Why You Want An Iron-Clad Contract, Not A Vague OneMay 16, 2023
Vague Contracts Enable Shady Plumbers To Take
Advantage Of East Bay Homeowners
A Clearly-Defined, Iron-Clad Service Contract Protects EVERYONE
Involved & Prevents MAJOR Misunderstandings.
Here’s the situation: It’s time to hire an East Bay plumber or rooter contractor, and you’re shopping around for the best value. How do you know whose quote to choose?
Many people automatically go with the least expensive offer, but that can be a HUGE mistake if you don’t take the time to read the fine print. Why is that?
Because many plumbing companies – we’re not going to mention any names – use intentionally vague language, so homeowners will not know what they are paying for.
They can then add countless additional charges for other services that were not included in the original contract.
You either have to agree to a bill that’s WAY higher than you expected… or cancel service part-way through the process, only to have to hire a new plumber.
Service Contract Red Flags
One of the simplest ways to tell if your plumbing or rooter service contract is suspicious is if it’s vague. Is it open to multiple interpretations?
For example, “repair water heater” is a vague phrase that could mean a lot of things. Do they mean they will replace one part, multiple parts, replace the entire water heater, or something else?
It’s not clear, and it’s a BIG problem. If they meant they would only replace one part, anything beyond that will result in an additional charge.
They didn’t technically lie to you, but you completely misunderstood what you were paying for.
This type of misunderstanding is not only common, but it’s actually how some East Bay plumbing and rooter companies PREFER to do business.
What A Plumbing Contract Should Look Like
Our contracts are a little bit different…and by a little, we mean COMPLETELY different. If anything, we get TOO specific with our wording.
We’ll tell you the exact parts we are replacing, what we are replacing them with, and every other detail necessary for you to make an informed decision.
We believe in using Superior Materials, and we will specify EXACTLY what those materials are, down to the grade of the copper your pipes are made of.
If a contractor can’t tell you what they plan to do and what materials they will use, they are either hiding the truth or just plain don’t know what they’re doing.
What If Something Unexpected Comes Up That Was NOT In The Contract?
Surprises are a fact of life, and sometimes we do have to perform additional labor, replace parts, or cut through an extra wall to properly service your home. In those cases, we will have to charge more money for those services.
That said, it doesn’t cause misunderstandings for us or our customers because we’ve already outlined precisely what we were there to do in the first place.
If we do get thrown a curveball, we will draw up a separate contract for the new labor or parts, and it will CLEARLY reflect what you are paying for and why.
A sewer line project going over budget due to unexpected obstacles is a possibility, but you’ll never be subjected to hidden fees or other nonsensical charges.
With an Avalon contract, what you see is EXACTLY what you get.