5 Traits of Honest Plumbing Companies

dishonest plumberThe plumbing in your home is a weird animal. On one side there are a number of do-it-yourself projects you can perform to not only save money on bringing in the plumbing professionals but also to have the most convenient quality of living at the same time. Simple things like changing out faucet handles or taking apart and fixing the garbage disposal are both rewarding and handy. On the flip side of that though, there are times when major problems arise in the pipes that just can’t be fixed without professional intervention. In those times when you need to call plumbing companies, make sure they display as many of these 5 traits as possible.

Knowledgeable Plumbing Contractor

By far the most important quality that plumbing companies Edmonton possess is the knowledge to diagnose and fix your piping problems. It doesn’t matter if the company is extremely inexpensive, customer-friendly, and on the job in minutes after your call, if they don’t know what they’re doing. High-quality companies will have years of experience in the field and will have the ‘we’ve seen it all, nothing surprises us’ mentality. Not that there’s anything wrong with an upstart company in your town but there just really is no substitute for experience. By and large knowledgeable plumbing contractors will be able to limit the amount of time they’re on the job and will fix your issues quicker and more reliably.

Prompt

Another quality to seek out in plumbing companies Edmonton is promptness. Promptness is an extension of good customer service, for example if a business gives you a 4-hour window when they’ll be at your home and they don’t call or don’t show for 2 days. Understandably the unexpected arises as service personnel are out on other calls but if they’re going to be late they should at least call. It’s hard to judge promptness when first hiring a company but this is where asking around to your friends and family comes in handy. Promptness isn’t necessarily the top thing you look for in quality plumbing companies but it’s sure a nice trait to have.

Insured

Plumbing repairs can be costly, on that note so can excessive damages caused by a company that inadvertently brings on more problems. Even the most knowledgeable plumbing companies have accidents on the job site, whether it’s tapping into a water line that was supposedly turned off or dropping a hammer that spider-webs a bathtub once owned by pop-singer Cher. While the homeowner needs to be accepting of these accidents, they shouldn’t necessarily be liable for them. If a plumbing company is directly responsible for cracking a water line that shoots H20 everywhere damaging your drywall and carpet the business’ insurance should cover the repairs, not your own. Because of this, it’s important to hire a company that actually has insurance so even if the unexpected happens, how you pay for it is no mystery.

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Provide 24-hour Service

Pipes are weird – they can be both reliable and unpredictable. For instance, your toilet might perform like a trooper even though 25 family members come over for Thanksgiving dinner but one ordinary night when the temperatures drop to 15 degrees your pipes might freeze up. Because of the factor of the unknown it’s best to employ plumbing companies Edmonton that are on-call around the clock. Some serious damage can occur with wayward water in the middle of the night and if a company can’t get to your home until after they’ve had their morning coffee and read the paper your family heirlooms might be nothing more than a soggy afterthought. It’s important you don’t take advantage of that courtesy by making a midnight call for a faucet drip but having an all-night service available just in case helps you sleep a little better at night.

Honest

Honesty is a great policy in all walks of life, but especially when it comes to home contracting work and repair. As a homeowner you put a lot of trust in your plumbing company in diagnosing a problem and coming up with the correct solution. Since you can’t physically see a lot of the pipes or even the water flowing through them it’s easy to just take the plumbing companies word for it and agree to pay for the repairs. Unfortunately, since you don’t really know what’s going on within the walls, dishonest contractors count on that and charge you for work not even done. Your best bet is to get a second plumber’s opinion and see if they come up with the same diagnoses or if the first business was just using you for a quick and easy payday.

The best way to find a quality company that you can trust is to ask around. Word of mouth advertising doesn’t lie (unless the company is family) and friends and neighbors who have had work done by the service personnel will give you their honest opinion, often times unsolicited. Be prepared that you might even have to live through a couple unfortunate circumstances and go through some bad experiences before you find the ultimate plumbing companies. Once you do find your plumbing soulmate, hold on to them like a long lost love because they’ll come in handy someday.