Ripped off by plumber? - Dripping shower faucet

11 years ago

Hi! I was wondering if I got ripped off by the plumber. Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to provide some background!

We had a leak from our Delta shower faucet in our master bathroom. The drip was pretty steady - IÃ¯Â¿Â½m guessing about a gallon a day based on how much was caught in the bucket throughout the day.

We are first time homeowners and weÃ¯Â¿Â½re trying to learn how to do things ourselves. We did some research online, determined it was the cartridge, and purchased one at the local hardware store for about $40. Unfortunately, the hex screw on the handle was stripped and we werenÃ¯Â¿Â½t able to get it off. Delta customer service said to drill it off and they sent a new handle for free.

When my husband and his friend tried to drill off the handle, it wouldnÃ¯Â¿Â½t budge. They were also having difficulties turning off the water to the house. My husband decided it was time to call a plumber.

I was the one who was home during the repair since IÃ¯Â¿Â½m a stay at home mom. The plumber originally quoted $346 but he agreed to do it for $173 if we supplied the cartridge. He had some difficulty drilling through the handle and eventually had to break it off. It took him more than an hour to fix it, probably closer to an hour in a half. Is $173 a reasonable charge? My husband thinks we got ripped off since we provided the part. We live in Indianapolis but IÃ¯Â¿Â½m not sure what the going rate for plumbing repair is here.

What do you think? Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

User
11 years ago
To do anything one needs the knowledge and the tools. Lacking either usually results in calling a professional.

We call a pro to do a job we either can't do or the pro will do better than we would/could.

$173 may seem a lot to pay for replacing a cartridge but remember... the plumber doesn't live next door. He/she has travel time and overhead just to get to your house. Then there's the hour and a half it took to effect the repair and the tools and knowledge required.

Don't overlook that if your husband and friend hadn't tried to fix it first it may have only been a half hour job for the plumber. Like Clint Eastwood said in Magnum Force... "a man's got to know his limitations"

Consider the $173 tuition in the continuing education of home ownership.
User
11 years ago
No, you weren't ripped off at all if the problem is fixed. You weren't able to do the job in quadruple the amount of time and you created more difficulty for the tradesman who ultimately came out to fix it. It's the old adage. A tradesman charges $100 an hour for his services, but $150 if you watch, and $200 if you try to help.

This is only a preview of things to come with homeownership. Any labor that you will have to pay will always be much higher than the parts because you are paying for the knowledge and experience as well as the time. So, gain more knowledge and experience yourself if you want to lower the cost of owning a home.
Related Discussions
Bill Vincent - Trying to avoid being ripped off. Advice please!
Q
Comments (17)
I am up to about 25K in our master bath. In these homes of a certain era the huge master bath was all the rage. It was new construction 15 years ago with the gigantic whirlpool tub with cultured marble everywhere, bright brass fixtures and CARPET in the entire space even in the water closet. We had a leaking shower which started us on this journey and one thing led to another and ended up ripping out the shower, flooring, toilet and the counter tops, lighting fixtures and taking down the old wallpaper. A franchise company who advertises heavily in our area did the travertine floor with radiant heat, new shower floor, walls, glass enclosure, set the new toilet and new tub and did all tear out and plumbing charged us $16,700. But we supplied the toilet, granite countertops, tub, faucets, sinks, paid separately for the cabinet painting and new hardware and for the wallpaper to be taken down and repainted. That is where the other 7K came in. I wish I had found GW first to see all the beautiful bathrooms before we let them have at it. I just had someone come in to frame out the mirrors which were still there from the old bathroom, another $1500. I would have much rather hired a carpenter to add trim around the mirror but just couldn't find anyone to do it. I know I paid way too much. I will be honest and say that I do get a lot of compliments on the bathroom but if I had known that in the end I was going to spend this much I would have hired a K&B that could have helped me with finishes and perhaps avoided some costly and disappointing results. I must also admit that the freestanding tub with the British type of faucet was $3200 of the 7K we paid for the fixtures and fittings and also of that $1200 was for painting the existing cabinetry and adding end panels and for crystal door/drawer knobs.
...See More
Dripping bathtub faucet in 1920s home
Q
Comments (15)
Nope. Now that you learned to remove the stems to get to the washers and know where the seats are.....shut off the water pull the stems and seats (keeping H & C together-I won't bore you with what happens when they are switched LOL) and take the to a REAL plumbing supply store. Once they can identify them you can replace them. If the plumber only replaced the washers, most likely the seats got damaged and damaged seats will eat away at the washers. It's not worth the effort to replace just the washers again, I'd just redo the whole thing for very little $$! Of course, it's now time to buy those wrenches!
...See More
Does it matter what order you turn off the faucets/shower diverte
Q
Comments (5)
I'm pretty positive not. There are only 11 units; only 9 resident families (one's a duplex; one's empty). There's no room in the units to be installing devices; it's pretty tight. My big question isn't really "what's causing this?" bcs I'm pretty sure the plumber will figure it out. (I think it's a check-valve that has gone bad; we had the same problem 10 years ago when the plumber put in new water heaters & put the valve in backwards. He fixed that--but this problem is SO much like it, that's my theory--a failing check valve) But I'm just wondering--does it really matter whether you turn the shower diverter down AFTER you turn off the faucet at the handles, or BEFORE? I always thought it didn't matter, and I'd like to confirm it.
...See More
Am I getting ripped off in Miami?
Q
Comments (3)
I think it sound a little high but its hard to say without seeing it.
...See More
lazypup
11 years ago
What am I missing here?

When you called the plumber he quoted $346 and obvously you thought that was fair because YOU okayed him to do the work.

When the plumber arrives he finds you already have the $40 part so he drops his price from $346 to $173, which is 1/2 of the original bid and now you wonder if you got ripped off?

What do you want, free installation and the plumber to bring you a pizza to eat while you watch him work?
HU-225367277
3 years ago
Are you kidding me? the plumber got the job done and now you are free of the hassle but you are still complaining about the price!? no way ...next time stay with the dripping and you will save lots of money... I own a house in California and plumber services are very expensive; for the same type of work you had its usually $360-500 for labor only... so be glad that this guy did the job that your husband could not do it... knowledge is expensive my friend... wake up for this reality! and be thankfu for the life of this plumber!!! Cheers!!!
Jake The Wonderdog
3 years ago
This is an 8 year old post. They have moved on.

Ripped off by plumber? - Dripping shower faucet

Comments (5)

User

User

Related Discussions

lazypup

HU-225367277

Jake The Wonderdog

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US