Plumbing issues might not arise too often in your home, so it’s natural to be a little in the dark when it comes to selecting a high-quality plumber.  We’ve put together a few tips you should consider when the day comes along that you need to call on a plumber.

Ultimately, now is the time to select your plumbing contractor.

STOP!  Read that last line again.  If you wait until an emergency plumbing situation where you need someone fast, you may let your guard down and sacrifice value for whatever contractor answered the phone first–a potentially expensive mistake.

Determine the Emergency Status of Your Issue

If it’s a fixture that has had a slow drip for a while, then you have time to call and schedule a regular hours service call.  If it’s a larger, flooding leak or major drain clog causing you a water or sewer service interruption, then you’ll probably need to consider paying the extra charges for an after-hours service call.

Find Your Main Water Shut-Off TODAY

Most plumbing issues can be mitigated by shutting off the water to the fixture or the home through your main water shut-off.  This doesn’t fix the issue, but it stops the possible water damage from getting worse and it puts time on your side.

Now you have time to call the plumber you want, rather than the first plumber to pick up the phone or arrive at your home.

Remember: It can be a good sign that a plumber has a pretty full schedule.  It seems odd when the contractor can head that way right now.  Quite honestly, it could mean they were sitting on their hands with nothing to do prior to your call.  You should want a plumber that’s in demand.

Check Online Reviews for Plumbers – But Only Read the Bad Ones

Every company in existence has great online reviews.  There’s always at least a handful of customers that were thrilled with the service.  Sometimes these are actual customers and sometimes they are the contractor’s mother writing her son a wonderful review.

Ultimately, good reviews don’t tell us anything about a company. It’s virtually impossible to make every customer a happy 5-star customer.  So every company is bound to have at least a few poor reviews, which you can learn a lot from.  These poor reviews are where the true colors of a company get revealed.  We can all use our own intuition and determine if the poor review was written by an unreasonable customer, or if the company truly dropped the ball.

Look for multiple reviews with prominent trigger words like “Scam”, “Salesman”, “Taking Advantage”, “Rip-off”, or any other aggressive titles.  This should be a sign that the company has a history of making a certain percentage of its customers feel this way.  These trigger words are always a big red flag. Balance that information with how the plumbing company responds to the negative reviews.

Get References From Friends in the Local Area

You trust your friends and their judgment.  So a good referral from a trusted friend should go a long way towards helping you select the right contractor in the greater Kansas City area.  Sometimes, a friend’s referral is all you need.

Number of Years in Business

It’s very common for plumbing companies to go out of business within a few years of opening their doors.  Unfortunately, some plumbers lack the business sense it takes to stay in business.  So look for a plumber that’s been in business for many years.  It’s your home and you deserve to have the protection that the plumber you’re hiring will be there if you need them again in a few years.

Are They Giving You Repair and Replacement options?

One major red flag when working with a plumber is when they only present replacement options.  Imagine taking your car to the shop for what seems to be a minor issue and they didn’t want to fix your car but only tried to sell you a new car….crazy right?  Plumbing is the same way.

A sure sign of an honest and ethical plumber is one that asks plenty of questions about your expectations and one that offers options for both repairing your current system as well as replacement.  This allows you to choose what’s best for you, and not what’s best for the plumber.

Trust Your Instincts

Your intuition is usually correct.  So for those service calls where you aren’t liking the vibe you’re getting from the plumber, it’s perfectly okay to pay their service charge and look into another plumbing company.

They are probably going to tell you that there will be another service charge if they have to come back out.  However, paying only their service charge is much cheaper than regretting hiring the wrong contractor.

 

Follow these insider tips and you will be sure to find a plumber you will be happy with for years!

Give us a call and check us out. Climate Control has been in the home services industry for decades. When we opened our doors in 1987, we wanted to provide you comfort in your home and provide the best possible service. We provide a 100% guarantee on all of our work.

You can contact Climate Control Heating, Cooling and Plumbing Any Time, Every Day. Comfort and Care from the Team with the Bear!