Our methodology

How we rank, compare, and match emergency-plumber providers across Australia.

Editorial independence

We are a consumer-first comparison service. Rankings are not paid. Providers cannot buy a higher position. The order in which providers appear on listicles, best-of pages, and comparison tables is determined by the criteria set out below — nothing else.

How we score providers

Every listed provider is scored across four dimensions, each weighted equally (25%). The composite score determines ranking within a city or service category.

  1. Credentials + compliance — current registration with the relevant Australian regulator (AHPRA, TPB, MARA, ASIC, CAV, Fair Trading as applicable). Registration lapses result in immediate delisting.
  2. Customer sentiment — verified reviews from Google Business Profile, ProductReview, and registrar databases. We weight by volume × recency × rating, capped so a 4.6★ provider with 1,200 reviews beats a 5.0★ with 3.
  3. Price transparency — providers who publish clear pricing (fixed quotes, published rates, or published hourly) score higher than those who hide fees until consult.
  4. Response reliability — measured by how consistently providers acknowledge matched leads within our 10-minute SLA. Serial non-responders are suspended.

How matching works

When you complete the quiz, we match you to providers based on:

  • Postcode within the provider's declared service area
  • Service type (e.g. BAS agent vs SMSF accountant)
  • Urgency + timeline
  • Provider's daily and monthly lead caps

We cap fan-out: no more than three providers per lead, ranked by composite score. If the first provider doesn't acknowledge within 10 minutes, we re-route to the next. You only ever get contacted by providers who have accepted your specific lead.

How we make money

We charge providers a flat per-lead fee for each acknowledged enquiry. No subscriptions. No rank-boosting. Providers can reject invalid leads (wrong vertical, fake contact details, out-of-area) free of charge. This keeps incentives aligned: we only earn when a real matched enquiry reaches a provider who wants it.

Data + privacy

Enquiry data is shared only with providers matched to your criteria. We don't sell your details to third parties outside that match. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.

Editorial corrections

If you believe information on this site is inaccurate — whether about a provider, pricing, or regulations — email [email protected]. We investigate every correction request within 3 business days.

Last reviewed

This methodology document was last reviewed on 16 April 2026.