Plumbing services are the basic necessities of every household. No matter how efficient you think your plumbing is, it is bound to have faults in it someday. So, at any point in your life, you may need to avail of plumbing services and repairs. Now that I have established the importance of a plumber for any homeowner or property owner, let me tell you one more thing – not all plumbers are as good as they claim to be. There are fraudsters in each and every field and the field of plumbing is obviously one of those. Many plumbers fool their customers by charging extremely high rates for simple jobs. Common people like us, who are generally unaware about the specifics of plumbing, some phony plumbers may take undue advantage of it and highly oversell a minute fault and charge high prices for it. To avoid this from happening, you need to make sure you do not make errors of judgment while picking a plumber. Here are some obvious points that clearly state that the plumber is not trustworthy or reliable. See how the plumber acts and answers to general queries and if you find anything to be even slightly fishy, you can move on and find another plumbing service. Here are all the signs to spot:
- A small plumbing task turns into a huge flaw every time you call a plumber: has it ever happened that you need a pipe repair service and you are asked to replace the complete piping system or you complain about a blocked drain and the plumber asks you to replace the complete drainage system? These may be signs that your plumber is ripping you off by doing jobs that you do not require. If plumbing each job turns into a huge unexpected repair, it is time for you need to get a second opinion.
- The estimate and the final price never match: Whenever you call for plumbing service, you obviously ask for an estimate. So, the cost that the plumber charges after the completion of the service have to be in close proximity with the quoted estimate before the job unless you get other plumbing services did which were not mentioned while you asked for an estimate. If the estimates and the final prices do not match every time, there is definitely something fishy. In short, the plumber should be completely straightforward with his pricing. Also, you should receive a written or printed invoice with all the services performed listed in detail.
- The plumber is unlicensed or uninsured: Every plumber has to possess a license issued by the government. This license is proof that the plumber has enough knowledge and skill that is required for performing plumbing services. Also, a plumber requires work insurance. In case there is a mishap while he is performing a job in your home, you will be liable of the consequences if he does not have insurance. So, to relieve you of this, each plumber has an insurance cover.
- The plumber keeps scaring you a lot: Out of all the plumbing scams, claiming to have a faulty sewer line or a faulty gas pipeline. An authentic plumber will actually show you a proof of the fault and then tell you about it instead of mentioning a hoax fault and then scaring you in order to convince you to get certain repairs that are not even needed. So, if a plumber seems to be talking in abstract terms without any concrete facts and proofs.
With all these points you are now wise enough to hire a quality plumber. It is always advised to pick locally established plumbing agencies to do your job.