I have a home warranty. The garbage disposal in the kitchen sink went kaput, and I called the warranty company. They dispatched a plumber from their list of contractors. He said the disposal had to be replaced and then called the warranty company to tell them that.
Then he informed me that the drain plumbing under the sinks was not hooked up properly, and he could not put in the new disposal until it was fixed. The warranty would pay for the new disposal, but they would not pay for the plumbing, which would cost $275.00.
There are two sinks side-by-side. The drain from the disposal goes across to join the drain from the other sink, then down to a P trap, then out the back wall to the sewer. All of it is PVC pipe. All the sections of pipe laid end to end would be slightly over 3 feet, and not all of that needed to be replaced.
How does the $275.00 compare with the rest of the country? Was I being gouged?
The rest of the story: I went to the hardware store and paid $17.00 for some PVC sections and joints and installed it myself that night. When the plumber showed up the next morning he had only to install the new disposal. He grudgingly said it looked good and didn't complain about losing his windfall.