Is this plumbing charge fair? - Help/advice needed

goldbyron

I have attached a letter I sent today to a DIY company in response to their request for one hours labour of £65 plus VAT. I hope it is self explantory - all names have been omitted. Am I right in my request or should I pay? I feel a little ripped off right now... Thanks

Many thanks for sending this invoice however I am a little confused. A did indeed attend our home for half an hour (which I assume equates to an hour) and recommended a power flush. I have since contacted three further plumbers who have all come round to provide an estimate and inspection as A did free of charge. These plumbers (general domestic plumbers) have stated that the tank needs to be drained, the gate valves checked for blockage (can only be done once drained) and if this does not resolve the problem then the pipes may need to be dismantled due to the U bends. I have also contacted a power flush company (P) who confirm that a normal water system can not be flushed as the system is similar to a 'tree with branches' as opposed to a central heating system which is 'cyclical'.

Please do not misunderstand me - A was very personable and friendly however the advice does not seem to correlate with that of three general domestic plumbers and a reputable large power flush company (I even spoke with their senior engineer). Moreover the general plumbers have all provided advice and an estimate for work (which they are able to carry out) without any cost. I feel a little like I have been charged £75 for advice that I have received freely and advice that was also incorrect and could have incurred me greater cost if I had carried out a power flush without resolution.

Additionally the invoice states that debris was cleared from the tank however I understand that there was none on inspection. Finally I had already attempted to clear any air lock a week prior to the visit so I had already ruled this out. I do feel that if I was to be charged for this visit I should have been provided with correct advice or at the very least a plumber from your company who was able to undertake the work as other general plumbers have been. Furthermore A informed me that the company would e-mail on the Monday following the appointment to provide us with a plumber who could carry out this work or the name of a power flushing company (not that the latter would have resolved anything). I assumed that due to the lack of plumbers within your company to undertake this work (which seems to be quite a general piece of work) I would not be charged.. I do not feel I should pay for what seems to be incorrect advice and no resolution. I may have taken a different perspective had I received an e-mail from your company providing me another plumber who can carry out this work. I feel I was very clear in my explanation of the problem in my initial e-mail to ensure that a plumber attended who could resolve this issue and therefore the plumber who attended just happened to not expereinced in this area. I do not rest any blame on A for not being able to resolve the issue however I should not have to pay for a tradespersons inexpereince.

I am happy to pay for any travel expenses that A incurred through travelling to our home however am deepily disatisfied at having to pay any further in light of the above. One of the general domestic plumbers that provided me with a free estimate and inspection of my tank/valves/air lock is now going to undertake the work. I do not enjoy a high income and will have to pay a plumber to carry out the work as specified - yet this payment will include a resolution and appropriate correct advice.

I am not trying to evade paying your company however I feel I have good reason to challenge the cost in light of my reasons above. I look forward to your response and consideration of waiving a significant portion of the cost.

Yours sincerely

gasbag1602

goldbyron wrote: »

I have attached a letter I sent today to a DIY company in response to their request for one hours labour of £65 plus VAT. I hope it is self explantory - all names have been omitted. Am I right in my request or should I pay? I feel a little ripped off right now... Thanks

Many thanks for sending this invoice however I am a little confused. A did indeed attend our home for half an hour (which I assume equates to an hour) and recommended a power flush. I have since contacted three further plumbers who have all come round to provide an estimate and inspection as A did free of charge. These plumbers (general domestic plumbers) have stated that the tank needs to be drained, the gate valves checked for blockage (can only be done once drained) and if this does not resolve the problem then the pipes may need to be dismantled due to the U bends. I have also contacted a power flush company (P) who confirm that a normal water system can not be flushed as the system is similar to a 'tree with branches' as opposed to a central heating system which is 'cyclical'.

Please do not misunderstand me - A was very personable and friendly however the advice does not seem to correlate with that of three general domestic plumbers and a reputable large power flush company (I even spoke with their senior engineer). Moreover the general plumbers have all provided advice and an estimate for work (which they are able to carry out) without any cost. I feel a little like I have been charged £75 for advice that I have received freely and advice that was also incorrect and could have incurred me greater cost if I had carried out a power flush without resolution.

Additionally the invoice states that debris was cleared from the tank however I understand that there was none on inspection. Finally I had already attempted to clear any air lock a week prior to the visit so I had already ruled this out. I do feel that if I was to be charged for this visit I should have been provided with correct advice or at the very least a plumber from your company who was able to undertake the work as other general plumbers have been. Furthermore A informed me that the company would e-mail on the Monday following the appointment to provide us with a plumber who could carry out this work or the name of a power flushing company (not that the latter would have resolved anything). I assumed that due to the lack of plumbers within your company to undertake this work (which seems to be quite a general piece of work) I would not be charged.. I do not feel I should pay for what seems to be incorrect advice and no resolution. I may have taken a different perspective had I received an e-mail from your company providing me another plumber who can carry out this work. I feel I was very clear in my explanation of the problem in my initial e-mail to ensure that a plumber attended who could resolve this issue and therefore the plumber who attended just happened to not expereinced in this area. I do not rest any blame on A for not being able to resolve the issue however I should not have to pay for a tradespersons inexpereince.

I am happy to pay for any travel expenses that A incurred through travelling to our home however am deepily disatisfied at having to pay any further in light of the above. One of the general domestic plumbers that provided me with a free estimate and inspection of my tank/valves/air lock is now going to undertake the work. I do not enjoy a high income and will have to pay a plumber to carry out the work as specified - yet this payment will include a resolution and appropriate correct advice.

I am not trying to evade paying your company however I feel I have good reason to challenge the cost in light of my reasons above. I look forward to your response and consideration of waiving a significant portion of the cost.

Yours sincerely

You called this company out because you had a problem so who do you expect to pay for this mans time and fuel????? Peoples time and advice is something you have to pay for! What line of work are you in so i can give you an example?

goldbyron

I have offered to pay the woman's fuel and travel time. She gave incorrect advice (which would have cost me money and not been effective) and the company did not provide an alternative plumber to undertake the relatively simple (for a qualified tradesperson) task of fixing the problem. If they had of course I would pay as this would have been included in the overall bill. I feel like I am paying for someone who was not expereinced enough to fix the problem - which is the companys error and not the individual. I explained my problem in great depth by e-mail prior to being allocated a plumber.
Just to note other plumbers on another site have said that a goodwill travel gesture is sufficient as I was given wrong advice and she couldn't fix what other general plumbers can.
As for my occupation - well trust me - it is a very underpaid yet responsible occupation and I certainly would not earn £75 to give incorrect advice. In fact if I gave incorrect advice in my job I would either be tarnished by the media or sacked quite frankly.
Just to note I was only asking for advice and if the general consensus feels I should pay then I would. I am certainly not wanting a person to go short of money if they have carried out their role correctly.