A flood, clogged toilets or a broken boiler? So as not to be fooled by the first craftsman who comes along, Yoni Lellouche, a long-time plumber, gives you his precious advice.
How do I select which plumber to call in an emergency?
If you have a plumbing problem, the first thing to do according to Yoni is to stay calm. Before urgently calling in a plumber found in the Yellow Pages or on a flyer slipped into your mailbox, find out about his company. For example, you can search the Internet, by looking at its Kbis extract and checking how long it has existed or by consulting customer reviews.
What are the means to verify the reliability of the craftsman?
The little trick to guarantee you his seriousness, according to Yoni, consists in looking at his outfit: the plumber must be in overalls and not in basketball jeans. If you have the slightest doubt, you are entitled to ask him to present you with supporting documents before incurring significant costs.
For example, ask him to show you his professional liability insurance: the two-year guarantee which will cover you for 2 years, or the ten-year guarantee, reserved for structural work. Finally, in order not to be abused, you should make sure that the plumber’s prices are within the norm, by seeking information relating to your work on the internet. Some companies like that of Mr. Lellouche, Plombier.com, play transparency and display their prices online.
How do you avoid being cheated by paying too much?
Our plumber advises you to bring at least 2 or 3 different professionals, in order to obtain several quotes. Note that they are mandatory as soon as the amount of the work exceeds €152, which is very often the case. Be careful, some charge for travel for simple quotes while others do not charge for them. It is therefore necessary to find out about this point before bringing them in. As soon as the craftsman takes possession of the premises, tell him that you want a written estimate.
What are the remedies for defects noticed after the procedure?
If you notice any problem after the plumber’s intervention, do not hesitate to contact him by phone, so that he can come and repair the damage free of charge, which you are entitled to demand. If you are unable to reach him orally, you will then have to send him your complaint by registered letter. If this is not enough, you will then have to take the next step, namely to contact the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP), which corresponds to the former fraud prevention service.
In the event of a breakdown, before calling the plumber, you can also try to remedy the problem yourself by following our practical explanations, for example to unclog your toilet or to unclog your sink or change the seal of a head of leaky faucet.
