quotes for changing taps and bath panel

OP: your original question should have been phrased better. Like how much does a good set of taps cost and can you recommend a good brand. But instead you dragged your plumber into it and juxtaposed his £150 tap next to a victoria plumb £60 nasty. Thus implying that your plumber is a robbing cowboy 'just like on the telly'. That bell-end Matt Allwright would investigate if he could - but someone would need to give him a lift as his sidekick seems to have been locked-up for...er, fraud.

You then went on to suggest that tradespeople should sell goods at cost unless agreed otherwise with the customer. What?

Lets explode the trade discount myth. Unless you are British Gas or Charlie Mullins, your plumber pays the same if not more for gear than you do. Prices at merchants are higher than DIY stores - but they stock things that B&Q don't stock and we need them to stay in business. So we are happy to pay a bit more and support them.

Like I said - you are a tradesman's nightmare because no matter how good and straight that trader is, in your eyes they will be immoral because they added ten quid to the price of a tap. Get real.

If you want advice from time-served tradespeople, for free, you need to at least pretend to show some degree of respect and appreciation. Or you could just use Google.

I would love the BBC to do a Rogue Customers programme - dishonesty, lies and theft on a scale that beggars belief. Start your own business and find out for yourself.
 
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Hootingowl.

yes the question could have been phrased better but I have explained it at least 3, 4 times in subsequent posts yet some keep going off on a tangent and have been very mean with their posts resulting in some mean posts by me. Sorry but you are not going to earn any respect if you wish flood in someones home and call them names.

I just wanted to gather some knowledge and I have explained many times in this thread that it is not about the plumber but the parts. Hence no mention of labour charges.

And you don't know if I have a business or not. In my industry I actually get cheaper deals for clients than going direct.

And please do not even pretend that all tradesmen are honest. It is not my concern at the moment and I can see that some are just using this thread to vent their frustrations. Please start your own thread. There may be rogue customers and please start your own topic if you want to discuss it further.
 
OP: your original question should have been phrased better. Like how much does a good set of taps cost and can you recommend a good brand. But instead you dragged your plumber into it and juxtaposed his £150 tap next to a victoria plumb £60 nasty. Thus implying that your plumber is a robbing cowboy 'just like on the telly'. That bell-end Matt Allwright would investigate if he could - but someone would need to give him a lift as his sidekick seems to have been locked-up for...er, fraud.

You then went on to suggest that tradespeople should sell goods at cost unless agreed otherwise with the customer. What?

Lets explode the trade discount myth. Unless you are British Gas or Charlie Mullins, your plumber pays the same if not more for gear than you do. Prices at merchants are higher than DIY stores - but they stock things that B&Q don't stock and we need them to stay in business. So we are happy to pay a bit more and support them.

Like I said - you are a tradesman's nightmare because no matter how good and straight that trader is, in your eyes they will be immoral because they added ten quid to the price of a tap. Get real.

If you want advice from time-served tradespeople, for free, you need to at least pretend to show some degree of respect and appreciation. Or you could just use Google.

I would love the BBC to do a Rogue Customers programme - dishonesty, lies and theft on a scale that beggars belief. Start your own business and find out for yourself.

Ach that's a wee shame poor Matt, it's not his fault his wop mate is banged up. Poor Matt can no longer get that throbbing sensation as he rides around clinging onto his chum on back of his bike.

Perhaps the OP could get wee Dom round his gaff to fight for justice, there's nothing like an ex-used car salesman taking the moral high ground & flushing out all you dodgy Tradesmen!!

So back off Hooty, you're right out of order son!!
 
OP: your original question should have been phrased better. Like how much does a good set of taps cost and can you recommend a good brand. But instead you dragged your plumber into it and juxtaposed his £150 tap next to a victoria plumb £60 nasty. Thus implying that your plumber is a robbing cowboy 'just like on the telly'.

lf.

errr No such implication if you bothered to read I actually said my plumber is really good. Please don't make this something which it isn't.
And you don't want to offer advise then simply don't reply.
 
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Lets explode the trade discount myth. Unless you are British Gas or Charlie Mullins, your plumber pays the same if not more for gear than you do. Prices at merchants are higher than DIY stores - but they stock things that B&Q don't stock and we need them to stay in business. So we are happy to pay a bit more and support them.f.
you mean you are happy for your customers to pay extra and support them.
 
Buy some taps, change them yourself. Don't forget to insist on seeing Victoria Plumb's cost price records, which I'm sure they'll be pleased to show you. They will of course seek your permission before adding any profit.
 
Palmist - i wished you no flood in your home so please don't attribute that comment to me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

And you did say that you would question the morals of a plumber who marked up the cost of materials. That hurts, hence the backlash.

Back on topic - my experience of victoria plumb taps has been poorly finished items with no spare parts availability. 12 month warranty after which they don't want to know you. The stuff is so bad that I refuse to fit it and I suspect your plumber feels the same. If you are doing the house up for sale then you may want to fit them. If they are for your own use then buy the best you can, Grohe are very good and you can get spares fairly easily.
You also asked for a labour quote. Bath panels can be a pig to fit and access to taps can be awkward. Do your stoptaps and isolators work? I would quote based on at least half a day labour. Around here it would be between 120 and 180 for the labour. If you wanted me to supply the taps i would charge something between the cost price to me and the recommended retail price. Sometimes i make nothing on parts, sometimes 10%. That 10% goes towards the non-obvious costs such as those fibre washers on the tap connectors that don't come with the tap, or the gas for the blowtorch, the smear of silicone to seal the tap to the deck, the screws to fix the bath panel. Basin taps have a tendency to move around in the oversized hole so some plumbers will use a plastic device costing about two quid per tap to secure it.
Many plumbers will give you a cost for the job and will be irked if you asked for a breakdown of materials and labour because very often people think the materials are only the bits they can see.

I am genuinely interested to hear how you get on and would appreciate an update on this thread once it is all done. It will help future visitors to know what taps you went with, whether they were any good and how much is all came to.

I hope this clears any bad feeling there may be and perhaps we should just agree to differ on the morals of marking up the cost of materials.
 
Hootingowl

I appreciate your comment. This has been blown out of proportion. I wanted some opinions and following that I am going with my plumber's suggestion at the prices he quoted initially. Really that simple and I am sure it will all be alright.

No hard feelings but I am genuinely disappointed in those know it alls who think it is alright to ridicule others. It has left a bit of a sour taste.
 
You blew your own thread out of proportion with your stupid comment. I'm not the only one who considers you ill advised.
 
You blew your own thread out of proportion with your stupid comment. I'm not the only one who considers you ill advised.


+1

But, OP, you appear to be very cynical, but seriously weird.
First, you say your plumber is very good. But not good enough, apparently, to be allowed a profit. Secondly, I cant believe a plumber will quote over £ 200 for materials, but not be able to at least show a picture of the goods.Are they cross heads, levers or knobs. Will they in any way complement your other taps, or decor?

Thirdly, you must be an idiot to agree to pay over £200 (plus fitting presumably) for products about which you know nothing (and expect us to somehow know whether they are good value.

Good luck, you may need it. Having siad that, you obviously won't read this ;)
 
You blew your own thread out of proportion with your stupid comment. I'm not the only one who considers you ill advised.


+1

But, OP, you appear to be very cynical, but seriously weird.
First, you say your plumber is very good. But not good enough, apparently, to be allowed a profit. Secondly, I cant believe a plumber will quote over £ 200 for materials, but not be able to at least show a picture of the goods.Are they cross heads, levers or knobs. Will they in any way complement your other taps, or decor?

Thirdly, you must be an idiot to agree to pay over £200 (plus fitting presumably) for products about which you know nothing (and expect us to somehow know whether they are good value.

Good luck, you may need it. Having siad that, you obviously won't read this ;)
 
Ooh the mob mentality has taken over. I cannot lower myself anymore, how do I stop notifications.
 
just click ignore button for the replies you dont like
or when you get notification off answers to this thread just scroll down and choose the not to be notified option
or the stop watching this topic button below this post
or alert mods button and ask to be locked
 
You haven't joined for any DIY advice, which is what most trades are here to offer. As with too many OP's, you only wish to check prices against people none of us know for jobs none of us can see.
 
I think this thread illustrates a common problem in the Plumbing/heating trade, as with many others. The public views these rubbish, cheap & easy to make TV programmes that portray all tradesmen as crooks & con men, that could not be further from the truth!! The vast majority of tradesmen are honest & are only trying to make a living.

Material Mark-up is an essential part of any business, that wouldn't survive without it.

If you watch these rubbish programmes on the telly you quickly come to the conclusion that most members of the public are daft & naive. If it's a dodgy Builder for example; Joe Public is spending a small fortune on an extension for example, they employ the services of the cheapest quote Builder, they don't ask for references, no small works contract & nobody with any knowledge of the Building industry overseeing the project!!! C'mon!!
 

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