For property owners who have a tight budget for plumbing services, their finances could largely affect the plumbing contractor that they hire. Cost estimates are equally important, and they can significantly influence their decision on whom to hire.
There are advantages and drawbacks to going for a cheap and an expensive plumber. This article will thresh these pros and cons, to help property owners decide on which kind of plumbing contractor to hire.
Hiring a cheap plumber
Hiring a cheap plumber has obvious advantages, foremost of which is the low cost of professional services. Who would not want to hire an affordable plumber nowadays anyway? However, there are several caveats when it comes to choosing a cheap plumber.
First, a possible drawback is an additional legwork. The property owner would have to do a bit of work when it comes to finding a competitively-priced plumbing service, that has appropriate licensing status and positive ratings from its past customers. Next, good and cheap plumbers are usually over-booked. Expert plumbers that charge competitively are usually much sought-after, therefore they usually take much longer to schedule their clients.
Hiring a cheap plumber opens up possibilities of accidentally tapping the services of an unlicensed contractor, or someone who cuts corners, or someone who may not carry out an unsatisfactory job. To avoid this, homeowners should carefully screen the plumbers that they hire, and choose from at least three companies before getting one on board. For additional tips on how to prevent winter emergencies read this article here.
Getting an expensive plumber
Like cheap plumbers, hiring an expensive plumber has an obvious drawback – his services are costly! However, expensive plumbers usually have a solid reputation for expert work and excellent customer service. It is now up to the property owner to verify this before hiring. Again, expensive plumbers are different from plumbers who charge unreasonably, engage in price gouging, or include hidden costs in their final charges.
Homeowners should therefore do their legwork before hiring a plumber. They should at least interview the plumbing contractor over the phone to ask about their cost estimate and projected timeline. This goes for all types of plumbing work including plumbing repairs, toilet repairs, drain cleaning, drain clogs, shower repair, and kitchen sink leaks.