The economic crisis has been tough for everyone. We all know the boom time is over for the time being. Making money for old rope isn’t easy any more, but the irony is that this is actually something to celebrate.  When money is that easy to come by, it brings in hoards of second rate (or third rate) tradesmen – otherwise known as “cowboys” – who undercut the real professionals that are trying to carve out a living through integrity and quality. Making money by providing a bad service is never a good thing.

What I was reminded of today when I met my builder friend, is that this crisis is filtering out all the rubbish, and we are left with the good people who have built their enterprises on integrity and professionalism.

We deal with a very broad range of clients throughout southern Andalucia, some of them foreign, but many of them Spanish. However,  I have actually met a number of potential English clients recently who told me that they wouldn’t normally hire English firms who work in our sector – heating, cooling, electrics, plumbing – because they had had such bad experiences with them in the past. Luckily, they were able to see that we weren’t cut from the same cloth, and we’re now happily working together. But the point is that the “cowboys” were not only taking business off us, but were also destroying the reputation of our sector all together.

The builder I met today was Albanian but I’ve met some good professional English ones recently too![:es]Después de haber salido de una reunión con un constructor con el que nunca habíamos trabajado antes, me sentí inspirado a escribir algo, no solo por esa reunión, sino porque ha sido algo en mi mente por un tiempo.

La crisis económica ha sido dura para todos. Todos sabemos que el tiempo de auge ha terminado por el momento. Ganar dinero por la soga vieja ya no es fácil, pero la ironía es que esto es realmente algo para celebrar. Cuando el dinero es tan fácil de conseguir, atrae hordas de comerciantes de segunda categoría (o de tercera clase), también conocidos como “vaqueros”, que socavan a los verdaderos profesionales que intentan ganarse la vida a través de la integridad y la calidad. Ganar dinero proporcionando un mal servicio nunca es algo bueno.

Lo que me recordó hoy cuando conocí a mi amigo constructor, es que esta crisis está filtrando toda la basura, y nos quedamos con las buenas personas que han construido sus empresas en integridad y profesionalismo.

Nos ocupamos de una amplia gama de clientes en todo el sur de Andalucía, algunos de ellos extranjeros, pero muchos de ellos españoles. Sin embargo, recientemente conocí a un número de posibles clientes ingleses que me dijeron que normalmente no contratarían empresas inglesas que trabajen en nuestro sector (calefacción, refrigeración, electricidad, plomería) porque habían tenido experiencias tan malas con ellos en el pasado. Afortunadamente, pudieron ver que no estábamos cortados del mismo paño, y ahora estamos felices trabajando juntos. Pero el caso es que los “cowboys” no solo nos estaban quitando los negocios, sino que también destruían la reputación de nuestro sector.

¡El constructor que conocí hoy era albanés, pero también conocí a algunos buenos profesionales ingleses recientemente![:no]Har nettopp kommet ut av et møte med en byggherre vi aldri har jobbet med før, jeg følte meg inspirert til å skrive noe, ikke bare på grunn av det møtet, men fordi det har vært noe i tankene mine for en stund.

Den økonomiske krisen har vært tøff for alle. Vi vet alle at boomtiden er over for tiden. Å tjene penger på gamle tau er ikke lett lenger, men ironien er at dette faktisk er noe å feire. Når det er lett å komme med penger, bringer det inn i hoards of second rate (eller tredje rate) håndverkere – ellers kjent som “cowboys” – som undergraver de virkelige fagfolkene som prøver å skaffe seg en levetid gjennom integritet og kvalitet. Å tjene penger ved å gi en dårlig tjeneste er aldri en god ting.

Det jeg ble minnet om i dag da jeg møtte min buildervenn, er at denne krisen filtrerer ut alt søppel, og vi er igjen med de gode menneskene som har bygget sine bedrifter på integritet og profesjonalitet.

Vi håndterer et svært bredt spekter av kunder over hele Sør-Andalucia, noen av dem utenlandske, men mange av dem spansk. Imidlertid har jeg faktisk møtt en rekke potensielle engelske kunder nylig som fortalte meg at de normalt ikke ville ansette engelsk firmaer som jobber i vår sektor – oppvarming, kjøling, elektrisitet, rørleggerarbeid – fordi de hadde hatt så dårlige erfaringer med dem i forbi. Heldigvis kunne de se at vi ikke ble kuttet av samme klut, og vi jobber nå lykkelig sammen. Men poenget er at “cowboysene” ikke bare tok forretninger av oss, men ødela også omdømmet til sektoren vår sammen.

Byggeren jeg møtte i dag var albansk, men jeg har nylig møtt noen gode profesjonelle engelske også![:]

Somewhere along the way, air conditioning units seem to have fallen into the same category as TV’s or fridges. In fact, it’s not just air conditioning units but all types of heating and cooling systems, including underfloor heating and solar systems.

That is to say that we – the royal we – are prepared to invest good money for them in the first place, and then we seem to think “that’s it!”…..we can just leave them alone and they’ll last for many years with no problems. Obviously, the better and more reliable the brand – like Mitsubishi Electric or Daikin – the less likely there will be any issues. However, they are NOT in the same category as other standard household appliances. In fact, they are much more like cars. To get the best out of them, they need regular servicing and looking after. Whilst that may require a small amount of investment along the way, the likelihood is that it will save you a lot of money in the long term.

The other day we got called out to repair a couple of air conditioning units in Marbella that had been installed by another company several years ago. It involved replacing a couple of parts and the lady in question was shocked at how much it all came to. When I asked how many times she had her system serviced since the installation, she looked at me blankly as if I was mad! Luckily, after explaining to her a bit more about how these things work and why we believe maintenance is a necessity not a luxury, she was actually quite grateful for the explanation. She had no idea about the need for maintenance….that wasn’t her fault…it’s probably the collective fault of those of us who work in the industry for not communicating this properly over the years.

The fact is that all heating/cooling systems do require maintenance. It might seem like a cost that you would like to avoid at the time but there is a strong chance that you will end up regretting not making that small investment along the way. Not only will you avoid expensive repairs and replacements, but your system will run more efficiently and therefore save you on monthly bills too. As I mentioned before, think of them more like cars. If you don’t look after them, they can become very expensive. For the cynics out there who might think we are promoting maintenance for our own benefit only, one must remember that we probably make more money on repairs!

We understand that saving costs is a big factor in everyone’s lives right now and it’s important for us to gain people’s trust in this regard.

It’s that time of year when we pick up that bill from Endesa and dread to think what we’re going to have to fork out this time. The cold weather and shorter days mean more heating, more lighting, and more money coming out of our back pockets. However, the truth is that the bills aren’t just getting bigger during winter – the general consensus is that all our utility bills will continue to increase over the coming years at an alarming rate, especially if the anticipated inflation really comes our way.

That’s why there has never been a better time for people to be thinking about tapping into all that free energy given out by the sun, especially if you happen to live in Andalucia. The coast wasn’t named ‘Costa del Sol’ for nothing!  I am of course referring to solar technology and the potential that solar has to generate huge savings for domestic and commercial purposes. If there is one place in Europe where it’s almost criminal not to have solar installed, it has to be Andalucia.

One of the main objections in the past has been the cost of getting solar installed in the first place and the length of time it takes to recuperate that cost. Well, it seems there is a big lack of awareness that there are huge grants available from the government of Andalucia, specifically from La Agencia Andaluza de la Energia, with regards to solar installations. The great news is that you don’t have to do all the paperwork to get these grants because we do that for you!

To acquire these subsidies, the installation company needs to have all the correct paperwork and the necessary accreditation from the government of Andalucia to be able to do apply for these grants. Oasis Solutions is only one of a handful of companies that has the relevant authorisation.

So as we edge towards the end of January, dreading the next set of bills to come in, why don’t you at least give yourself some peace of mind that you are taking the first steps to lower bills in the future? Solar energy for all those living on the Costa del Sol or anywhere in the south of Spain has to make good sense, especially when so much of the initial investment is being subsidised.

I guess we’re not too far into January to begin by wishing everyone a happy new year!

One of January’s redeeming features is that it heralds a fresh start. We all like to start the year with fresh ideas, hopes and ambitions. And so it is with Oasis that we begin the year with a brand new website. However, the new website isn’t just a new ‘lick of paint’, but rather an effort to communicate properly the nature of our company and what we do.

Although Oasis started out as a specialist air-conditioning company ten years ago, specifically serving domestic and commercial clients near Malaga, we have since evolved into a bigger company with a greater geographical reach and a broader range of services. However, we haven’t been very good at communicating that properly but then again, it’s fair to say that we haven’t really needed to. All of our clients over the years have come from word of mouth – but there’s nothing like a recession to force you to get your house in order!

The reality is that over the years we have substantially expanded our services by bringing in new fully qualified engineers and technicians. We are now authorised by the Ministry of Industry to carry out installations, maintenance and repairs for a whole range of services including all types of heating and cooling requirements (including heavily subsidised solar installations, but more about that next time), electrics, plumbing, water treatment, and all services related to swimming pools. Not only that, but our Oasis branded vans can be seen darting about anywhere from Nerja to Sotogrande, and I’m not just referring to the Costa del Sol buy many places inland too.

So, if any of your fresh ideas for 2010 relate to any of the above, I hope we can be of service!