Is a Plumbing Inspection Worth It? | Copper, PVC Plumbing
We recently called in the professionals for a low water pressure issue at our rental property. While on the phone with the customer service representative, she asked me if I was interested in having their technician provide us a low-cost plumbing inspection.
Plumbing Inspection Pricing
The price for an inspection: $69.95 (apparently discounted from the regular $129.99). In exchange, we’d get 10% off our total bill with them at this visit, and 10% off one future visit in the next 12 mos., should that be necessary.
What a Plumbing Inspection Includes
I agreed to have them perform the service in exchange for the discount. For one, I thought the repair might be expensive, and for two, I know that the house has a polybutelyne main water pipe connecting the internal copper plumbing to the county’s public water system. That’s been an issue for other homeowners in our neighborhood already (and might end up being the subject of a lawsuit). I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some testing performed on that… Perhaps they could tell how close the pipe was to failure?
Besides, I’d be paying for a professional plumbing inspection. Surely this would involve some specialized equipment to test the quality of our pipes, fixtures, faucets, etc… This would provide a valuable service that would make us better informed Landlords…
Right? Wrong.
The technician that showed up quickly diagnosed our low water pressure issue as a worn (clogged) pressure release valve. He repaired that very quickly. He was also nice enough to let us know that the plumbing inspection we were sold on the phone would involve:
- Looking at the copper and PVC plumbing to visually inspect for leaks.
- Running faucets and toilets to determine if they appeared broken/leaky.
- Selling us new faucets and toilet hardware (say what??)
Yeah… so that’s not what we were hoping for. But it is a good deal for the plumbing company… They get someone to pay them $70 for the opportunity to sell more stuff. I gotta get into that business. And the best part is, it takes the plumber 15 minutes with no specialized equipment to perform the inspection.
The Bottom Line
In this case, not getting the plumbing inspection is a gamble that we won’t need $700 in plumbing repair services over the next 12 mos. (If we do, the 10% discount will have been worth it). Had the 10% incentive not been there, this would have been an even worse deal… and a true rip-off.
Considering a Plumbing Inspection?
So, if you’re in the market for some plumbing work and you’re offerred an “inspection”, make sure to ask the hard questions… And, consider asking them for a free inspection. They might just do it for the opportunity to sell you all those plumbing services.
What do you think? Have you ever been ripped off by an “inspection”?
(photo credit: Elsie Esq.)
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One Response to Is a Plumbing Inspection Worth It? | Copper, PVC Plumbing
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September 15th, 2009 11:51 am
10 years ago I had a pipe to an outside faucet break in the wall and flood my guest room. I called the plumbing company to have the pipe fixed. I was also offered the same deal and pricing. I declined it. However when I received my bill, they had tacked the price on anyway. It took a couple of months to get them to remove the charge. So even if you decline their “gracious” offer, make sure they don’t charge you for it.