It may have nothing to do with you being a senior at all. It could be that either he just doesn't know or that he is trying to make lots of extra money for his company by up selling you. There are lots of shady businesses out there. This guy was telling me a story of when he worked at a full service gas station when he was a kid and he said that he couldn't count how many times they sold the same quart of oil. They would tell people they needed oil, act like they put some in and charge them for a quart of oil.

I would never call that company again and I would also tell all my friends to never call them either! They need to be put out of business!

NO....not a senior issue. We've had so many people try to rip us off, both DH when he's alone and my self. Everything from DH taking an alternator in and having it tested bad, a new one was $200 and it was fine...to someone telling me my cat needed hundreds of dollars worth of blood tests when I brought him in for a rabies shot.....saying it was routine. My dentist told me I needed a root canal to prevent having issues with a tooth in the future, when I'd had NO issues with it ever and no symptoms he could show me. ha ha Preventative dentistry! :0) My radiator resevoir split down the side, costs $45 for a new one and I got quotes as high as $500 to have my muffler bearings replaced to fix the leak. :0)

Keeping my wallet in my purse....strapped down at all times! :0) I'm glad you smelled a con.....and got a second opinion.

Lucille, women and seniors are taken advantage of very commonly, but most often the fact that a customer calls out of desperation is reason enough for unscrupulous, predatory practices.

I would write a very brief note to the first company....maybe leaving out the senior part. Your last sentence in the original post is quite effective. Be sure to notify the BBB.

I would also write a note to the people who took such good care of you. Be sure to tell them that you'll be happy to refer them to your friends and neighbors.

We've had a spring/fall service contract with one HVAC company for about ten years. Two weeks ago I noticed that our West system thermostat didn't seem to be working properly. The company tech came and said it needed to be replaced. He installed a new thermostat off his truck's supply and told me we were getting a discount under our contract. There would be no charge for the service call and a 15% discount on the part. The list on the thermostat was $200. My bill was still $175 -- so much for 'no service fee', huh?

I found the same thermostat online at Home Depot for $60. I called the HVAC company. No, they didn't *have* a simpler/cheaper part, but they agreed to take it back if I returned it in two weeks. I bought a new thermostat at Home Depot for $50, programmed it, and called another HVAC company to install it. (I could have wired it, but wanted to see if our wiring was correct for our two-stage furnaces. It wasn't.)

Last straw: The new company's tech found that the drains for our flow-through humidifiers lack a means to flush them of silica. Simple, cheap fix.

I called the HVAC company. We're getting a refund for the overpriced thermostat and the unused half of the service contract. We're starting anew with the new HVAC company.

It has belatedly occurred to me that the 'bad' thermostat may have only needed new batteries. The same East system thermostat is working fine.

I think of myself as overly cynical lately, because these experiences seem to be almost the norm. I'm very wary when I have to call someone in for a repair and sure I come off as a crabby old lady. But better that then be hoodwinked. Good for you, Lucille, for getting that second opinion and for sending the first guy packing! Please consider writing up a yelp summary for both companies.

Lucille, we had a situation similar to yours at a previous house. We discovered we had a leak in the outside yard leading to where it hooks into the main line. The first guys show up and quote me $800 to dig up the yard to the main connection. I thanked them for their quote and sent them on their way.

The leak was in the yard. There was a green spot around. The yard had a traditional downward slope to the street and I knew the leak was at or above the green spot. No way did I need the rest of the line dug out.

Next guy came in and told me less than $200. He got to work digging. The leak was at the connection of two pipes right by the green spot. I kept that plumber. He was honest in my two other plumbing issues also.

If your thermostat stops working be sure to look for it's battery and replace the battery before calling a repairman.

Many folks don't know their thermostats have batteries that can go dead.

Their are probably still thermostats that don't require batteries.

please post your experiences with both plumbers on Yelp & Angie's List as well as BBB.