If you haven’t ever hired a plumber or other contractor before, you might not be aware of the kinds of questions you should ask. Some are very plumbing specific, but some are crucial to ask with any contractor who will be performing work on your home.
Any plumber you hire needs to be reliable and trustworthy if you
want them in your home working on your drains or other needs. To ensure that
you have someone you can depend on, look at online reviews and see what people
say about them. Navigating online review sites takes a little practice. The
first thing you have to remember is that only really happy and really unhappy
people write reviews, so you want to look at the content. Are they happy because they got a good price?
Not a great reason. Are they happy because they got good service? That is a good reason to trust a review.
Prices can change a lot, but service is serious.
The same goes for the bad reviews. If a customer is angry because
someone didn’t show up on time, that can be a fluke. If four customers say that
this company doesn’t perform the work on time or for the contracted price, then
you have a problem. Take the time to see what the good and bad are truly about.
For the general questions, remember, a plumber is a subcontractor,
and they need to be licensed and insured. Take the time to ensure that you have
someone who is fully able to legally perform the work you need.
Finally, always get an estimate up front that covers exactly what
work will be performed and how much it will cost. If the plumber says something
could go wrong, find out how that could happen, how to fix it, and what that
cost will be.
Go into any contract with your eyes wide open.