I would certainly query what was involved that took three hours.
I would certainly query what was involved that took three hours.
Did you ask for an explanation of what complications they had becaus
that is definetly not a 3 hour job. cheer
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1crazygirl"Hypnotist" wrote: We could use some advice on the price of some work we had done. Our kitchen tap broke so we bought a new one and hired a plumber to come out and change them over. There weren't any complications but it took him three hours in total, so the firm have billed us £156. That seems a lot of money just to plumb a new tap into an existing fitting.
Is that what you guys would expect to pay or are we being overcharged? How long should it normally take for work like that to be done?
Thanks in advance,
Don
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Are you in central London? If outside London that seems a bit steep. In future, ask for an estimate first.
Get him back and say something like....
"These are not the droids you are looking for, we can go on our way. You have got your bill wrong and need to reduce it by =A3100"
Seems to me he advertises in relevant newsgroups. He doesn't spam uk.d-i-y with them. What's your problem? Maybe a session with him will make you feel better
MBQ
Nonononono, plumbers get money /or/ personal favours. Both is excessive.
Owain
The 3 hours fitting sounds long - but in some cases when there a lot of complications it could take that. The 3 hours might include travel time.
Anyone who complains should be asked why they didn't do it themselves:
Here's some stock answers and my view.
A:"My time is more valuable than to do plumbing." "Then your time is very valuable indeed and I've saved your three hours. "
A:"I wouldn't have been able to do it." "Well that's how much someone who can costs."
A:"I didn't know it was so easy." Either: "It isn't, I just make it look easy." Or: "Well you could have found out how to do it on the internet."
A:"I don't have the specialist tools" "Yes, good tools are expensive, cheap ones more so." In practice I'm much nicer that this - but that's the theory.
I like your style!
Mary
>
It all sounds pretty depressing to me, everybody who knows anything using it to hold everyone else to ransom. Great society eh? I was called on to write a note for a CORGI the other day. I had the keys to a neighbour's house while she was at work, and there were things about the boiler he needed to tell her. He explained that he "didn't get much education" and asked if I could write the note for him. I knew how to write, and he didn't but, guess what, I didn't charge him a penny.
Who says there weren't any complications: you or them? If there weren't any then 3 hours is a bit OTT and £156 for 3 hours isn't exactly cheap (£52 per hour) though one sees worse rates. Mostly when I replace a
2-hole mixer tap it takes over 1 hour and if the pipework is particularly fiddly or the tap awkward to get at it can take 2 or so. That includes fitting isolation valves and sometimes sorting out existing crappy pipework and joints.
I don't. It _could_ have taken 3 hours, but that would be _with_ complications (and/or maybe as Ed suggested he added travelling time). You don't make it clear who says there were no complications (or what one would define as complications).
I'm sure in your psychotherapeutic role you occasionally find some work you do with clients takes longer than you'd expect.
There's no harm in politely expressing surprise as the length of time and consequent amount of the bill, and asking why it took so long. If he's a reasonable guy he'll tell you straight, if he hedges then you'll know not to use him again.
while I guess you work for free huh? ;-)
Don't CORGI registered plumbers have to sit a written exam?
Yes:- I recently changed my kitchen mixer for a new one, with the same
15mm threads. But those about an inch longer than the original. To alter the pipework with isolation valves and washing machine tap would have been a major job (because of space), so the only practical option was to cut down the threads. And to do this properly takes time and care, since it is a mating face.IMHO, it's all to easy to say what a job should cost or take in time when you don't know the first thing about it...;-)
Multiple choice no doubt. Put your thumbprint in the right box....
You could ask Mr. Sirett whether an ilitriate person could register as a CORGI installer. He's been through the process...
I'm sure you *have* to be ilitriate - or even illiterate - to qualify as a CORGI!
^^^^^^^^^
Oh dear. ;-)
But Mr S isn't ilitriate, so possibly not the best person to judge.
Why don't you just try the exams - you might surprise yourself.
Owain
You *have* to wrote it like that too get spelling falmes, ect. This *is* usenet!
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