It’s the ARLnow Five and Five, where nonprofit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook provides five top-rated local businesses and five tips for getting great service and prices. ARLnow readers can access all of Checkbook’s ratings of local plumbers until Oct. 15 at Checkbook.org/ARLnow/plumbers.
The following plumbing companies are best bets for Arlingtonians.
They all received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality and price, meaning they deliver great service (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys) and charge less than most other shops, per undercover price shopping conducted by Checkbook’s research team.
- Star Plumbing (703-569-1800)
- Denver’s Plumbing (703-533-2287)
- Dawson’s Plumbing (703-354-9358)
- Duvall’s Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning (703-368-8746)
- Dick Chandler’s Plumbing Service (703-370-9433)
Checkbook’s Top Five Tips for Plumbing Success
- After you have identified reliable companies, call several and request price quotes for your job. Prices vary dramatically for the same work, especially large remodeling jobs.
- For remodeling jobs, get a contract that include a fixed price for all work; exactly what you want done, including makes and model numbers of all fixtures, whether the contractor will secure required permits and inspections; start date and estimated completion date; warranty information; an arbitration clause; and payment schedule.
- Clear the area. You don’t want to pay a plumber $150 an hour to clean out junk from underneath your sink.
- Stick around but stay out of the way. Remember that the plumber is on the clock until he or she writes up the ticket.
- If possible, make all payments by credit card. If you are dissatisfied, you can dispute the charge.
Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. We are supported by consumers and take no money from the service providers we evaluate.
Photo by Cláudio Luiz Castro on Unsplash