A Liverpool-born plumber unexpectedly found himself the recipient of global attention after a photograph of his invoice to a customer went viral. James Anderson, who now lives and works in Burnley, had visited a 91-year-old customer to service her boiler and his invoice melted hearts.
No charge, under any circumstances
The invoice, from James’ not-for-profit plumbing business Depher – Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair, said the customer was not to be charged “under any circumstances”.
The invoice was posted online by the customer’s daughter, who said it gave her a “little hope for humanity after all” and has now been shared on social media hundreds of thousands of times. James has since fielded media inquiries from as far afield as the United States and Germany.
Gas Safety Confusion
James’s gestures come as new research reveals that older consumers are significantly more likely to be confused by boiler maintenance safety standards.
The study, conducted by property maintenance experts Aspect, found that 58% of consumers would still choose a CORGI registered gas engineer to work on their appliances, even though CORGI was replaced as the official gas watchdog in 2009. And older people are the most likely to make the request.
As well as highlighting confusion over standards, the research showed that being officially registered was more of an influence on a consumer’s choice of gas engineer than online reviews, recommendations from friends and even manufacturer accreditations.
The findings suggest that although consumers are concerned about gas safety and want to find gas engineers that are approved and backed by an official body, they’re unsure of where to look for those reassurances. Gas engineers themselves have also spoken out about the confusion their customers face.
One gas engineer, speaking on Twitter complained of industry colleagues having to advertise themselves as ‘CORGI registered’, with a disclaimer that explained that they were actually ‘Gas Safe Registered’, just so consumers were reassured that they had some degree of official backing and oversight.
Not-for-profit plumbing
James’ story captured the world’s attention and people were quick to commend his kind gesture. It also shined a light on the challenges faced by elderly people, particularly for those who live alone, such as isolation and lack of help with day-to-day tasks.
Hero former binman James, who has run his firm since 2017 told the BBC: “There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence,” he explains. “They don’t like asking for help. They don’t want to be a burden.
“We take away the burden, the stigma.”
James is originally from Liverpool, where he was a bin man before he became a plumber in 1998. He has been running Depher – Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair – as a not-for-profit plumbing company since March 2017.
“There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence,” he explains. “They don’t like asking for help. They don’t want to be a burden.
“We take away the burden, the stigma.”
“I’ve got other plumbers… offering help. My hope is to get Depher national, in every city and town.”
“We all do what we can and we all come together as a community. We need to be a human race, to look out for each other.”
As James’ gesture shows, even seemingly small deeds can have a big impact. His choice not to invoice a vulnerable pensioner didn’t only benefit that particular customer, it also helped raise awareness of the challenges and obstacles that older people face with regards to home maintenance. Although James’ non-for-profit has helped nearly three thousand people so far, this story has made millions more aware of the realities of isolation for older people.