No matter the size or type of your property, it’s inevitable for it to face plumbing issues with overtime use. But similar to other infrastructure troubles, finding the right professionals to fix these problems isn’t always easy.
With that being said, it isn’t impossible either.
If you live in British Columbia, following a few tried and tested tips can help you find reliable, affordable, and high quality Burnaby plumbing solutions all in one place.
Interested to learn more? Here’s how you can achieve this feat.
Start by Asking for Referrals
What’s the first thing you do when you need a trustworthy babysitter, a dependable accountant, or a credible attorney? If your answer is along the lines of taking advice from friends and family, you are on the right track for finding a trustworthy plumber.
When it comes to services that directly relate to your well-being or financial safety, a vote of confidence from people you know goes a long way. It not only tells you that they trust these providers with their needs, but also indicates that they are happy with the services they were offered. As a result, you can rest assured in the expected quality of services that you are about to hire.
Getting referrals from your social circle for a Burnaby plumbing service works the same way. You can simply reach out to your extended family, friends, or even coworkers and neighbors in the area, and ask them about the plumbers they hire frequently.
If you have a specialized property such as a commercial building, it also helps to contact those individuals who have the same type of real estate portfolio. This ensures that you can get relevant advice and steer clear of comparing apples with oranges.
This practice gets you the contact details of the best plumbers in your area. From there, you can reach out to these professionals and continue with the rest of the vetting process.
Do a Quick Search on the Internet
Apart from your social circle, you can also turn to the ever-present solution of the Internet to find information about credible plumbers near you. The practice is as easy as it sounds, and provides you with exceptional results in terms of information.
You don’t need to boast exceptional computer skills to pull off this task. All you have to do is to perform a quick Google search for your required service along with the name of your area. A quick yet relevant example of these keywords: Burnaby plumbing.
That’s it. From there, you can go through the search engine results about the plumbers in your city, and note down the details of those providers that strike out to you the most. Going to each service’s website and seeing what they have to offer in terms of experience and solutions is a smart way to cut through the crowd.
This practice is a bit lengthier as compared to asking your friends and family for referrals. But it also provides you with information about more plumbers and gives you plenty of choices to make your selection.
For instance, having access to a larger pool of plumbing service candidates allows you to shortlist providers by their price, their specialization, and their immediate vicinity to your property.
Go Through Online Reviews
Whether you are getting your referrals from people you know or the search engines you use, it’s only prudent to check the reviews of the respective provider.
Thanks to the availability of specialized review platforms, this task is easier than ever before. You just need to go to relevant review portals and see what the existing clients of the plumbing service have to say about their solutions.
While checking these reviews for Burnaby plumbing services, you need to make sure that you are not just going by the details on each provider’s website. To ensure the credibility of the given reviews, make sure to take your information from trustworthy review platforms such as Yelp or Google My Business.
Since these third-party websites have strict measures to weed out fraudulent or paid reviews, they give you a transparent view of the services provided by the plumbing company. This way, you can rest assured in the fact that what you are reading paints an accurate picture about the provider and what they bring to the table.
Given that not everyone is pleased with even the best possible services, a couple of bad reviews on a provider’s profile are not an immediate red flag. Here, you need to make sure that the plumbing company took the time to respond to the concern and explained their point of view. This helps you see both sides of the argument and also speaks volumes about the provider’s commitment to customer service.
On a similar note, you should also keep an eye on the ratio of negative reviews. If they outweigh positive reviews or are equal to them in quantity, it’s best to steer clear of the provider. But if the reviews are mostly positive, it’s a clear indication that you should at least shortlist the provider.
Contact the Plumber for Critical Questions
Once you have the information of a few Burnaby plumbing services at hand, it’s time to directly reach out to them for critical inquiries. This line of questioning helps you set the good apart from the bad, and lets you find the perfect match for your needs.
Ask About Their License
British Columbia requires plumbers to have certain trade certifications in place. For instance, while a Certification of Qualification is a basic requirement, the Red Seal Trade Certification highlights a provider’s extensive skill set.
These certifications signify a plumber’s specialization, experience, and adherence to quality and safety standards. Keeping this in mind, make it a point to ask the respective plumbing service what licenses they have in place.
Inquire About Insurance
It is important to know that the professionals who are working on your property carry relevant insurance to cover potential injuries or damages. This ensures that you don’t have to worry about being liable for unforeseen expenses.
Almost all credible plumbing services make it a point to have bonded and insured workers in their teams. Directly asking about this requirement helps you confirm the provider’s adherence to this crucial aspect.
Question About Experience
Apart from certification and insurance, another major part of determining the efficacy of a Burnaby plumbing service is by asking them about their experience.
It is for a simple reason. Since seasoned professionals have seen it all, they can handle common problems with the utmost ease while also managing rare issues with timely solutions. With this in mind, make sure to question the respective service about their experience.
Probe About a Quote
If the rest of the factors check out, it is time to ask the provider for a quote. This is quite an easy task, since most plumbing services provide a free quote to ensure transparency in their services.
If your required task is as simple as changing a common plumbing fixture, you can get a quick quote on the phone. But if it is an extensive problem such as water damage, then it may require an in-person visit. Either way, the plumbing company should be able to provide you with a quote.
Compare the Prices
Not everything that glitters is gold. If a plumbing company charges premium prices, it doesn’t mean that it also offers top-tier solutions. Many other plumbers that offer the same quality of services may often set their fees at more affordable price points.
This has much to do with the size of the plumbing operation. A large and more popular company might cost you more. Whereas, a small business or individual plumbing provider may deliver its solutions for lower charges.
Here, you not only need to look at the price, but also have to consider other factors such as experience, certifications, reviews, and availability. This helps you steer away from making an uninformed comparison and lets you assess the provider’s quote in relation to their overall services.
Doing this activity might seem difficult at first. However, that’s where you should remind yourself that since you are doing these efforts for the long term’s reliability of your property, it is something that pays off in the long run. By selecting an experienced provider with an affordable fee, you can save on your short-term repair costs as well as long-term recurrence of the same plumbing issue.
Keeping this mind, make sure to do side-by-side comparisons of all aspects. This way, you can select a Burnaby plumbing service that properly fixes your issue without asking you for a fortune in return.
Following These Practices Helps You Find a Reliable Provider
Once again, going through this process to find a plumber might seem extensive. However, it helps you save your property from short-term and long-term issues. At the same time, it lets you avail credible plumbing services without breaking the bank.
