Plumber rip off?

Showboat · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:16

I've had a plumber out to fix the mains water connection which connects from the floor into the sink, now this wasn't more than a 15min job, and can't have cost more than a few quid in parts.

How can he possibly be looking for £75?

Wife called him and dealt with him as i was away.

How do you go about complaining against such a rip off? Feel like calling the cops!

LizardKing · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:19

Call out fee is usually an hours labour min, £75 is not that unreasonable.

bam0 · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:19

In terms of actual time out of his day it's probably over an hour, that's why most tradesmen have minimum charges and call out fees. It's not just the time in your house you're paying for.

Alrik · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:20

Some of that will be a call out charge I think, then you get charged by every 15 or 30 mins. That's what a few plumbers do around my area anyway. Don't forget that call out fee also covers anytime he spent traveling to yours.

dun · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:21

Sound ok to me. If it was such an easy job next time you do it/ tell your wife to wait for you to come home.

Showboat · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:22

I was expecting £40, £50 for a cheeky plumber....

dekez · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:24

Yeah £50 of that is probably call out charge, so it's not too bad.

gort · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:24

Was charged similar for 30mins of work to fix a leaking waste pipe for a washing machine.
Might seem a lot but I didn't have the tools or parts, they have the skill and they came out within an hour. Avoided lots of hassle so not too disgruntled with the cost.

Alrik · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:26

Might be different in N Ireland but around my area £75 seems normal. Half of that would be the call out fee.

Showboat · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:28

I can get a taxi from one end of the city to the other for £10, so i don't mind paying a bit for him to actually come out, £50 is extreme. And he is charging in 15min what most people earn in a day.

Jingo... · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:28

That's not an unreasonable price if you consider the breakdown of callout inc. travelling time, labour and parts.

Nick1881 · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:29

£75 sounds reasonable to me.

PiKe · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:29

Showboat said:
I can get a taxi from one end of the city to the other for £10, so i don't mind paying a bit for him to actually come out, £50 is extreme. And he is charging in 15min what most people earn in a day.

Take up plumbing then.

dun · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:30

Showboat said:
I can get a taxi from one end of the city to the other for £10, so i don't mind paying a bit for him to actually come out, £50 is extreme. And he is charging in 15min what most people earn in a day.

Next time fix it yourself, and revoke your wifes phone privileges until you get home unless its a super emergency.

Showboat · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:31

He was called in the morning and came out pretty quickly, if i'd called him after 6pm or at a weekend i would have expected a £40 callout fee prior to any work starting, but not during the normal working day.

I'm in the wrong job, no wonder he was able to come straight out, every customer he goes to uses him only once!

Hooa · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:33

I can't believe my younger bro has recently gave up his plumbing course to do music :eek:

Alrik · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:34

It might not be £50, that was just an example, the call out charge is just incase he does a lot of traveling from small job to small job.

If it wasn't for that call out charge those small jobs wouldn't be worth going to if he spends most of his day traveling from each 15 minute job. There should be some sort of working out on your receipt showing a break down of costs such as call out charge, parts and his hourly rate etc.

dekez · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:36

Showboat said:
I can get a taxi from one end of the city to the other for £10, so i don't mind paying a bit for him to actually come out, £50 is extreme. And he is charging in 15min what most people earn in a day.

Don't forget if he is a self employed plumber, he has to cover all the costs of his business, transportation, tools, tax, insurance, membership to professional bodies etc... He will also have to budget for times when he has little work, as he will not have a steady stream of income like employed people.

Alrik · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:38

Showboat said:
I'm in the wrong job, no wonder he was able to come straight out, every customer he goes to uses him only once!

I think you would find a lot of plumbers would charge a similar price and some even more depending on whether they are honest or not.

LizardKing · 10 Nov 2009 at 14:41

Would it have been better value for money if he made out he was working for an hour?
He did the job in the shortest time for a reasonable price that made it worth his while, seems like a decent plumber