Get a plumber next time....

Thursday afternoon, 4:45pm I get a call from a customer I've worked for before.

Water pouring all over the downstairs cloakroom, had to turn the mains off, can't cook the kids tea or give them a bath.

I get there at 5:30pm. The leak is from the fill valve connection. Not a drip, water gushes out when you turn the mains back on.

Turns out it had been dripping and her husband tried to fix it - with a hammer believe it or not.

By 6:20pm I've replaced the fill valve & the tap connector & straightened the siphon so the fill valve arm doesn't get caught on it anymore.

I give the lady the bill - £62:50 including parts & labour.

She goes into drama queen mode, she didn't expect it to be that much, it was much too expensive, would I accept £50?

I would point out at this juncture that this is a 4 bed des res, with a

2 year old Ford Galaxy & a 1 year old Focus in the drive.

She eventually paid the full amount grudgingly.

Any guesses as to her ethnic origins?

Clue - the capital city is Abuja.

Told her not to bother me again.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman
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If paid by cheque, do you have a tennis racquet?

Reply to
Nick

Ever been abroad? It's natural to haggle over prices in many countries.

You must have plenty work.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

And when in Rome....

He probably has plently of work when he is only charging £62.50 inc parts for such a job.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

But it's frowned upon - called 'going native'. By the English.

It certainly sounds a reasonable price for the job. Especially outside normal working hours.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That's just natural haggling. She'd have been happier if you'd quoted

80, then allowed her to haggle you down to 70. There's no malice or tight-fistedness in it, it's just habit.

You could try working for my F-i-L. You couldn't find anyone more ethnically English than him (Midlands / Brummie, probably descended from Shakespeare, if not Falstaff himself), yet he can haggle the back legs off a shark. You'd have ended up getting paid 50, buying some dreadful piece of china from him for half of that back, and still thinking you'd come out on top.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

But not in Kent.

I do - more than I know what to do with.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Very reasonable indeed, in the circumstances.

Reply to
Newshound

Not sure if anyone still does this, but my first ever solicitor in the

70's had a rather charming style in his bills. He'd itemise the search fees, put in the hours and the rate, add them all up and write something like this

total, £2142-76

But say, £2100

Reply to
Newshound

My solicitor here has done this on a couple of conveyancing transactions. I guess you're meant to feel profoundly grateful that you've 'only' been charged the lower amount.

Reply to
Tony Bryer

Cash only :-)

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

TBF the parts only cost me £3:50 so I ended up with £59 for 50 mins work. I can live with that.

Point being a plumber would have charged £100+.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Don't forget travel to and from etc ;-)

Easily...

Reply to
John Rumm

I'm surprised they had the knowledge to find the stop c*ck and turn it off! I also would have quoted a call out over the phone especially at that time of day and then reaffirmed that 'before' doing anything. I find most people would be perfectly prepared to pay £100 for that kind of repair and would be happy to hand it over, glad that you came on such short notice. It would not be extortion, just basic Market economics and might just persuade them to leave the hammer alone next time :)

Reply to
Dean Heighington

Yes, if I need an emergency plumber it seems the bill will always have three figures or they are mysteriously unavailable. Strange that. as for ethnic moths in wallet syndrome, I don't actually think its got much to do with ethnicity, more to do with logic. if someone is actually making money at the moment its because they are ruthless, and stingy as they just cannot make money any other way.

I do however find that some of the people who shall we say came from an African country, but are Asian, and their offspring are very , erm lets be charitable here, thrifty, almost up to Yorkshirmean standards in fact.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Did you mean to type 'Yorkshireman' or not?

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Last year a two year old flexi pipe under the kitchen sink blew. Water pissing everywhere. I got the bottom part off but my hand just would not fit behind the sink. A neighbour with smaller hands than me got it off. I would gladly have a paid a plumber whatever he wanted to do it. Pakis etc are not worth dealing with.

Reply to
Mr Pounder

On the olden days we just shot foreigners and pinched their country.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

I have done a lot of work on traveller sites around South Yorkshire.

I usually double my quote and then let them haggle. It keeps everyone happy.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Or 'Aberdonian/Highland' hotelier'?

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

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