I received a call from a customer the other day who thought our prices were too high. He said he had an ad from one of our drain snake competitors for more than 30% less than our quoted price.

My parents received a flyer in the mail from a plumbing competitor who was offering a water heater installation for 200 dollars less than us.

Customers can make their own decisions. There is plenty of drain snake & plumbing business out there, and we might not be what every consumer wants. Maybe our water heater competitor got a tremendous deal on the water heaters. Maybe they have little overhead. I know that we weren’t able to find the brand they were selling. Maybe they were clearance or discontinued and their purchase created a great marketing opportunity. Unfortunately, there is a reason why, and though the consumer may be saving money upfront, the service company will benefit from repeat services it will need to perform. Garvin’s deals honestly and fairly. We don’t sell questionable products in order to create more work for ourselves.

Another trick we have seen a drain competitor use, is that of using contractors instead of employees. This affects the consumer because the quality of service tech can vary. The importance of having a background check, company loyalty, and employee benefits can’t be overlooked. If technicians aren’t covered by worker’s comp or other insurance, how is the consumer protected? What about the technician’s quality of life? All of Garvin’s employees are full-time, benefited staff. They go through a training program and show up in lettered vans and uniforms. Why? Because we believe employees who perform to the standards of our company’s mission are best for our customers, employees & for business.

Lastly, the “price to get in the door trick” is still working! This is a marketing tactic that some refer to as bait and switch. This trick uses a low introductory rate or a low, unspecified cost that causes the customer to call. One particular company comes to mind as they offer a low rate, but then once they diagnose the actual work, or even need to perform a standard job (as opposed to a half-job), the price drastically increases.

The best thing we can do is inform consumers of exactly WHAT they are getting with us, with NO hidden costs. We haven’t been in business for 70 years by hiding costs. Our customers stay our customers. Our competitor’s customers send us copies of their invoices and then become our customers.  We don’t want to be the cheapest. We provide HONEST, DEPENDABLE service at a FAIR price. We don’t charge extra for nights and weekends, because we are fair. We don’t hide fees, because we are fair.

Please, don’t sacrifice honesty, dependability and integrity for hype. Tried, tested and true. Garvin’s Sewer Service: We Clean Drains NOT Bank Accounts!