Potete permettervi il vostro idraulico locale?


Translating…

Just like many skilled workers, the fees that local plumbers charge vary from plumber to plumber in cities and local areas where there are no standard rates set by the city government. To each his own when it comes to pricing and plumbers in these areas are happy this way. The best thing to do in cases like this is to make inquiries from reputable and well-known plumbing companies.

Let’s face it. Plumbing is a thankless job that not many people will want to do. This is the reason why freelance local plumbers make their own rules and dictate their rates. Rates for actual work done during regular working hours are reasonable enough but work done beyond regular hours may double on weekends and evenings and may even triple during holidays. They also have separate charges for service calls and just like their rate for regular work, this also doubles or triples during weekends and holidays. Others do not ask for service call charges, but they make it up in their working hours. Before calling the local plumber, first determine the urgency of any work that is needed to be done. If it can wait for a day or two until the next regular working day, what is a little sacrifice compared to a significant drain on your hard-earned savings.

There is another unacceptable practice that local plumbers do during a project. The plumber, in connivance with the supplier, marks up the prices of the materials to be used by as high as 20%. Again, this rate varies from plumber to plumber while there are a few considerate plumbers who do not mark up at all.

On the other hand, if you want to avoid this mark up, you may opt to buy the materials yourself. There is the risk, though, of buying the wrong material or specification and if you send the plumber back to the supplier, that errand will just the same be charged to you.

When looking for a plumber, one from a reputable plumbing agency should be considered over a freelance local plumber. This way, you are sure of his credentials, his rate and other fees are above board and the agency can even give you an objective estimate of your project. You may also ask referrals from trusted friends who have had good past experience with plumbers. The bottom line is this: make sure to get a quoted price including all works first to avoid an unexpected invoice amount. This way, you’ll also be able to make a judgement call on whether you can afford the work to be done.