How to avoid Plumbing Scam in West Palm Beach FL
In this article we will give you some Plumbing Scam tips|
Being scammed with a plumbing company in West Palm Beach FL can be common as there‘s nothing worse than trading your hard-earned money for a service only to find out you’ve been scammed. You end up furious and often paying for something twice; once to fix it, and once to fix what didn’t get fixed. Don’t fall prey to some of the oldest and newest plumbing scam tricks. In this article we will give you tips in order to don't be scammed by your plumbing company.
Get More than one estimate.
It is very tempting to just go with the first plumber that answers your call. But unless you are facing an absolute emergency that cannot wait, you need to be patient and talk with multiple companies and compare their offers.
Check the contractor license
Every company can be looked up on the State Contractor State License Board website where you can search either by company name or license number to discover if a license is active, expired or fake.
Referrals and Testimonials
Ask around for who people have used the actual service before; a local recommendation from someone you know will be more reliable than anything else.
Get it all in writing
Get everything about the estimate in writing. Don't just accept a written estimate of the cost, you want a detailed breakdown of the parts description and their make and model as well. One of the most common scams is to bill for a parts replacement using a manufacturer's price and then to use an inferior part in its place.
Ask for a warranty
Make sure the plumber provides some kind of warranty or guarantee on their work. The warranty should be reasonable as well. If someone promises you a lifetime guarantee, chances are they are not real plumbers. Real plumbers know that parts and repairs have a limited lifespan.
Material Quality
Some scamming plumbers have been known to switch out high grade materials for lower grade materials, thereby increasing their profit margins without the customer being aware that a change was even made. The best way to avoid this scam is find out exactly what supplies and materials your plumber intends to use and have it outlined on the contract. Any materials that have an extremely high mark-up over the price at a local hardware store is a big red flag.
Markups in Affluent Neighborhoods
Some plumbers do consider the neighborhood you live in to determine your price. To avoid this, do your homework – call around and get quotes from plumbers based in not-so-affluent towns.
Consider your deposits
It is common for plumbers to ask for a deposit before beginning a big job. This covers his time and investment if you decide not to get the work done. A deposit of approximately 10 percent of the estimate is typical. If your plumber asks for significantly more, be cautious. He could intend to take your money and never return.
Know the number of workers
Ask how many people it will require to do the job when you get your estimate. A common scam among shady plumbers is to prepare the estimate for one worker and then suddenly decide to bring in an extra person and bill you for his labor, too.
When you consider the above tips, you have the chance of limiting possibility of being scammed by plumbers.