We had pending legislation back in 2013 in Washington State that would have stopped false marketing of plumbing solutions to the consumer by these that were not licensed but... we never ever got it passed. The purpose it failed was that nobody but the cheaters had any interest within the bill.
Lack of effective plumber license enforcement in Washington State is transforming a skilled licensed trade into a industrial con game costing customers and skilled craftsmen dearly.
The Concerns Affecting Licensed El Cajon Plumbers and Plumbing Contractors:
1. Unlicensed Plumbers - ineffective enforcement of plumber licensing
two. Fake Plumbing Organizations - Common Contractors Marketing Plumbing Services
three. The price of Marketing - Is incredibly high resulting from unfair competition from the unlicensed
four. Lack of Customer Awareness - They don't realize that actual plumbers are a licensed trade. (Drain cleaners will not be plumbers)
5. Other trades wishing to execute plumbing services - i.e. Builders, General Contractors and also the HVAC trades
The plumbing trade is actually a regulated business in Washington State. All plumbing perform should be performed by these having a certificate of encounter; in other words - a license. Over time there can been a concerted effort by these not in the plumbing trade to violate the law that restricts who could engage inside the trade. The attack around the plumber and the plumbing contractor has come from multiple directions.
There is certainly not 1 enemy of the licensed plumber, but quite a few. Essentially the most significant root bring about of the plumber license losing credibility and worth over time will be the passivity and inattention in the licensed plumber. As a rule, as soon as we've the license in our hand we do not think considerably about it apart from to complain in regards to the renewal fees or the imposition of your continuing education requirement.
A plumber license represents years of study, certified training and official permission to engage inside a regulated profession. The dictionary defines license as "a permission granted by competent authority to engage within a organization or occupation or in an activity otherwise unlawful". A license excludes other folks by law.
If enforcement of a law is weak or ineffective - nobody will obey the law.
Today the plumbing business is below attack from these that wish to be engaged within the business enterprise of plumbing devoid of a license. The sad truth is the fact that there hasn't been a lot resistance from those of us that are most affected i.e. licensed plumbers, plumbing contractors and homeowners. The plumbing industry has been invaded by anybody that wants to represent themselves as plumbers without the license due to the fact nobody has had a keen interest within the enforcement of plumber licensing.
Who's violating licensing laws? Answer: Anyone who wants to...
The following trades and organizations all promote plumbing services these days - properly violation of existing law:
1. Rooter firms with no licensed plumbers or only a token plumber
two. Basic contractors marketing plumbing services
three. Plumber trainees that abandon their coaching and advertise as contractors
four. Handymen with or without the need of contractor registration
5. Fraudulent internet site plumbing businesses with fake registrations
six. HVAC companies advertising water heater sales and installations
7. Water heater businesses marketing installation of water heaters
eight. Hardware shops offering water heater installations
9. Creating maintenance service providers giving plumbing repairs.
ten. Retail Retailers - Residence Depot, Lowe's
11. Advertising Businesses with fake web-sites promoting leads
12. Third Celebration Referral Services that market plumbing businesses with no licenses
13. Web site re-sellers
14. Amazon is now selling plumbing services on their web site (2016)
It can be a extended list...
As a licensed plumber for more than thirty five years, I've to admit that I had no concept how effortlessly my license could come to be a worthless piece of paper until I saw my telephone traffic drop off and buyers demanding that we match quotes from unlicensed competitors. I did not understand that the value of a license is based solely upon what other individuals believe it to become. It is like dollars. Cash is just a piece of paper with ink on it. It only has value should you and I agree that it has some representative worth. A few hundred years ago a dollar was a day's wages. Currently a dollar might purchase you a day-old doughnut. That dollar bill is only worth what we're willing to trade it for. My father described Italians during the Second World War hauling lira in wheelbarrows to exchange in the bank for any few US dollars.
My worry now is that our plumber licenses will be worthless soon and we will not even notice till it can be also late. The property owners don't understand that plumbers need licenses so the license is worth nothing at all to them. The rooter companies promote plumbing having a contractor registration as cover (anybody can get a contractor registration) - the public assumes a contractor registration is a license. They do not know the distinction since the rooter organizations, and other people, have aggressively been substituting "plumbing technicians" in place of plumbers for years.