URGENT advise on plumbing work

Hello, I currently have a plumber who did some work for me, however i feel that he is taking advantage and charging crazy prices. He does not want to finish the work until we pay him this invoice. we already gave him the full payment upfront ($11,000) for the work that he was supposed to do, but in the meantime some other stuff came up. Please, i need your help to look at the invoice and tell me if is he overcharging us or is it just me going crazy. please find the invoice attached. (please note the 2nd invoice in the attachment talks about the inspection not being passed about the washing machines. i really don’t understand why my plumber is charging me for this since he had to do this anyways from the beginning. his argument is that the inspector that came before passed them on it because it was previously done by the old owners, and now since the inspector came again this time telling him he needs to redo it. however wasn’t this apart of the work that he had to do in the beginning? since we wanted a washer and dryer there anyways)

homebuyer

in Plumbers and Plumbing 11 years and 5 months ago

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michaelwestv | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Hello Home Buyer. Sad to say this, but I have also had similar experiences with a plumber in the past. What was more unfortunate is that I didnt even know that he was overcharging me, back in those days. One main problem all the piplines face is the corrosion. So it it would be better if you go for [professional pipeline corrosion- protective coatings](http://www.automaticcoating.com/services/pipeline-services/).

michaelwestv | 10 years and 10 months ago

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Hello Home Buyer. Sad to say this, but I have also had similar experiences with a plumber in the past. What was more unfortunate is that I didnt even know that he was overcharging me, back in those days. One main problem all the piplines face is the corrosion. So it it would be better if you go for [professional pipeline corrosion- protective coatings](http://www.automaticcoating.com/services/pipeline-services/).

nintzk86 | 11 years and 4 months ago

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I would ask to see an invoice or proof of the $1200 in “materials.” I don’t see anywhere near that amount on your list. $800 for a gas line?

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 4 months ago

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I agree with steamman as well. $75 per hour is cheap in NYC and the totals for each of those situations dont seem out of whack

steam_man | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Aladdin is a good shop. Remember, when you pay peanuts all you can afford are monkeys.

xchx | 11 years and 5 months ago

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I’ve been paying $175 an hour for plumbing (Aladdin). Does anyone know someone skilled who charges a lot less than that? I try and stick to handymen but sometimes there’s a tough job.

Aodrafting | 11 years and 5 months ago

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I agree with both mrohrmann and steam_man. However I think what homebuyer is concerned about is that the plumber is asking for more money even though he is not completed with the previous work to date. I think that if the plumber would have layed out all of the issues and communicated with homebuyer and completed his work ($11,000), then homebuyer would feel that he/she is getting their moneys worth. Communications between the client and contractor is paramount and if the client feels he/she is been taken advantage of the client should express that. A responsible contractor (Plumber) should respect that. Luckily my clients have been happy with my work and I always ask them to let me know if they have any issues with it which I would address immediately. If there is disagreement about an issue, I would explain my points and reach an agreement with the client and resolve it. We all are out there to make money, buts at what cost. Making the clients happy, would make you respectable and profitable. In doing so, they will always call you back for more work. Good luck homebuyer.

homebuyer | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Anyone else??

curated | 11 years and 5 months ago

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I’m with steam_man on this. What your plumber charged you is a very very good price. If anything it is low. http://brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/curated

steam_man | 11 years and 5 months ago

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$75 per hour seems like a reasonable rate to me for a good crew. Hell of a decent rate. It never ceases to amaze me when people claim sticker shock. Let’s break it down a bit shall we? $75/hour/mechanic Contractor’s costs include: $25/per hour (average mechanic pay, which ain’t great btw) $4.50/hour payroll taxes $.75/hr Worker’s Compensation insurance (3% of hourly wage) +/-$1.00/hr (unbillable cost per mechanic, this is probably higher) So we are now at $31.25/hr which is (based on my severely lacking calculation) what it costs to put this mechanic in the field. The Plumber must now start deducting his/her overhead cost from the balance of this hourly charge which is $75 – $31.25 = $43.75\. Deduct: General Liability Insurance Automobile Insurance Rent or Mortgage for shop and office Salary for Dispatcher, Billing and Bookkeeper Salary for Shop Manager Utilities Vehicle upkeep and fuel Training for employees Tools and equipment Let me tell you….. $75/mechanic/hour. Some days, most days. It’s a struggle. I may be ranting a bit but no kidding I got my insurance renewal in the mail today. One vehicle…one lousy pickup truck- $4,853.00 General Liability – $9,000.00 Worker’s Comp last month..last year’s bill- $22,000.00 That is just the insurance. Here are recent necessary tool purchases: New welding machine $4,500.00 Press tool- $3,200.00 Pipe Roll Groover- $3,400.00 I fueled up the Big Red Truck today (yes the one that cost me $4,853 in insurance)- $150.00 I can go on all night.

homebuyer | 11 years and 5 months ago

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-The plumber found house temp at 34degrees -plumber checked furnace and found it going on and off and off -plumber determined furnace pressure switch making it go on and off -plumber found 2″ PVC exhaust back pitch to furnace -plumber disconnected 2″ exhuast and found it loaded with water -plumber corrected pitch on exhaust and tested furnace -plumber supplied labor 2 men $600 Materials $100\. Total for job $700 -plumber had already passed inspection months ago -plumber inspector arrived while electrical contractor on site -electrical called the plumber to speak with the inspector – inspector stated existing washing machine in basement did not meet code -plumber argued with inspector that work was done many years ago -inspector stated it must be corrected even if it was existing from years ago -plumber repiped existing washing machine in basement per inspectors request -plumber supply labor and materials for all the above 2 men 4 hours $600 Materials $150 total $750 -plumber found house temperature at 36 degrees -plumber ran condensate line in basement to washing machine box -plumber ran thermostat line furnace to living room -plumber installed thermostat to run furnace plumber taped filter to furnace return -turned on for noon and said thermostat at 60 degrees -plumbers supply labor and materials for all the above 2 men 5 hours $750 Materials $150\. Total $900 -plumber had to relocate all hot and cold water in soffit -plumber relocated gas lines in soffit -plumber installed new gas line 2nd floor drye -plumber supply labor and materials for all the above 2 men 8hrs $1200 Materials $800\. Total $2000

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 5 months ago

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“but in the meantime some other stuff came up.” I suspect this is a big part of the problem.

homebuyer | 11 years and 5 months ago

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attached file had an error . i’ll try to type it in

mrohrmann | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Never pay in full up front period no matter what, rookie mistake there. Any reputable contractor will either ask for a deposit and payments as work is completed with a material piece of price to be paid upon satisfactory completion of the job.