Horrifying Plumbing Scams you Must Know About!

Posted by Green's Plumbing Co. on April 09, 2020 in Green's Plumbing West Hills, Plumber Companies West Hills Ca, Plumbing Services West Hills Ca, west hills plumber | No comments

Like in any other profession, plumbing scams is also one in which if you are not smart and aware enough, you are going to get cheated and out of money.

Since the plumbers are most wanted and literally have a very tight schedule, they know their importance and although not generalizing but many of the plumbers use this opportunity to pull a lot of scams and rob their clients out of lot of money.

In this Blog, I will list down a list of most common scams that you must be aware of!

Bait and switch scam!

The bait and switch is a popular scam that involves plumbing services in West Hills CA convincing you that you’re getting the best of the best when, in reality, they’re installing an inferior, lower-cost product. Then they pocket the profit. Another tactic might be to use the expensive materials but jack the price up way higher than it should be.

Three is a crowd

You hired a plumber to come work on an issue, but throughout the week you’ve had three different people show up, and you have no idea what they’re all doing. Sometimes one of these people is an apprentice. This is not unheard of, but note that an apprentice should always be monitored and have their work checked by a licensed plumber. To spot the scam, keep an eye on one or two things:

• Some plumbers will subcontract parts of the job to family or friends and then claim they have no control over the other people’s hourly rates when it comes time to write the bill.

• If there are three plumbers on the scene where the job only requires one, you could end up paying three hourly wages.

A fraud plumber

A respectable plumber shouldn’t have any issue producing their credentials, plumber license number, and business cards if asked. If they’re a bit reluctant to show you, it may be that they don’t have that crucial information. Two other big no-nos are cash-only jobs and under-the-table payments. This also includes no written receipts. Often, this indicates that the plumber is not paying taxes or even carrying insurance.

Another red flag is the plumber asking for 25% to 50% upfront. This is actually one of the most common scams listed on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Most states have laws that prohibit plumbers from asking for more than 10% upfront. If the plumber requests a high amount upfront, they could take the money and run.

Unstable estimates

The ever-changing estimate can take a few turns, and there are quite a few ways to run this scam. One involves the shady plumber companies in West Hills CA going through the issues, calculating a “running total” in their head, but offering no numbers on paper. When you ask for an estimate, they say they’ll “get back to you.”

Over the phone, they give you an amazing estimate, so you jump on it, and they promise to deliver the written quote as soon as possible. After they start the work, there’s still no paperwork. Before you know it, they’re done, and the price has jumped two or three times higher than the spoken estimate!