8 Best Ways to Know if a Plumber is Trustworthy – 2021 Guide
The plumbing system in your home is very important to the functioning of your bathroom and kitchen. Issues with your plumbing system can lead to higher expenses in your utility bill. As such, it’s highly recommended that you get a reliable plumber as soon as you notice an issue. However, it’s equally important that you practice your due diligence when it comes to finding the right plumber. Plumbing repair jobs can end up costing you thousands of dollars, if leaks occur further down the line and damage the structure of your home and your valuables, you use redsealplumbing.com for your needs. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to ensure that you only work with a contractor that is trustable.
1) Responsiveness
One of the areas of which you can evaluate a contractor is their level of responsiveness. Shady plumbers with an office space that’s located in the back of a truck will try to rush customers off the phone. A reputable plumber will give you more than enough time to explain the issue. In addition to that, they will respond to your calls and emails in a timely efficient manner. In fact, the level of responsiveness of a company should indicate that they will be able to make good on their promise. The operator should maintain a high level of professionalism as well as to treat you with respect.
2) On Time
Simply said, if you can’t trust your plumber to do something as basic as to show up on time, why would you trust them to work on your plumbing system. Trustworthy companies will fight to ensure that they arrive at the agreed-upon time no matter how busy they are. They are well are of the fact that being punctual indicates that they respect you as a client. In fact, one can argue that professional plumbers are hardly ever late. Having worked in the industry for several years, they know that time is of the essence when it comes to mitigating plumbing related damages and will try to get working as soon as you allow them
3) Equipment
The quality of a contractor’s equipment is important. A major reason why plumbers do an effective job is because of their equipment. Professional companies will have new and advanced tools that are on par with the current industry standard. As such, if a plumber comes to your house, take a look outside your home and see if you can see what kinds of tools they possess.
4) Knowledge
Pay attention to the type of responses you get from a potential contractor and ask yourself, are they giving general responses or are they detailed? Inexperienced contractors will provide their clients with generic answers to very specific questions. Meanwhile, an expert will be more than happy to flex their extensive knowledge about the plumbing industry. Professionals usually have to spend several years to get their license and certification. They must also conduct a few years of training as an apprentice to an experienced plumber so that they can get first-hand knowledge about everything related to plumbing. As such, professional and trustworthy plumbers have a vast amount of knowledge. Therefore, you should run for the hills if you notice a pattern of a contractor giving you basic responses.
5) Realistic Estimates
Never go with a contractor that gives you an estimate before evaluating the circumstances of your property. A competent plumber will assess the situation and perform diagnostics prior to giving their clients an estimate. In addition to this, they will also offer to provide a written estimate so that you can be sure there are no hidden expenses further down the line. In addition to this, they will also discuss the parts that will be needed and hourly rates. All of these factors determine what your true expense will be. Therefore, if you come across a contractor that gives you an estimate over the phone, you should run for the hills and find another contractor.
6) Use Of Difficult Terminologies
Contractors are well aware of the fact that there are terminologies and plumbing-related words that the average consumer will not know the meaning of such as a fluid motion for example. There’s a vast amount of difficult terminologies in the field. If your plumber talks to you as if they are giving an academic speech, this is highly deceptive. It usually indicates that the contractor will make the problem appear bigger than it actually is, as to which they will charge you a higher rate than the job actually entails. Professional plumbers will also strive to break difficult terminologies down to a level where the average person can understand.
7) Online Ratings
Often times, trustable contractors do such a good job that their clients feel compelled to leave a review online. In addition to that, business owners are well aware of the fact that most people expect companies to have a website and a social media profile. Although it is common for every company to get a bad review or two, check and see if you can find any positive reviews about the company. In addition to this if they have a social media profile for their company, take a look at the comment section and see what others have been saying. A good rule of thumb to follow is that for every 20 good reviews a plumber has, they should have no more than 3 bad reviews. So if they have 60 good reviews, but 10 bad reviews, you may need to find another contractor or else you may be rolling the dice with your plumbing system.
8) Knowledge of Codes and Regulations
A reliable and honest contractor will be aware of building regulations and codes. This is so that they can ensure that they are operating within full compliance of the law and so that they can fine-tune their services to adhere to the aforementioned state guidelines. Therefore, to determine if you can trust your plumber, inquire about any accreditations and certifications they received from a state regulatory body.