Beware, scammers! – How to avoid fake ear decongestants?

When it comes to unclogging a drain, most of the time we need immediate help. Let's face it: no one can wait days to be able to use their sink or toilet again. And as a panicked customer, that's exactly when we make the first mistake of calling the first phone number we come across, hoping for help as soon as possible.

There are many Eskimos and few seals.

Which is a mistake because – like many other professions – this industry is not only filled with honest contractors. Of course, most of us are honest professionals, but there are also scammers who unscrupulously try to take advantage of our clients' desperation and lack of information. They end up discrediting the entire profession, as they usually do poor-quality patchwork or overcharge. In our current article, we will therefore try to find an answer to how to avoid such scammers and how to choose a professional who will do quality and lasting work in our homes.

From ridiculous prices to overcharging

As in many other businesses, we are faced with the problem of „too many Eskimos and too few seals”. There is no doubt that many people try to make a living from this type of work. When we open our mailbox, how often do we find a „note” with a name and a mobile number in it, which is the blockage „offers a ”full„ cancellation for just 5,000 forints?! However, you should not fall for such offers! Often, the removal itself can cost several thousand forints, and we haven’t even talked about the professional work. Consequently: the initially favorable price offered will be ”brought closer” to the realistic price – and sometimes even beyond – during the work. For example, recently, 160,000 forints were asked for a sink for removing the blockage, even though this work could have been done fairly for about a tenth of the price charged (!).

Of course, given the variety of professional work, it is difficult to provide information about correct prices. However, before calling the given contractor or company, we should at least take a look at their website – if they have one. Can we find the indicative prices in detail? It is definitely advantageous to see a detailed price list, because this way we can also be aware of other additional costs (e.g. fees for boarding, assembly and disassembly, etc.). In short: we are less likely to end up having to pay even our half-monthly salary to the blockage It is not worth choosing a service provider who applies a unit price for every job, because this kind of thing usually only serves to "feed" customers!

It is especially important that the service provider has references. If you cannot find them on their website, feel free to ask for their contact information. Of course, it is possible that the otherwise honest professional will not be happy at first that we want to „score” them. But if they have nothing to hide, they will certainly give us a few phone numbers where we can inquire about the quality of the work they do and whether they charge a fair price. Otherwise, feel free to look for another contractor, as we are taking a serious risk if we do not have references. We should also avoid those who want to charge an unrealistically high advance payment before the work is done, or who want to have a contract signed in advance. The content of such documents is often „modified” several times during the work.

Punctuality is not just a virtue of kings

Everyone is familiar with the situation when you have to wait for hours for a mechanic. There is no doubt that in our profession – especially good professionals – there is a lot of work, so there may be minor delays compared to the agreed time. However, it is advisable to be able to at least roughly define the anti-clogging If the mechanic fails to arrive at the agreed time several times, we again advise you to call someone else to do the work. After all, we are not time millionaires either, and let's not forget that they are providing us with a paid service!

Let's be prepared!

Once the contractor has successfully arrived at the site, the real work can begin. But this is where the tricks really begin!

It often happens – as in the case of the 160,000-euro sink mentioned earlier – that the price of the tools needed for the job is calculated at higher prices. However, with proper preparation, we can be on the lookout and avoid pitfalls that cost us both time and money. The exact prices of individual fittings and tools can be found on the internet. It is therefore advisable to find out about the guide prices before the mechanic arrives, and then – as if we knew nothing – ask how much he could get the necessary things for. It is telling if the price quote differs greatly from the average fitting prices!

If we are already aware of the prices, then let's be prepared: those who cheat also tend to cheat with the meter length required for the job. It is not uncommon for a dishonest contractor to specify a 20-25 meter connection pipe for the sink. Which is not insignificant at all, considering that there are prices of 4-5 thousand forints per meter! It is good to know that such a thing is an unrealistic "calculation" in the first place, since a pipe of this size would reach the ground floor even in the case of a sink located on the third floor! The usual length of the pipe is 1-2 meters, with which they can usually reach the connection point: the toilet's main pipe.

Let's not be fooled!

One of the most common professional jobs is removing blockages with a spiral. But here too, it doesn't matter how deep the spiral is lowered, as prices are determined depending on this. In most cases, the good faith of the client is exploited by lowering the spiral much further than necessary – up to 20 meters. The more devious scammers will also constantly ask if they can "go deeper", to which, as an uninformed client, we naturally cannot say no. However, we should be aware that a perfect job should be done with a spiral lowered to a maximum of 10 meters, so if they want to go further than that, we should feel free to protest. In such cases, we don't need to question the alleged "professional", since we will usually be the ones to suffer due to the conflict that arises – e.g. overbilling, doing half-hearted work, etc. However, let's promise ourselves that we will choose more carefully next time.

Let's not compromise!

Of course, once the work is done, don't forget to check the quality of the service. Remember that until the water in the toilet or sink is running like it used to, it's only a half-finished job. A more difficult question is how long the results of the work should last. It's true that we can't give general advice on this. However, if the problems reappear within 1-2 days, we can suspect that the work was done of poor quality. (In such cases, it's advisable for the contractor to offer to camera sewer inspection helps to find out the reasons for the re-blockage.)

Finally, although the installer is not obligated to do any cleaning after the work is completed, it is beneficial to at least ensure basic hygiene in the room. This can greatly reduce the risk of infection and make the necessary cleaning easier.

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