Ran a job last week — burst pipe under a kitchen sink in Battersea at 1am. Homeowner had called two other places before us. Here's what I'd tell anyone dealing with a plumbing emergency, based on years of London call-outs:

1) "Call-out fee" is where most people get burned. A lot of outfits quote you a low number to get in the door, then the real bill lands once they're stood in your kitchen. Ask for the FULL price — parts and labour — before anyone touches a spanner. If they won't give you a number, that's your answer.

2) Response time claims are usually fiction. "We'll be there in an hour" often means someone finishing another job first, then driving across town. If a company can't tell you where their nearest engineer physically is right now, they're guessing.

3) A burst pipe left for even 30 extra minutes can turn a £150 fix into a £1,500+ one (flooring, ceilings below, electrics). The first move isn't calling anyone — it's finding your stopcock and shutting the water off. Every homeowner should know where theirs is before it's an emergency, not during one.

We built 24Flow around fixing #1 and #2 specifically — upfront pricing before we start, and engineers genuinely on standby across South & West London so the 30-minute promise means something. Happy to answer questions here if you've got a plumbing headache, even if it's not us you end up calling.