On the day that my father delivered me to college, as we sat parked outside my dorm, saying our goodbyes, he offered this advice: If school doesn't work out, you should be a plumber. The work stinks, and they're all crooks, but that's where the money's at.
His opinion of the plumbing trade was a commonly-held one: that its practitioners engage in work that's unfamiliar, overly complex and too disgusting for the rest of us, charging exorbitant rates for their efforts. To his point: once, to reset a jammed garbage disposal, Bill Howe Plumbing charged me $4,660 per hour.*
But there's always an other hand, and in San Diego, it belongs to Matt Thomas, owner of Almighty Plumbing.
Matt and his employee, Dave, have spent many hours at my house over several appointments. They've inspected problems and helped me plan upgrades; replaced fixtures; and performed multiple repairs.
The work they've done - some of it emergency service - could have cost me thousands of dollars, but it didn't. Matt is a fair man with a knack for developing collaborative relationships that precludes gouging his customers, even those in desperate situations. He's one of those fellows who builds goodwill wherever he goes.
Recently, Matt and Dave found problems hidden in my house's walls that they hadn't anticipated, and, being responsible workers, they corrected those issues.
As a result, the day's work took longer than they'd anticipated, but instead of demanding more money, Matt honored his quote, and pleasantly invited a discussion about supplemental payment. We talked, and I offered to cover some of his overtime.
I use the word honor intentionally. Matt was right to treat the desired adjustment as negotiable, not an obligation on my part, and his willingness to take no for an answer made it easier for me to say yes. It also helped that, even with the additional payment, Matt didn't ask for as much as I was willing to pay for Almighty's excellent work.
Plus, a few days earlier, Dave had dropped by to make some adjustments, no-charging the visit as part of Almighty's warranty program. Such willingness to fine-tune work that's already finished, without quibbling over cost, is a hallmark of professionalism.
And finally, at Matt's first visit, I was impressed by the fact that he truly came to consult, not sell. His willingness to inform and educate enabled me to make smart decisions, and to develop a sense of collaboration with him, which is where I find the confidence to hire high-priced tradesmen in the first place.
For all these reasons, I trust my plumber, Matt Thomas.
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* 90 seconds @ $116.50 = $4660 / hour