Things to consider when choosing a plumber

Many times we are asked how to choose a good plumber and one of the first things we advise is to find a reliable San Diego plumbing company before flooded bathrooms and other plumbing emergencies occur. When you’re faced with an emergency situation and you’ve never had to call a plumber before, you might not have the time to research the best and most qualified plumber in town and you might call out the wrong company. It’s best to do research for contractors such as a plumber, heating and air conditioning, and restoration and flood services company before you have an emergency. Lucky for you, we do it all!

A good way to find reputable San Diego plumbers is by researching customer reviews online and reading what they have had to say about their experience with a company.  It’s natural for mistakes to happen, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing for a company to have bad online reviews (as long as it’s not too many negative reviews). What you should judge the company by is how they handle those reviews. Did they respond to the customer to rectify the situation, did they respond to explain what happened in that particular situation. You want to put your trust in a company that will back up their work if anything goes wrong and not fight with you about what happened. The best way to know if you can trust a San Diego plumber is how they handle their online reputation.

Another factor when choosing a quality plumbing company is receiving a price for the work before the job begins. If possible, try to get a quote over the phone, or at least get the hourly rate. Keep in mind that all phone quotes will likely change since every job is different and it’s best to get an onsite estimate. However, you should check with the company first to see if there is a “trip charge” or any fee to send the technician out or a fee to provide the estimate. At Bill Howe Plumbing, we provide free onsite estimates as long as the job can be visually assessed and it is scheduled during regular hours. We don’t charge any “trip charge” so you can rest assured that if you’re shopping around to compare prices, you won’t have to use up have your budget.

Other tip to consider while choosing a San Diego plumber is to check awards received by both the industry and the community. There are many awards that plumbing companies can receive that show their commitment to their customers and to their community. Plus, when a company is consistently giving back to the community, you know that they are here to stay and that you’ll have a plumber that can back up their work for years to come.

Bill Howe’s numerous awards include the Better Business Bureau’s 2011 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Finalist, National Contractor of the Year 2011 Award by the PHCC and Delta Faucet Co., San Diego Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award awarded to Bill Howe in 2011, “Best Places to Work Award Finalist by the San Diego Business Journal 2010 and 2011. Other awards include the San Diego Business Journal’s 2010 Family-Owned and Closely Held Business Award and the 2010Women Who Mean Business Award awarded to Tina Howe. The San Diego Rotary Club 33 also honored Bill Howe with the 2011 Heilbron Award for the company’s “pay-it-forward” spirit.

To schedule an appointment or receive a free estimate, please contact us at 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).