"User Example" wrote in message
But according to the post that started all this, the plumber had quoted
his rate per hour, the material cost, and the length of the job, but the
total estimated price for the job was far more than the sum of these,
even allowing for it taking longer than estimated.

True, then he needs a better contractor, but not all are like that.


When we were living in NY and getting our car fixed and they told us that
the parts would cost $200 and it would take 3 hours labor at $90/hr., do
you think we would have been happy to end up with a bill for $850?

That's the kind of thing that the OP was complaining about.

Thank you. Finally someone gets it.

But he said:
"No, what I resent is when they charge 3 or 4 times what it costs to
actually do the job, and that is including paying the labor and the
materials. That's just downright ridiculous. I'm happy to pay them for
their time and the materials they use. But at the rate a lot of them
charge, you are paying a day or two of work to people who don't even go
out to your job site. That just doesn't seem right to me."

My interpretation of this is that he resents paying overhead costs no matter
how needed it is. Yes, thee will be people that do not show up at the job
site. Buyers, accountants, schedulers, etc. All depends on the size of the
company. Yes, they do perform a needed function.