A while ago, I wrote an article addressing the “Good” variable in the search for a “Good and Cheap Plumber.” After sharing it again the other day, we received so many messages, calls, comments, and in-person mentions that I decided it was time to address the “Cheap” variable.
We have all heard the saying “Good work ain’t cheap, and cheap work ain’t good.” For the most part, I agree with that. There are several factors that determine if the cost will or will not be cheap.
I want to start by readdressing a few of the points I made in the “Good” article before presenting additional ones.
1. The State of Tennessee mandates that any person conducting plumbing work for hire in Tennessee must have, at minimum, a State of TN Limited Liability Plumbers License. This is also called an LLP. Anyone doing plumbing work without an LLP is in violation of the law, and is committing a criminal misdemeanor. Does the person posting that they “do cheap plummin’” on Facebook have an LLP?
2. To get an LLP, you just pay a fee and pass an aptitude test which proves that you actually know what you are doing in regards to plumbing work. Why would you want to hire a person who can not pass or does not care enough to do that?
3. A person without proper licensing can not get proper insurance, so as a customer, you are extremely vulnerable to liability for property damage / lawsuits if your Cheap Plumber gets hurt or destroys your home.
4. An unlicensed, uninsured Cheap Plumber is unlikely to have the proper tools to do the job as well. How much will their lack of knowledge, experience, and tools cost you, then?
5. If someone is not professional or playing by the rules, how are they going to treat you? Will they respect your home? Will they leave trash everywhere or leak oil/chemicals on your driveway and yard? Do they reek of cigarette smoke? Will they steal from you? Are they a danger to you and your kids?
6. There is a noticeable correlation between professional practices across the board- those who do things the right way and those who don’t- down to the finest details.
I will be the first to say that Sanders Plumbing Company is not cheap. However, you get what you pay for.
You can learn about us and our credentials, what we do, who we are, and what our clients say about us, on our easily-navigated website.
You can call our office and talk to a real live customer care professional who will schedule your appointment in the first available opening.
You can visit http://verify.tn.gov or its redirect page, https://search.cloud.commerce.tn.gov/ and verify our license status. We are listed under “Sanders Plumbing Inc.”
You can rest assured that Sanders Plumbing is fully insured, and we will gladly provide that information onsite before beginning a job, if requested.
As you can imagine, it costs us a lot of money to remain fully licensed and insured, to thoroughly vet staff with drug screens and background checks, to constantly provide training and continued education for each member of our team, to hire real live people and pay each person a living wage and then some, to provide top benefits, and to do our best to keep our employees happy, and with extremely low turnover.
It costs us a lot of money to maintain clean vans that do not leak oil, to maintain a professional website, to provide clean uniforms so our staff maintains a sanitary and professional image, and to stock the best tools and materials in a constantly escalating economy.
This is all Good, but it ain’t Cheap.
All of these expenses are investments we make to be the best in the industry, and to bring complete peace of mind to our clients.
Please keep all of this in mind when you are looking for a “Good and Cheap” plumber, regardless of who you hire.
If you need Sanders Plumbing, just call 865-922-9175 to schedule an appointment.
Thanks for reading,
Pete Sanders