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#1
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Reasonable Cost?
I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. -- ---------- CWLee Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred cows. Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and promote for performance, not preferences. |
#2
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Reasonable Cost?
"CWLee" wrote I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. Comments? Not a bargain, not a royal screwing though. You usually pay $100 jut to have them walk through the door and about $80 to $120 an hour for labor. Unless it was done recently, I'd have him rebuild the toilet while there. Only a few bucks more at that point. |
#3
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Reasonable Cost?
In article , "CWLee" wrote:
[...] Comments? The relevant sentences in your post are these: "... the price would be $250." "I agreed to that." "Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it." The guy quoted you a price, you agreed to it, he did the job, you're satisfied with the results -- what's the problem? |
#4
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Reasonable Cost?
On Jun 24, 1:46*am, "CWLee" wrote:
I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. *This is in the greater Los Angeles area. *I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. *Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. *Plumber came out to inspect the job. *He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. *Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. *I agreed to that. *He returned the next day and did what he said. *It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Probably about what my plumber would charge. You have to consider their traveling time and initial call to evaluate problem and give estimate. Cost and maintenance of truck, insurance and other expenses of plumber must be considered. Couple of years ago, county strapped for money, imposed new $400 license fee on all contractors above what state already requires. All these things add up. You want to get cheap plumbing done, get some guy working under the table and pay cash. |
#6
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Reasonable Cost?
CWLee wrote:
I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Yes, it was a reasonable price. The fact that he came out the first day and gave you a price and then had to come out a second time to do the job makes it even more reasonable. For the plumber, that's two travel times to the same job, and any time he spends travelling to jobs and going to jobs to give prices is time that he is not on another job making money. |
#7
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Reasonable Cost?
On 2010-06-24, CWLee wrote:
than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Our mobile home park suffered frozen sewer lines due to a record cold Winter. The guy charged $400 hr to sit on his butt slowly feeding a 3/4" hose down the lines. You got off cheap. nb |
#8
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Reasonable Cost?
On 6/24/10 9:23 AM, notbob wrote:
On 2010-06-24, wrote: than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Our mobile home park suffered frozen sewer lines due to a record cold Winter. The guy charged $400 hr to sit on his butt slowly feeding a 3/4" hose down the lines. You got off cheap. nb Not to feel so bad-- you were paying for his experience and expertise in knowing that the hose was the was to fix it, what size hose to use, how fast to feed it, and the temp of the water, etc., etc.... |
#9
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Reasonable Cost?
"CWLee" wrote in message
... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Put into perspective, I recently had a plumber come out to re-seat a faucet that I could't get to stop leaking after installing it, a wall hung faucet, should have been really easy, but I digress. He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. Cheri |
#10
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Reasonable Cost?
On 2010-06-24, Shaun wrote:
Not to feel so bad-- you were paying for his experience and expertise in knowing that the hose was the was to fix it, what size hose to use, how fast to feed it, and the temp of the water, etc., etc.... The sewer lines that were jetted cost the park a total of $38K over a 3 month period. The high pressure machine used on the job, designed specifically to jet frozen sewers and one of the best on the market, cost only $8K w/ 250' hose. Our park board is populated by morons elected by other morons. nb |
#11
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Reasonable Cost?
CWLee wrote:
I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Hi, That job is in the territory of DIY. I'd do it myself. Time is money. I don't think he charged too much. |
#12
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Reasonable Cost?
wrote in message
... On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:52:19 -0700, "Cheri" wrote: "CWLee" wrote in message ... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Put into perspective, I recently had a plumber come out to re-seat a faucet that I could't get to stop leaking after installing it, a wall hung faucet, should have been really easy, but I digress. He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. Cheri It was a difficult enough job that YOU couldn't do it yourself. The guy drove to your house, and fixed what you couldn't. $60 was a gift. No, it wasn't a gift...not at all, it was outrageous, but I didn't mind paying it. Most plumbers have a standard fee for coming, his was 60.00. I gave him a 20.00 tip (making the total 80.00) because his wife said he was sleeping when I called, and he was still here within 1/2 hour. I'm sure he went back home to bed. Cheri |
#13
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Reasonable Cost?
wrote in message
... It was a difficult enough job that YOU couldn't do it yourself. The guy drove to your house, and fixed what you couldn't. $60 was a gift. But...I will be able to do it next time, since I had forgotten that you had to tighten down individual sides one at a time and equally, to prevent one side from leaking, but I won't forget it again. However, at my age, I'm sure the new faucet will outlive me, since the last one I installed there was almost 20 years ago.:-) Cheri |
#14
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Reasonable Cost?
On 6/24/2010 10:14 AM, notbob wrote:
On 2010-06-24, wrote: Not to feel so bad-- you were paying for his experience and expertise in knowing that the hose was the was to fix it, what size hose to use, how fast to feed it, and the temp of the water, etc., etc.... The sewer lines that were jetted cost the park a total of $38K over a 3 month period. The high pressure machine used on the job, designed specifically to jet frozen sewers and one of the best on the market, cost only $8K w/ 250' hose. Our park board is populated by morons elected by other morons. nb Your park board is probably hiring buddies or relatives. Not unknown for maintenance associations to do so. |
#15
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Reasonable Cost?
"Doug Miller" wrote : The guy quoted you a price, you agreed to it, he did the job, you're satisfied with the results -- what's the problem? I'm the OP, and I never said there was a problem. I have no complaint about the workmanship or the price. My post was intended to solicit feedback about the reasonableness of the price I paid. So far, I interpret the responses to be that what I paid was about right. |
#16
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Reasonable Cost?
On Jun 24, 10:14*am, notbob wrote:
On 2010-06-24, Shaun wrote: Not to feel so bad-- you were paying for his experience and expertise in knowing that the hose was the was to fix it, what size hose to use, how fast to feed it, and the temp of the water, etc., etc.... The sewer lines that were jetted cost the park a total of $38K over a 3 month period. *The high pressure machine used on the job, designed specifically to jet frozen sewers and one of the best on the market, cost only $8K w/ 250' hose. Our park board is populated by morons elected by other morons. nb It sounds more like your "trailer park" suffered from a design flaw in its "sewers"... If the ground had frozen that hard many of your "homes" would have suffered from some sort of unexpected "movement"... Oh, and when someone is jetting out lines like that, they usually charge by the linear foot of pipe they flush out, not by the job... |
#17
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Reasonable Cost?
On Jun 24, 11:58*am, "Cheri" wrote:
wrote in message ... On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:52:19 -0700, "Cheri" wrote: "CWLee" wrote in message ... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. *This is in the greater Los Angeles area. *I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. *Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. *Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. *Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. *I agreed to that. *He returned the next day and did what he said. *It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Put into perspective, I recently had a plumber come out to re-seat a faucet that I could't get to stop leaking after installing it, a wall hung faucet, should have been really easy, but I digress. He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. Cheri It was a difficult enough job that YOU couldn't do it yourself. The guy drove to your house, and fixed what you couldn't. $60 was a gift. No, it wasn't a gift...not at all, it was outrageous, but I didn't mind paying it. Most plumbers have a standard fee for coming, his was 60.00. I gave him a 20.00 tip (making the total 80.00) because his wife said he was sleeping when I called, and he was still here within 1/2 hour. I'm sure he went back home to bed. Cheri Right, that is called a "service charge" which is what it costs to get the trade professional out to your house with all their tools, equipment, supply of spare parts and the knowledge they possess... It sounds like you either didn't know how to do the repair you were attempting or didn't have the right tool or a large enough tool to unstick something that was stuck... As far as inflating the cost of your service, with a "tip" such gratuities are not required nor expected in the trades, the guy fixed your sink for $60 in less than 10 minutes, which was a skilled labor task, you don't need to "tip" him for that, as he is NOT a "service" employee being paid less than minimum wage to wait on your table at a restaurant -- you TIP those workers, not the ones who earn exponentially more... |
#18
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Reasonable Cost?
On Jun 24, 12:41*pm, "CWLee" wrote:
"Doug Miller" wrote : The guy quoted you a price, you agreed to it, he did the job, you're satisfied with the results -- what's the problem? I'm the OP, and I never said there was a problem. *I have no complaint about the workmanship or the price. *My post was intended to solicit feedback about the reasonableness of the price I paid. *So far, I interpret the responses to be that what I paid was about right. Even if you had paid more, what do you expect a bunch of people on usenet to be able to tell you about it ? We have no pictures to see what the actual scope of the work was, nor how difficult it was for the plumber to obtain the parts he needed other than your very vague descriptions... This "buyer's remorse" stuff is really childish... You hired out work you either couldn't do on your own or didn't WANT to do... The project was accomplished and you were happy with the work, it is not like you are going to have an identical project to do anytime soon so its not something you can compare prices on... |
#19
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Reasonable Cost?
In article , "CWLee" wrote:
"Doug Miller" wrote : The guy quoted you a price, you agreed to it, he did the job, you're satisfied with the results -- what's the problem? I'm the OP, and I never said there was a problem. I have no complaint about the workmanship or the price. My post was intended to solicit feedback about the reasonableness of the price I paid. So far, I interpret the responses to be that what I paid was about right. My point was that since he did the work at the agreed-upon price, and you're satisfied with the results, you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. |
#20
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Reasonable Cost?
wrote in message
news On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:58:05 -0700, "Cheri" wrote: wrote in message . .. On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:52:19 -0700, "Cheri" wrote: "CWLee" wrote in message ... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Put into perspective, I recently had a plumber come out to re-seat a faucet that I could't get to stop leaking after installing it, a wall hung faucet, should have been really easy, but I digress. He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. Cheri It was a difficult enough job that YOU couldn't do it yourself. The guy drove to your house, and fixed what you couldn't. $60 was a gift. No, it wasn't a gift...not at all, it was outrageous, but I didn't mind paying it. Most plumbers have a standard fee for coming, his was 60.00. I gave him a 20.00 tip (making the total 80.00) because his wife said he was sleeping when I called, and he was still here within 1/2 hour. I'm sure he went back home to bed. Cheri Wait! You mean it wasn't even normal business hours? That was far beyond a gift. You still owe him. Seriously. It was 10:30 in the morning. His nephew was on vacation, so the calls went to him. He had a heart attack not so long ago, so he probably needs a lot of sleep. Cheri |
#21
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Reasonable Cost?
"Evan" wrote in message
... On Jun 24, 11:58 am, "Cheri" wrote: wrote in message ... On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:52:19 -0700, "Cheri" wrote: "CWLee" wrote in message ... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Put into perspective, I recently had a plumber come out to re-seat a faucet that I could't get to stop leaking after installing it, a wall hung faucet, should have been really easy, but I digress. He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. Cheri It was a difficult enough job that YOU couldn't do it yourself. The guy drove to your house, and fixed what you couldn't. $60 was a gift. No, it wasn't a gift...not at all, it was outrageous, but I didn't mind paying it. Most plumbers have a standard fee for coming, his was 60.00. I gave him a 20.00 tip (making the total 80.00) because his wife said he was sleeping when I called, and he was still here within 1/2 hour. I'm sure he went back home to bed. Cheri Right, that is called a "service charge" which is what it costs to get the trade professional out to your house with all their tools, equipment, supply of spare parts and the knowledge they possess... It sounds like you either didn't know how to do the repair you were attempting or didn't have the right tool or a large enough tool to unstick something that was stuck... As far as inflating the cost of your service, with a "tip" such gratuities are not required nor expected in the trades, the guy fixed your sink for $60 in less than 10 minutes, which was a skilled labor task, you don't need to "tip" him for that, as he is NOT a "service" employee being paid less than minimum wage to wait on your table at a restaurant -- you TIP those workers, not the ones who earn exponentially more... ======== Maybe *you* don't want to tip people that are called out to your home, but I always do. That's probably why he got out of bed and came over to fix my problem since he's been here before. Cheri |
#22
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Reasonable Cost?
"Doug Miller" wrote: ... you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. I agreed that it was reasonable for ME, at that time, that place, those circumstances. What I was seeking from others here was THEIR opinion as to the reasonableness of the price in the situation described. If several posters replied that it sounded more like a $100 job to them, I wouldn't use again or recommend to others this particular plumber. If the consensus of replies was that a more typical cost was ~$500, then I'd certainly use this plumber again, and recommend him to my friends. As I interpret the responses so far I don't think I got either a bargain or a rip-off. I received confirmation that others think the price was reasonable, thus reinforcing my own original opinion. |
#23
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Reasonable Cost?
"CWLee" wrote in message
m... "Doug Miller" wrote: ... you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. I agreed that it was reasonable for ME, at that time, that place, those circumstances. What I was seeking from others here was THEIR opinion as to the reasonableness of the price in the situation described. If several posters replied that it sounded more like a $100 job to them, I wouldn't use again or recommend to others this particular plumber. If the consensus of replies was that a more typical cost was ~$500, then I'd certainly use this plumber again, and recommend him to my friends. As I interpret the responses so far I don't think I got either a bargain or a rip-off. I received confirmation that others think the price was reasonable, thus reinforcing my own original opinion. I understand exactly why you were asking, I think it's a reasonable question. Works for me. Cheri |
#24
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Reasonable Cost?
"Evan" wrote:
Even if you had paid more, what do you expect a bunch of people on usenet to be able to tell you about it ? Over the years I have learned much from various Usenet posters, and have read a lot of crap as well. We have no pictures to see what the actual scope of the work was, nor how difficult it was for the plumber to obtain the parts he needed other than your very vague descriptions... That level of detail is not necessary for the general feedback I was seeking. This "buyer's remorse" stuff is really childish. ... No "buyer's remorse" here at all. That is your assumption, and a faulty one. You hired out work you either couldn't do on your own or didn't WANT to do... The project was accomplished and you were happy with the work, ... Correct. ... it is not like you are going to have an identical project to do anytime soon so its not something you can compare prices on. While it is true that I will probably not have an identical project anytime soon, the feedback I was seeking will be useful in terms of whether to recommend this particular plumber to friends, or to use him again for other projects at my home. Car mechanics, electricians, plumbers, and other skilled workers are easy to find if one wants to use the phone book or online directories - but my circle of friends strongly prefer to use only such workers who are personally recommended by someone who has used them, would use them again, and who recommend them to their friends. |
#25
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Reasonable Cost?
On Jun 23, 10:46*pm, "CWLee" wrote:
I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. *This is in the greater Los Angeles area. *I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. *Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. *Plumber came out to inspect the job. *He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. *Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. *I agreed to that. *He returned the next day and did what he said. *It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. -- ---------- CWLee Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred cows. *Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and promote for performance, not preferences. If I were you, what I would be worrying about is not how much you paid but if it happens again will he come back to fix it for free. In other words, what kind of warranty did he give you. Why was the toilet wobbling in the first place? Was the toilet bolted on to the floor or the flange? If the toilet was bolted on to the flange is the flange in turn bolted securely on to the floor and what part of the floor is it bolted on to, is it just the underlayment or something more substantial? Do you have enough of a background with this plumber to know that he guarantees his work and takes pride in it? My advise to people is not to worry about how much you’re paying but how much you can trust the guy who is doing the work. |
#26
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Reasonable Cost?
"Cheri" wrote in message
... "CWLee" wrote in message m... "Doug Miller" wrote: ... you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. I agreed that it was reasonable for ME, at that time, that place, those circumstances. What I was seeking from others here was THEIR opinion as to the reasonableness of the price in the situation described. If several posters replied that it sounded more like a $100 job to them, I wouldn't use again or recommend to others this particular plumber. If the consensus of replies was that a more typical cost was ~$500, then I'd certainly use this plumber again, and recommend him to my friends. As I interpret the responses so far I don't think I got either a bargain or a rip-off. I received confirmation that others think the price was reasonable, thus reinforcing my own original opinion. I understand exactly why you were asking, I think it's a reasonable question. Works for me. Cheri Me three! I've often asked the same question and gotten sigh similar results. The issue for me is that when a critical system is in failure mode, you don't have the luxury or time to get a lot of competitive bids. You bite the bullet and do it if the price doesn't strike you as highway robbery. You still want to know afterwards whether it was high, low or spot on. Considering everything that went wrong on me when my buddy and I tried to install a new toilet, $250 sounds just about right, especially if the right parts weren't on the truck. I am sure that you know that in that fee are bits of licensing, insurance, tools, truck upkeep, etc. Reminds me of the old engineering joke. A company exec sees an engineer fix an expensive machine by just putting a bolt through a hole. He demands a breakdown of the $1000 bill. Bolt ----- $0.50 Knowing where to put bolt - $999.50 -- Bobby G. |
#27
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Reasonable Cost?
"Robert Green" wrote in message
... "Cheri" wrote in message ... "CWLee" wrote in message m... "Doug Miller" wrote: ... you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. I agreed that it was reasonable for ME, at that time, that place, those circumstances. What I was seeking from others here was THEIR opinion as to the reasonableness of the price in the situation described. If several posters replied that it sounded more like a $100 job to them, I wouldn't use again or recommend to others this particular plumber. If the consensus of replies was that a more typical cost was ~$500, then I'd certainly use this plumber again, and recommend him to my friends. As I interpret the responses so far I don't think I got either a bargain or a rip-off. I received confirmation that others think the price was reasonable, thus reinforcing my own original opinion. I understand exactly why you were asking, I think it's a reasonable question. Works for me. Cheri Me three! I've often asked the same question and gotten sigh similar results. The issue for me is that when a critical system is in failure mode, you don't have the luxury or time to get a lot of competitive bids. You bite the bullet and do it if the price doesn't strike you as highway robbery. You still want to know afterwards whether it was high, low or spot on. Considering everything that went wrong on me when my buddy and I tried to install a new toilet, $250 sounds just about right, especially if the right parts weren't on the truck. I am sure that you know that in that fee are bits of licensing, insurance, tools, truck upkeep, etc. Reminds me of the old engineering joke. A company exec sees an engineer fix an expensive machine by just putting a bolt through a hole. He demands a breakdown of the $1000 bill. Bolt ----- $0.50 Knowing where to put bolt - $999.50 -- Bobby G. Yes, this question and the answers will give me some idea if it happens to me in the future, since in many areas I have no idea what the charge should be. You always have a few know it alls with smart assed answers, but it's worth it for the good answers you get. Cheri |
#28
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Reasonable Cost?
"Doug Miller" wrote:
... you really don't have any reason to question whether the charge was reasonable or not -- you already agreed that it was. I agreed that it was reasonable for ME, at that time, that place, those circumstances. What I was seeking from others here was THEIR opinion as to the reasonableness of the price in the situation described. If several posters replied that it sounded more like a $100 job to them, I wouldn't use again or recommend to others this particular plumber. If the consensus of replies was that a more typical cost was ~$500, then I'd certainly use this plumber again, and recommend him to my friends. As I interpret the responses so far I don't think I got either a bargain or a rip-off. I received confirmation that others think the price was reasonable, thus reinforcing my own original opinion. |
#29
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Reasonable Cost?
"Molly Brown" wrote: If I were you, what I would be worrying about is not how much you paid but if it happens again will he come back to fix it for free. In other words, what kind of warranty did he give you. ... My advise to people is not to worry about how much you’re paying but how much you can trust the guy who is doing the work. Good advice. My experience has been that if I find a car mechanic, electrician, plumber, other skilled tradesman who has been used repeatedly by my friends and colleagues, then I don't have a problem with follow-up repairs. Why was the toilet wobbling in the first place? The house was built 30 years ago, and the toilet had required no work during that time. One of the two bolts on the toilet which hold it down no longer was attached or firm at the end below the floor. When the toilet was removed it was clear that the original flange had just corroded away, and the hole into which the bolt head fitted was enlarged - so much so that the bolt head could not get a good grip. The old flange was removed, which was the hardest part for the plumber, per his comments. It was made of plastic and I'm not sure how it had been fastened to the upright pipe, which is also plastic. Eventually the old flange was removed. Another plastic flange was then inserted over/into (I couldn't see well enough to tell which) the upright pipe, and glued to it. Then new bolts were inserted into the metal ring that swiveled on the new flange. The toilet was lowered onto the flange/floor, with the bolts sticking through the holes on the base of the toilet. Nuts and washer were applied, and after some shimming to make sure there was no more wobbliness, and after ensuring that the toilet was oriented parallel to the enclosing walls, the nuts were tightened. Then the outside of the base of the toilet was caulked. (At some point in the above process a new wax ring was inserted - don't know its purpose but I understand it is a standard procedure.) Do you have enough of a background with this plumber to know that he guarantees his work and takes pride in it? I have no personal background with this plumber. He was recommended by a friend as being competent and honest - the two qualities I asked my friend about. So, I really know nothing about any guarantees he might make, or how much pride he takes in his work. He said if there was any problem to give him a call. He was friendly, clean, and got the job done. If the toilet still doesn't wobble by Christmas I'll figure he did the job properly. If it starts to wobble again I'll contact him to see his response. |
#30
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Reasonable Cost?
"Cheri" wrote He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. No, it was a very reasonable price. Check out what his cost is just to step out the door in the morning. He needs a truck, about $15,000 in tools, $5000 in supplies, liability insurance, taxes, billing fees, office expenses, licensing fees, and more. See what you pay in FICA taxes? He pays double that in SE taxes. He had to travel to your place and must be pair for that also. Tradesmen usually get from $60 to $150 an hour with a minimum of an hour billing |
#31
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Reasonable Cost?
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
... "Cheri" wrote He was here for no more than 10 minutes max, including time spent talking about the weather, charged $60.00, so I don't think your plumber was outrageous, but mine was IMO. No, it was a very reasonable price. Check out what his cost is just to step out the door in the morning. He needs a truck, about $15,000 in tools, $5000 in supplies, liability insurance, taxes, billing fees, office expenses, licensing fees, and more. See what you pay in FICA taxes? He pays double that in SE taxes. He had to travel to your place and must be pair for that also. Tradesmen usually get from $60 to $150 an hour with a minimum of an hour billing My DH has been self employed for going on 15 years, so I know all about the expenses, trucks, insurance, quarterly taxes, etc., so no need to explain them to *me.* Sometimes, someone like the plumber that came here makes out because it only took him 10 minutes, and sometimes it takes close to an hour for the same rate, that's life. I recently had a large oil company (no not BP) pay me $1000.00 for about ten hours total of record searching floppy discs, printing the info, and sending it on to them. As I said, sometimes it works out. :-) Cheri |
#32
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Reasonable Cost?
"CWLee" wrote in message ... I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. -- ---------- CWLee Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred cows. Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and promote for performance, not preferences. I would have done it for you $200. Cash. An hour of actual work, and less than $10 in parts. Yes, he DID have to disassemble, and run for parts. For that price, I would have put you in totally new kit inside your toilet, as well as the new flange. I hope he used new bolts. You could have done the same repair for less than $10. You need to learn DIY'ing. I do hope you watched him so you know how to do it yourself next time. Steve visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com watch for the book A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. |
#33
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Reasonable Cost?
"Frank" wrote in message ... On Jun 24, 1:46 am, "CWLee" wrote: I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Probably about what my plumber would charge. You have to consider their traveling time and initial call to evaluate problem and give estimate. Cost and maintenance of truck, insurance and other expenses of plumber must be considered. Couple of years ago, county strapped for money, imposed new $400 license fee on all contractors above what state already requires. All these things add up. You want to get cheap plumbing done, get some guy working under the table and pay cash. reply: OR, if you want to get a beeswax flange seal changed, and entirely change the guts of your own toilet yourself, DO IT YOURSELF! We're not talking plumbing here. We're talking about changing parts. There's no plumbing involved in changing a flange gasket. And not much involved in changing a flange. And absolutely none involved in rebuilding a toilet. Steve visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com watch for the book A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. |
#34
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Reasonable Cost?
"Steve B" wrote OR, ... DO IT YOURSELF! We're not talking plumbing here. We're talking about changing parts. There's no plumbing involved in changing a flange gasket. And not much involved in changing a flange. Suppose a year from now I needed to change the flange, how would I remove the old one easily? Remember, it is made of plastic and glued to the plastic upright pipe that comes up from the sewer line, using the same kind of glue that lawn sprinkler systems use to connect joints and pipes. I hope I never have to do that, but it sounds like I'd need some tool to fit inside the upright pipe and then cut the pipe. Then, since the pipe would be ending a few inches lower than before, I'd need a way to extend the pipe upwards so the new flange could be installed at the same level as before. (The upright plastic pipe comes up through a hole in the concrete slab, and there is less than an inch of clearance on each side of the pipe and the slab.) Thanks for whatever ideas on doing this that you can share. |
#35
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Reasonable Cost?
I hope I never have to do that, but it sounds like I'd need some tool to fit inside the upright pipe and then cut the pipe. Dremel or Rotozip type rotary tool with a 2" cutting disc on a mandrel (cut inside out) on the ABS/PVC Then, since the pipe would be ending a few inches lower than before, I'd need a way to extend the pipe upwards Such fittings are available at HD..ask the "old guy"/plumber there..the "kids" dont know anything |
#36
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Reasonable Cost?
On Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:46:24 -0700, "CWLee"
wrote: I recently had a small job done by a plumber, and I'm wondering if I got a bargain, paid a typical price for this task, or was overcharged. This is in the greater Los Angeles area. I'd appreciate some feedback on the reasonableness of what I was charged. Here are the details. I had a 30-year old wobbly toilet. Plumber came out to inspect the job. He said he would remove the toilet, remove the old flange, install a new flange, and then reinstall the toilet. Said it would take a couple of hours, and the price would be $250. I agreed to that. He returned the next day and did what he said. It took him 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which were a trip by him to a nearby Home Depot to purchase the correct size/style/type flange - different than the small selection he already had on his truck. Toilet is now firm, and I'm satisfied with it. Comments? Thanks. Not bad at all. I'm not sure why it took 1.75 hours though. An experienced plumber should be able to do this in 15 minutes, but every job has its complications. Did he caulk around the commode? You could have done it yourself for less than $20, it's a fairly simple task. There are small plastic wedges, made specifically for resting a toilet on an uneven surface to prevent wobble. |
#37
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Reasonable Cost?
"Phisherman" wrote:
Not bad at all. I'm not sure why it took 1.75 hours though. An experienced plumber should be able to do this in 15 minutes, but every job has its complications. Here is what he did, which I reported in an earlier post you may have missed: The house was built 30 years ago, and the toilet had required no work during that time. One of the two bolts on the toilet which hold it down no longer was attached or firm at the end below the floor. When the toilet was removed it was clear that the original flange had just corroded away, and the hole into which the bolt head fitted was enlarged - so much so that the bolt head could not get a good grip. The old flange was removed, which was the hardest part for the plumber, per his comments. It was made of plastic and I'm not sure how it had been fastened to the upright pipe, which is also plastic. Eventually the old flange was removed. Another plastic flange was then inserted over/into (I couldn't see well enough to tell which) the upright pipe, and glued to it. Then new bolts were inserted into the metal ring that swiveled on the new flange. The toilet was lowered onto the flange/floor, with the bolts sticking through the holes on the base of the toilet. Nuts and washer were applied, and after some shimming to make sure there was no more wobbliness, and after ensuring that the toilet was oriented parallel to the enclosing walls, the nuts were tightened. Then the outside of the base of the toilet was caulked. (At some point in the above process a new wax ring was inserted - don't know its purpose but I understand it is a standard procedure.) Did he caulk around the commode? Yes. You could have done it yourself for less than $20, it's a fairly simple task. It took him a good while to removed the old, corroded flange, and I'm sure he did it faster than I could have done. I wouldn't have even know where the flange stopped and the upright pipe began, so I would be very unsure of myself trying to remove the old flange. There are small plastic wedges, made specifically for resting a toilet on an uneven surface to prevent wobble. Near the end of the job he made a couple of wedges from some scrap plastic to do just that. Thanks. |
#38
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Reasonable Cost?
"CWLee" wrote in message m... "Steve B" wrote OR, ... DO IT YOURSELF! We're not talking plumbing here. We're talking about changing parts. There's no plumbing involved in changing a flange gasket. And not much involved in changing a flange. Suppose a year from now I needed to change the flange, how would I remove the old one easily? Remember, it is made of plastic and glued to the plastic upright pipe that comes up from the sewer line, using the same kind of glue that lawn sprinkler systems use to connect joints and pipes. I hope I never have to do that, but it sounds like I'd need some tool to fit inside the upright pipe and then cut the pipe. Then, since the pipe would be ending a few inches lower than before, I'd need a way to extend the pipe upwards so the new flange could be installed at the same level as before. (The upright plastic pipe comes up through a hole in the concrete slab, and there is less than an inch of clearance on each side of the pipe and the slab.) Thanks for whatever ideas on doing this that you can share. Do exactly what you did here. Research it. Ask questions from people who have done it before. I think I may have discharged without fully being prepared. Did the man jackhammer out your flange, and put a new one, or just exactly what did he do? Or did he just put new bolts and a new wax ring on there, or did you even see what he did? Did you see if the flange was in terribly corroded condition so that he could not just put new bolts and a new wax ring? Yes, getting a flange out that has been there a while can be a booger. But it's done every day all over the world. Steve visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com watch for the book A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. |
#39
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Reasonable Cost?
CWLee posted for all of us...
"Doug Miller" wrote : The guy quoted you a price, you agreed to it, he did the job, you're satisfied with the results -- what's the problem? I'm the OP, and I never said there was a problem. I have no complaint about the workmanship or the price. My post was intended to solicit feedback about the reasonableness of the price I paid. So far, I interpret the responses to be that what I paid was about right. Don't look back; it is over and done with. Time to move on. Having second thoughts? Don't! You could always find someone to beat the price with wildly varying results. You probably found a good guy. -- Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service. |
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