Seeking Advice about Hefty Bill from Plumber

Lpier7757 on 07/05/2018 - 17:37
Last edited 07/05/2018 - 20:00 by 1 other user

Hi All.

I have been hit by a heavy - and to me totally unreasonable - plumbing bill following a blockage that pretty much affected all the drains in the place where I am currently renting (I live in Melbourne).

I wiil start by saying that I take full responsibility for what happened as the issue was caused by kitty litter flushed down the toilet over a period of roughly 2 weeks. My bad.

I also made the mistake of trusting the real estate agent when it came to contact a plumber and didn't shop around asking for quotes in the first place.

This gentleman showed up on a saturday on an emergency call and did the following:

"…attempt to clear with plunger - no effective. Inspect sewer drain from shaft with sewer camera to access sewer stack - unable to track stack - requires sewer plan, available Monday".

I wasn't home at that time so my partner dealt with him otherwise I would have asked 2 very important questions: why do you need the plans for a simple blockage and since its still morning can't you contact the agent or landlord, get the papers and do the job on that same day? Seems to me that this individual knew very well what to do in order to make the most out of our emergency.

That Saturday he spent no more that 1 hour and charged us $330.

The following Monday he came back at around 9:30 am with his so much needed sewer plans (obtained during the weekend?) and did the following:

"…jet and camera up drain and guide sewer jetter to stack, clearing kitty litter out of drain under bulding slab. Continue clean out of drain for 1 hour. Weld up leak on tap on garage wall (???)".

All that for the bargain price of $865.

Since receiving the tax invoice from this gentleman I have made a few calls (wish I did that to begin with) to other plumbers describing the issue (and pretending of being in need of help) just to get an idea of what other people would charge for the same service and those who could give me an indicative quote said that in the worst case scenario I would be looking at a $400 job roughly.

I was charged double that.

Yesterday I made a complaint to the agent both for the unreasonably high bill and the fact that this gentleman performed unnecessary work that nothing had to do with the blockage (the welding on the tap) and his answer was that they are taking $70 off the total amount. A total joke.

To be mentioned is also the fact that the tax invoice does not report the cost units for labour, equipment used etc but only the two totals of $330 for Saturday and $865 for Monday. Is that even allowed by the law? I want to know exactly the cost of everything that was done on Monday since for this individual it took not even 2 hours to complete the job. Is it a fair request?

And finally my last question: was it a scam or the diligent and honest job of a hard working plumber?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Presence on 07/05/2018 - 17:48
    +6

    How much would you accept for playing with shit on the weekend? It doesn't seem totally unreasonable, and theres nothing you can really do.

  • oscargamer on 07/05/2018 - 18:04
    +5

    The Saturday call out is expensive, but justifiable.

    The other amount not so.

    Get a written breakdown of the Monday bill and go from there.

    • jug123 on 07/05/2018 - 20:01
      +1

      $330 for a sat I would consider more than fair. I used to work for an refrigeration company and Sat call outs were a min of 4hrs which is pretty std across most trade

      • payton on 07/05/2018 - 21:05

        could've gone to Bunnings and built several austere toilets for the people in the building : a big bucket plus rounded pool noodle for comfort. And sit carefully so the bucket doesn't tip

  • tsunamisurfer on 07/05/2018 - 18:15
    +8

    I wiil start by saying that I take full responsibility for what happened as the issue was caused by kitty litter flushed down the toilet over a period of roughly 2 weeks

    It doesn't sound like you have taken 'full responsibility' to me. You screwed up badly and now you want to bitch about the fix.

    • pier7757 on 07/05/2018 - 18:26

      Hi tsunamisurfer, believe me I have.

      And I am happy to pay what it is fair for such a fix.

      But since this gentleman charged me for an unnecessary and unrequested job then I wonder what other surprises are hidden in the total of 865$. He completed the job in not even 2 hours. With a bit of simple math we can all work out the hourly rate and quite frankly that does't sound right nor reasonable to me.

  • Quantumcat on 07/05/2018 - 18:24
    -6

    Is a tenant even liable for plumbers? Sounds like something the landlord should cover.

    • 87percent on 08/05/2018 - 09:18

      NO WAY a landlord should pay for something the tenant did!!

  • chumlee on 07/05/2018 - 18:28
    +1

    Ask for an itemised bill and take it from there

    • pier7757 on 07/05/2018 - 19:02

      I am going to ask for that. Whether I'll actually get one, that's to be seen.

  • WreckTangle on 07/05/2018 - 19:18
    +1

    You’re landlord probably won’t cover kitty litter in the loo, if the bill is passed to them they might pay but may recover the costs in court. Sadly they might even evict you for malicious damage!

  • Ace Ventura on 07/05/2018 - 19:29
    +3

    If he didnt itemize anything, where did you get the part you have in quotes?

    "…jet and camera up drain and guide sewer jetter to stack, clearing kitty litter out of drain under bulding slab. Continue clean out of drain for 1 hour. Weld up leak on tap on garage wall (???)".

    You're not just paying for his time, your paying for wear and tear on his equipment and tools. His knowledge, the fact that he has to work with literal crap. His travel, his insurance, his business costs.

    A very basic single sink jetting can run at $150-$200, you had a blockage bad enough that it affected all your drains.
    If is price is too unrealistic for you, you can always ask him to return the blockage and put you back where you started.

    All the plumbers quoting over the phone would have told you "yeah about that much, but wont know for sure until I see the situation." at which point the price goes up, they always under quote on the phone first (best case scenario) and then become a bit more realistic after they have all the info.

  • ShannonN on 07/05/2018 - 20:44
    +7

    Well who in their right mind pours kitty litter down a toilet? Are you from a country where all your garbage goes into the local river ?That's what a garbage bin is for, who did it you or your partner? If it was your partner they pay not you Oh and to stop it happening again get rid of cat

    • payton on 07/05/2018 - 21:12
      +3

      this.
      OP, whose idea was it? Did you not know that litterbox 'clay/sand' absorbs water by design?
      the cat is innocent btw, so please dont get rid of it

    • Randxyz123 on 07/05/2018 - 22:10
      +2

      Oh and to stop it happening again get rid of cat

      No the cat is innocent. The cat should get rid of its owners…

      If it was your partner they pay not you

      Most people in relationships who are sharing a house have a joint account for this sort of stuff. It's not like one person pays for everything.

  • Mistymoo on 07/05/2018 - 21:43
    +1

    You should pay. I thought it was common knowledge not to flush cat litter down the toilet?

  • Strahany on 07/05/2018 - 22:03

    Without commenting on the cost breakdown of everything else, the plumber has likely saved you money by returning on the Monday. Completing the entire job on the Saturday (keeping in mind that time spent obtaining the sewer plans, no matter how little it may have been, would be billed) would have been far more costly than his decision to complete the job at normal rates on Monday and procuring the sewer plans at this cheaper rate (or free?, if he has not charged for it).

    I will also +1 to the comments about difficulty with quoting. Some people (trades or otherwise) can tend to deliberately underestimate costs in order to increase the likelihood of gaining business, whilst even the most accurate quotes can amount to much less than 50% of the cost, given the large variability involved with any given situation.

  • Randxyz123 on 07/05/2018 - 22:08
    +1

    price of $865.

    That Saturday he spent no more that 1 hour and charged us $330.

    The following Monday

    Sounds reasonable to me. The guy came out on a Saturday which is expensive. YOU put cat turds down the loo. You admitted it was your fault you need to pay. Did you ask the other plumbers if they'd need the plans? If they couldn't get them on the Saturday and had to come back would their charge still only be $400? I doubt it.

    since its still morning can't you contact the agent or landlord, get the papers and do the job on that same day?

    This was a Saturday right? The agent probably wouldn't have been there and do you really want the landlord involved? If I were the landlord I'd consider kicking you out of my house for malicious damage.

    Kitty litter absorbs cat piss (and liquid)therefore it could seriously damage the plumbing.

    Sure ask for a itemised receipt but I'd say just pay it.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/05/2018 - 22:55
    +4

    The damage was done when you consented to a job without knowing the costs.

    You wrote a blank cheque.

    Whether or not the tradie is being honest is a moot point at this stage. You'll have a hard time proving anything and it may cost more for you to seek arbitration.

    Learn from your mistake. Don't trust anyone who doesn't give you an estimate up front.

  • Jalif on 08/05/2018 - 08:11

    It seems fair to me.

  • Hithere on 08/05/2018 - 08:46
    +1

    You were lucky to even get a Plumber to turn up at short notice to fix your stuff-up.

    Pay the bill and move on.

  • HeWhoKnows on 08/05/2018 - 14:11
    +1

    Dear OP. You got out if it SUPER CHEAP!
    The plumber did what he had to do and nothing more.
    Dont complain. Just pay the bill.

    And if you are not happy with the bill then do it yourself next time and see how you go.
    But be aware if you do any damage the consequences could be very great.

  • reactor-au on 08/05/2018 - 23:08

    I had a mate land in the country, get a plumber to add splitter for a second washing machine, cost 850$. Could have gotten the parts from Bunnings for 50$ and done the work in 20 minutes.
    Tradies are expensive.

    • ozbjunkie on 09/05/2018 - 09:26

      Not expensive, - dishonest rip off merchants, not all but the vast majority.

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