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

silvercar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013276#Comment_82013276

There’s a difference between charging a high fee to represent out of hours and emergency calls and charging an obscene amount to take advantage of a situation.

silvercar

I was once told to pierce the ceiling with a screwdriver, with bucket underneath. So a lot of the water has an outlet and means the weight of the remaining water is less likely to bring the ceiling down.

RedFraggle

I'm assuming you have emergency cover of your insurance already? Otherwise they only cover making good the damage not the repair itself.

It's a crazy price but a good lesson to everyone to know how to turn water off. Always good to make sure individual inlet pipes to sinks, cisterns etc. have an isolator valve fitted.

I think our emergency cover requires us to ring them first in any instance.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013310#Comment_82013310

It's expensive for sure, but folk who are costing the job on the basis of materials plus a couple of hours labour are not being realistic about what it costs to provide an emergency service.

The measure should be against what it might have cost if someone wasn't willing to arrive on site within an hour and provide a permanent fix then and there.

If you think the figure is "obscene" you are free to decline the offer and make alternative arrangements instead. There was urgency, but no compulsion.

Anyone would think there isn't a chronic shortage of traders like plumbers and electicians….

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013316#Comment_82013316

It is unlikely the weight of free water will be much of a problem - it won't stand to any great depth because it will be able to flow away through gaps where the ceiling meets the walls, or gaps between the joists and brick/blockwork.

The problem is saturated plasterboard weights significantly more than dry plasterboard, coupled with a rapid loss of strength as it gets wet. The loss of strength means the fixing nails/screws will easily pull through the plasterboard and once enough fixings are affected the ceiling will fail.

Creating an outlet for the water is a good idea if it stops the dampness spreading over a larger area. Ideally the hole should be directly below the leak.

Bigphil1474

A quick search shows that I should be able to get an emergency plumber out to fix a leak and should pay roughly £160 - £300 including call out fee. Hourly rate of around £40 per hour, Day rate of around £240. In this case, the OP did what she thought was right, but even so, the plumber is taking the pass. Standing in someone's house with water coming through the ceiling saying I'll fix it but it could cost as much as £5k is borderline criminal. We should all be unhappy about profiteering just because someone is in a tight spot. Hope the insurers come through for the OP.

ian1246

OP, to answer your question, you've 100% been utterly swindled & exploited.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013390#Comment_82013390

I think exploited is pretty certain.

Once the dust has settled, the OP should consider an honest, factual review.

shinytop

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013276#Comment_82013276

Are you having a laugh? I stand by my choice of words and could come up with a few less polite ones if pressed. That price is outrageous and the plumber needs to explain it. In detail.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013780#Comment_82013780

The price is, indeed, outrageous, but I don't think the plumber really needs to explain it.