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November 4, 2009
Cost of Plumbing for Washer?
About a month ago I got a quote from a well-known plumbing company to replace a leaking waste pipe and install all the plumbing needed for a washing machine. Quote was about $1,800. High, but OK.
Today they arrive and tell me the quote does not include plumbing for the supply line. WHAT!? And that will be an additional $850.
Mind you, the water lines are right there. We are talking about a few inches of copper pipe.
From the very beginning, we said "install washing machine, replace leaking waste pipe." They also said "install washing machine." We did not say "install washing machine, but oh by the way make sure it has no water and is not usable."
WTF? How much should a washing machine cost to install? This is freaking ridiculous. I could buy a used Honda for $3,000.
Comments
Get another plumber. This is a handyman's job actually.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 4, 2009 3:23 PM
DIBS is right. Get a different plumber. Call Peter Dymond. He is a job foreman for a large plumbing company and does work on the side evenings and weekends. He'll get your job done for a LOT less. Price of a handyman, skill of an excellent plumber. Nice guy too. cell (914) 826-0181
Posted by: HDL at November 4, 2009 3:31 PM
According to NYC law, this has to be filed. We're not just hooking up a washing machine to existing plumbing. It's kind of too late though. They're already doing it. Since they got the date wrong, the quote wrong, and told me this at the last possible minute. This is Aladdin by the way. Is this a normal price for a licensed and insured company? This just seems completely outrageous.
(They charge $160 on an hourly basis.)
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 3:44 PM
mopar - You've been royally had!
Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 3:49 PM
And I bet they didn't actually file it.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 4, 2009 3:57 PM
Please elaborate. Is this just sheer out-and-out dishonesty? They tell me one thing, then show up and tell me another? Or is this the price all licensed and insured plumbers charge?
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 3:59 PM
What to do now? They've been there one day, it is probably half installed. All the quotes were over the phone, nothing written down. I did take notes, but that's not going to get me anywhere.
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 4:06 PM
I'd always heard that Aladdin were a good company. I wonder if you could bring some pressure to bear on them by telling them you're posting the transaction on 'Stoner & they're going to lose a lot of credibility. They've been given positive recommendations on here & are most likely aware of that.
Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 4:11 PM
has any money exchanged hands yet?
If not, you can win this battle. Just refuse to pay a dime over their original, already outtrageous quote. Once the entire job is done of course :p
Posted by: MAT at November 4, 2009 4:26 PM
sorry to hear this mopar. These big guys are crooks and they bank on changes and jobs with no written estimate. You might as well dip yourself in gravy and lay on your dining room table with an apple in your mouth. The cost of plumbing fittings and pipes are dirt cheap.
Can you address the change at the end of the job? How about future work that can be used as leverage?
Posted by: jack slade at November 4, 2009 4:59 PM
Your complaint interests me because I just had a similar experience with the same company. I called them on a Saturday for a leaky toilet and they told me that their hourly rate was regularly $160 but because it was a Saturday, it would be $240 per hour with a $175 minimum. Needless to say, I thought that was agressive and had it repaired by John Hlad for $150 the same day. Aladding are good plumbers but there are plenty good ones out there.
Posted by: edkopel at November 4, 2009 5:07 PM
Jack, I wouldn't say the big guys are crooks, I'd say they have a different overhead than small guys.
Mopar, seems to me for these small jobs you should use a local guy, not a big guy like Alladin.
I'd make someone look at the job before quoting. If they won't do that, I'd at least ask for an email addy and send them a pic of the existing conditions. Phone quotes are a nightmare.
Posted by: denton at November 4, 2009 6:05 PM
Denton you're correct I shouldn't group them all. $850.00 add on is just plain sad especially when the parts are no more than 50 bucks and there's already an Alladin guy on the job site. It's not like the plumber has to refile the job.
Mopar be careful retrofitting new with old will cause
breakage down the line especially if the plumber is not working gingerly. Good luck to you.
Posted by: jack slade at November 4, 2009 6:54 PM
LOL I meant "old with new".
Posted by: jack slade at November 4, 2009 7:17 PM
always have someone come to the job and look at it and get a written quote...otherwise the numbers mean nothing
Posted by: eman1234 at November 4, 2009 9:06 PM
always have someone come to the job and look at it and get a written quote...otherwise the numbers mean nothing
Posted by: eman1234 at November 4, 2009 9:33 PM
They absolutely came out and looked the whole thing over carefully before they gave me the quote. Twice, in fact.
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 9:45 PM
I now have the original written work order. It says run water for washing machine, replace leaking waste pipe, $1795. The claim of the office manager is that the list of materials did not include copper pipe, so therefore she did not realize the job included hooking up the water, even though the work order stated so, and so she did not include labor or materials for it. She claims connecting to the supply pipes (inches away) will take five hours. Seems to me this is not my problem. The price seems outlandish. Now they've done part of the job but not hooked up the water, and I haven't paid them anything yet.
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 9:57 PM
Just spoke to the owner, Eric. He was extremely nice, and they are going to finish the job for the original estimate. Whew. I am so relieved. I just had to post this right away so we can both relax.
Posted by: mopar at November 4, 2009 10:34 PM
I've been royally overcharged once by Alladin, assumed it was because of emergency call.
mopar, that's ridiculous! Should be 1/4 that price, if that. Next time get a handyman. And don't bother filing.
Posted by: cmu at November 4, 2009 11:04 PM
mopar, glad it worked out. If in fact they looked at the job, then no way should they up the price. Especially a simple job like that!
btw when I bought my house before I started the reno I paid my GC $800 to pour a concrete pad and hook up a new washer and dryer to the old plumbing, and some plumbing adjustments were needed. Didn't file that either.
Posted by: denton at November 5, 2009 6:41 AM
Mopar, Thank you for working everything out with us!! I don't want to see anyone angry or unhappy with our service or think that they are being ripped off. Our Father started this Company and instilled a lot of good values in us. I would like to think that we do everything we can to keep things honest.
CMU, you have a good memory...I looked back on our records and haven't seen any service with you since 2001. If you explain the situation where we royally overcharged you, maybe I can look into it. I think I personally came to your home because I recognize the name and address.
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at November 5, 2009 9:46 AM
5 mins to solder a separated pipe joint, $295, but that's from memory.
Now, maybe that's a "normal", "emergency" charge, in that case, I will withdraw the "royally overcharged" and just say I should've done it myself, since the pipe was completely accessible.
Posted by: cmu at November 5, 2009 10:59 AM
How about a "public option" for plumbing? After all, it's like healthcare for your house
Posted by: the chicken at November 5, 2009 11:07 AM
CMU, I searched and found only one service call since 2001 and that was done on 12/18/01 for a few leaking radiators and some air vent valve replacements. Our charge was $120.00 + Materials and Tax. I don't have anything after that, so the service must have been prior which is in our old systems. Sorry, I tried to find it to see what had happened.
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at November 5, 2009 11:09 AM
Denton, very educated and well thought out answer.
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at November 5, 2009 11:12 AM
edkopel, thank you for mentioning that we are good plumbers, we do try to pride ourselves on that. I remember the toilet call on a Saturday and I'm sorry we couldn't help. We do have to pay a premium to our workers for Weekends and Overtime and we have to quantify that additional salary. Also, our hourly rates are based on a certain amount of working hours and once we go over that, we have to cover our additional overhead. If we raised our hourly rate to cover that additional salary and overhead then we would have complaints from regular customers during regular business hours that our rates are too high. This way we can stay competitive and still perform service for emergencies, but at an added cost. I hope that is understood.
As I know you are familiar with our Company, you can also vouch for the countless number of hours that we will spend with someone discussing their projects and offering suggestions, proposals and pricing. This time comes at NO CHARGE and also no guarantee of getting the work.
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at November 5, 2009 11:18 AM
Bp: thanks for the diligence. It's water under the bridge now; and, given that other bill, which I do remember and is quite OK, I will have to be a little more careful about crying "exorbitant"!
Posted by: cmu at November 5, 2009 1:35 PM
CMU, very honorable and thank you for understanding!!! As a business Owner, I have a few other people that handle the day to day operations in the Company. If there's a problem, I like to be alerted to it so that I can handle it personally if I'm able. Unfortunatley, most people, if they have a problem, just stop using a Company and move on. I like to step in a try to resolve to keep the business, the good name and the faith of the customer. Hello to Liz!!
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at November 5, 2009 2:18 PM
"Denton, very educated and well thought out answer."
Thanks bp, I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, but I do have my own biz and I know what it costs to hire quality staff, pay bennies, keep a truck on the road, and make a profit.
Posted by: denton at November 5, 2009 6:19 PM
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