Your home is your sanctuary, your castle, your escape. But when something is not functioning correctly, and you need to hire a contractor, sometimes is tough to know who you can trust. If your home is newer, you may not need to find or call a contractor as frequently. But if your home is about 10-20 years old, you probably need to hire a plumber, electrician, or handyman every few years.
As a contractor in the business, we know how many other companies operate, questions to ask and what may be red flags. At Walter Electric, we choose to do business so our customers want to use us time and time again. Here’s our top questions to ask when hiring a contractor into your home:
1. Is the contractor Licensed, Bonded and Insured?
This is very important because if something goes wrong, (think worst case scenario) is the business insured in the case of technician error and damage to your property? If the answer is no, you may be liable.
2. Does the contractor offer a warranty on products and services?
Any reputable company should guarantee their work for a period of time post service appointment. This is worth paying a bit extra for, knowing you have peace of mind your repair or new installation is warrantied.
3. Does the contractor have a 4.5 or higher with online reviews?
Vetting a contractor has never been easier. Just go to Google, Yelp, Facebook, Angies List, or the BBB to gather intelligence prior to making a call. More often than not, customers opinions are usually correct.
4. Are they accredited with the Better Business Bureau?
A reputable company will understand the importance of being accredited with the BBB. Contractors know you want to do business with a trusted brand or company, and should do whatever they can to earn that trust.
5. Do they price by time on the job, or by the “book” (set pricing)?
In some instances regardless of how much time it takes to resolve an issue, companies price jobs “by the book” meaning flat pricing regardless of circumstances. This type of pricing is easier for the company to manage, but not necessarily the best option for the customers as each home’s situations may vary.
6. Do they charge for drive time to and from the appointment? Or is there a trip fee?
There are many different ways companies price their services. Some charge for drive time (even if stuck in beltway traffic!) and some charge trip fees. So when asking for pricing, make sure you know the full story, and all potential charges. We know customers “shop around” for pricing, and many times companies don’t mention these hidden fees.
Walter Electric works hard to offer reasonable pricing, fast and quality service. From first call to project completion we are determined to communicate at each step of the service experience so our customers face no surprises or our work exceeds their expectations.