How to Pick a Great Plumber

It is very popular to believe that there is no such thing as a "good" plumber who cares about customer service. While it is true that there are plumbers out there who really are only in it for the money, there are also some who are genuinely concerned about the quality of their work and about pleasing their customers. Finding these plumbers is the challenge.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep in mind any and all past experiences with plumbers. Recall whether they were polite or rude, unobtrusive or obnoxious. They should have concern for the work they have performed, and should care about customer service. A good plumber should be as careful in your house as he would be in his own, or better yet, his mother's. When you are looking for a plumber, ask whether the workers wear plastic booties over their work shoes when they go into someones home. If the answer is no, a red flag should go up in your mind.

2. Make sure the plumber double-checks his work. Ask also about a guarantee on it. If the answer is no to either of those things, watch out. No matter how desperate the situation seems to be, nobody needs to spend a fortune for poor service and poor work. At the very least a good plumbing service should give a discount on any future plumbing calls.

3. Make sure that the plumbing service provides a run through of your home's plumbing system to give you an insight as to why troubles have sprung up and how to prevent them in the future.This type of service is offered by plumbers that do not want tons of repeat business. They want customers, true enough, but they want to get the job done right the first time. It also helps to ask the working hours of the plumbing service. The really extraordinary ones are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

4. Check if the plumber arrives when she says she will and gets the job accomplished on time. A plumber who spends hours at a job, accomplishes nothing and expects you to pay, then goes away for two weeks before returning to finish the job, is not going to cut it. If you call a plumbing service and they say they will send someone right over, ask them how long it will be, where the plumber is driving from and how much it will cost just for the house visit alone.

5. Know that a good plumber will tell you precisely what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. He will give you an estimate of the bill before he performs the service and will inform you each step of the way what is happening to your pipes. He will clean up after himself, and once finished, he will make absolutely certain that the system now works as it should before he ever leaves your home. Plus he will leave his card with you so you can contact him.

Tips & Warnings

• When you talk to the company on the phone and you are asking your questions, listen carefully to the person's response. If there seems to be an antagonistic tone, a red flag should go up warning you away from that particular company.
• Do not attempt your own plumbing work unless you know what you are doing. A small problem can easily become a large one so get a professional to do the job for you.

Resources

• www.findaplumber.com
• www.mr.rooter.com

[philaz845pm]

on 11/20/2009 Word of mouth,