Re: DIY'er - To give or not to give?
Mark,
On the East Coast, we are where you were with the franchises ripping everyone off. We also have new construction plumbers jumping into service by the droves. Most plumbers are geared to one or the other.
I cannot stand the Yellow Pages, they promise so much at such a premium. Service customers come from two places for the start up business 1. Friends & family & 2. referrals. If someone needs a plumber, they usually ask a family member, friend etc. If they can't get a referral #1 place they go is the Yellow Pages. It's a cost the small business must pay because referrals don't come in fast enough to build a business.
I grew up in a blue collar home, my Dad was a firefighter/EMT and my mother did office work. We didn't hire a lot of service people either. Today the wealthy will try to be DIY'ers to save money because they have been sold on the notion that it is so easy. A lady called our company the other day for leaking shower valve. Her home was worth $500,000.-$600,000. (may not sound like much in CA, but here it's living mighty fine. She bought a cartridge - couldn't get the old one out - took pliers & a wrench to it. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. New shower valve. This wasn't for the satisfaction of doing it herself, nor was it to save money to feed her family. It was plain cheap to avoid paying a plumber.
Mark - You are good people. I think we can be friends and agree to disagree.
Originally posted by ToUtahNow
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On the East Coast, we are where you were with the franchises ripping everyone off. We also have new construction plumbers jumping into service by the droves. Most plumbers are geared to one or the other.
I cannot stand the Yellow Pages, they promise so much at such a premium. Service customers come from two places for the start up business 1. Friends & family & 2. referrals. If someone needs a plumber, they usually ask a family member, friend etc. If they can't get a referral #1 place they go is the Yellow Pages. It's a cost the small business must pay because referrals don't come in fast enough to build a business.
I grew up in a blue collar home, my Dad was a firefighter/EMT and my mother did office work. We didn't hire a lot of service people either. Today the wealthy will try to be DIY'ers to save money because they have been sold on the notion that it is so easy. A lady called our company the other day for leaking shower valve. Her home was worth $500,000.-$600,000. (may not sound like much in CA, but here it's living mighty fine. She bought a cartridge - couldn't get the old one out - took pliers & a wrench to it. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. New shower valve. This wasn't for the satisfaction of doing it herself, nor was it to save money to feed her family. It was plain cheap to avoid paying a plumber.
Mark - You are good people. I think we can be friends and agree to disagree.

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