Whether you need someone to replace the brakes on your car, need a babysitter, or someone to repaint your home, it’s important to locate a reputable professional who’s going to do a great job and charge a fair price. And finding a professional plumber for your home or business, even if it’s just to install a faucet or unclog a stuck drain, is just as important.
So, here are a few methods you can use to ferret out a great local Skokie plumber.
Word of mouth: One easy method to find a reputable plumber is to ask people you already know and trust. Ask your friends and neighbors who they use – or, more importantly, who they don’t use – and chances are you’ll end up with a list of recommendations. Even better, these types of word-of-mouth recommendations can offer net special friends-and-family discounts – one of your friends might have a good plumber in the family.
Online reviews: There are many different websites available that offer customer reviews of a plumber. There are even some websites that offer professional reviews written by industry insiders or customers contacted by the review website – though they may often charge a fee to read such professionally curated reviews. It can be easy to find reviews online, though you may need to use your best judgment to determine which reviews are authentic, and which ones are written by people who may just be cantankerous – many online review sites allow users to post anonymously, which can lead to unjustly negative reviews.
Check for a license: Like lawyers and other professionals, plumbers and plumbing businesses might be required to hold a license. At the least, a company must register its name with the state – so, if a plumbing company has an expired or no business license registered with the state, it may indicate a larger problem with record keeping and job dedication.
Bid shopping: What may be the most time consuming practice is calling local plumbers and asking for estimates or bids for your job. This might not be practical if all you need is a drain snaked, but it might work if you have a large job at stake – digging a trench for a sewer main connection, or if you’re building a home addition or an entirely new house. This kind of shopping may help you make a decision if price is your main concern.
Time in business: Often, plumbing and other service companies will openly advertise how long they’ve been in business. Advertising the founding date of a company seeks to build a trusting bond with customers because, the logic goes, a company that’s been around for a while must be doing a good job.
Whichever method you use, make sure that you prioritize your needs while looking for a Skokie plumber – be it price, trustworthiness, or reputation.
