Avoiding Plumbing Contractor Complaints

April 11th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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According to data kept by the Better Business Bureau, plumbers consistently have a high number of complaints filed every year.  Of the thousands of industries followed by the BBB, plumbers ranked 33rd in 2011 with 4,729 complaints filed and 34th in 2010 with 4,419 complaints.    Even more troubling about these numbers is that about 20 to 25 percent of these complaints are unresolved.  Cell phone companies and cable television providers rank higher with many more complaints, but less than 5% of those complaints are unresolved.

The bottom line is that a lot of customers have not had a good experience with their plumbing contractors.  Whether you need drain cleaning, a new water heater installed, or a clogged toilet cleared, you can you avoid this happening to you by taking a few precautions.  First, choose a local plumber with a good reputation for customer service.  A plumber with an established business as evidenced by a permanent business location and telephone number will work harder to keep customers satisfied in order to protect their reputation.

Second, before any work begins, get an estimate and go over the estimate in detail with the plumbing contractor so you are sure you understand the scope of the work to be done and the total cost.  It is not always possible for your plumber to know in advance what sort of “surprises” may come up after the works starts.

Ask the plumber before the job starts what contingencies might arise and what the additional cost would be if they do. Many customers get very annoyed when problems arise during a job that require additional work, but the reality is that in many cases your plumber won’t know about these problems until he gets started.

Finally, don’t pay in full for the job up front.  Nothing is worse than a half finished job waiting for the plumber to come back and finish it.  Some plumbers may ask for partial payment in advance.  A third is typical and never pay more than half.  Pay the balance only after the job is completed to your satisfaction.

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Finding a Great Plumber

March 13th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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Whether you have a plumbing emergency like a stopped up sewer line, need routine plumbing service such as installation of a new water heater, or need an Orlando plumber for a major plumbing job like a whole house pipe replacement, you want a professional plumber you can rely on to get the job done right.  With the internet and the phone book flooded with advertisements for plumbers, how can you make the right decision on which plumber to handle the job?

A great way to start the process of finding a good plumber in Orlando is to ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendations of plumbers they have used in the past and been satisfied with the work and the service they received.  Eliminate any of these that you cannot confirm have a permanent business office and telephone number.  Your friend’s cousin may be a great plumber, but if he’s working part time out of his van he may not be around to handle any warranty work if something goes wrong down the road.   You are better off with a plumbing contractor that has been in business for years and has a business location and telephone number.

Next, make sure the plumber is licensed, bonded, and insured.  Licensing is no guarantee of competence, but it’s a sign that the plumber is a professional who plans on being in business for awhile.  Liability and workman’s compensation insurance protect the customer against liability for accidents or injury on the job.

Finally, check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any unresolved complaints about your plumbing contractor. If there are no complaints, then you should be in good shape.  Even if there have been complaints, it’s not necessarily the end of the world.  Any service company like a plumber can be expected to have a few disgruntled customers if they have been in business for years, so one or two complaints that were fully resolved are not a big deal.  On the other hand, if the plumber has a lot of unresolved complaints about your plumber, that’s a good reason to try a different plumbing contractor.

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The Importance of Insurance

March 13th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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Whether you need an Orlando plumber to tackle a big job like a whole house repiping to replace your old polybutylene piping or a small problem like a clogged sink drain, you should make sure your plumbing contractor is fully insured in the event of a problem.

A reputable, professional plumber will have both liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance and will be happy to provide you with proof of insurance.  Both types of insurance protect the homeowner from liability in the event of an accident that causes damage to property or an injury.

Liability insurance is critical for any contractor, and plumbers are no exception.  Liability insurance pays for damage caused by the plumber while working on your home.  For example, if the plumber accidently sets your house on fire while sweating copper pipe, the contractor’s liability insurance will pay for the damage.

The damage would probably also be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy, but you would be responsible for your deductible and also have to deal with the hassle that goes along with filing the claim.

Workers compensation insurance covers injuries to the plumber while working at your home.  Without workers compensation insurance, you could be on the hook for these injuries!  Again, your homeowners insurance would probably kick in and cover it, but you should not have to resort to your homeowners insurance to cover a worker’s injury when a reputable plumber would carry their own insurance.

A contractor should have their own liability insurance and workers compensation insurance so don’t let them get away with depending on your homeowner’s insurance.  If the plumber is willing to cut corners on insurance, where else might they be cutting costs?  You should also be concerned about the workmanship and any warranty provided by a plumber that cannot or will not carry their own insurance.  Save yourself some trouble and make sure your plumbing contractor is fully insured before they begin work.

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Is Your Plumber Insured?

January 9th, 2011 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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Whenever you need to find a good, reputable plumber to handle a plumbing issue at your home, you should always make sure that the plumber has adequate liability and workers compensation insurance.   Whether your plumbing problem is a small job like a clogged toilet or faucet replacement, or a big job such as a complete residential repiping or water service line repair, there is always the potential for something to go wrong and if your plumber is not insured, you could wind up on the hook for the damages.

A reputable plumber will have both workers compensation insurance and liability insurance.  If a worker is injured while working at your home, the workers compensation insurance will cover it.  If there is an accident that causes any damage to your property or your neighbor’s property, then the plumber’s liability insurance will kick in. 

You may think that insurance is not really necessary because how much damage can a bad plumbing job do.  You would be surprised.  Suppose your plumber is installing a new water service line and accidently cuts through the electrical wires serving your neighborhood.  Or suppose a leak in your new water service line goes unnoticed until it erodes the neighbor’s foundation. 

Both of these scenarios seem unlikely, but they have happened before and if it happened to you, you would be liable unless your plumber has the appropriate insurance.  Your homeowners insurance policy might cover some of the damages, but you would have to pay the deductible and deal with the hassle of the claim filing process.

Don’t take unnecessary risks.  Make sure your plumber has adequate insurance before they start work and avoid any liability issues that might arise.

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Choosing a Reputable Plumber

November 16th, 2010 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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When you need plumbing work, you want a reputable plumber that you can depend on to get the job done right.  Whether it’s a clogged toilet, a leaky faucet, or any other type of plumbing work, you want a plumber who arrives on time, does a professional job, and who you know will be around to handle any warranty work. 

You can randomly pick a plumber out of the phone book or from the internet, but you will probably have better results if you follow a few simple steps.  First, make sure the plumber is a real business.  See if they have a business office with a permanent address and business telephone number.

Second, check to see if the plumber has liability insurance.  You don’t want to be on the hook for medical bills if the plumber gets hurt while working on your property.  Also, if they have insurance, they have probably been in business for awhile.  You should also see if they are licensed and bonded. 

Third, ask for references.  A reputable plumber will be happy to provide references because their satisfied customers are their best source of business.  Call a couple of the references and ask if they were satisfied with the plumbers work and if they would use that plumber again. 

Finally, check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the plumber.  If so, see if the company responded and how the complaints were resolved.  A lot of complaints with no response from the plumber means you should try a different plumber, but if there are only one or two complaints that were settled after a response from the plumber then it’s probably not much to be concerned about.

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