The Expensive Phone Book Ads:
When you’re trying to find a plumber, don’t just look for the biggest ad in the phonebook. Large ads are very expensive, a full page ad alone can cost around 8K to 10K. These companies are slaves to the phone company and they charege more per service or they get you with upsells or unnecessary sales.

Beware of Multiple Estimates From The Yellow Pages:
When you check the ads you will notice multiple companies, but beware many of the ads are from the same company, who has simply a different business license. Your multiple estimates may be from the same company playing you. You should call several different San Francisco plumbers with different size ads. “With my insiders knowledge I would call the smaller ads closer to the back.

Step 1: Check Credentials of San Francisco Plumbers:
One step in scheduling a plumbing appointment requires that you check credentials before you spend valuable time making phone calls. After you’ve picked out a few plumbers who seem worth an inquiry, do some background research. Go to the CSLB Contractors State Licensing Board www.cslb.ca.gov and search by the plumbers contractors license.

Step 2: Describe The Work The Best You Can:
When you make your calls to local plumbers, try to be as concise as possible in describing the issues you’ve experienced. Even without any plumbing knowledge, you can check around the problem area to see what isn’t working. Let a plumber know if he’ll be dealing with anything out of the ordinary, such as unusual fixtures, outdated plumbing, or new technology. And for each call you make, be sure to tell the same story. This way, any time or monetary estimate will be measured accurately.

Step 3: Answer Questions & Take Notes:
You’ll learn a lot by the questions each plumber asks. Is he thorough in his questioning or does he just want to jump into an expensive house call? Take note of the concerns each plumber has and the responses that each gives you.

Step 4: Ask Questions & Take Notes
After you’ve gone through your description and listened to the comments made by the plumber, ask a few questions of your own. There are some things you should know before you consider making an appointment with a San Francisco Plumber.

Use any or all of the questions from the list below if they will be useful in your search.

* How long have you been a local plumber?
* How many plumbing jobs have you completed?
* Do you have experience with the type of work I’ve described?
* How long should it take to solve my problem?
* Will you be able to complete the work in a single visit?
* Do you carry current workers’ compensation and liability insurance?
* Is there a charge for your estimate?
* Do you or your technicians have any special certifications?
* What type of warranty will you provide for your work? What does it
cover?
* Do you do the work yourself or do you send employees to do it?
* Will you provide a written contract?
* Do you charge by the job or by the hour?

Step 5: Making the Final Decision:
Now it’s time to select your San Francisco plumber and make an appointment. Ask any final questions and insist that your plumber come prepared to provide a written estimate, before work begins, timing, quality,and warranty agreement.

The following is a list of key resources for the plumbing industry.

Associations & Licensing
BBB Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.gov
CSLB Contractors State Licensing Board, www.cslb.ca.gov
DCA California Department of Consumer Affairs, www.dca.ca.gov