Screening Plumbers before Letting Them in Your Home
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Screening Plumbers before Letting Them in Your Home
Don’t wait until you need a plumber to call one. Pick up your phone directory and look under the plumbing category. Depending on the size of your region, you are likely to see a lot of names. Are you going to believe what the advertisements say? You shouldn’t.
I have been a plumbing contractor for over 30 years and worked in multiple states. There are good plumbers and bad plumbers. Some states regulate plumbers more than others do. You are at risk when you dial a plumber. Protect yourself by calling plumbers before you need them.
If you wait until you have a plumbing emergency to make first contact with a plumbing contractor, human nature is likely to drive you to accept the first plumber who is available to you. It is true that plumbers charge a lot of money, are an independent type, and are often too busy for new customers. You can overcome some of this by establishing a working relationship with a plumbing contractor before you need emergency service.
Go through the phone book and call plumbers as if you had an emergency. Yeah, you are cheating a bit, but all is fair in business wars. See who answers the phone personally, who calls you back, and how long you have to wait to have your call returned. This will eliminate a number of contractors.
When you get a contractor that you feel good about, ask some key questions. Let me give you a few flush-out questions to ask over the phone:
Don’t wear out the interrogation. You can alienate plumbers quickly if you are not careful. Remember, they are an independent bunch. Your goal is to feel out the contractor to see if it might be a suitable fit for your needs.
Whenever feasible, call a plumber with a real request. This could be to change a faucet, add a hose connection, or to clean a drain stoppage. Get to know your plumbing contractor before you have an emergency. Seriously, when your plumbing goes wrong, you will want someone you can depend on.
Do your homework. Line up three contractors who meet your criteria. It is better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Plumbers, electricians, and heating mechanics are often a homeowner’s best friend. Make nice early and enjoy the rewards when you have a real problem.
R. Dodge Woodson/ Lone Wolf Enterprises, Ltd.
www.lonewolfent.net
