I made 3 calls from the Yellow Pages; and picked one plumbing company. $135 and 2 months later, the slow leak returned ($135 was to replace the "seat" in the faucet). Since the Home Service Club doesn't service the Durham Region (are you reading HSC?), I relied on the ranking of Homestars and picked Waterworks (didn't read all the reviews like I should have). I came across Homestars from an article about venture capital and new startups in Canada. $60 for the plumbing technician to come out, and was credited toward the total of $1004.20 to replace faucet + 2 new valves were added. The job took about 3 hours. I called around later and the "low-ball" prices were $300-400 for the same job. I may be comparing apples to oranges; but it cost $1500 to replace a transmission in my Mazda. The work took all day, and I had to wait 5 days for the used part to be removed and shipped to the dealership - but they gave me a free rental while I waited. It's a lot of money, but the transmission guys charge about the same, so dealer would get my repeat business
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,004.20
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Since the industry has such wide variation in standards according to Michael, why don't you set an example? Work still has to be done; and people will still be paying. You have the high ranking and that will get you noticed, but fair pricing will get you referrals and my repeat business (yes, more reno to follow). The 80/20 rule applies to the plumbing business too.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- If you are so busy and cannot afford the time to research plumbing and plumbers, then be prepared to pay lots. Read the reviews, especially the negative ones. I don't know why contractors are so reactive and quick to offer some type of response to these negative comments. But, these comments give a better idea or picture of the contractor you are considering. I would use a contractor with negative reviews, because those negative comments may not apply to me. I referred this website to my brother, and he had a similar experience with the chosen contractor. It's a good website, considering there are not many alternatives (the BBB is useless; Home Service Club is only good in Toronto; making 3 phone calls from the Yellow Pages is like looking for the best gas station at an intersection-at least you know the price and that you are getting gasoline and not water). I wish Homestars would ask users for more details about the project, so we could sort out the contractors based on those details (i.e. parts, labour, price, warranty, complaints,etc) I would pay to get such details. These contractors charge a fee for them to come out anyway. So, instead of waiting for them to come out and decide to settle (to save time), it is better to just pay to get useful info.
- Company Response
