Verbal Plumbing Quotes – As Good as the Paper They AREN’T Written On

February 1st, 2013 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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A verbal quote with a friendly handshake sounds like a good way to do business to some people, but true plumbing professionals will always provide a written estimate or work order for you to sign.

Written agreements protect both parties and help clarify expectations on both sides. Whether it is an estimate, a work order, proposal or contract, a written agreement should always include payment terms and a detailed description of the work to be completed. For small jobs such as clearing a cloggged drain or toilet, the description can be short and simple. The bigger the project, the more detail you should expect to be included on the agreement. The agreement should also be signed by the owner or authorized agent of the plumbing company.

If your plumbing contractor is an honest, trustworthy individual, why is the written agreement so important? Even when you have a plumbing contractor that you’ve worked with for years and that you trust completely, a written agreement is still important. No one’s memory is without fault. A written agreement protects you and your plumber from misunderstandings that could arise if one of the parties doesn’t remember the terms of the agreement in the same way as the other. Many good relationships have been destroyed over misunderstandings that could have been prevented by simply recording the details of the agreement in writing instead of depending on memories to hold the details correctly over time.

Why risk spoiling what could be a good relationship by ignoring this simple step?  Get your estimates in writing. Have contracts signed by the plumbing contractor and yourself. If there are additions or changes to the original agreement, have those changes recorded in writing with dates and signatures at well. Avoiding verbal agreements in favor of written ones will maintain a positive, trustworthy relationship with your plumber.

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Hiring a Plumber You Can Trust

December 11th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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Whenever you hire a plumber to clear a clogged drain, install a new water heater, or any other plumbing job, you want to hire someone whom you can trust to do the job right and charge reasonable prices for their services. It really isn’t that difficult to establish the existence of these qualities for any plumber that you consider. The biggest mistake most homeowners make in hiring a plumber is not taking the time to follow a few basic steps before they make their decision.

1.      Licensed. Always ask for the plumber’s license number. A professional plumber will have their license number on their business cards and other forms of advertisement or company stationery. Be wary of anyone who does not have their license number readily available.

2.      Written estimates and contracts. A professional will always provide you with a written estimate and contract, especially if you request one. Even if you are receiving service work that will be billed on a time and material basis, a professional should be willing to provide the billing terms in a written proposal that states the rate per hour. For larger projects, a detailed estimate, which details all material, permits and labor to be included in the contract price, should be expected.

3.      References. A legitimate professional should be happy to provide you with the names and phone numbers of past customers who have had similar work performed. Ask for them, and take the time to contact them, before you hire any plumber. Ask the references specific questions about the project performed and the plumber’s reliability in completing the work on time and within budget.

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Be Wary Of Over-The-Phone Plumbing Quotes

July 17th, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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When you have a serious plumbing problem like a clogged toilet or sewer line or a leaky water supply line, one of your biggest concerns is “what’s it going to cost me?”  While concern about the plumbing repair cost is understandable, avoid the temptation to shop by phone for the lowest plumbing quote.

With a few rare exceptions, most reputable plumbers will not give you a firm quote for plumbing work without first coming to your home to look at the problem.   A plumber may be able to quote the minimum price for a service call, but that’s just the price for showing up at your home.  The actual cost of the repair is extra.

The reason is that without inspecting and troubleshooting the plumbing problem, your plumber has no way to know how much work will be involved.  A backed up toilet can be simple clog in the drain pipe that can be cleared with a plumbing auger, a more serious clog in a sewer line that needs to be cleared with high pressure hydro-jetting, or a collapsed sewer line or failed septic system that requires extensive work to repair or replace.

A reputable plumber will come to your home, evaluate your plumbing problem, then provide you with a detailed explanation of the problem and an estimate for the work necessary to repair it.  For this reason, instead of searching for a plumber by price, search by reputation. Look for a reputable local plumber with an established business address and phone number who is licensed and insured.  You can be comfortable knowing that you will get hiqh quality, professional plumbing work at reasonable market rates.

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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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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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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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