PlumbSmart owner Wayne Decker has learned a lot during his 40 years in the service business, one of the most important being the need to give back to the community and take care of others.
“There are so many people who get a surprise $400 or $500 plumbing bill where it’s a week’s check, or a chunk of it that they just can’t afford,” he said. “To be able to help them take care of the service allows us to be a blessing to people.”
When COVID-19 hit, his company provided more than 200 free emergency air conditioning and plumbing services to families affected financially by the pandemic. “The beauty of it is it takes so much humility for someone to take advantage of that gesture when those who called really needed it,” said Wayne.
This generous philosophy toward service starts with Wayne and has been adopted by the whole team. Recently, when an elderly, disabled woman couldn’t afford a new water heater, a member of the PlumbSmart team asked if he could install one for her for free, and the team quickly agreed. “They showed up at her home with a new free water heater and installed it for free,” the woman’s friend Charlotte recounted. “The plumbing technician even donated his time. With all of the negative that we see, it was not only refreshing but a blessing to see a company truly care.” It’s become such a part of the company’s culture that
Wayne hadn’t even been aware of the good deed until he read the glowing review.
“I am so proud of my guys,” he said.
“They’re my people who buy into what I know is a winning formula for doing business.”
This strategy has done well for PlumbSmart, which has continued to grow dramatically year-after-year, even through the pandemic.
This year, for the fourth year in a row, PlumbSmart was also voted Best East Valley Plumber by the residents of Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler in the East Valley Tribune’s annual Best of the Best survey. Wayne attributes this to one thing — fair prices 40 to 50 percent below PlumbSmart’s major competitors. He shares that 87 percent of all complaints about plumbers are about the price, and when he founded PlumbSmart he set out to change the situation.
“All of our trucks say, ‘Plumbers Charge Too Much,’” Wayne said. “The irony of that was extraordinary to the public because it basically says what they know.” To ensure fair pricing, the PlumbSmart team asks their clients three times if they feel good about the price they’ve been quoted for their job — which ensures that they do. They ask when they give the estimate, when they are paying for the service, and a final call from the office. They’ll even quote for homeowners who may be using a different company to help assure them they have a fair price
Those struggling financially still have plumbing situations and we’ve got to take care of them,” Wayne said. “I want people to know that we’re a safe zone. We’re a plumbing and air conditioning safe zone.”
PlumbSmart is located at 3010 E. Main Street, Building 1 in Mesa. To learn more, call (480) 654-8865 or visit itsjustplumbsmart.com.