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April 25, 2008
Plumbing Estimate Fee
Is it standard for a plumber to charge for an estimate to see a residential
job?
Comments
No. Vigilante do. Avoid them. Call On Time Plumbing. No estimate. Fast and good.
Posted by: TNails at April 25, 2008 10:41 PM
I don't think so. In general, I find Vigilante expensive but responsive - so if you have an emergency and can't find anyone else, they are good. But I don't use them for regular jobs because they were ultimately too expensive - they always found more things that "needed" doing, even when just doing annual boiler maintenance.
I've been using Larry Harrington as a plumber, though I've been fortunate enough not to need him for the last year or so! Here are his numbers.
work 718-438-1604
mobile 347-992-2183
Good luck!
Posted by: Jen KG at April 26, 2008 10:37 AM
It's becoming more the norm. These guys have operating expenses to cover and they could be out on a service call making money rather than giving you a free estimate. All contractors drive and with gas at $4 a gallon, they don't want to drive that big van anywhere for free (don't get me started on the parking tickets). It's a tough situation, and I know it's frustrating but try and see it from the contractors perspective as well.
Posted by: Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy at April 26, 2008 10:41 AM
Ask if the estimate price gets deducted from your final bill. I still find giving estimates are part of the cost of doing business. I work free-lance as well and in my business, I could never charge for putting together a bid, contracts that far exceed the average plumbing visit. And an estimate is essentially of bid for work.
I've hired loads of contractors for various parts of my house and none except a plumber charged for an estimate. Yeah it costs to give in estimate but I also think it cost more in lost business.
Posted by: TNails at April 27, 2008 11:29 PM
I would second the advice "avoid Vigilante". We hired them to fix a couple of small issues in our place. Long story short -they did not fix the problems (at all), which wasn't evident until a couple of days after they finished; they tried to charge us an staggeringly astronomical amount (way off their estimate)for roughly 30 minutes of work , citing a chart they had with them (we protested, they capitulated and we agreed on 1/4 of that amount!); their manager did not refund what we did pay when their work turned out to be shoddy. Gateway and Parkset have been pretty positive experiences for us.
Posted by: guest at April 28, 2008 11:59 AM
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