I can’t watch people getting ripped off anymore. My husband and I have a small plumbing and general maintenance company. We see so many heart breaking situations where people have been treated badly by previous contractors. Some were terribly overcharged, bullied, paid for a job that was never completed, left with shoddy workmanship, or the home is damaged and another contractor has to fix the mess left behind.
Important things to consider when choosing a contractor:
– Is the person who is doing the plumbing work qualified? Most people are not aware that plumbers need to be registered with the Department Of Labour. You can request to see their certificate.
– Do they offer a guarantee on their work?
– Search the name of the company on the internet to see if there are multiple complaints about them.
– What are the call out fee and labour charges? If the contractor charges a call out fee of R450 and a labour charge of R600 per hour you will pay R1050 for a small job.
– Ask for a quotation first if possible. Do not be bullied into using any contractor!
– Once you accept a quote be sure to tell the contractor that they have to inform you if there are any additional expenses. A quote can quickly go up if problems are found, and you need to give consent for any additional work before it is done!
– Ask for referrals for big jobs.
– Contractors often ask for a deposit before they start a job to help cover the costs of materials, but if they want all the money before the job is completed be wary.
– Get a second opinion if you think the contractor is quoting you too high, or the job they are quoting for is not really necessary. One example is a client had been quoted between R5 000 and R12 000 to repair a leaking shower drain. Two different contractors quoted to rip up the entire shower, replace the drain, and retile the shower. In this case the drain just needed to be sealed which was a fraction of the cost.
Please be careful, there are criminals everywhere!
