When hiring a plumbing contractor in Murray, Utah, or anywhere else in the Wasatch Front, consulting other parties matters. Ask your most trusted loved one or read reviews from reliable online sources to find good recommendations. Above all, however, learn what about the Better Business Bureau has to say about your prospective plumber.
The BBB rates businesses using a letter grading system, A+ being the highest and F being the lowest. A BBB rating is the business equivalent of a FICO score. Having an A+ rating means earning anywhere between 97 and 100 points, which is an impressive feat.
So, how can a plumbing company receive full approval from the BBB? To answer this question, let talk about what an A+ rating constitutes.
BBB Accreditation
A business needs to be accredited by the BBB itself before it can get any rating from the organization.
Make no mistake about it; not all reputable contractors have BBB accreditation. However, those who have earned brownie points in the eyes of discerning customers, for the BBB has been the “watchdog” that helps uphold quality and integrity standards for as long as we can remember.
A Proper License
The Beehive State has a Master Plumber licensing program to separate capable professionals from inept ones. Some plumbers might lie about this, so turn to the BBB for confirmation.
Competency licensing papers are some of the first documents the organization checks to rate a business accordingly. The BBB can deduct up to 41 points for license-related issues. As a result, accredited plumbing contractors renew their license if need be to attain and maintain a high rating.
A Solid Local Reputation
Time in business is another essential factor in the BBB scorecard. The organization counts the number of years a plumbing company has been serving its communities. Longevity is tantamount to reliability because no plumber can stay in business for so long without delivering excellent service consistently.
Furthermore, the BBB keeps an eye on false advertising complaints. In the organization’s book, these are derogatory marks that tarnish a business’s integrity. The BBB can deduct up to 41 points for every negative ad review.
To be clear, the BBB accepts reviews from customers, positive and negative, but does not use them to rate businesses. In theory, you could find a plumber rated A+ that has ten negative reviews and zero positive ones.
A Reliable Dispute Resolution Policy
The BBB is big on complaint resolution. The organization takes every case seriously and will not hesitate to deduct five points immediately if a complaint is not addressed soon enough. Unresolved and unanswered complaints can be slapped with up to 30- and 40-point deductions, respectively. The BBB monitors a plumber’s complaint volume, knock off up to 15 points for a frequently reported one.
A BBB rating does not say everything about a business, but it can speak volumes about a plumbing company’s competency and integrity. However, think twice before hiring a top-rated plumber when your gut senses something. After all, many professional qualities do not make it into the BBB system.