How to choose the right plumber/heating engineer
When you’re looking for a plumber or a heating engineer, you’re normally in one of two situations. First, you could be in an emergency situation and feel as if any plumber or heating engineer will do as long as you get someone. Or second, you could be planning a plumbing or heating job and have plenty of time to make the right choice.
At Precise, we’d argue that you deserve a great plumber or heating engineer, irrespective of whether you’re faced with an emergency or you have all the time in the world to choose. That said, we understand that if you have water pouring through your home from a leaky pipe, your tolerance of a not-so-great plumber is probably a whole lot greater.
Most of our clients tell us that they’re really happy they’ve found us and that they enthusiastically recommend us to their friends and family. That means the world to us.
But if you’re looking for a plumber or heating engineer, what basic steps can you take to make sure you choose wisely? Here’s what we think – and it’s worth bearing in mind that although some of these points might seem obvious, hopefully they will help you on your decision-making journey. Here we go:
- Make sure they’re licensed and insured to do the work you want done. This might seem really obvious, but not all plumbing and heating engineers are the same – in the same way that not all plumbing and heating jobs are the same. While only a rogue plumbing and heating engineer will risk operating without authorisation and insurance, it’s important to check that the people you speak to are authorised and insured to do the job you want/need doing.
Our TOP TIP here is never to feel frightened or ashamed to ask to see authorisation or insurance evidence before deciding to work with a plumber or heating engineer.
- Ask how they do quotes and estimates. The thing about plumbing and heating is that every single job is unique. Even if two jobs look similar, there can be surprises and hidden challenges. That’s why quoting and estimating jobs takes time. It’s not something you can rush without making potentially costly mistakes. While an experienced plumbing and heating estimator will be able to give quotes over the phone for a very basic ‘call out’ as well as being fast at getting the right information together to create an accurate quote, they still need to take a closer look and maybe even ask lots of questions for most jobs.
Our TOP TIP when it comes to quotes and estimates is this – be very wary of a plumbing/heating company that gives you a quote for anything except a simple call out over the phone without seeing your job.
- Check out their professional testimonials and reviews. Any plumber or heating engineer worth their salt in this day and age will have either written or online testimonials and reviews. While a 5/5 on any online review is pretty unusual, and you don’t need to see 1,000 reviews to know if a company is good, checking out testimonials and reviews is something that should be offered – and you should do it.
Our TOP TIP here is – check out reviews for yourself, in your own time and at your leisure. Our reviews are available for clients 24/7, 365 days a year. You can find our Google reviews right here and our Facebook reviews right here – we think you’ll like them 😉
- Ask if you can check out work they’ve done that’s like yours. You’re unlikely to ask to see a previously dripping tap that’s been fixed by a plumber you’re considering working with. However, if you’re planning significant work, such as a whole new heating system eg. installing an air source heat pump, investing in a new bathroom or having a bathroom adaptation done you must. In these cases, it’s well worth asking to either see photos or to visit a job or two they’ve done.
Our TOP TIP here is that photos are so easy to take these days, any plumber or heating engineer worth their salt should be able to show you a range of examples of work they’ve done like yours – don’t be shy to ask to see them.
- Take time to speak to them. No, take time to REALLY speak to them. While you’re not inviting a plumbing and heating engineer to move in with you or to work with you full time forever, it’s really important that you have at least some shared values. It’s only by speaking to people that you can get to know them and get a feel for how confident you are that you’ll be able to communicate with them during the job and, if for any reason, it stops going well. You should also suss out how you’ll feel about having them in your home – and you can only find this out by REALLY speaking to them.
Our TOP TIP here is to set aside the time to speak to and to listen to the plumbing and heating engineers who are on your short-list. It’s often a question of how closely they listen to you and your needs that swings the balance.
If you’re looking for a plumbing and heating engineer that you can trust and that will deliver on their promises – you’re in the right place. Reach out – we’d love to hear from you.
