Plumbing is a necessary and honorable profession. But there are always rogues out there who give the rest of us a bad name.
Of course, they damage a lot more than our reputations. They damage the homes, pocketbooks, and trust of every customer they make contact with. They might even work multiple jobs for the same person before their true colors start to show.
If you can pinpoint some of the red flags below you can switch plumbers before you get burned.
Their name is close to the name of another company.
Many scammers will use a name that’s close to the name of another well-known company so you associate them with that company’s positive reputation.
Before you hire a plumber, be sure to Google their name. Find out if there are other Tucson plumbing companies with similar names. If you find one, do some digging and find out which one is the oldest and which has the best reputation. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to spot who is emulating whom.
There’s nothing wrong with hiring the original, by the way. You might even do them and everyone else a solid by letting them know the imitators are out there. They might be able to clear some scammers from the marketplace by initiating a lawsuit.
The plumber gossips.
Plumbers who have been around awhile might just have visited quite a few of your neighbors.
When you invite us into our home you are not just trusting us to fix your pipes. You’re trusting us to step into your world. We might catch you at a time when your house isn’t precisely clean. We may get little insights into your personality or family problems.
Good plumbers keep their mouths shut about all of this.
Less professional plumbers are all too eager to elevate their own importance by filling you in on the quirks and foibles of everyone else in the neighborhood. And while you might initially find such talk to be quite interesting, be wary. If the plumber is happy to tell you Mrs. Smith down the street is a hoarder or that Mr. Jones is having some kind of affair, you can rest assured he’s going to find something to tell Mrs. Smith and Mr. Jones about you the next time he has to stop by and fix their toilets. He might even make up something if he can’t think of any good stories to tell.
You get a different plumber every time you call, and you don’t like the looks of anyone who shows up at your house.
Here at On The Way, you will get the same handful of plumbers again and again. We’re a team big enough to serve every customer who calls, but small enough that you can get to know us.
If you’re hiring us for the first time, you can also see the smiling faces of each one of our plumbers right here on the website. You know everyone who shows up at your door is:
- Experienced
- Professional
- Legitimate
- Hired directly – i.e., not a subcontractor.
Isn’t that better than hiring strangers? This is especially true if you don’t like the look of the person coming to your door. Sometimes you call a plumber and get someone who looks like they just rolled out of bed in a jail cell. You don’t want these types of people safeguarding one of the most important systems in your home.
They called you, or showed up at your door.
Plumbers should not knock on your door or call your phone to offer their services. You call us, we don’t call you.
People call plumbers when something is wrong. If nothing is wrong, you don’t need a plumber, so there’s no need to interrupt your dinner.
Solicitation is the beginning of many a plumbing scam. There’s always a chance someone who solicits you will cause a plumbing problem just so you must hire them to fix it. Don’t fall for it. Eat your dinner, and call us only when our services are required.
They try to give you an estimate over the phone.
Someone who gives an estimate over the phone is usually just trying to low-ball you and put you at ease so they can get their foot in the door. You can guarantee the price you end up paying will be far higher than the one you were quoted.
Good plumbers know they must see the nature of the problem and the extent of the damage before they try to fix a thing. You shouldn’t settle for anything else.
Speaking of which, let us know if you’ve got a plumbing problem. We’ll be happy to give you a free estimate…after we show up to have a look at the problem.
