On the job

I get a call last week from a man who’d had a plumbing company out, & he wanted a second opinion. Seems his last water bill was $300.00 (my last one was $100.00 for a 2 month billing cycle) & the company that he had out did no testing, but told him he needed a new water line from the meter to the house, & a new toilet. He didn’t quite trust them, so he wanted verification. When asked, there were no major leaks, no water standing in the yard, nothing to jump his bill up that high. But he needs thousands of dollars in work done, according to the company that was out.

Joe & Chris both go out on this one. (I think Chris was bored.) The customer tells them that the “tech” from the prior company did no meter testing at all. He didn’t look at the interior of the toilets. He just pronounced one bad, & in need of replacement. They explained to the customer that most companies pay their employees a percentage based on sales. The more they sell, the more they make. That’s why he needed a new line & toilet. Sales = pay.

Joe shut the water to the house down, checked the meter, there was no movement. No incoming line was needed. He turned it back on, & checked all the fixtures, including the hydrants. 2 toilets needed to be rebuilt. That’s what we did. The customer may need to talk to Green Mountain Water about that bill, but he isn’t losing water.

This is how plumbers & plumbing companies have gotten a bad name. The big companies that have the new trucks & the massive ads in the phone books have to support them somehow, so they aren’t interested in keeping the small jobs for people who will remember you when they have another problem. They just want to make as much as they can the first time out, because they know they won’t be back.

I myself, & Chris, would rather treat people fairly & have the repeat business over time. But that’s just us.