In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 27 Sep 2018 21:35:37 -0400, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Sep 2018 21:13:41 -0400, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 27 Sep 2018 14:01:40 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

hi
this house was built in 1955 and we think these pipes are original.
These pipes have to be replaced now
And the plumber said that if he cant find compatible or original pipes it will be a bigger job.
Does anyone know where to find replacement pipes?

Thanks!

http://tinypic.com/r/15dxav9/9


The kind word for this is upselling.

But con-job seems to fit also.


No plumbing stories but I had a noise in the car exhaust,

Went to Mr. Tire - no time to look at it today.
Went to Midas, 360 to replace flexible exhaust pipe.
But they recommended replacing exhaust pipe to muffler (but not
muffler) $750.
Does that mean I get new 02 sensors? No, we take out your old ones and
put them in the new pipe. But I'm sure when the time came they'd try to
sell me new ones at 240 each, right, so now we're up to 1230.


Ended up going to a shop not in the suburbs, closer to the city, what
would have been a new n'hood in the 1940's. He didn't even have to look
at the car. He heard me drive in and said it was the flexible pipe.
180 for the flexible pipe. Counting sales tax, but not under the
counter. Paid with credit card. Quiet as a kitten.

The part at retail is only $20 and it took him 20 minutes, so he still
made good money, but Midas recommends I spend more.

Midas and the other "chain" shops will always try the upsell.

Is some of this because the stores near me are in the suburbs where
people have more money and some people have loads of money, so they
think, "I'd better replace a (perfectly good) pipe now so it won't ruin
my day playing cards with Nancy and the girls" or "so it won't break
down in the rain", but in the city people wait until it's actually at
least partly broken?

Always referred to them as BOHICA Automotive.

BOHICA? I looked it up. Never heard it before.

They used to constantly advertise a lifetime guarantee, but it didn't
include clamps, you learned when you wanted warranty service, and
somehow the charge for new clamps was, I'm told, as much as the charge
for the muffler and pipes.


BTW, this is not the right thread, but there was a link in a plumbing
thread and it sent me to Home Depot which always changes what my local
store is. Walmart and Target doe this too. This time it claimed my
local store was Niagara Falls NY! Even though I'm in Baltimore.