I swear to god I'm using local business first for my household repair issues [View all]

[LynneSin]

I used one of those big name plumbing business chains to fix my issues with a drain that would not unclog even with the most hardcore liquid drainer stuff. Nothing worked and I knew I had to bring in the experts.

First visit - they cracked a pipe. To be fair it's an old house and luckily they did not charge for the visit but they did have to charge me $500 to replace the pipe on the 2nd visit. (they did replace with PVC which the guy who did fix the issue said was a good upgrade).

Second visit was to replace the pipe, still no working drain. Mind you I have one bathroom. It's just me, tub can make do for washing hands and brushing teeth.

Third visit - an hour later they still can't get rid of whatever is preventing the water to drain. The good news was no charge but they want to bring in experts. All I see is how much will this run me if they have to rip out my pipes to find the stoppage and fix the issue. This will get expensive.

So a friend recommend a local plumber. One visit and $149 later I have a working sink.

Seriously, I should always go local. About 5 years ago I had the same issue with bugs and the chain group just kept spraying and never fixing the issue. The local guy came in and the issue went away in 3 months and that was 5 years ago and never saw a bug since then.

Use local. They aren't trying to run up your bills. They just want to know you'll call them first next time you have an issue and give out their number when a friend needs a recommendation.