99 Dollar Drain Cleaning Explained
At McAdams Plumbing, we believe integrity is the most important part of the plumbing business. That’s why we want to take a moment to shine a light on 99 dollar drain cleaning services. Here’s the big question to wrestle with:
“Why is it that one company will charge 99 dollars for all drain cleaning services and another has multiple charges?”
While that seems like a straightforward question, that answer can be complicated.
Some plumbing companies specialize in only drain cleaning. These companies have less equipment, less insurance, smaller vehicles, and may not be licensed. You don’t need a plumbing license to be a drain cleaner, just the equipment and some experience. So with that in mind they may be able to offer all services for 99 dollars.
Other companies say 99 dollar drain cleaning but have many stipulations. This price may not cover:
- access fees
- travel fees
- diagnostic fees
- labor fees
- hazardous/difficult access fees
- time/length fees
- machine breakdown fees
- stair fees (which are fees charged to carry equipment up and down stairs, and yes they will charge you per stair).
These are just some of the many charges that increase that 99 dollar drain cleaning fee to $150.00+.
Another trick of the trade is to offer the 99 dollar drain cleaning service but then send out a salesperson with the plumber who will then work very hard to sell you a camera service after your cleaning. These people are persistent and very good at what they do. They’ll tell you how important it is to camera the line, how it can only be done after a drain cleaning service so you should just do it now, and they’ll even offer your what looks like a discount for having the camera service done in conjunction with the drain cleaning. Now your bill is up over $300.00 when all you needed was a mainline run.
The last, and probably most deceiving, practice is to charge 99 dollars for a drain line “clearing,” not “cleaning.” When this happens the plumber will basically just punch a hole through the blockage in your line for 99 dollars, then charge extra if you want the entire line fully cleaned. A “clearing” service usually comes with no warranty.
All of this information is offered to help make you a more informed consumer. If you are hiring a company for a drain cleaning service, ask them to tell you exactly what the fee covers and to tell you what other fees you could possibly see. All companies know what their drain cleaning fees are and what up charges exist.
With McAdams Plumbing, you’ll get a fully cleaned line, no matter which drain is backing up, for the same price we quote you up front. No games, no hidden fees. We’ll put it all right out there for you so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Thanks for reading along and we hope you learned something!
The Proof is in the Plumbing!
