Why Do Some Plumbers Charge So Much?

warmhands.coldheart

HUMBUG wrote: »

Interesting that there is mention of quoting too high so that job won't be accepted because of existing workload . How unethical is that ? .......

No it's NOT... Think of it as Overtime !!! If you are asked to do more work at your work over your hours, you'll usually be paid overtime which is usually Time and a half or double time or the likes. You could argue the same is true for a trades person, if they are flat out working their normal hours on a large job or multiple other jobs and have a been asked to do a little job ion addition, is that not essentially done in "Overtime" ?? so No it's not Unethical, it's quoting what you believe your service is worth at that time.. the right of every self employed person.. at the end of the day it's the customers decision on whether they use them or not.....

27col

"Why do some plumbers charge so much."
Simple, because they can.

HUMBUG

I think 27col has got it right bang on. " Because they can" . All it takes is one good and honest plumber (or any trade for that matter) to be upfront, consistent and transparent with their costs (and even their target deadlines to do the work). If that was deemed fair , then all the rest would likely follow and we would get rid of those 'rip-off' estimates. For example , I used OAPs specifically because many don't have access to the internet to 'shop around' or see reviews , etc. They depend mainly on phoning around using Yell or Thomson Local . They and the poor are the most vulnerable and most likely to get ripped off. I detest traders who are basically dishonest when they have people 'over a barrel' .

System

you clearly don't understand how trades work, you can't have a standard price when there are so many variables. It's as simple as that

C_Mababejive

27col wrote: »

"Why do some plumbers charge so much."
Simple, because they can.

As can dentist,barristers,estate agents, garage mechanics and just about anyone else..

HUMBUG

the_r_sole wrote: »

you clearly don't understand how trades work, you can't have a standard price when there are so many variables. It's as simple as that

I do and many are a bunch of crooks. Too many variables is a 'cop out' . A plumber can easily state how much per hour for someone specialised versus an apprentice or helper . They can also give an approximate amount of time to do the work . If all plumbers did this it would make the industry more transparent, competitive and less 'rip-off' estimates. I worked out for my boiler installation that the materials (including ordering and transport and removal of debris) were worth max £1500 inc vat . That an experienced 'plumber + helper' would together earn £80 per hour for about 20 hrs work (inc vat) . That the total price using the 'rip-off' rates that plumbers charge in the Greater London area would be 1500+1600 = £3100 max (should be even less if one plumber doing most of the work). So one guy quotes me £4.3k ?? What's he got , gold plated spanners or something? Anyhow, I get a quote from a less known plumber for about £2.8k inc vat who actually measures the whole house to decide the best boiler capacity . He also accurately measures the clearance so that my boiler meets the warranty specs . He gives me advice about my fears regarding 'sealed' systems , says that the drop in pressure from Gas meter to my boiler might not require new pipes (because Gas meter is only 6ft away using 1 inch iron pipes). He doesn't try and sell me a MagnaClean device like the others because he understands that I spent £560 on a powerflush 2 years ago (by the same 'reputable plumber' that quoted me £4.3k and insisting on another Powerflush). So its all a matter of luck whether you get an honest quote or not . Most of the time its just plain dishonest and immoral . You might say I don't understand how the business trades work but I do and they are detestable.

Ruski

Just to put this in perspective: I've just been called out to tripping electrics and no central heating.


Diagnosed a blown fuse, loose wiring, low pressure in system.


They're now toasty and warm with hot water and all for the completely rip-off sum of TEN of your whole English Pounds.


Don't tar all plumbers with the same brush please.


HTH


Russ

Cash-Cows

27col wrote: »

"Why do some plumbers charge so much."
Simple, because they can.

It's because you are not paying them for the job, you are paying them for all the years it's taken for them to be able to do the job.

System

HUMBUG wrote: »

snip

all well and good, but would you pay someone with 50 years experience or someone that has just got a ticket last week the same, also, can they not charge for travel to the job, or someone might work quicker but have a higher hourly rate, someone might take more care and attention and take much longer some may be one man show others might have higher overheads etc etc etc.
Your hypothetical situations are nonsense, it is very difficult to draw direct comparisons in situations like this unless you can approach a trade with an exact specification of the job....
The best thing to deal with this is to try and understand what the situation is which your thread title implies, but it's clear that you've just come for a rant about something you don't understand properly.

ceredigion

HUMBUG wrote: »

Got a quote to service boiler (£68 inc Vat). Phoned another in same area who quoted £98 + vat (both do the same 24 safety checks) . Got a quote for a new boiler installation £4.3k inc vat . Another quoted over the phone £3k, and another £3.5k . Finally got a quote from another 2.7k (inc vat). All Gas Safe Registered but why the big disparity (£1.6k between the lowest and highest)? Is the cutting of pipes, removing and adding of valves so specialised that one Gas Safe engineer be more of an expert than the other? Can the argument that you pay for what you get really be true in the plumbing industry if all the employees (in these different companies) qualified to the same standard? Most of the time you see these companies linked to various bodies like CIPHE , Trustmark, Trustatrader, Checkatrade, Gas Safe, APHC, etc etc . And I suspect the owners might all be very qualified people in their own right but I suspect many of their employees are not. So 'Fred Bloggs Plumbers Ltd' employees are probably around the same standard as 'HM Queen Plumbers'. Yet the latter is probably charging 30-50% more to fix a leaking pipe. I feel we are getting ripped off by plumbers who regard themselves as the 'crème de la creme' without any real substance to back them up.

It is a market economy, with in a capitalist society.
Out of interest what do you do for a living