Plumbers and electricians will rape you good!.......Is there any truth to that?

[HAMSTER INSPECTOR]

I was told by a plumber that if he has to go and do a small job that takes 20 minutes, his boss tells him to take 2 or 3 hours to do the job. He tell me that if he did the job in the real time it takes he will be fired. He often tells the client that he does not have the part and has to go get it when in actual fact he has it in his truck and goes for a ride to kill time. He will do many things to kill time and also break parts that are not broken. His boss sais that if he charges only 1 hour to do a 20 minute job ( $90 ) the plumbers salary will be $100 to $120 for the half day plus truck plus insurance for the truck plus gas plus misc expenses. WTF is this world coming to when you can not trust your fellow man!

 

[keepmovingforward]

to be honest, its not a big deal. dont ever look at it like ur paying by the hour because u never will be imo. you really pay to get the job done. most companies i think are too small to have stand bys...and when you call someone over...it can take them half a day to get to your place...get the job done and drive back. everyone needs to eat. with the competition out there, as long as they arent charging you something that is completely stupid...thats just the way it is. helpful hint...learn to do the job urself or know a good handy man and be his best friend. lol

 

[squash500]

How about HVAC guys and auto mechanics, not to mention lawyers.

They all have the power to cheat you.

So do financial advisors .

 

[Cycleguy007]

This thread is the reason why in many cases I prefer to do it myself. If I don't KNOW how to, I will either learn, or get a trusted friend to help. Of course this is not ALWAYS possible, so additional research may be necessary... In any case, by doing so I GREATLY reduce the chances of getting ripped off.

 

[great bear]

The real downside in calling a plumber is you have to look at the crack in their ass when they are working underneath the sink.

 

[Rockslinger]

As a small customer, get use to paying $150-$200 anytime you call a plumber because anything less is not worth their time. Try to get a list of plumbing stuff to do and then call the plumber.

Has anyone called a plumber to their home and got charged less than $150 (regardless of the job)? BTW AMERICAN STANDARD really stand behind their products. Had a toilet installed and there was a leak from one of the gaskets, the American Standard folks sent their own plumber at their own expense to fix the problem.

 

[Rockslinger]

The real downside in calling a plumber is you have to look at the crack in their ass when they are working underneath the sink.

Did you ever get a female plumber?

 

[great bear]

Did you ever get a female plumber?

Yes, but she refused to drain my pipes.

 

[Rockslinger]

Yes, but she refused to drain my pipes.

Those kind of plumbers charge $300 an hour.

 

[james t kirk]

Those kind of plumbers charge $300 an hour.

Yeah, and strangely enough we pay.

I remember reading a thread a long time ago from an SP who was complaining about what it cost to replace the mirror on her car and she was trying to negotiate the mechanic down. I thought that that was kind of funny.

 

[james t kirk]

To the question at hand.

Do it yourself or be prepared to pay 200 to 300 bucks to change a washer.

The only time I'd be calling a plumber is to have my sewer camera'd or snaked out. (I've had to go that route a couple of times and I was pretty happy with the level of service I got from the company.)

 

[Rockslinger]

Maybe I imagined this but I thought there is an organization of "retired" tradespeople who are willing to do small jobs at a reasonable price.

 

[squash500]

Yeah, and strangely enough we pay.

I remember reading a thread a long time ago from an SP who was complaining about what it cost to replace the mirror on her car and she was trying to negotiate the mechanic down. I thought that that was kind of funny.

Maybe if the sp had tried to negotiate the mechanic UP she might have had more success in getting him to lower his price .

 

[Rockslinger]

Not 100% sure but I think certain electrical jobs are required by law to be done by a licensed electrician. I think this law is called the "Electrician Income Protection Act".

 

[james t kirk]

Not 100% sure but I think certain electrical jobs are required by law to be done by a licensed electrician. I think this law is called the "Electrician Income Protection Act".

Home owners are allowed to wire their own homes.

Home wiring is fairly simple, but I agree, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

If you do know what you're doing, then I see no reason in the world to hire an electrician.

I've seen licensed electricians who were downright stupid when it came to wiring and house and I've seen carpenters (seriously) do amazing electrical work.

 

[Tangwhich]

Home owners are allowed to wire their own homes.

Home wiring is fairly simple, but I agree, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

The new code book just came out and I didn't have a chance to read it yet, but I've been told from multiple sources that ESA are no longer going to (or already are not) issuing permits to homeowners.
Even being a licensed electrician is no longer satisfactory. You need to be bonded/insured/masters license, etc to pull a permit.. they are really cracking down on fly by night electrical work.

 

[james t kirk]

The new code book just came out and I didn't have a chance to read it yet, but I've been told from multiple sources that ESA are no longer going to (or already are not) issuing permits to homeowners.
Even being a licensed electrician is no longer satisfactory. You need to be bonded/insured/masters license, etc to pull a permit.. they are really cracking down on fly by night electrical work.

They should be more worried about cracking down on Fly by Day Electricians who do shitty work.

 

[Never Compromised]

I'm in a condo and did some plumbing work myself when the corp. was changing the risers. The copper part was passed by the inspector and the wall was sealed up.

Later did the drains under the kitchen sink. When the condo sent around a plumbing company to clean the drains, I was served a notice that I had to remove the plumbing I had put in as I had used the black ABS. Apparently only the grey ABS is to be used in multi-residential units. The kicker is that several places told me that only a licensed plumber could buy the stuff. A can of paint was much cheaper.

When I had a drain cut to put in a washing machine drain, I had a plumber do it. At $100 plus tax for a house call, there is nothing to really complain about. If the thing leaks and I flood the neighbour below me, I will have legal recourse.

 

[Tangwhich]

They should be more worried about cracking down on Fly by Day Electricians who do shitty work.

They are.. noticed there's a lot less of those "Mr. Potlight" type posters on lamp posts these days? ESA are on a mission and I'm seeing results..

 

[Danolo]

I had a similar situation. I needed a well pump replaced and the plumber drove 50 kms to tell me he didn't have a replacement pump and had to get me one.

I waited until the job was done and then called his boss and told him I was not paying for the traveling time and he could either accept fair payment, or remove his pump.

He took an hour off the time charges and I was satisfied.

One thing have found very valuable is the use of forums. There are forums, like this one (well, almost like this one) on every conceivable subject... truck repair, plumbing, electrical, so if you have the time to research the problem and its solution, that info will arm you when you do have to call an expert.

My favorite forum (next to terb) is the Ford truck enthusiasts forum. Its saved me a lot of money on truck repairs.

And further, if you can develop a few good contacts locally who can do the work, or know someone who can do it, then you may not get ripped off. My neighbor is a mechanic and my other neighbor is a plumber.