If you’re looking for the best plumber in your area, you might feel inundated with options. If you’re uncertain about who to choose, here are five key areas that you should pay attention to:
- The person that visits your home
The first thing you should look at when choosing a plumbing service is what type of people they hire. What are the standards for their employees? The company that you’re dealing with may be great, but your experience will be in the hands of the person that’s visiting your home. If it isn’t a great employee, your experience will suffer regardless of how good the company itself is.
- Long-term support
Does the company that you’re dealing with have a good reputation for standing behind its work? One of the most frustrating experiences is having to deal with a problem without any support. This is especially true if the company has done something incorrectly. They should stand behind their work with a satisfaction guarantee. They should also resolve issues without difficulty or hassle.
- Appointment Windows
Try to find a company that gives small appointment windows. If you’re given a four hour appointment window, that means that you have to set aside those hours out of your day. Even worse are the horror stories of people who get a call right at the end of the appointment window to say that the plumber is running late. You’d obviously already know that, since the appointment time has come and gone.
The company should also have someone staffed to answer phone calls and maintain the schedule. Otherwise, it’ll be a recipe for disaster. There’s going to be a lack of communication if one person has to make home visits, answer phones, and manage their own schedule. If a setback were to occur, they likely wouldn’t be able to give you a call in a timely manner. A single person trying to do everything will just lead to a disappointing experience from the client’s perspective.
- Clear Expectations
Always partner with people that are willing to tell you what to expect. When you schedule a plumber to visit your home, you probably don’t know how it’s going to go. You might have an understanding based on past experiences or from talking to a friend. At the end of the day, however, you’ll probably get a different experience every time (unless it’s the same company, person, and issue).
Getting rid of some of that uncertainty and nervousness is the company’s responsibility. They should first explain how the visit will work. When a person comes to visit your home, they should reiterate exactly what they’re going to do. The worst case scenario would be if you were left in the dark. You would be at the complete mercy of the person visiting your home. On the other hand, you’ll be able to hold the person accountable if they told you what to expect and didn’t follow through.
- Pricing Options
Every plumber should have some price flexibility. While each individual product might have a set price, the company should at least give you several different options. No matter what the product is, there are usually several tiers (good, better, and best). If you aren’t presented with different options, then you’ll be backed into a corner with no control over what you’re going to pay. Don’t let yourself get forced in a take it or leave it scenario.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can make a educated decision when choosing a plumber, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.