Rip off Plumber's

[Elsa TLC]

Lady called yesterday. She was recommended to me.

I gave her the number of a fella on this forum.

However she called an emergency plumber who told her that her whole bathroom needs to be ripped out to fix the leak.

He didn't even get his hands dirty and charged her £740.00

The neighbour across the road who is a plumber has looked and told her she's been had over.

It's a simple fix and he will do tomorrow.


This is obviously a rip off company.
She payed by BACs.
Can She get her money back.

 

[Madrab]

charged her £740.00

He charged £740 for an emergency callout but then didn't do any work/make a repair? What's in the fine print on the website etc?

I'd be after them if they charged that and didn't fix the leak and it can be proven that it would be an easy fix.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This is obviously a rip off company.
She payed by BACs.
Can She get her money back.

Name and shame!

 

[CountryFan]

Challenge Validation

https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/plumber-call-out-fee/

I can’t seem to get on the website, but this looks promising: https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http...IQFnoECAgQAw&usg=AOvVaw0AOTPtKd7vErvsdo2HoZNY

If nothing was done and not made safe, what has she paid him for?

 

[Elsa TLC]

He charged £740 for an emergency callout but then didn't do any work/make a repair? What's in the fine print on the website etc?

I'd be after them if they charged that and didn't fix the leak and it can be proven that it would be an easy fix.

From what I understand is that its something as simple as the bath Overflow. (Not sure)

But the plumber across the road said it was a simple fix.

24 hour guy said it would cost 1000's££££

 

[kidgreen61]

People like this need to taken out and shot, several times.

They give honest people like you & I a bad name.

I hope she gets her money back

 

[ChrisJP]

If she'd paid by credit card she could easily use the chargeback process. However, BACs directly moves funds from her bank account into the dodgy plumber's account, so there's no easy way, short of the small claims court, of getting back her money

 

[Madrab]

Yeah - if it's an obvious rip off then suggest she takes legal advice and goes after them with gay abandon.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Yeah - if it's an obvious rip off then suggest she takes legal advice and goes after them with gay abandon.

Agree
These supposed expert professional plumbers are there to serve for a fair wage.
They will say that the pay structure was clearly explained to her.
And maybe that's true

Who are we to say what a fair wage is, when other professions earn that money and more without question.

At least do the job that needs doing.

She has been conned. These companies confuse people who are in a panic as they have an emergency..

She was told that this wasn't a simple fix and that major works was required by that the whole bathroom needed stripping out.

If it is a simple fix then this is fraud.

They didn't even make safe.

 

[Madrab]

I don't believe that any company anywhere could justify charging that kind of money just to arrive, look at something, say they can't fix it unless the whole thing is ripped out then walk away without doing anything. A few £100's maybe to arrive @ 2am but not £740!!

I would certainly consider it fraud - time for legal advice, trading standards, MP, the papers, social media and anywhere else the story can go.

 

[HERTS P&D]

It also depends if she signed any paper work or an ipad.

Andy

 

[Elsa TLC]

It also depends if she signed any paper work or an ipad.

Andy

But even then under pressure to get the fix done she maybe would have done.

 

[Diver Fred]

Was the person/company she called a 'one man-band'; a small local company or a national one?
A singleton man I'd expect to pay around £100 for an out of hours callout with maybe a lesser charge if the man needed to come back the following day.
A small (less than 30 men) about 2.5 to 3 times the amount of a singleton.
A national company could easily be around what she paid. Reasons being that larger companies have higher overheads (back office staff, higher insurance costs, transport and premises costs) to fund.

It's something that is worthwhile asking the neighbours who they use for plumbing, building repairs and work, electricians etc; then keep a list of those numbers to hand.

 

[Elsa TLC]

Was the person/company she called a 'one man-band'; a small local company or a national one?
A singleton man I'd expect to pay around £100 for an out of hours callout with maybe a lesser charge if the man needed to come back the following day.
A small (less than 30 men) about 2.5 to 3 times the amount of a singleton.
A national company could easily be around what she paid. Reasons being that larger companies have higher overheads (back office staff, higher insurance costs, transport and premises costs) to fund.

It's something that is worthwhile asking the neighbours who they use for plumbing, building repairs and work, electricians etc; then keep a list of those numbers to hand.

Im a one man brass band and I would be charging £180 for a Sunday morning call.

That's to make safe or simple fix. Covers the first hour.

 

[jj4091]

Im a one man brass band and I would be charging £180 for a Sunday morning call.

That's to make safe or simple fix. Covers the first hour.

So do you just work Sundays and have the rest of the week off