3 Tips to Avoid Plumbing Scams!

Summary

   – Tip 1: Choose Your Convenience Store Carefully

   – Tip 2: Keep an eye out during the work

   – Tip 3: What to do if there is a dispute after the work is done

This situation has happened to everyone: your lock won’t open, or your boiler breaks down in the middle of January. You call a professional in a hurry who takes advantage of the situation to rip you off.

Here are some tips on how to react before, during, or after the intervention of a professional.

Tip 1. Choose your repairman carefully

Build up a book of good addresses

The most obvious thing to do is to find out about the company you want to call beforehand:

   – Check the Internet:

     ◦ some forums will already be able to enlighten you;

     ◦ consult sites that are synonymous with trust. For example, they should have good ratings from readers.

   – Do not hesitate to consult your neighbors.

   – Do not forget either that your insurer can inform you.

Then, think of noting the coordinates of the professionals whose seriousness you know.

Finally, beware of advertisements slipped into mailboxes containing typical and somewhat vague formulas: “approved rate” or “quality requirement”.

The importance of an estimate

If you request it, the company will be obliged to give you an estimate, whatever the amount of work.

An estimate must include the following information

   – the hourly cost of labor;

   – travel expenses;

   – and the cost of supplies.

If your contact does not comply or frowns at the slightest question, refuse to do anything. Just because that person has come to your place doesn’t mean you have to accept the terms.

If the estimate seems expensive, don’t accept the argument that the insurer will reimburse you: insurance companies sometimes set a ceiling on what they will cover. It’s up to you to find out.

In any case, the work should start only after the estimate is signed.

Good to know: some repairers will make you sign the estimate after the intervention, passing it off as an invoice. Others, on the contrary, will slip the invoice before the intervention. In any case, be careful what you sign; an honest workman must be clear.

Tip 2. Keep your eyes open during the work

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know your way around. Keep an eye on the progress of the work.

A diagnosis takes more than ten seconds. The professional must ask you questions, and conversely, you must ask questions and ask the latter to explain the problem.

Be careful: each part changed must be approved by you beforehand.

Once the replacement is done, keep the damaged cylinder, the changed fuse, etc., at home.

Tip 3. What to do in case of dispute after the intervention?

 

Poor workmanship

Since the repairman is obliged to return free of charge to complete his work, it is relatively simple to counter-attack in case of a dispute.

Invoice too high

Since prices are free, it is more difficult to dispute an invoice that shows a price that you think is too high after the fact.

However, it is easier to contest if:

   – you were misinformed about the cost of the parts;

   – or if you were charged for used parts as if they were new.

If your attempts to reach an amicable settlement have failed, file a complaint at the nearest police station. 

Finally, remember to tell your family, friends, and neighbors so that these practices stop, and also, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Read more:

• Plumbing Problems? Beware of Fake Business Profiles on …;
• 7 Common Plumbing Scams Every Homeowner Should Know