“Our shower was old and wall fixed. Set in valuable decorated tiles. There was huge risk they would crack under pressure of alterations and the plumbing would be a massive job re access and future water pressure. Southern Plumbing, made an initial assessment then arrived on time at a set date and within forty minutes a new shower flexible hose was installed. No damage to tiles, improved pressure and competent friendly guys. I was so impressed.”
Public evidence profile
Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd
No Trust Score yet
- Rated 3.1 from 37 reviews
- Reviewed 6 months ago
Based on rating, review volume, independent sources and credential evidence. Evidence context, not a guarantee of workmanship.
Reviews · public evidence
What customers say
These reviews are published independently on the named public source below, not testimonials this business chose to show. We bring them together and link each one back to where it appeared, so you can open the source and read it yourself.
3.1out of 5
Where these reviews are published
- NoCowboys37 reviews · 3.1 avg
Highlights
“Very impressed by the recent quote and work done for us by Southern Plumbing re the installation of a new Rennai Compact2 gas fireplace, including installation involving a high chimney. Was very cold weather at the time and Ken Hodge and his team got stuck in and got done overcoming some challenging installation issues to fit into the old fireplace. Works very well - family very happy with much warmer dining room kitchen area warmth as well as final installed appearance. We tried Southern”
“I just wanted to say how impressed I am by the service provided by Southern Plumbing. I have used their services 3 times in the last 9 months , 2 of which were emergency call outs, and each time the communication, professionalism and standard of work has been 10/10. Highly recommended to all”
Detailed reviews
These are the individual reviews we hold for Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd, including the highlights above. The 37 headline total is the review volume reported across public review sources.
Disputes Tribunal ruling: Southern Plumbing & Gasfitting failed to meet their obligations under the Consumer Guarantees Act by not giving repair options and not providing a repair quote as we requested. The Tribunal also found that although we were told parts were likely not available, Southern Plumbing knew or should have known that parts were available. We engaged Southern to assess a fault with our central heating furnace. Repair options were withheld and replacement was presented as
Way expensive - We asked them if they'd come and tell us how much it would be to replace a couple of rusty nails on the roof, and admittedly we have a lower roof and a upper roof, but their cost to come and give us a quote has been priced at $1150 - it doesn't say if that includes GST or not, and there's not a single name from Southern Plumbing on the 4 pages sent to us.
Southern Plumbing replaced the controller on our solar hot water system. A couple of weeks after completion we noticed an issue. Southern Plumbing's and in particular Doug's response to the problem was utterly unprofessional. The plumber, who had installed it, came along, couldn't identify the cause and said that he'd do some research. He also said that his boss had identified the pump as the cause: a diagnosis from afar. Next we received a call from Doug who in a rather abrupt and dismissive
Not recommended! Started out as a Saturday emergency call. (My regular plumber had covid). Call out cost me $480 to diagnose a shower leak. Got the quote to fix on Tuesday at $2200 to replace a mixer and liner. Being a tenanted property I agreed and paid a $1120 deposit (50% as required). 3 weeks later, never heard back so enquired about progress - said they hadn't ordered the materials! Two more weeks go by, and tenant says they coming to measure up! Following week I get a call to say
Very bad service Dougs customer service is astoundingly bad do not use this company they dont turn up they damage property dont like being called out on bad workmanship and are too expensive even bullying staff on site really eye opening
Read the other 10 detailed reviews on this pageShow fewer reviews
This besiness is the most expensive plumber in Wellington I have ever used. I used to used at least 8 other plumbers, others like Totalflow, H2O, etc are very good. They usually charge me between $150 and $280 for usual drainage block, and less than $500 even if they get a big truck to clean up to 50 meters drainage. However this business, two guys came to my house on 5th Jan talking a small box working around 15 minutes to clean 3 meters drainage pipes ( they proclaimed 3 meters. What I
Daniel services our gas fire and got it going beautifully after we had been told by other gasfitters in Wellington that we had to install a new one at a cost of more than $5 grand. VERY grateful for professionalism.
Great experience. Clear quote, no hidden costs, work done to a high standard and friendly and knowledge staff. Definitely recommend.
Daniel was very professional, great response and did what he said. Very happy with the service he supplied and the way he went about it. From the service I received, I'd recommend Southern Plumbing to anyone looking for great service.
Had a need for an emergency call out on Sunday. Leak that we couldn’t stop so had to turn off at the mains. Daniel checked what I might need and confirmed he had the necessary parts. He turned up within 30 minutes and was totally professional. Fixed the problem and tidied up after himself. He communicated clearly throughout. Only issue was the cost of an emergency call out that really really hurt the pocket.
Doug and the team replaced my complex roof during winter and did a great job. They also removed the top of the old chimney, replaced one of the skylights and redid the spouting. Lots of tough flashing challenges. The roof looks good, it doesn't leak and they followed up well once the job was complete. A bit slow on the communications before work started but were great with updates during the job. They did a great tidy up at the end of the job.
Used Southern Plumbing for 2 different jobs at my rental unit. One was to find and repair a bathroom leak and the second was to install a new dishwasher. Both times the plumber arrived when he said he would be there and called me just beforehand to that I could make sure I was there. Both jobs were done promptly and for a fair price. They made sure the jobs were done properly and cleaned up etc afterwards. Was great service and I would be happy to use Southern Plumbing again.
If you want a dose of being 'mucked around' and STRESS waiting for them to arrange a chimney removal quote onsite, go ahead and contact this company. NOTE: Do not be sucked-in by the slick website, and definitely not website feel-good: "Why are we unique? Our guarantee: We know exactly how you feel when tradespeople don't keep their promises..." AND "we believe that time is precious, not only our time, but our customers time..." - although my problem was with unreliable
Overall went pretty well. Two areas that caused me some concern. One the man who came to the measure just gruffly brushed aside my questions. His female assistant was very pleasant. Secondly while the installation went well was disappointed that they did not fix up the damage they had caused to the paintwork. I would have happily paid for that. Is now all fixed as I had a painter in doing other work. But most importantly I have a leak free garage.
I would NOT recommend this outfit. They are way more expensive than anyone else, are unable to itemise or rationalise their prices and Doug can't ever be reached as his messaging service is hopeless. Doug can be very moody if things don't go well. I terminated their contract before any work had begun because the experience was so unpleasant and I didn't believe the could competently complete the job.
From customer reviews
What customers consistently say
Recurring themes from 37 customer reviews on NoCowboys.
Customers who keep coming back: “Have used several times and thoroughly recommend there good service.” · NoCowboys, 10 Feb 2010
“Southern Plumbing, made an initial assessment then arrived on time at a set date and within forty minutes a new shower flexible hose was installed.” · NoCowboys, 8 Jan 2021
“The first job was gas fitting, and involved coordinating with other tradesmen, turning up on time, multiple visits in one day, etc.” · NoCowboys, 4 Feb 2019
“These guys have done loads of job for us and they have been on time each time.” · NoCowboys, 3 Nov 2008
“He communicated clearly throughout.” · NoCowboys, 8 Mar 2019
“everything went very smoothly with great contact and update phone calls.” · NoCowboys, 4 Feb 2019
“A bit slow on the communications before work started but were great with updates during the job.” · NoCowboys, 17 Sept 2018
Sources
1 named public sourceWhere this information comes from
Everything on this page is drawn from named public sources. Where a source provides a public link, you can open the original and dig deeper.
Review sources
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Your own checks
What to check before you hire
Worth checking yourself
Always confirm credentials and quotes with the business directly before hiring.
Verify at the sourceCheck them yourself
In New Zealand, most plumbing and drainlaying work, and all gasfitting, is restricted to licensed tradespeople. Check the person doing the work holds a current licence on the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board public register before you hire.
Check the PGDB registerAgree the call-out fee, the hourly or fixed rate, and whether parts are charged on top, in writing, before an emergency plumber starts. Out-of-hours overcharging and 'while I'm here' add-ons are common complaints.
Be wary of a plumber who, on a first visit, says your whole system or boiler must be replaced. Get a second opinion and an itemised quote (parts and labour separately) before agreeing to major work.
Gas and boiler work is a separate, regulated trade, not general plumbing. Make sure anyone working on a gas appliance is specifically registered to do gas work, and ask to see that registration before they start.
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Common questions about Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd
Is Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd a legitimate business?
Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd has 37 independent public reviews, rated 3.1 out of 5. This is independent public evidence gathered from named public sources (no ads, no paid placement), not a guarantee of workmanship. If anything here is out of date, the business can request a correction.
What do customers say about Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd?
Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd has 37 public reviews, averaging 3.1 out of 5. You can read the individual reviews and where each came from in the reviews section above.
How do I know Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd's reviews are genuine?
Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd's 37 public reviews come from a named public review source, and MyTrustedTraders links every one back to where it was published, so you can open the source and read them yourself rather than trusting a single curated page. MyTrustedTraders brings this public evidence together with no ads and no paid placement: we show where every review came from rather than selling rankings, so you can weigh the evidence for yourself.
How long has Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd been trading?
Southern Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd has been reviewed on public sources since 2007.