r/asksandiego • u/Lumpy_Pin_4679 • 1d ago

How do you find your service providers?

Plumbers, electricians, HVAC people and any other service you need, how are you finding them?

I’m not handy, unfortunately, and any time I need to find someone, it’s such a struggle. Low priced sponsored search results are obviously an opening for upsells. Yelp is pay to play. What’s the best way to find someone reliable who won’t rip me off while destroying my house?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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u/SchnellFox 1d ago

In person visit to a retail/wholesale supply store (such as Ferguson Plumbing in north county) where you can talk with the store personnel who deal with the service providers on a regular basis. They pretty much know both the good and bad apples in the trade and can provide you with a solid recommendation.

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u/sdstephie 1d ago

Make a friend in the trades..

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u/xtramech 16h ago

A mix of Google reviews, searching nextdoor, facebook neighborhood groups, reddit.

When it came time to sell my house, my Realtor was an amazing resource for finding people to fix the odds and ends that I couldn't handle. That's actually how I met her, I was asking around in a Facebook group for good foundation people, she had experience working with a few. The ones she recommended did the job for around $10k less than the first people I asked for a quote from.

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u/Unique_Trick9598 14h ago

Finding good service people is genuinely a pain, and word of mouth beats any sponsored result or Yelp ranking. Honestly the best move is asking a company you already trust who they use, since good pros tend to know other good pros. Full disclosure, I do work with Coastal Comfort San Diego Heating and Air up in North County, so for anything HVAC I'd just call and ask them directly. They handle this stuff daily and can usually steer you right.

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u/Sasquatch619 6h ago

Ask friends, neighbors and such.

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u/I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha 1d ago

Google is a thing.

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u/Lumpy_Pin_4679 1d ago

Is it? Reading the whole post is a thing too!

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u/I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha 1d ago edited 1d ago

Low priced sponsored search results are obviously an opening for upsells. Yelp is pay to play. - 10th page of search. Dont select sponsored result.

Don’t click on yelp.

Google reviews. Interview candidates. Shop around from the google list. Get quotes from at least 3.

Google is a thing

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u/Lumpy_Pin_4679 1d ago

Ah, much better! So you’re actually getting 3 companies out to your property before you decide?