No one wants to search for a plumber when there is water everywhere in the kitchen at 11 o’clock at night; however, this is typically when many individuals begin looking for plumbing services online.
Instead of waiting until an emergency occurs to locate a trustworthy emergency plumber, locating a reliable emergency plumber prior to an emergency provides you the ability to choose a plumbing service provider based upon quality, as opposed to desperation.
Time to Research Plumbers
Researching plumbing services when everything is quiet allows you to base your decision-making process on quality, rather than being pressured to act quickly due to an urgent situation. Compare several plumbing service providers, review each company’s reviews thoroughly, and inquire about the appropriate topics without feeling rushed or motivated solely by water damage to expedite the process.
Locate a plumbing service with a history of operation that spans several years. The length of operation of a plumbing service provider is indicative of their ability to perform well and remain in operation, regardless of whether or not any problems develop post-work.
Verify the Company’s Service Area
Carefully examine the areas that an emergency plumber adelaide provider operates in. Although some plumbing services may operate throughout the area and claim to be able to assist residents across a broad geographic area, not all plumbing services are equally capable of providing assistance to residents across all areas of their advertised service region. Verify that the plumbing service provider can offer assistance within your geographic location, both during standard business hours and during emergency calls.
What Can Online Reviews Really Tell You?
It is essential to analyze online reviews with caution. All businesses will receive both positive and negative reviews regarding their products/services. What really matters is how the plumbing service responds to complaints and what trends can be identified from the reviews.
Examine reviews from other customers who have used the plumbing service for emergency work. Did the plumbing service arrive at the customer’s residence promptly? Was the customer provided with a reasonable estimate for the work prior to the commencement of the work? Were the customer’s concerns treated professionally, or was the customer treated in a rushed manner?
Do Not Ignore Older Reviews
Reviews that are 6 – 12 months old, in addition to current reviews, can help you determine the reliability of a plumbing service. An emergency plumbing service that has had consistent positive reviews for several years, as compared to a plumbing service that has only received positive reviews recently, is more likely to continue to provide high-quality services.
Identify Trends from Multiple Reviews
Trends from multiple reviews will provide you with a better understanding of a plumbing service provider’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, if five separate customers state that a particular plumbing service provider consistently communicates poorly with customers, then the issue may exist.
However, if only one customer states that the service provider communicated poorly, then the issue may be isolated.
Licenses and Insurance Matter
A plumbing service provider’s licensure and insurance status may seem like secondary details, but these two items are critical. Licensure ensures that a plumbing service provider meets minimum competency requirements for the trade. In addition, licensure also limits the liability of a plumbing service provider. If a plumbing service provider damages your property while performing repairs, having proper insurance will protect you from liability for the damages.
You Should Feel Comfortable Asking About Licenses and Insurance
If you are unsure of the licensure and insurance status of a plumbing service provider, it is perfectly acceptable to ask about these issues. Reputable companies expect you to ask about licensure and insurance, and will be able to provide you with the necessary documentation.
Evasive responses or reluctance to provide evidence of licensure and/or insurance status may be indicative of a less-than-reliable plumbing service provider.
Understanding Emergency Response
When a plumbing service provider advertises “24-hour emergency service,” what does this actually mean for the plumbing service provider? Does the plumbing service provider have personnel working on-site at all times to address emergency situations, or does the plumbing service provider have an answering service that contacts on-call plumbers who may take an extended period of time to respond to the emergency?
Ask Directly
Ask the plumbing service provider directly about their emergency response procedures. Ask the following questions:
● If I call you at 2 AM on a Sunday, how soon will someone arrive?
● What additional fees will I incur for calling outside of standard business hours?
● Will my emergency service call cost me the same amount as a routine repair call, or will the rates increase?
By obtaining clear answers to these questions before an emergency occurs, you will be able to avoid surprises when the invoice arrives and frustration when the response times do not meet your expectations.
Availability of Services
Companies claiming to be available 24 hours per day should be willing to disclose their actual response times and pricing structures for various scenarios, such as emergency calls made on weekends versus weekday calls and emergency calls made on holidays versus regular days.
Test Running the Service Provider
Consider hiring a plumbing service provider to perform a relatively minor, non-emergency task, such as replacing a faucet washer or similar type of work. Performing a non-emergency task will allow you to evaluate the professionalism of the plumbing service provider, their promptness, their willingness to provide you with estimates of the costs involved, and their quality of work prior to entrusting them with a larger-scale emergency situation.
When evaluating a plumbing service provider for a non-emergency task, pay close attention to how they treat the small task. Did they arrive on-time? Did they take the time to explain the work they performed? Did they clean-up after completing the work? Were the costs associated with the work charged according to the original estimate, or were there unexpected additions to the original estimate?
Transparency Regarding Pricing
Regardless of the nature of the emergency, emergency plumbing services tend to be more expensive than standard plumbing services. However, a reputable plumbing service provider will clearly disclose the costs associated with the emergency repair prior to commencing the work.
Signs of Potential Misrepresentation
Be wary of plumbing service providers who refuse to provide any estimates, including estimated ranges of costs, or provide vague “it depends on what we find” responses to your inquiries about costs. Also, be wary of plumbing service providers who are reluctant to commit to a written quote for the work.
While it is expected that some costs associated with emergency work may vary depending upon unforeseen circumstances, dramatic variations in the cost of the emergency repair that exceed the range of costs previously discussed with the plumbing service provider may be indicative of poor estimating skills or an attempt to low-ball the customer in order to secure the emergency repair contract.
Style of Communication
In addition to researching a plumbing service provider, you should also consider their communication style. How does the plumber communicate to you during the initial inquiry? Do they respond patiently to your questions or do they rush you off the phone? Do they answer your questions and provide explanations, or do they dismiss your questions?
Typically, the communication style of a plumber during a non-emergency situation will be reflective of their communication style during an emergency situation. A plumber who is brusque or dismissive of your questions during a non-emergency situation is unlikely to suddenly become patient and communicative during an emergency situation.
Recommendations from Neighbors, Friends, Community Groups, etc.
Ask your neighbors, friends, community group members, etc., who they recommend for plumbing services. Recommendations from those who have no vested interest in recommending a specific plumbing service provider are often valuable resources that cannot be replaced with online reviews.
Plumbers with a strong reputation in your local area have a vested interest in maintaining a good reputation locally. As such, they are generally more inclined to maintain a higher level of quality in their work and are therefore more likely to provide you with quality work.
Conclusion
Investing a few hours researching and potentially hiring a plumber to perform a small non-emergency job to ensure their reliability prior to a disaster occurring will save you from the anxiety, stress, and possibly bad decision making that comes with having to scramble for a solution during an emergency.
Ultimately, the objective is not to locate the least expensive plumber — rather, to locate a plumber who is competent, honest, and capable of responding promptly to emergencies. The peace of mind that results from knowing that your emergency plumbing needs will be met in a timely manner is worth far more than any savings you may realize on service fees, particularly at 3 am when your bathroom is overflowing.
