Comments on: How Many Plumbers Does It Take to Fix a Leak?

By: cory

cory — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:18:01 +0000

As a plumber i will say i always respond and give as promp service as time allows.Think before you speak though if its raining and you are flooding chances are the entire city is.As i have been in the trades for 15yrs thats all we get is a bad rap. I rarly see a homeowner touching there waste but you want us too.Careful who you look down your nose at.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:40:25 +0000

Sorry to those who have had bad experinces. I am a plumber with my own business. I try to provide the absolute best for my customers. I have no call backs due to my work. I understand both sides of the fence. I pay for my truck to be worked on, doctor, A/C man, etc. Proper planing prevents poor performance. Some poeple should point the finger at themselves first.

By: glenn

glenn — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:12:18 +0000

As a plumber(not an owner), I can tell you that I work from 7am til sundown(around 7pm). I do not make much money and we have to deal with people that think they are the only customers. That may be why there is a shortage of plumbers.(not to mention all the butt crack jokes). But, I guess the joke is actually written on your bill.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:20:57 +0000

Normally, the response to a shortage is that more supply rises to meet the demand.
Will that happen with plumbers? Are there more people training to become plumbers? We can hope. We can hope.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:04:02 +0000

Neil and Elaine,
Yes, we are at their mercy, which is the power of supply and demand. My plumber told me that the company he works for struggles to find and hire plumbers and offers a $10,000 finder’s fee.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:47:58 +0000

Don’t you just wish the tables would turn one day and some trades will find themselves without a ringing phone? When they’re on top, many don’t value customers. But what if supply outweighed demand? What then? Their poor service and lousy response would likely make them a bit more customer focused. In the meantime, we’re at their mercy.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:49:22 +0000

This is the classic problem of scarcity: the power is with the plumber.
However, that is no excuse for poor customer service. Period.
In addition, a plumber who did well with customer service could really get rich. They are leaving money on the table.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:33:51 +0000

Thanks Toad. I get the joke and it seems to fit the image most of us have of contractors. I think you are right about the broad strokes, until we get screwed elsewhere, like at K-Mart.

By: Tangerine Toad

Tangerine Toad — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:23:21 +0000

Lewis: There’s an old joke about a surgeon who was operating on a man. During the operation, he learned that the man was a contractor. So a few hours into the operation, he stopped, pulled off his gloves and started to clean up. The patient, who was conscious, looks at him and says “Doc, where are you going?” And the surgeon says “I have to go get something from my truck. I’ll try and get back to finish up next week.”
Now I’m mangling the joke, but you get the point: if anyone else treated customers the way contractors do, it would seem absurd. There’s a website called “Angie’s List” that provides a list of reputable local contractors. (I believe it’s a pay site.) And there are a few national chains that have launched as well, promising accountability.
But to your point, I think people, especially in more upscale areas, feel that contractors (plumbers, electricians et al) operate in their own special universe (with employees of chain/discount stores a close second– check out my post about WSJ reporter Laura Landro’s experience with Kmart) and do not tar all businesses with the same brush.
Yet.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:49:10 +0000

David,
I think you are right but I still wonder if all of us don’t suffer some blowback from those who earned a reputation providing bad service. By the way, the plumber I went with provided excellent service and good work, but I had to sell my soul to pay the bill.

By: David Reich "my 2 cents"

David Reich "my 2 cents" — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:40:05 +0000

Certain 8industries have become knownb for various forms of poor service. Plumbers and other contractors have a rep for not following through. You’ll get them to come and scope out a job, but then they never respond with an estimate. They may be great plumbers or painters or whatever, but lousy businessmen. But they manage to keep busy because they’re in such demand.
Telcos have become known for poor customer service, and we either switch from one to another, get the same bad customer service, and finally resign ourselves to accepting it.
Not so in many other businesses, especially in ours. We don’t deliver and provide responsive customer serice, we’re history.
(Maybe I should have gone to trade school to learn plumbing.)