Emergency plumber- have I been scammed? And what can I do?

Wonka_2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012253#Comment_82012253

Why would you have to ‘wait’ to talk to your insurer ? Presumably they have an emergency number for situations like this ?

And where did you find the ‘emergency plumber’ ?

Hopefully your insurance company play ball for at least some of the costs but I’d be prepared for the worst (and I’d take as a lesson where the stopcock is and how to shut off the supply - if it’s not accessible find a reputable plumber to fit one in a place where it’s accessible to you)

diddlysquat23

I didn’t have enough time to stop and call the insurance and ask questions first etc. I can’t stress enough how much I was against time in this situation. As I said before, if time was on my side I could’ve thought more logically but I had to make a decision quickly as the plumber didn’t even stop the water until he found the source of the leak. It was an emergency and I had to make a decision quickly which yes probably has resulted in me being massively overcharged, but I’m not to blame for that. Will definitely expect the worst case but just wanted advice for what I can do if insurance do say I’ve been overcharged or shouldn’t have paid that much etc

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012253#Comment_82012253

This is why - although it sounds a lot - £4500 was the going rate for helping you out of the emergency situation you had.

Folk saying the amount is excessive probably don't have a time machine they could use to go back to Friday morning and volunteer to do the job for you at cost.

People wanting a plumber for routine work often have to wait weeks or months just to get a quote. To get a plumber round in under an hour means you've had to pay for their availability. Working out the reasonableness of that charge on the basis of an hourly rate alone is not realistic - the assessment needs to consider what the trader has foregone in order to be available to you so quickly.

From what you've said it seems your dad didn't think the charge was unreasonable in the circumstances, so don't blame yourself for making a bad choice. A different choice could have resulted in a six-figure repair bill, with no guarantee your insurer would cover the full amount of that.

diddlysquat23

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012273#Comment_82012273

Thank you very much for this comment I really appreciate it

jaybeetoo

Store your insurance company emergency phone number in your phone. Many policies provide an emergency plumber.

tacpot12

I think your Insurance company will be understanding of the emergency situation you found yourself in. While they may not cover the full cost, they might well cover quite a bit, and youu can haggle up from their initial offer. I would hope to get at least £2000 back from the insurer, but you might get less if the damage to the ceilings is covered and they are paying out for repairs.

I would recommend you get a plumber to fit you a SureStop stopcock. These allow you to turn the water off to your house at the flick of a switch. It's so easy to do that you can train children to do it; good if you are leaving teenagers at home!

Cost might be £200. The savings might be much greater than this.

flaneurs_lobster

I would recommend you get a plumber to fit you a SureStop stopcock. 

Get some quotes first…..

itsthelittlethings

I feel you have been scammed. Unless your house is very oddly built I really don't see why the ceiling needed to come down. Pipes are put in to be relatively easily accessible behind cupboards etc. But really it's on you if you were quoted £1200 and did not baulk at that. The first thing any plumber worth his salt would do would be find and turn off the stopcock. They sound like incompetent criminals.

itsthelittlethings

I paid £190 recently for an emergency plumber who found the leak. The next day he came back during business hours and fixed it for a further £220. It was a relatively simple fix but that bill is horrendous unless it was a lot of complex work.

stuart45

It's quite normal for pipes to run through the upper floors as well as behind cupboards. I'd guess the first thing he did was turn the water off. Once the ceiling has been soaked it would probably be wrecked so would make more sense to work from below than rip up the floor.