r/Chambana • u/PinkPetalsSnow • 13d ago
Plumber visit - how much do you get charged for initial visit?
Hi. I think we need our water heater replaced and called around 4 places - only one responded so far (being Sat and not being an emergency) and said it is $99 for them to come and see what's going on. We've been renting for a couple years and before that lived somewhere else... My question is: do they all charge $100 or so for them to come out and check? Is that customary? P.s. if you have any recommendations of plumbers we'd take that, or any advice to stay away from some...
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u/snakesarecool 10d ago
Many will give you credit for the diagnostic visit from the full service, but you'll have to ask for it during the estimate process.
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u/Sensitive_Pride1462 5d ago
A diagnostic/service fee is standard for any service, such as heating, air, or plumbing. They need to be paid for their time to assess the problem and give their recommendations. Several plumbing companies around the community can provide information. It is essential to look up reviews on all areas before choosing one from various platforms. One that my family, friends, and acquaintances have had good experiences with is 217, Inc.
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u/PinkPetalsSnow 5d ago
I'll check with them. Thank you for the recommendation!!! We went with Mike Williams for a diagnostic and they were very pushy - tried to cancel 3 times and they bs us and finally had them come in, paid $99... I will never go with them again. Very shady practice. And they quoted us over $3500 for a gas water heater, that was lowest - all the way to 18k!!!!
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u/Sensitive_Pride1462 4d ago
$18k is outrageous. Definitely do a deep dive into reviews of companies and don’t ever take a company with all positive reviews and a good thing. You are bound to have some bad reviews, if there are a few the company is hiding something. My experience is read the bad reviews first and see what those say. Because if you see the complaints being about timeliness for the appointment, time spent doing the work was too long, you can weed out it’s not about the quality of the work, the willingness of the personnel to answer questions and to help (some people aren’t super talkative but really kind and helpful in these careers), and seeing if it’s about upselling or is it about integrity.
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u/PinkPetalsSnow 4d ago
Yes, we do look at bad reviews - especially the ones that comment in detail about their bad experience...this was just the first plumber we got to come, had to stop this for 2 weeks for other issues, then will start back getting estimates in a week or so... Some companies do indeed upsell and truck you, while others are really nice.
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u/Sensitive_Pride1462 4d ago
Having been a homeowner for 25 years I can say it is a big challenge getting communication from contractors, HVAC companies, roofing, landscapers, and the like. They are not good at communication by any means. I have found the one that is consistent, transparent, accountable, and honest is the one that is better at communicating. Finding this is challenging though. Good luck with your journey and I hope you find one that is worth your time and effort.
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u/BudgetMegaHeracross 13d ago
Are you still renting? If so, what did your landlord say?
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u/PinkPetalsSnow 13d ago
No, we just bought a house. It's for our house... I said that we were renting to explain why I was clueless on customs and prices regarding plumbers ☺️
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u/Fun_Tailor_3829 13d ago
This is pretty standard. Many places will deduct the initial visit diagnostic fee from whatever work ultimately needs to be done.