Sketchy plumber, or not?

[Jackalope]

We had a clogged sink drain that I wasn't able to clear, so I asked my girlfriend to call a plumber. They came out this afternoon.

The guy farts around for an hour and a half, and when he's done, leaves a bill with my girlfriends adult son for $375 + tax ($250 per hour). When I find out, I smell a rat, and I couldn't get on the phone to them fast enough. The dispatcher says I can call the office manager in the morning. Nope, she can call me. I'm pretty hot about it so I figure talking to her in the morning, so I let her call go to voicemail when she called half an hour later.

A few minutes after that, she calls my girlfriend and profusely apologizes for the "mistake" and says that supposedly the plumber was "confused" and thought he was at a different job - where apparently they charge a different labor rate because they authorized the use of a "hydro jet", whereas we didn't. They did end up using a hydro jet when the guy couldn't otherwise clear the drain, but nobody ever said anything about additional charges for that service. He had basically given up when "all of a sudden it started working". Inspires confidence, that.

So the final bill ends up being $225 + tax, which is still quite a bit higher than the last time I hired a plumber for the same drain.

The dispatcher had claimed that if they used the hydro jet that it would have been for a main line clog. Well, that's pretty much impossible as the kitchen sink is the closest to the street, and none of the other drains - all of which are lower than the kitchen - none were backed up, despite being heavily used. There's all of 8 feet of pipe between the kitchen and the bathroom, if it was the main, it's impossible that those wouldn't back up first.

It may be relevant that until I called to complain, for all they knew, my girlfriend is a single mom.

Sketchy, or not?

[SteelCurtain]

Sketchy.

Shouldn't cost $400 to clear a fookin drain. Shit, you could replace the entire trap and replumb the entire thing for like $50.

I think if there wasn't a person paying attention, they try and take advantage. I'd leave an Angie's List review about the company.

[vorlon13]

I'm a farm boy, handle that sort of thing myself.

Now, replacing the sink and faucets ?? FTS, hire it done, and happily pay the bill after enjoying a couple hours of delightful hairy hunky plumber butt crack.

Jesus, that poor guy was mentally raped the whole time he was here . . . .


BTW, entire time I was growing up we had continuing kitchen sink drain problems. Eventually, dad relented and we got a portable dishwasher and had 99% less drain trouble after that. The hot soapy water kept the pipes clean as a whistle. Amazing benefit for having the thing.

I still run waste boiling pasta water down the bathroom drains to dissolve toothpaste and shaving scum buildup. Don't use boiling water on ceramic toilets or porcelain bathtubs.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yeah, total scamology. Let them know you're going to give them bad word-of-mouth, and see what you get offered.

[Whateverist]

There should be a "The Bastards!" option.

Would a Roto-rooter sort of business have been any cheaper?

[Seraphina]

Sounds like a rip-off to me. I paid about $170 to a plumber on an emergency after-hours call a few years ago when something broke in my kitchen faucet and it wouldn't turn off. And I'm a single mom for reals.
SteelCurtain mentioned Angie's List - I've used them a lot to find home repair-type companies, in fact, that's where I found the emergency plumber.
At least you were able to negotiate the bill down but I definitely wouldn't use them again.

-Teresa

[Fireball]

I'm in the sketchy vote ballot, like everyone else so far.

Back when I was working mega-overtime, my son youngest flushed all the dog crap down the toilet like he was supposed to do. (You are not supposed to put that in the regular trash, FYI). But he "unknowingly" scooped up a stick that jammed the trap in one of the bathrooms. My wife called out a plumber to take care of it. The guy goofed with it a little, and then declared that the '94 earthquake (we currently live about 18 miles from the epicenter) had cracked the drain pipes, and the concrete floor would have to be jack hammered out and the pipes repaired. My wife sent him packing and called a different plumber. He was full of shit, since the master bathroom toilet and tub/shower use the same drain piping, and they flowed just fine (and they are upstream). The second plumber found the stick in the toilet and cleared the blockage. I'm not saying that the first guy was a crook, but incompetence can be criminal sometimes, as far as I am concerned. Just go to you tube and watch the video of "Flakes" by Frank Zappa.

[Jackalope]

Seriously, no one is gonna vote 'Fuck all polls'?

[Jackalope]

I'm a farm boy, handle that sort of thing myself.

I do most of it myself too, this one just eluded me. Snake must have taken a bad turn, I could not find the clog and it couldn't have been far. Light plumbing, electrical, all that, but I know when I'm above my pay grade.

[Cyberman]

We had a clogged sink drain that I wasn't able to clear, so I asked my girlfriend to call a plumber.  They came out this afternoon.

The same day?

Scam. Definitely.