Finding a good plumber is like finding a good hairdresser

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Just after I had Phoebe last year, my hair was in desperate need of a colour and my fringe needed a trim. My usual hairdresser lives a good 15 minutes away and I was feeding Phoebe every couple of hours. I really wanted to get my hair done without having a baby with me, so I took a chance and called a hair salon up the road from where I live. The salon looked quite upmarket and I was eager to get my hair done baby free.

I booked for an appointment that worked in with Phoebe’s feeds and got Jacob to drop me up the road to get my hair done.

One thing that I had forgotten about going to a salon was the time to wait. Just because you are booked in for a certain time, doesn’t mean that is when the hairdresser will start on your hair. My usual hair dresser would work on my hair straight away because her salon was at home, however going to a shop salon meant I had to wait for the previous client to finish getting their hair styled. I waited around 15 minutes which felt like an hour when I knew I had a tight 3 hour timeframe before Phoebe would be due her next feed.

Once it was my turn to jump into the seat, I made small chitchat with the hair stylist. A colour was added to my hair and then I was given some magazines and a glass of water. When it came time to getting the colour washed from my hair I was expecting a head massage because I had become accustomed to that from my previous hair dresser. But there was no head massage, just a whole lot of soapy water in my ears.

When it came to cutting my fringe… it nearly ended in disaster. The stylist cut too much off and I had a feathered fringe look which did not look good. I assumed the stylist could see that it didn’t look good but she went about straightening my hair and when she was finished, asked how I liked the cut. I looked in the mirror and I positively looked awful. I nearly cried. My fringe is my identity. It shapes my face and I was angry at myself for taking a chance on someone new and getting a less than ordinary job. I told the stylist I hated what she’d done to my fringe and she’d need to fix it. So she did. By cutting more hair and adding bulk to my very short fringe. It fixed the look, but I now had a fringe that started from the top middle part of my head and I cringed knowing it would take a while to grow out.

I never went back to that hairdresser again. And yesterday afternoon, after driving past the salon, it is no longer there.

When I went back to my normal hairdresser with Phoebe in tow, she told me to avoid going to that stylist again. She fixed my cut and I relaxed because I knew my hair was in good hands.

I won’t go anywhere else now. And I can’t go to the other salon in any case because they are no longer there.

That experience made me think about plumbing and hiring plumbers in general. While a hairdressing appointment is a lot more common that a plumbing call out, the same principle applies in finding someone you trust and sticking with what you know.

It’s important to find tradies that you trust to work in your home and this type of relationship shouldn’t be left until you have an emergency. A plumber should be booked at least once a year to check your hot water unit is running properly and to test valves and do a general maintenance check around your home. This is never done because it costs money and plumbers are only called if something needs to be fixed.

Finding a plumber you trust and developing a relationship with them is a great way to keep on top of the maintenance on your property.

For the plumber it means guaranteed future work and for the client, it means less stress and anxiety on who will show up at the door.

Good Plumber 101

Finding a good plumber is like finding a good hairdresser. Once you test them and you get a good result, you will continue to use them for life.

I have good relationships with my electrician, carpet cleaner and air conditioner service man. I haven’t called back my pest and termite inspector but that is on the to do list later this year.

The best way to find someone reliable is through word of mouth or asking a trusted tradie who they use to work on their own property.

Are you a loyal customer when it comes to hiring a tradie? Do you have a list of preferred tradies? Do you know your plumber on a first name basis?

I’m linking up with With Some Grace for FYBF.