Most people will agree that modern indoor plumbing and sanitation is one of the best inventions ever! Along with indoor plumbing comes clogged toilets, dripping faucets and leaky water heaters. A good plumber is necessary to the maintenance of a home. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous plumbers in Las Vegas would love to scam unsuspecting customers out of their hard earned money.
There are many common plumbing scams in the area.
When shopping around for a plumber in Las Vegas, be on the look out for the following tactics:
1) Inaccurate estimates.
Sometimes customers have a hard time saying no to the lowest estimate. The suggestion is, unless you’re in an emergency type situation, to take the time to get several quotes and make sure the service is clearly outlined. Make sure a contract is clearly spelled out, and if necessary, ask a plumber why a price is higher or lower than a competitors price.
2) The bait and switch.
Some scamming plumbers have been know 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.
3) High mark-ups in nice neighborhoods.
Since plumbers don’t have set hourly fees, that means they can essentially charge whatever they want for their services. Some may try to scam customers in nicer neighborhoods out of money because they suspect they have more to spend. Again, the best way to avoid this kind of scam is to shop around. Take note of any extreme estimates and steer clear.
4) High cost for first hour of labor.
As mentioned before, plumbers don’t have any set hourly wages but it is understandable that they would have a minimum one hour fee or service call fee. Assuming the issue only takes about 15 minutes, the plumber should be willing to fix other minor issues such as tightening faucets or replacing gaskets, assuming the additional work is still within the first hour time frame.
5) Sending in extra workers.
Unless they’re training an apprentice, most plumbing issues are a one man job. Some scammers send in “subcontractors” to do part of the work and charge you a mark up because of it. Avoid this scam by asking how many workers or apprentices will be present, what work each individual will be doing, and if there is an extra fee involved for the extra worker(s).
Just as in any field, there are those who would try to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. If you’re in the Las Vegas area, you can be sure that you’re in good hands with Pure Plumbing. They offer honest and trustworthy services, competitive prices, free estimates and emergency services. Call today!
