In your countries do you have any type of emergency maintenance services?

19 comments

1. There are always some 24/7 services, but probably extremely expensive compared to normal times

2. Yes.

   And the fire department helps to pump out the water if needed

3. Yeah, there are emergency services that work 24h. But they’re incredibly expensive compared to the normal service.

   I’m from Spain.

4. Yes, and they can easily charge 3 or 4 times the normal price for an emergency intervention outside of normal hours. I personally have also this kind of service included as an option in my home insurance, it is very affordable then (6€/month). Many insurance companies offer that option nowadays.

5. The very assumption of the absence of such services seems strange to me. I never thought that other European countries might not have them. In the private sector and in remote small settlements, of course, sometimes help may come with a delay, but in general, such services exist in any city in Ukraine and are almost always free.

6. There are some that offer 24/7 emergency services but they have a reputation to be quite sketchy to outright fraud being extremely overpriced while sometimes not even being allowed/certified to perform the work they offer. Best not to need them, have an acquaintance to call if you need help quickly.

7. In Norway we have “Restverdiredning” or RVR. Google translate made for me an awkward word “Residual value rescue” but you get the idea.

   There are in total 23 fire stations in Norway where it is located, but, since Norway is sparsely populated and the “RVR” service is located in central key locations, the actual coverage is nearly 100%.

   It’s a small lorry filled with stuff needed to rescue as much as possible after a fire, flooding etc. Since its located with the fire department it’s a 24/7 service (although it might not be called out imediately since you need extra people for it).

   It’s a collaboration between the municipalities (fire departments) and the insurance comapnies in Norway. The cost is nothing, its free (afaik only if you have insurance, but i might be wrong here).

8. If your house is flooding quickly, can you not just turn off the water?

9. There are always some companies that offer a 24/7 emergency services, like plumbers or blacksmiths and their rates vary depending on location, company, hour and emergency.
   Emergency maintenance on the public gas and electricity lines is instead free.

10. “Funny” Story.

    Friend of mine got locked out of her apartment in Geneva. She didn’t know what to do so she called the police. The police came, told her she needed a locksmith (which they called on her behalf). Locksmith came and opened the door in 5 minutes. 300 CHF (about 295 EUR). A few weeks later she got a bill from the police for 80 CHF.

    Ah… Swiss things.

11. There are, but they are expensive. But in case of house flooding probably firefighters would be a good choice to call

12. In case of flood you generally call the fire department to pump the water out and then you call the insurance company and then you call a plumber to fix the pipes. Every single house has a master valve in case of plumbing faults as do every single faucet connection. Ergo there is no use to call a plumber in the middle of the night just close the valve and put a bucket under, walls have to be torn down, insulation removed and insides dehumidified in any case if it’s an actual pipe and any place with water storage or a shoverhead has to have a drainage by law, so might as well wait untill morning.

13. UK here, like all of Europe there will be many 24/7 services to call upon should there be a need (usually very expensive), however most home insurance cover will include call outs around the clock to prevent further damage.

14. You just call your insurance company and get it fixed at no cost.

15. I would call the fire department in such an emergency and also the police because there might be apartments to be broken in to.

16. I live in private house and you can guess only once who is plumber, electrician and all other fix this guy.

17. I can’t think of a service that isn’t there in time of need. Whether it is community serviced or financially driven.

    It this moment I am on call for music computers.

18. Plumpers, electricians and locksmiths are all on 24/7

19. Yes there are but if the problem can wait until the morning in a non weekend day then it’s better to wait as the 24/7 service is more expensive.