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-Are they licensed and insured? Plumbers are required to
hold a professional license and insurance obtained through the state in which
they are working. Many states have this
information posted online, where you can search for the individual and see if
they hold an active license. Most
reputable plumbing companies will be run by a master plumber, and insured – if in
doubt – don’t hesitate to ask them.
-Are they experienced and do they have a good reputation locally? Ask friends or neighbors if
they have a recommendation or if it’s company or individual they have heard of. If
not, you can do some research on your own.
Don’t hesitate to give them a call and ask questions – they should be
able to give you any information you need over the phone, or via mail or email. Ask for pictures of their work, or for
references. A reputable company or individual should have absolutely no problem answering any questions or concerns. Additionally, the internet
is a great tool for researching on your own.
Just seeing how a company presents themselves either on the internet or
by answering the phone can offer some insight into how they may treat their
customers.
-Do they warranty their work? Most decent plumbers will offer some kind of
a warranty. But asking about a warranty
is not the only important question – will the person be in business long enough
to honor it? Look for established
companies or individuals with a good reputation. If it’s a new company be sure to do your
homework. If you have a bad feeling, don’t
ignore it!
-Are they dependable? Look out for the telltale signs that
they will not follow through. No one is
perfect, but if they are consistently late, or making promises they can’t keep –
think twice.
-Don’t shop on price alone, cheaper is not always
better! The cheaper the price, the more questions
you should ask. Make sure you are
comparing apples to apples on quotes; some plumbers will find ways to cut
corners and do things the quicker or cheaper way, with less than quality material. Or they may have neglected to include
something in their price and then can upcharge you later on.
