Did I get scammed by a plumber?

[Pocket10s]

Hi there,

2 weeks or so ago a plumber came over to fix a problem in my bathroom. While he was there I asked him to do 2 other jobs in the house.

While doing one of those jobs, which should be really simple. It turned into something much bigger as the previous person did something on the pipe. This meant either it had to be fixed there and then or water shut off at the mains.

Basically one of those bum washing things on the wall I want to remove and just put on a stop at the end. Instead he had to remove all the tile around it as it was over-tightened and would leak when the water was on. He said the reason was that the previous person put it on way too tight, and there was no way for him to know.

I'm left with a removed tile with not a clue really how to replace it. Also the costs he mentioned are way over what I thought they were going to be in the end and now I'm pretty pee'vd off.

I wanted to trust him when he said its not his fault it happened but have I been scammed??

 

[ChrisD.]

Before worrying about being scammed, I presume you checked reviews and Check A Trade etc for the workman/company that did the work?

 

[Pocket10s]

Before worrying about being scammed, I presume you checked reviews and Check A Trade etc for the workman/company that did the work?

I did indeed, I found him on checkatrade. And before I agreed the extra work I checked Facebook and other websites. All positive.

 

[The_Arbiter]

Sounds potentially legit, but without more info and price it's anybody's guess.

 

[Pocket10s]

Price breakdown below:

Labour:

Repair broken fill valve on toilet + fit it back and finish £120
Put on stop on the bum wash thing - £20
Fit new tap to replace one that was dripping - £40

Parts: £40

Total was initially £200 - once he saw the issue when removing the bum wash thing from the wall, and the leaking - he had to remove the tile to get enough pipe to put the stop on. Now he's saying the total cost is £240 labour + £30 parts, after I negotiated it down. He said once I source a replacement tile (no idea how) he will fit and finish it for £40, waiving the call-out/ material cost.

One thing I'm really miffed about is that he said the costs and they were all labour - then at the end while walking out he said "Oh I forgot to mention cost for parts".

 

[Slam62]

Not too bad tbh

 

[taB]

No, you haven't been scammed.

 

[azazl187]

Price breakdown below:

Labour:

Repair broken fill valve on toilet + fit it back and finish £120
Put on stop on the bum wash thing - £20
Fit new tap to replace one that was dripping - £40

Parts: £40

Total was initially £200 - once he saw the issue when removing the bum wash thing from the wall, and the leaking - he had to remove the tile to get enough pipe to put the stop on. Now he's saying the total cost is £240 labour + £30 parts, after I negotiated it down. He said once I source a replacement tile (no idea how) he will fit and finish it for £40, waiving the call-out/ material cost.

One thing I'm really miffed about is that he said the costs and they were all labour - then at the end while walking out he said "Oh I forgot to mention cost for parts".

Sounds legit. He needs to work on his customer communication though

 

[teenwolf]

Seems like he did what he had to do and fixed the issue

 

[Hawk Tuah]

All sounds pretty reasonable.

And please stop saying 'bum wash thing'. You don't have a poo receptacle (toilet) and a body washer (shower) in your bathroom. It's a bidet (or a douche kit, if that's what you're describing).

 

[CapitalOne]

Why would you want to get rid of a wall mounted bum washer? Do you mean a bidet? In which case fine

 

[SimonR]

This is a troll right? I can’t believe anyone is quibbling over an extra £70 on a £200 ‘estimate’ with a breakdown in additional costs. You are lucky to get a plumber for £200 in the first place. Oh and Checkatrade - yeah, don’t bother.

 

[azazl187]

All sounds pretty reasonable.

And please stop saying 'bum wash thing'. You don't have a poo receptacle (toilet) and a body washer (shower) in your bathroom. It's a bidet (or a douche kit, if that's what you're describing).

Calm down fella

 

[teenwolf]

Ok I will bite surely that job the man of the house could have done on his own ?

 

[The_Arbiter]

Ok I will bite surely that job the man of the house could have done on his own ?

Tbf, many people have their car serviced by a garage but are easily competent of doing it, talking oil and filter change.

 

[bainbridge]

Tbf, many people have their car serviced by a garage but are easily competent of doing it, talking oil and filter change.

That's true, but what else could I use my raise my car in the air thing and my undo an oil filter thing for?

 

[Holst1981]

Ok I will bite surely that job the man of the house could have done on his own ?

Plumbing is one of my least favourite DIY jobs.

If everything goes according to plan it's fine but I often find I need an extra part/adaptor/fitting that makes everything take much longer.
Easier to get somebody with a van full of such things to do the job for me.

 

[Semple]

Ok I will bite surely that job the man of the house could have done on his own ?

After looking at the labour cost for replacing a fill valve . It's a 20 minute job and a decent part is about £15.

 

[jaybee]

Those prices are fine. I got quoted £250 to replace a bathroom tap here in the south east for example. I wouldn't have let him make up new prices or leave without finishing though. Always agree prices first.

 

[413x]

Why would you want to get rid of a wall mounted bum washer? Do you mean a bidet? In which case fine

That's what I assumed he meant!
As a kid my grandparents had a bidet. I hope it wasn't used as we used to play with it a lot. Not knowing what it was for!