Do plumbers over-charge us for their services?

I think it%26#039;s becoming ridiculous what plumbers are charging today. Case in point: I live in Florida and I had a plumbing emergency at night last week when a sewer drain line in my yard backed up and flooded both my bathrooms. I got a plumber to come over and he snaked out the line and verified with a TV camera that my azaleas%26#039; roots had broken the line and plugged it up. Cost: $300. It was steep but what could I do with no way to flush my toilets and my bathrooms flooding? He came back the next day to dig up four feet of drain line, two feet deep and no tree roots over the line, and replaced the 4-foot section and repacked the sod. Cost: $690. I think that was way too much money for only 45 minutes work. I could hire a lawyer cheaper.





So, what have been your plumber experiences and do you think they charge too much?

Do plumbers over-charge us for their services?
Thats like asking if mechanics overcharge people. The materials for plumbers are extremely cheap....the labor is what will kill you. They Charge like that because nobody else has their experience...think about it....he dug through poop infested dirt and grass to replace a pipe.....could you have done that?
Reply:You can rent, or buy, the tools needed to snake out your drains. You can get out there and dig up the yard yourself. You didn%26#039;t get over charged, you paid for a service. If snaking the drain didn%26#039;t work, and your toilets backed up again, he probably would have came back out and do it again for free.





If you hired a lawyer, and wound up in jail, do you think you would have to pay him?





If you go to the doctor, he gives you medicine, and your still sick; do you have to pay again when you go back?





Do you think the doctor or lawyer goes home smelling like crap every night?





Now think real hard, who is overpaid?
Reply:It is supply and demand. If they charge too much, it is only because we%26#039;re willing to pay it. Shop around more. If everyone shopped around, it would create better competition, and eventually push prices down.
Reply:Sounds fair to me. What looked like a small amount of work would have taken you many hours and much more money if you were to do it yourself.








Sounds like he knows his business.
Reply:If you think so, try doing the work yourself.
Reply:under priced because they do know hot water on left cold water on right and s*`t runs downhill oh yeah and paydays on friday and boss i an a--hole.a lawyer practices law a plumber knows his business as sh--tty as it may be.i am not a plumber and ive had to hire them too.
Reply:How long do you think that lawyer would have taken to get your toilets working again? I think maybe the digging aspect of the job was a bit high, but the emergency call was not.
Reply:Cheap at any price is what they use to say.You should of done the work yourself,at least after you found the break.Actually I think he should of deducted the 300.00 from the 690.00.I would of and I would not of charged you that much in the first place.


Since I do all my own plumbing work,Yes I think they charge way too much.Next time be a do it yourselfer.You%26#039;d be suprised how easy it is.
Reply:I agree.. I have a cousin who is a plumber and has become rich cause of this.. It%26#039;s sad.
Reply:Yes they do charge too much. So do the work yourself. Dig up your back yard by hand, it is cheaper. Oh, I see your boss is here. What did he say? He is paying you too much? And he is cutting your pay by 20%?
Reply:well, I think you got a very high bill, but you said what could you do. Ask for imtomize bill. material and labor. then take him to small claims court. cost of that should cost about 10.00 dollars. But you have to pay the bill frist i think.Let the court decide
Reply:I think you whine too much!
Reply:Learn to do it yourself if you don%26#039;t like it......
Reply:They do charge alot- but it is often in times of emergencies that you call, so you can%26#039;t start comparing prices one to the next. Some of it is expertise, insured work and licenses, some of it is parts (think how many parts the plumber has to have on hand to deal with problems, and many never get used)


They own their own business, so what they take in is what they get.


Next time you should outsource your problem to China - oh wait, you can%26#039;t do that. Guess you are stuck.
Reply:Many trades are high paid.


I see this all the time....I am a professional video producer....I make videos every day.....and I see weekend videographer guys go to shoot someone%26#039;s wedding and charge $1,000! Then they go back to their day job cutting hair in a barbershop or whatever and laughing about how they skinned some poor couple for a 60-minute video!


When I got divorced, my lawyer charged like $260 an hour for his consultations....his paralegal charged like $120 an hour! The total bill was thousands...it was expensive....


yes, many trades and professions ask exorbitant rates. Car mechanics, for example.


I have a full-time job producing videos so I get paid vacations, medical insurance, and other benefits...so I am probably better off than the barber who moonlights as a wedding videographer.
Reply:Well they go to school for a LONG time AND if I had to go hear someone elses pooper I%26#039;d charge a lot too. That Hepatitis C medicine and death isn%26#039;t cheap...........
Reply:uh. I would too!


have you seen what they have to to?!
Reply:Hmmm....... well this is a trade to get into!
Reply:Yes. They overcharge, because the job is generally easy. But you cannot sue.



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