On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 02:34:29 GMT, pgg
wrote:

I recently hired a plumber to fix a few leaks and drips. He spend about
45 minutes trying to fix my leaking bathroom sink, but failed and said I
am SOL. He couldn't get the seat out because it was stripped, and
smoothing it out didn't do the trick. The drip is getting worse daily.

First question I have is should he have charged me for 45 minutes of labor
even though he failed to fix the sink?
Yes the plumber should be paid for his time.



I'm also now stuck facing a costly remodel of my bathroom. The sink is 50
years old and the vanity is custom. If I replace the sink, I will have
to tear out the vanity, the ceramic tile splash-back, and put in new
flooring because there is nothing else on the market that fits. Not
something I want to do. The plumber said it is possible to pull the sink
out of the wall so that the faucet valves can be replaced, but this would
likely be more expensive than installing a new vanity sink.
Sigh...

Any advice? Should I call a 2nd plumber? I question the man's competence...


I would call a second plumber just because it is worth another minimum
fee to be sure that the faucet can't be salvaged. Everyone has
different experience and the second guy might have a trick the first
one doesn't know about.

Why can't you just replace the faucet? Even in a custom sink you
should be able to find something new that can be made to work.

Steve B.