Unpleasant experience with a plumber today

[Karen G]

The faucet in our laundry room broke, we bought a new one, and called a plumber to ask what the charge would be to install it. The girl who answered the phone said the charge would be $165 an hour since we were providing the faucet ourselves. We set up the appointment and the plumber even came earlier than the set time. I had told the girl on the phone that we had a coupon for $50 in our HOA magazine, and she said that could be applied to the service.

The job took about an hour and when the plumber was done he said he'd go to his truck and compute the charges. I gave him the coupon upfront. When he came back inside he said with the $50 coupon and the 10% veteran's discount, it came to $458!! When we questioned him he said he had to replace the two little valves that turn on the hot and cold water as they had a lot of calcium
build-up.

We said that couldn't be correct as the girl on the phone said the charge was $165 an hour. He said he knew that but she's not supposed to give out prices on the phone like that. We persisted in arguing with him that that wasn't our problem. Finally, he said he'd recalculate it since we were such "nice people." Then he said it would be $115, which would be the $165 minus the $50 coupon. I quickly wrote out the check and he was on his way. Before he left he did say he needed a couple of signatures. The thing I was signing was on his phone in small print and I'm not sure what it said. He said it was just an authorization that we let him do the work and that it was complete.

I don't think we'll be calling that company again!

 

[Patri]

I would report his behavior to the company. He is scamming customers and giving the company a bad reputation.
PS $165 an hour is a lot!

 

[DannyTS]

It seems he got a sales training at Westgate

 

[Luanne]

I would report his behavior to the company. He is scamming customers and giving the company a bad reputation.
PS $165 an hour is a lot!

I found this when looking for what a plumber will charge.

The cost of a plumber ranges from $175 to $450 for a typical job with the average cost per hour ranging from $45 to $200. This can include jobs like repairing faucets, toilets, sinks or ... bathtubs. Depending on the job, some plumbers charge a flat rate, or service fee of $300 on average

 

[DaveNV]

At our place here in Mesquite, I had two new toilets, a new undersink Reverse Osmosis system, new kitchen faucet, and new plumbing put in for the dishwasher we installed. The rates were $90 an hour for labor, plus parts. We provided the toilets and faucet, so the parts provided by them were minimal. I think all that work was about $600, including the R/O system. Not bad at all.

I think your plumber was trying to pay for his kid's braces.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

It sounds like this guy is trying to fleece customers at every opportunity. Good for you in challenging him on the bill!

I am also finding that it is like the wild wild west with getting work done here with our move into the new home. We wanted new garage door openers and potentially new garage doors as one of the two has been damaged by the previous owners. First quote came in at $3,800 for new doors and motors. Second quote came from a handyman, referred to us by our realtor, $2000 just for the motor change, no kidding. Today we met with another garage door installer. His quote for new garage doors and belt drive motors with wifi for a total of $2,100. We could not have said yes fast enough. He is coming back tomorrow to replace the garage door openers/motors and new doors on Monday.

 

[davidvel]

I appreciate the guy was a crook (replacing angle valves due to built up calcium without telling the customer ahead of time), but OP had the work done without an upfront quote in writing. It seems she paid a fair price in the end, but that was more perseverance and luck.

All these service types make money based on how much they charge, which is all over the place.

 

[klpca]

My interior decorator is always posting that anyone with high school aged kids should tell them to train to be plumbers as she is always looking for a plumber to install fixtures. Looking at those prices, some of them are higher than my billing rate!

 

[pedro47]

To the OP, I would report this plumber to his company . You did two things correctly
1. You question the billing amount.
2. You paid this plumber by check.

 

[AnnaS]

Wow - that is nuts. I like to know upfront too what the charge is going to be and sometimes not possible but you did have an idea/estimate. I hate the hourly work - they can take their sweet time, screw something else up and I would never know.

Too bad you did not know or knew someone who could recommend one. They are like mechanics. Even doctors - it's all based on honesty and trust. Too many crooks out there/someone trying to make an extra buck/scheming people/make mistakes.

Now something like this, I would be afraid to write a review on the company/person. I would be worry if the person got fired/reprimanded & someone might show up at my door. It could also be how the company operates and they blame it on the person doing the work.

Can't trust anyone unfortunately.

 

[Patri]

His quote for new garage doors and belt drive motors with wifi for a total of $2,100. We could not have said yes fast enough. He is coming back tomorrow to replace the garage door openers/motors and new doors on Monday.

That is very close to the quote I got for the very same thing. Good for you.

 

[shorep]

If he changes valves because of calcium build up it is fortunate he did not go to sea and work in a ships engine room, he would not have time to eat or sleep.........or anything else!

 

[DrQ]

To the OP, I would report this plumber to his company . You did two things correctly
1. You question the billing amount.
2. You paid this plumber by check.

In this state, plumbers are licensed, so you could write a complaint to the licensing agency.

 

[Passepartout]

This is a time when professional workers can (and do) gouge prices for all they're worth. Housing shortages. A buyers' market and construction have led to high repair prices and hard-to-get appointments.
About 3 weeks ago, our gas water heater died. DW started calling plumbers as I vacuumed and mopped up water. She hired the first one where a human answered the phone- all the rest had answering machines. $1800 and 8 hours later we had hot water. And allegedly a 3-year discount on future plumbing work.

 

[DaveNV]

Since moving to Nevada, I’ve been building a list of competent, qualified tradespeople to handle the things that have come up. Most have been based on referrals. In a few cases I’ve called for bids, and chosen what felt right. Those who have proven worth the work are on the list. I now know I can call a plumber, electrician, painter, handyman, and so forth. The best part is when someone asks if I “know anybody who can do...” I can give them a confident referral.

Dave

 

[bbodb1]

You know, for just the briefest of moments, I thought I was on Cosmopolitan's website........

 

[rickandcindy23]

My nephew is a master plumber and consistently hears about these companies. I wanted to call him about Rick's stepmom's house, which is on the market here in the Denver area. Our prospective buyer had the sewer system scoped, found a crack and was trying to get $9,000 for the repair. I was going to have my nephew drive up from TX to fix the pipe, with our son's and Rick's help, of course, but Rick listed the house as-is for a great price, so that buyer decided to buy it anyway. We got the contract last night. I guess buying for $415 and being able to sell it with some repairs for $500K in a few months seemed worth it to the guy. Maybe he found someone to repair it cheaper. $9K is ridiculous.

I admit her house needs some work. It was remodeled in the 90's and mid 2000's, so the bathrooms were looking fairly old, and the kitchen is a poor layout. She had the cabinets put all the way to the ceiling and had to use a stepstool to reach the second shelf. I was always worried she would fall. I would have planned that kitchen differently, but she didn't ask me.

 

[zinger1457]

Most small jobs around the house like replacing a faucet don't require a licensed plumber. If you're not willing to DIY it's worth getting referrals from friends and neighbors for a competent local handyman. Mr Fix-It around here charges $90/hr., other independents are cheaper.

 

[Big Matt]

I would report his behavior to the company. He is scamming customers and giving the company a bad reputation.
PS $165 an hour is a lot!

I would be very surprised if he wasn't trained to do exactly what he did. My guess is if OP complains that he will be reprimanded for not holding firm on the price. It's the one on the phone who would probably get into trouble. HVAC works exactly the same way.

 

[Big Matt]

It sounds like this guy is trying to fleece customers at every opportunity. Good for you in challenging him on the bill!

I am also finding that it is like the wild wild west with getting work done here with our move into the new home. We wanted new garage door openers and potentially new garage doors as one of the two has been damaged by the previous owners. First quote came in at $3,800 for new doors and motors. Second quote came from a handyman, referred to us by our realtor, $2000 just for the motor change, no kidding. Today we met with another garage door installer. His quote for new garage doors and belt drive motors with wifi for a total of $2,100. We could not have said yes fast enough. He is coming back tomorrow to replace the garage door openers/motors and new doors on Monday.

You got a fair price for basic garage doors and installation. The cost of the garage doors is mainly what drives up the price. Openers and labor shouldn't be much different from company to company.

 

[silentg]

My daughter replaced her bathroom faucets herself. She did an excellent job. She is a professional musician but talented in many ways.

 

[geekette]

I have the absolute worst luck with plumbers in the area of competence. The last one, I knew more than he did. That's scary.

I would generally not use a friend or handyman for plumbing or electrical. If something is 'fixed wrong', I want a company standing behind that work.

On little projects that I think I can handle myself, I do know when to stop and call for help. I have the doctor mindset: first do no harm...

 

[Talent312]

IMHO, the old adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself," is true.
Hence, if it's something that I can learn how to do on YouTube, I'm game to try it.

.

 

[easyrider]

We had a $600 per day per man working on small jobs mostly for realtors. Some times it would take 20 minutes. Most of our jobs were bid type with a decent profit margin. I don't know how a contractor could charge less and be legit. Besides the taxes, L&I, business insurance, employee benefit package , paid days off and medical costs there is safety equipment, tools, work wear, vehicles, training, travel costs and accidents that are paid. Then to keep track of things there are professional costs like the CPA and attorney.

My point is I don't see anything wrong with what the plumber did. He did adjust the amount when he was made aware of it. It is a bit overkill to hire a plumber instead of an insured handy man to install a faucet, imo. Doing this is like hiring a surgeon to take your temperature.

Bill

 

[clifffaith]

Something yesterday made Cliff recall out loud our most bizarre plumbing experience. 23 years and 4 houses ago we moved our gas dryer into a garage with no gas hookup. Called a plumber in our new town and set an appointment for Monday. Over the weekend we continued getting settled in our new home, and installed a shelf over the washer/dryer for bleach and detergent. Cliff went off to Boeing and I greeted plumber Monday morning. A couple hours later he calls me out to the garage to show me his handiwork. He drilled a hole through the new shelf to install the gas pipe, and he was so proud of himself!