follow-up surveys to be sent after 10 days. This allows a rapid response to customer concerns, fixing the problem wherever possible and providing coaching and warnings to Franchisees who give anything less than excellent service. This system has led to a dramatic reduction in overall complaints in non-plumbing divisions over the past ten years.

The new Jim’s Plumbing division commences operations from September 2023 and will operate on a national basis. Jim’s Group founder Jim Penman wants to bring top quality plumbing services to all of Australia.

“At Jim’s Plumbing, all quotes are free and in writing, so that our customers know the costs up front,” Penman said.

“We apologise for any prior customers who felt they were overcharged. Though the previous licensee did provide a fast and reliable emergency service, it was not run to the standard of our other divisions.”

Enquiries for the new Jim’s Plumbing service are already starting to come in. Franchisee opportunities are also available with Jim’s Plumbing division Australia-wide.

“For plumbers looking to start in business, please contact us. We provide business training, mentoring, and effective joint advertising to get you off the ground. Figures show that 88 percent of our Franchisees last their first year, and more still of those who give the best customer service. This compares with a success rate of only 5 to 10 percent for independent service startups,” Penman added.

“We want great people to provide great service. Our Franchisees are insured and police-checked, and fully backed by Jim’s Group guarantees. We are usually not the cheapest, but we aim to be the best!”

http://www.jims.net/