British tradespeople drink more than a bathful of tea each year
British hospitality is alive and well, as the country’s plumbers, electricians and locksmiths drink the equivalent of 1.3 bathfuls of tea every year made for them by their customers.*
New research from Direct Line Home Response 24 reveals that the average British tradesperson drinks 230 litres – or 50 gallons – of tea every year while at work. That equates to more than 900 cups, or more than enough to fill the typical bath.
The research found that tradespeople will be offered an average of 3.83 cups of tea during an eight-hour shift. Elderly women are the most hospitable, with 47 per cent of tradespeople likely to be offered tea by them, whereas only one in 100 tradespeople said that young men are likely to offer them a cuppa.
In return for such hospitality, British tradespeople are frequently going beyond the call of duty, with many customers taking advantage of their listening skills. As well as chatting about the football (28 per cent) and holidays (35 per cent), customers are also turning to their tradesperson to confide their financial woes and relationship problems (each six per cent).
And although nearly one in four tradespeople say their customers discuss the weighty political issues of the day (23 per cent), 79 per cent uphold the great British tradition of talking about the weather.
The Direct Line Home Response 24 research also reveals some of the other ways in which tradespeople go the extra mile for their customers, by responding to sometimes bizarre and sometimes heartbreaking call outs. Examples uncovered by the study include:
· A plumber asked to unblock a drain. The drain was shared with the customer’s neighbour who had blocked it with eels that had been flushed down the toilet
· An electrician called out because a customer’s light was not working. The problem was quickly fixed by changing the bulb
· A customer locked in his own house after he threw a party and one of his guests went home with the keys
· Tradespeople are frequently called out by elderly women to carry out simple tasks like bleeding radiators because their late husbands had done this work
· A woman’s oxygen machine had stopped working. She had two hours’ supply left but the machine’s engineer could not get there for four hours. A Home Response 24 electrician was called out and repaired it himself, using guidance over the phone
· Engineers drove 70 miles outside their area at midnight to help a customer stuck in a broken stair lift
Andrew Lowe, head of Home Insurance, Direct Line, commented:
“The nation’s army of plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and other tradesmen are almost another emergency service. Our research has proven what many of us have already experienced – that tradespeople frequently go above and beyond their call of duty for their customers. And it’s pleasing to see that we are showing our gratitude in that most British of ways – a nice cup of tea.”
For more information, log on to www.directline.com/homeresponse24.
- ends -
Carmel McCarthy/Direct Line Press Office
0208 256 2178 / carmel.mccarthy@directline.com
Notes to Editors:
Research was carried out by Direct Line who surveyed 108 of their Home Response 24 tradesmen in May and June 2006. Results were analysed by PCP Research.
* The average number of cups of tea per shift is 3.83, with the average tea cup capacity 250ml. Assuming that tradesmen typically work 240 days in a year:
3.83 x 250= 957.5ml
957.5 x 240= 229.8 litres
Bathtubs typically have a capacity of 175 litres. Therefore:
229.8 / 175 = 1.31 bathtubs
Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Calls may be recorded. Conditions apply.
|
