Plumber costs

[Ole gits rule]

Breakdown is £102 for call out which includes 1 hour, however only a picture was taken of the ideal standard tap to check for spares.

Second visit at £135 labour and the rest tap.

I authorised the first as assumed it would be fixed with a ceramic insert. Mother in law dealt with the rest.

Why is the second visit more than the call out, normally the second visit is cheaper and lets be honest most plumbers would have driven to a local DIY store and bought a tap and come straight back sonly one call out charge

 

[dr_john]

That’s dreadful, I would ask for a detailed breakdown including his hourly rate and number of hours worked.

If he is a member of a trade organisation report it to them.

 

[Sidewaze Samm]

Breakdown is £102 for call out which includes 1 hour, however only a picture was taken of the ideal standard tap to check for spares.

Second visit at £135 labour and the rest tap.

I authorised the first as assumed it would be fixed with a ceramic insert. Mother in law dealt with the rest.

As you've not yet paid, check with Trading Standards to see if he's known to them. Your mother-in-law? you say? If she's elderly they'd almost certainly be interested as they take a very dim view on ripping off older people. If he's not known, maybe suggest to him that he rethinks the invoice before you consider referring to trading standards?
Did he actually give an accurate estimate prior to doing the job?

 

[MikeyH]

That’s disgusting, is he a member of any trade association, he’s taking advantage because she’s female. Did he quote for the work first and was this a written quote or just verbal? I’m a tradesman and it’s people like this that really pi*s me off.

 

[Flyingfifer]

I have not paid the invoice yet …

Good, ask for a detailed breakdown.

100% this, also if needed Citizens Advice has info and help available LINK

 

[pvr]

Thanks all. It is a local plumbing company with more than one plumber (think about 3 or so). Reviews are good, hence checking if I was completely out of touch with plumber rates ...)

 

[Smartbear]

Breakdown is £102 for call out which includes 1 hour, however only a picture was taken of the ideal standard tap to check for spares.

Second visit at £135 labour and the rest tap.

I authorised the first as assumed it would be fixed with a ceramic insert. Mother in law dealt with the rest.

So they charged £102 to check for spares, for a tap which cost £86 to replace with a new one? I should have been a plumber instead of a railway engineer :roll:
Rob

 

[TitanTim]

What gets my goat is the number of pensioners up and down the country who are non the wiser and get ripped off like this for the simplest of jobs :thumbsdown:

Tim.

 

[Angelus666]

A few of my good mates are in the trade (plumbers/sparkys) and over the past two years they are typically averaging £750 a day for their labour. The whole sector has gone utterly bonkers because of lockdown and people paying top money for home renovations. The sparky is always spinning 9-10 jobs, and typically bills £250 per 2 hour visit.....it's unbelievable.

 

[Flyingfifer]

So they charged £102 to check for spares, for a tap which cost £86 to replace with a new one? I should have been a plumber instead of a railway engineer :roll:
Rob

you definitely went down the wrong track, totally railroaded

 

[MikeyH]

Or is that off the tracks

 

[Bombardino]

My parent both in there mid to late eighties had an Age UK aproved plumber quote for a replacement 900x900 shower tray and encloser, aqua board on the 2 walls in the enclosure, a new shower valve, and a new higher toilet pan fitted. £8500 was the quote. Makes you wonder have many people actually fall for it, robbing bastatrds.

 

[MikeyH]

People are definitely taking advantage and using Covid as an excuse to put up the price imo. I can understand that the cost of materials has risen quite steeply due to shipping cost from abroad and of brexit adding to this. I know that in my experience of selling memorials that the cost of granite from abroad was recently increasing almost every week. This was due to shipping companies raising the cost of delivery by thousands of pounds. We have to pass this cost on but my ‘wages’ haven’t increased over this time. IMO the cost of building work is high due to a shortage of skilled electricians and plumbers so they can charge whatever they like.