When a drain clearing job has nearly a 300% mark-up from a go-between...

JJAM

I'd be interested to get people's thoughts on this. I contacted a personally recommended plumber last week, notifying them of a bad drain blockage that has been going on for some time in my second floor flat, with water initially not draining well in my bathroom sink, leading to water also rising up in the shower and a bad smell. For about two weeks, this has also led to the water draining poorly in the kitchen sink and water rising up even more in the shower with even worse smells. 

They suggested checking that nobody else in my building was experiencing similar issues. They aren't, so it was clear that it was a localised issue. They stated that the average cost for clearing such blockages was £250, and on the basis of this "likely" cost, asked for a 50% deposit in order to go ahead and book "their" drainage clearance company. It was pretty clear that they were just using another company and that they would be taking some money off the top, which I was fine with, feeling that at least they'd be using a good company, rather than me picking one out from Trusted Traders, for example. I did this about 9 years ago in fact re a plumber when I had a bathroom leak going into the flat below, who was very highly reviewed, who recommended that I flood my bathroom to flood the property below and then put in an insurance claim for a new bathroom (I didn't do this, obviously). So you can understand my reticence...

I wasn't given a specific time for the drainage company but a 4 hour window - for a quote of £250, seemed a bit odd but by this point I just wanted the problem sorted. 

They turned up this morning with a motorised snake and it was sorted in 5 minutes. He then checked that the water was draining fine in all sinks and the shower - all good. He asked about how I was going to settle up and I told him it had been booked through a plumber. He then told me that it would have been £85 had I booked direct. He spent all of 10 minutes at my place and I was happy to not have a horrible smell in my flat for the first time in ages...

The plumber then got in touch, asking if it had been sorted, to which I replied "Yes, it was sorted in minutes!". They then replied, saying that they'd send an invoice for the balance...

Bearing in mind that I'd already paid a deposit of £125, I phoned the plumber twice to have a chat. With there being no answer, I emailed them, politely saying that I couldn't see how there was a balance to sort out bearing in mind what the person from the drainage company told me about the cost - I did say that I was grateful for them booking a recommended company, but even £40 for that (nearly 50% extra on top) seems a bit too much. As such, I didn't see how any more payment was due - in fact, my words were "I won't be paying any more money". 

This has been met with an email with an invoice for the balance. They've stated that they made it clear that the minimum charge would be £250 - this is not the case. That amount was referred to as "anticipated" and "likely". They've referred to the comment by the operative as throwaway and "frankly mistaken". They've mentioned how their experience as an advanced plumber, building services engineer and surveyor comes into play, and that several emails and texts were exchanged between us. This is a valid point - but how does that justify a mark-up of nearly 300%?

I would be interested to get other people's opinions on this matter as right now, I'm unwilling to pay the balance. 

EssexExile

Since being fleeced by local companies a couple of times I now use Drain Doctor. They come out pretty quick, have a look and give you a quote. No matter what they find later the quote is what you pay. I got them out once at midnight on Christmas eve, no extra charge!

outtatune

Well, it's a bit vague what your agreement with the plumber was, but if you agreed to pay £250 to have the blockage cleared - or worse, agreed to pay whatever they charged you for the work without specifying how it would be calculated - then they've kept their side of the bargain and now it's time for you to keep yours.

JJAM

£250 was referred to as "anticipated" and "likely". I paid the deposit as a means of securing the booking in advance of the anticipated cost. 

comeandgo

You agreed on a figure of about £250 and that’s what you got charged.  The time to discuss the price was prior to agreement.

grandadgolfer

OP......dont think youve got a leg to stand on to be honest

On a side note "Trust a trader / similar sites" are a complete waste of time

canaldumidi

I'm surprised you didn't learn the lesson from earlier:

"rather than me picking one out from Trusted Traders, for example. I did this about 9 years ago in fact re a plumber when I had a bathroom leak going into the flat below,"

Getting a personal recommendation is a good start, but then obviously

* don't pay cash in advance

* get a quote, not an estimate or 'likely' cost.

If you rely on a 'likely' cost then don't be surprised if it actually costs less, or even more likley, more! And the old adage of "possession is 9/10ths of the law" applies if you pay up front!

You don't have a leg to stand on I'm afraid. It's not a question of "how does that justify a mark-up of nearly 300%?" It's simply a question of whether they gave you a fixed quote or not.

Frankly the 3rd moment alarm bells should have rung (after the vagueness of the quote, and the requirement for a deposit) was when they said they were sub-contracting out to another company!

JJAM

grandadgolfer said:

OP......dont think youve got a leg to stand on to be honest

On a side note "Trust a trader / similar sites" are a complete waste of time

I'm well aware of that, hence thinking that going with a personal recommendation would work out better...

Bendy_House

I guess the simplest thing would be to (a) pay up, (b) never use them again - go straight to the other guy, and (c) post an honest review.

rob7475

If the drain guy hadn't told you their charge would have been £85, would you have been happy paying the £250 that you were expecting to pay?

JJAM

Would anyone be happy paying that amount for a job that took 10 minutes?