How the Gold Coast Tradie Hotline works

The call, step by step

1. You call 0495 051 818. An automated voice answers: “Welcome to the Gold Coast Tradie Hotline. Tell me the trade you need and your suburb.” The line answers 24 hours a day.
2. You say the job and suburb, like “plumber in Southport”. You can describe the problem instead (“water leaking under the sink in Burleigh”). If the hotline isn’t sure, it reads it back. If it can’t understand you, it asks for your postcode on the keypad.
3. We ring a local business. The business hears “Find It Fast enquiry: plumber in Southport. Press 1 to take it.” You hear ringing. Only a person pressing 1 takes your call, so it never goes to a voicemail.
4. If they can’t take it, we try the next one, up to three businesses on one call.
5. If nobody can, and you called from a mobile, we text you a business’s details, and the businesses that missed you get your number by text so they can call you back.

Who we ring, and in what order

Only businesses listed for your trade that service your suburb and have a phone number we’ve verified. The order is:

1. businesses on a paid Featured plan (the business holding your suburb for that trade first);
2. businesses on a free Featured promotion;
3. other listed businesses.

If nobody lists your suburb, we ring the nearest businesses within about 30 km, in the same order, and tell you where they’re based. Between 7pm and 7am, businesses that list emergency hours go first. We say this openly because it affects who you’re put through to.

What it costs

Nothing extra. It’s a normal call to a mobile number at your usual rates. Businesses don’t pay per call. You agree the price of the job directly with the business, and you pay them, not us.

What we check, and what we don’t

We verify the phone number of every business we ring. Some Find It Fast listings show register checks, such as an ABN or QBCC licence, with the date they were checked. We don’t inspect work, and we can’t vouch for quality, price or availability. Every business is independently owned and operated.

Before work starts: ask for the licence number and check it (QBCC for building and plumbing, Electrical Safety Office for electrical), ask about insurance, and get the price in writing.

Emergencies

If anyone is in danger, hang up and call 000. Fallen powerlines: Energex 13 19 62. Storm or flood damage: SES 132 500. Then call the hotline for the tradie.

Who runs it

The Gold Coast Tradie Hotline is run by Find It Fast, a Gold Coast directory of local businesses. TradeHelp247.app is the hotline’s website. Businesses can list for free.

Common questions