Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had two drains cleared for me by a plumber, he had a small snake that worked right off on one drain but the other drain had the clog on the first floor and he needed to go back to his truck and get his power snake. I didn't sign any work order and I knew what he charges per hour. He finished the job and He said he could send the bill. I said that's fine and then asked him how much it worked out to be. (I didn't sit there watching the clock) He said the amount then he added "oh and there is an extra $40. charge because he had to use the power snake. I feel that he should have told me there would be an extra charge for the power snake before doing the work not after. I haven't paid the bill yet. What do you all think about this ?
Well, that's unfortunate. What is the power snake he is talking about? The one that connects to a handheld power drill? Those aren't that expensive (I bought one at Home Depot), unless he was using a much larger kind. I would have wanted to know if there was an extra charge before the work was done.
It looks like a garden hose reel on wheels and it has an electric motor to spin the snake. It is fed and retracted by hand while it is turning. I think the dude is trying to grab an extra 40 bucks. I only agreed to pay the guy the hourly charge he first quoted me. What if you took a car to a tire shop to get the tires rotated and balanced and they tacked on an extra charge for using the torque wrench or the spin balancing machine. The main issue I have is not being told there were going to be any other charges beforehand.
Is this standard business practice for plumbers ?
You are getting snaked. Next time borrow mine. I just got ripped by plumbers. Small town, they gain short term, long term, it's suicide. They didn't bank on my actually moving into the property they overcharged to work on.
Well I happen to have met and made friends with a guy who works for the same outfit and I'm going to call him and ask if that is the company's policy or not. He will tell me the real deal and I'll decide then if I am going to pay the undisclosed extra fee or not. I think it's frigging BS though. I would never run a business that way. I still think the dude is trying to get away with over-charging me, and I would really like to hear from some professional plumbers to see what they think.
First of all, it's impossible for anyone here to tell you for sure if you were ripped off or not, since none of us actually saw the drains.
You hired him to do a job. The small snake only goes so far into the drain.
It worked on one of them. Didn't work on the other.
So he had to go for the big guns to get the drains cleaned out.
Bigger tool, more work, more time on the job. More $$$$.
Bottom line he got your drains cleared. YOu should be happy.
Now if he was trying to rip you off, he might have told you that you needed a new clean out, or some repair, or he had to do MORE work.
Sounds to me he used the tools he needed to clean your drains, and no more.
Yep he charged $40 more.
But he DID use another tool, and he DID clean the clog, and he WAS there longer doing it.
I wish the people that are so quick to judge would spend a couple days along side some of these service providers - may change their tune once they walk in their shoes.
While he should have told you it was going to cost extra to use the power snake, what was your option? I had a friend who was a locksmith. He was sometimes called in the middle of the night to help someone who locked their keys in the car. He would get the car unlocked take the keys and give the person their bill. On occasion they would complain about the price. He would put the keys back in the car lock it and walk away telling the owner they didn't owe him anything. If they wanted it unlocked again the price was double because he did the job twice. I guess the question is, do you want your clog back?
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,782,175 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by f_m
Well, that's unfortunate. What is the power snake he is talking about? The one that connects to a handheld power drill? Those aren't that expensive (I bought one at Home Depot), unless he was using a much larger kind. I would have wanted to know if there was an extra charge before the work was done.
I doubt that was the variety he used. Power snakes are either electric or hydraulic, basically a spool attached to a spinning motor that twists the cable as he forces it through the pipes. They aren't terribly expensive but they are dangerous to use. Degloving injuries are the risk. Do a google images search of "degloving injury." I doubt he's ripping you off, you're just paying some hazardous duty premium.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
He would put the keys back in the car lock it and walk away telling the owner they didn't owe him anything. If they wanted it unlocked again the price was double because he did the job twice.
I guess the question is, do you want your clog back?
