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Step 1
Do not use your local yellow pages. Yellow page ads are very expensive, and these costs are passed on to you. There may be a good variety to choose from, but really, what do you know about these plumbers?
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Step 2
If you absolutely have to use your local yellow pages, go to the smaller ads. Although smaller ads are less expensive, plumbers still tend to pay through the nose for these ads.
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Step 3
The best place to look up plumbers tends to be in community newspaper directories. These ads are likely to be less expensive. For example, when business is slow I usually place on ad on the San Diego Reader service directory. This ad runs me approximately $100.00 for the month. One hundred dollars a month is a drop in the bucket compared to the $150.00 per week they charge in the city paper.
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Step 4
Stay away from big companies. Big companies tend to charge more because of the high overhead they carry.
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Step 5
The best companies to use are owner operated companies. Most states do not require that owner’s pay workman’s comp for themselves. This translates to major savings for the plumber, and for you.
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Step 6
Commission based companies are another thing to steer away from. Let me give you a scenario. My first plumbing job was commission based. Basically I found myself trying to up-sell, rush through jobs, and charge more. Ultimately, I was getting 30% of everything I did. So if I went to your house to snake a drain, I had to charge between $85-$130 to even make any money for myself. As an owner operator of my company, I have charged as little as $45 dollars to snake a main line, and I didn’t even give it a second thought.
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Step 7
The closer the plumbers live to you, the cheaper it’s going to be. Use local plumbers. Less driving means less expensive. A good thing to do is to ask around if any plumbers live in your neighborhood. Don’t be shy.
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Step 8
8. Word of mouth. If you see a plumber in your neighbor’s house, ask about them.
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Step 9
Have three different plumbers you can call. The worst thing in the world is getting caught in a situation where you cannot get a plumber to your house. Desperation will make you go to your yellow pages, and that’s definitely going to cost you some major bucks.
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Step 10
Do not procrastinate on repairing plumbing problems. Preventive maintenance is the least expensive repair. And whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute if possible. The longer you wait the more expensive repairs can get.
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Step 11
Use Plumbers with good trucks. This does not mean they have to be driving a 2008 van or utility bed. This means to choose a plumber who is organized and stocked. An organized truck usually means they do clean work, and their quicker. In other words, there is less chance they will have to drive to the supply house.
