I'm not entirely sure this is the same Solar Bear that came to my house yesterday (they were supposed to be based in Chandler) but probably is. A guy named Lance had called in the morning and said I could have a ""Master Plumber"" come to the house, check/flush-out the water heater, check sink drains, address any toilet issues. All for $39. I knew that it was going to be one of those deals where they find a bunch of things wrong, then attempt to drum-up business by offering to fix them. But, I'm thick-skinned enough that they usually don't bother me. Also I plan on having my kitchen remodeled next year so wanted to get next to a reputable plumber. Avery Scott showed-up on time and proceeded to to work on the water heater, told me a couple useful facts about them. All the time he was here he, basically, talked about what a great plumber he is and how expensive his time is. His self-aggrandizement eventually became truly annoying. Of course he found several problems with the water heater, all due to ""calcium build-up"". The pressure-release valve was bad, the rod-thingy that attracts metallic particles was probably bad. He couldn't get the latter out, told me ""You'll just have to wait until it starts leaking."" He got the pressure-release valve out and was going to replace it. I asked him how much that would cost. He said ""$125 installed"". I said ""$125? That's a LONG way from $39."" He said, ""I can put the old one back."" I said ""Please do. I'll go buy one myself and put it in. I can't imagine they cost more that ten bucks at Home Depot."" He said ""They cost about $15."" So he was going to charge me $110 labor to screw that into the top of the tank. Such a deal. He proceeded to drain the tank, got some calcium out, sure it helped the tank's life. But at that point I decided he and his company really weren't the people I wanted to work with. He inspected the rest of the house, put drain cleaner in the sinks, gave me a free flapper-valve for a toilet. All good. But, all the time he worked he talked about how good he was at plumbing and that he deserved all the money he could get out of his customers. At one point I told him, ""Well, you ain't getting it out of me!"" He finished, left. I felt annoyed. Their $39 thing was worthwhile but the attempt to get another $125 out of me was, I felt, sleazy. And all his blowing-his-own-horn crap and money talk made me feel like I would never, ever contact them again.
more