sick of greedy plumbers & electricians

My tip.

When I visit a Property.

I get to know the client. I also get to know the client's plumbing.

My first meeting and service of this client and their plumbing tell me about their general attitude to life.

eg: No maintenance in ten years.

The client wants some simple work done for nothing.
 I discuss the options and what a good service history is (eg: every 3 years).
The client then responds they have never repaired there taps.
I am disappointed.
Further discussion highlights a problem needing to be solved.

I can only solve a problem quickly and affordably if the client has a reasonable service history with a good plumber!

IF NOT: I share a simple easy fix solution to give them time to get the money together to fix the job properly OR I make them aware I can do it properly for 'X' amount of dollars and supply a quote (COD/Completion) and a time to solve the problem.

If you care about your plumbing, your plumber will care about you!

Thanks,

Take a quick vote: plumbingtips

Brindusa, you had better hope this plumber does not read your post.

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 I required a small amount of plastering in the bathroom/laundry, I had a man come over, he asked me how much i payed for the house, went on to say that’s its strata and you never really end up owning it and that duplex’s are crap (its my first home that i bought as a single gal in perth last year )and then I called him after thinking about his quote and he was yelling at me over the phone because I couldn’t understand his stupid fu**ing pommy accent amongst all the other loud noises in his background “are you bloody deaf of something” he said to me. He called back like 5 times but I didn’t bother picking up. Another guy a plumber came over, didn’t do anything, just looked at the walls and did this test thing to see if there was moisture, he wasn’t there for more than 20 mins, didnt get dirty or have to stick his hand in the shitter or anything and charged $88 (and that was apparently pension rate – I made my dad call so I could get the discount). Now $88 for 20 minutes that equates to over $4 a minute, if that isn’t fraud I dunno what is. 

I’m just jealous cause I have a career In IT, I have to use my brain constantly and someone with an IQ of 5 will earn twice as much as me and works 5 hrs a day. YIPPEEEE happy dayz

Hi Phorsha,
Did the plumber give you the answer you were looking for? Or give you advice to fix your problem?
Did you ask your dad to ask what the estimated cost would be before he came out?
If you knew the price, and I imagine you did as you wanted a discount, then why does it matter how long it took?
If you didn't get the service you were looking for that is another matter.

By the way, the last paragraph of your post screams volumes about your attitude to tradies, and they can sense that from a mile off!

Isn't it ironic that you are so brainy but you had to call a dumb arse plumber with an IQ of only 5, who had the knowledge and the equipment to do what you needed done ! Tradesmen don't provide a free service as some seem to think. If you want his services, you need to pay for them, simple as that! He came to your house, (who knows how long that took him), spent 20 minutes doing what you asked for, used equipment that he has paid for, and only charged you $80 plus GST, and that sounds more than reasonable to me.

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Yeh yeh i know how it sounds – but when you think of all the elemetns – first home buyer, single, perth property market – I didnt
even think twice. Its not like im some property tycoon complaining about paying $88 for one of my 10 properties.

And of course i knew the costs thats the going rate, I mean its cheaper to go to the dentist and get a filling and they do a 5 year degree lol

Perhaps Phorsha had the knowledge and equipment but it was a task that the gubbermint says you need a plumbing license to perform? If they allowed owners to work on their own property without a license, plubmers hourly rates would halve overnight (and emergency callout rates would probably double..)

Phorsha,
I would gladly pay an IT professional $88 to come out to my house and remove a virus from my system. In fact, I would be happy to pay more. Even if it took them two minutes…. if its something I can't do myself,  I would happily pay a professional to do it for me.

There seems to be a few people who think they are better then the tradesman they hire.

MMmmmm…… maybe you could consider living in a 3rd world country where your facination with cheap labour and feeling good by whether you exploit or you get exploited gives you a sense of well being.

I love people who whinge about a plumber getting poo and meds out of their toilet for between $70 – $700 a visit when they are happy to pay $200 PLUS for a BAD haircut (fashionable if you ask them).

"Perhaps Phorsha had the knowledge and equipment but it was a task that the gubbermint says you need a plumbing license to perform?"

Srobbins, I would suggest that she didn't.

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