A plumber tried to charge me $400 for a blocked drain.

Ljohn46352 on 15/08/2019 - 11:54
Last edited 18/08/2019 - 22:03

Has anyone else had issues with plumbers?

I called a plumber to unblock one drain. The plumber gave me a price of $400 for one drain. Even though they advertise from $69. Then he proceeded to charge me $39 for the call-out fee.

Edit: from the forum's feedback it looks like it's a common market strategy, so I feel like it's unfair to name one business in the title.

The views are mixed, with a slight advantage to unreasonable. Some comments are unrelated, trolling, or off-topic.

Thank you for your contribution and feedback.

Home & Garden

Related Stores

wpplumbing.com.au
wpplumbing.com.au

Comments

  • Kangal on 15/08/2019 - 11:58
    +7

    You didn't pay the call-out fee did you?

    • capslock janitor on 16/08/2019 - 12:55
      +1

      What if he did?

      • Kangal on 16/08/2019 - 14:45
        +8

        Then I would like to pay him a (non-refundable) visit as well ; )

  • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 11:58
    +23

    New user.

    Please post advertisement and proof of what you've paid, otherwise this is just defamation and will be removed post haste.

    • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 15/08/2019 - 14:50
      +21

      OP shouldn't be leaking such info, he should be blocked.

      • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 15:05
        +2

        Badum tss?

  • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:00
    -5

    Yeah I did because he wouldn't leave, but i'll take it up with visa.

    • sghetti on 15/08/2019 - 13:05
      +14

      They've charged you for a service you technically received. It wasn't a mistaken or fraudulent payment as such, I doubt a Visa dispute will help you to be honest.

      I'd find it hard to believe that there wasn't any upfront discussion that a call-out fee could be charged, perhaps you glossed over this when you placed the service request? I can't see anything on their website stating a call-out fee.

      But it does clearly say starting price $69. It's a slightly misleading sales tactic (but a very common one) showing a cheap price that most will never even receive just to get them interested and placing call, but surely you can't expect that this is the price for all blockages and scenarios?

      • Quantumcat on 15/08/2019 - 13:46
        +6

        but surely you can't expect that this is the price for all blockages and scenarios?

        I wouldn't expect that price for all scenarios, but at least the simple ones. With the plumber discussing with the customer about the price before doing the special extra work needed in their case. Like a mechanic shouldn't advertise that services cost from $100 and then just do a normal oil change service and charge the customer $500 without a) there being something extra involved like having to replace a part and b) calling the customer to check they're ok with it.

        • sghetti on 15/08/2019 - 14:18
          +5

          That's exactly what they did. They've come out to inspect and given them a quote, from what I've been reading they haven't performed any work or are expecting any payment for work done. Other than a call-out fee, which like I said, I'd be highly surprised if the call-out fee wasn't discussed before they came out.

          • Quantumcat on 15/08/2019 - 15:06
            +2

            @sghetti: Fair enough. What is the extra special work needed in this case though, that costs $330 more than a normal blocked drain?

            • sghetti on 15/08/2019 - 15:25
              +1

              @Quantumcat: They've probably stated $69 for the most basic wire brush down the sink and pull out a clump of hair. Who knows? Majority of cases they'll probably justify the need for high pressure and camera to investigate further, blowing out the cost.

              Not saying that's fair or justified, but I'm pretty sure we all know that common in these sorts of industries.

    • ozbjunkie on 16/08/2019 - 09:27

      Callout fee agreed to prior or clearly advertised in terms had conditions on website - you pay.

      Otherwise, no pay.

      I could make a pretty decent living walking around quoting 10x the odds for jobs and then slugging a callout fee.

  • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:01
    +7

    tshow it's all true mate. You are allowed to tell the truth in a review.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 12:05
      +5

      … and how are we supposed to know what is true?

      You could be a competitor.

        • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 12:30
          +10

          I have a feeling the "starting price" would be the price for just shoving a stick down your sink hole if the blockage is right there…

        • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 14:21
          +2

          You can edit your original post to include this link. It will help your cause for the quote/invoice to be easily accessible.

        • Stegasaurusnext on 16/08/2019 - 07:37
          +2

          It also shows free cctv with jet blast, so the jet blast is $400 which is really just a high pressure hose pushed through the pipe

        • SeVeN11 on 17/08/2019 - 11:34

          name checks out.

      • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 14:29
        +21

        eat your words m8, he showed proof

      • funnysht on 15/08/2019 - 14:51
        +7

        i serously doubt a competititor would resort to posting on ozbargains a dodgy quote. Plus there are hundreds of plummbers to chose from.

      • trapper on 15/08/2019 - 17:21
        +1

        Assume good faith…

        • funnysht on 15/08/2019 - 18:44
          +1

          guess hank did too and boy was he proven incorrect by walter….

  • spackbace on 15/08/2019 - 12:03
    -7

    K.

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 15/08/2019 - 12:03
    +1

    “ Member Since
    17 min ago” Please show photo of the bill or like @tshow said:

    Defamation

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 15/08/2019 - 12:05
    +10

    Only comment I'll make is their website does indeed have prices and advertising that someone "could" construe as misleading and not revealing the full price of the service.

    You can lodge a complaint with ACCC if you feel that way.

  • Fergy1987 on 15/08/2019 - 12:05
    +22

    Sounds like Fallon Solutions

    quoted me 1900 to clean an air conditioner……..I said no, charged 100 call out fee. Got another guy to do 2 air cons for 200 bucks.

    • BOGOF on 15/08/2019 - 14:00
      +6

      yep, Fallon is notorious. They're trained to upsell rather than provide solutions.

    • Bargain80 on 15/08/2019 - 15:15
      +2

      1900 to clean aircon is a rip off

    • IamEzza on 15/08/2019 - 15:42
      +14

      lol, for that price you could get a new air con installed!

      • macrocephalic on 16/08/2019 - 11:38
        +1

        Yes! I got a good deal from a mate, but he charged me less than that to purchase and install a Mitsubishi aircon in a bedroom.

    • geoffs87 on 16/08/2019 - 15:09
      +7

      I think theres a few jokers like this.

      We had a stormwater sump pump replaced in our building for $10k, needed to be done so they got the regular plumbing guys out to get it done (i was on holidays when this all happened so couldnt challenge). Anyway, no word of a like 23 weeks after we receive a quote from a company that comes out regularly to service and pump out our sump as our pump was failing, their quote to replace was $2500… a quarter of the price. I was flabbergasted, that we paid too much and that a company has such flagrant disregard. Anyway - they also want to charge us $2500 p.a. servicing cost (we didnt service the old one and it lasted 15 years)…

      Moral of the story - you can't trust people these days.

      What does hurt, are these jokers that come out on a $100 callout fee, quote you a bomb, if you pay it, sucks for you and they make a mint, if you don't, they make $100 and probably did so in a small gap between other paying jobs. I have no respect for these people, and thats why i never get anyone out to quote if they charge a callout fee (except for an emergency). If they refuse to come out without a callout fee to quote - you know their pricing isnt competitive anyway.

    • R-Man on 18/08/2019 - 17:16

      Please post a photo of the quote otherwise you are a competitor of Fallon solutions and this comment is dEfAmAtiOn

  • Ocker on 15/08/2019 - 12:15
    +11

    "The Drain Man" charges a $500 call out fee which includes first hour and then $175 per 30 minutes thereafter

    • Seraphin7 on 15/08/2019 - 13:27
      +7

      Holy Nelly! That's pricey!

      • Baysew on 15/08/2019 - 13:55
        +2

        But nevertheless, that's a great name.

        • berry580 on 16/08/2019 - 07:14
          +13

          Drain all your money?

          • resisting the urge on 18/08/2019 - 15:12
            -2

            @berry580: That money drain job justifies a high cost cost because it require very expensive high pressure pumping gear and advanced tactics.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 14:13
      -2

      Well, the man is draining something and he is doing it well.

    • peterpeterpumpkin on 16/08/2019 - 08:19
      +2

      It's the same tactic Nigerian scammers use to target the gullible. They intentionally use bad grammar, formatting and spelling mistakes to attract the lowest common denominator and filter out the tech savvy and educated.

      The drain man charges ridiculous fees so that people that think a 1 hour job shouldn't exceed $250 won't bother calling in the first place and then contest the bill. It's like tuk tuks in tourist areas. Charge double the price so you can make the same income with half the effort.

      • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:37

        I know about tuk tuk drivers. Some are fine.

    • Naigrabzo on 18/08/2019 - 12:20
      +2

      My lawyer charges less. Next time I will ask him whether he knows how to unblock drains….:)

  • GangGang on 15/08/2019 - 12:17
    +9

    It says that is the starting price. Next time ask over the phone what is the call-out fee, everyone has a fee.

    • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:22

      I did.

      • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:23

        They wouldn't tell me. based on their advertising I thought one drain might be $150

        • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 12:32
          +10

          No - ask what the callout fee is. They can't quote you a price for the blockage without seeing it.

          Having said that - even a "from" price of $65 to $450 quote does seem a little lol.

          • Ahbal on 15/08/2019 - 22:32
            +2

            @HighAndDry: yeh starting price being around $70 then jumping to 400+ is very sus. If it went up to 200? ok…meh. But higher than that reeks of the starting price being so low just to attract customers.

          • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 22:47

            @HighAndDry: They told me the call out fee was $39 and I paid it. That's gone. Yeah they can give a rough estimate though like "about $400 maybe more depending on the issue".

            • Mike88 on 16/08/2019 - 07:44
              +3

              @john46352: There is a couple of problem with giving estimates prior to inspection.
              Person booking the call may not have a technical background. Also when customers hear an estimate they take it as a quote.
              I have been working in the service industry for 15 years now and customers will hear what they want to hear, from pricing to booking times.
              I’m not saying their pricing wasn’t misleading but It isnt always easy to give accurate information over the phone.

              • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 20:15

                @Mike88: Fair enough, the plumber didn't even at the job before quoting. he quoted first and same with the toilet. Like they have listed prices. If you have listed prices why can't you say that over the phone? Anyway, it took another plumber 30mins to clear, and he charged $250. Still decent pay for the job.

    • ATangk on 15/08/2019 - 15:02
      +4

      Starting price should include call out fee. That’s like advertising lunch for $10 but minimum spend $20

      • Bargain80 on 15/08/2019 - 15:16
        +1

        seen a lot like that.
        usually with very small fine print

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 15/08/2019 - 12:21
    +1

    That's not a bargain!

    However, I do think it's a wise warning to everyone to be more aware of any additional fees such out-of-hours/emergency work etc

    • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:32
      +2

      it wasn't out of hours and I booked it a week in advance on a week day.

  • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:22
    +12

    There you go

    https://imgur.com/gallery/Zvi0BeZ

    • qwerty on 15/08/2019 - 12:27

      Maybe the $80 is just for high pressure and if that works he doesnt need to use the camera and other stuff which cost extra

      • Heaps for Cheaps on 15/08/2019 - 12:28
        +2

        On the site it mentions that the CCTV inspection is free if you order a Jet Blaster service.

        But it also mentioned upfront fixed pricing, so what did they tell you upfront?

        • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 12:32
          +3

          Pretty sure the quote OP uploaded is the upfront fixed pricing.

          • Heaps for Cheaps on 15/08/2019 - 12:54
            +1

            @HighAndDry: Oh ok. Now I understand. So it looks like the OP paid just $39 for call-out fee so far. That sounds fair enough.

            …Then OP decided the cost was too high to go ahead… Maybe try airtasker for a cheaper service.

        • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:33
          +1

          $39 call out fee that's it.

      • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 12:32
        +2

        it was a flat fee that wasn't advised over the phone. I looked for reviews before contacting them and couldn't find any. because I thought the fee was really high and waited 3 hours for the plumber I thought it is important to put up my experience. Use them if you want. but now you know.

        • ihbh on 15/08/2019 - 13:36
          +3

          Thanks for posting your experience. It will save others from being gouged.

    • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 15/08/2019 - 12:45
      +1

      On the quote it says that the call out fee is $0

      • sghetti on 15/08/2019 - 13:08
        +5

        I assume that would be the call-out fee being waived if the service/quote was accepted. As it wasn't, they've charged their $39 call-out fee.

        Surely they would communicate this upfront, perhaps OP glossed over or didn't listen.

        I'd imagine they'd have a lot of issues with arguments, possibly even physical violence if they hid those charges up until the point that someone rejects a quote and then are expected to cough up a call-out fee. I'd bet there was a discussion that a $39 call-out fee may apply when it was booked.

        • amsaini15 on 15/08/2019 - 19:37

          I would imagine their website would mention callout fees if the job doesn't go ahead? If it doesn't say anywhere, it should not be charged.

      • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 13:21
        +4

        I was charged $39 for the call out. Nope i asked many times what does a drain cost to clear. The only price i had to go by was the website. I think it's unreasonable for it to be more than 4 fold the price.

        • sghetti on 15/08/2019 - 14:16
          +8

          You can't expect them to give you an exact cost without coming out to look at it, every drain and blockage is different, requiring different amounts of effort and equipment to unblock. They'll never give that to you over the phone as you'd try to lock them into a price that quickly becomes a loss for them if it turns out to be much more difficult once inspected.

          • richmond12 on 15/08/2019 - 21:47
            +3

            @sghetti: Why bother putting a bait price on their website then?

            • Mike88 on 16/08/2019 - 08:00
              +1

              @richmond12: Because realistic pricing doesn’t attract customers. Don’t agree with the practise but can see why it is used.

  • kolorijo on 15/08/2019 - 12:41

    Did you at least check their review online? I am always reluctant in calling new tradesman in and carefully check their online reviews. Always prefer locals as if I found them good then I will keep them in my book for future use. Since I moved in, already collected a good local locksmith and plumber.

    • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 13:22
      +3

      There were no reviews online. Hence why i've put this up.

      • kolorijo on 15/08/2019 - 13:57
        +2

        Personally, I would never go with anyone without any review. Now that you have a not so good experience, maybe you could share yours in an online review to warn others.

        And also, I think the price was reasonable for the work that they had done. I paid $450 for fixing a couple of basin tap leaks. Call out fee of $80 and he had to come back as he missed another leak.

  • jackjames on 15/08/2019 - 12:43
    +9

    $400 sounds reasonable. Normally you will pay around 250 for a clean and add the fee of normally another 250 for camera.

    • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 13:23
      +1

      ok thankyou for your feedback. The camera is meant to be free though..

      • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 16:01
        +12

        Nothing is free. It's just built into another cost.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/08/2019 - 13:28
      +15

      Plumbers don't do reasonable prices.

      • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 13:40

        Yeah I know, but they should follow everyone else and advertise what it will actually cost. Let me ask this question. How many people have been charged $79 by a plumber or WPplumbing?

        • kolorijo on 15/08/2019 - 14:26
          +1

          Never in my case, it is always more than $250.

        • BOGOF on 15/08/2019 - 14:30
          +2

          Depends how long it takes to clean the blockage. The last one i had (December 18) was $280.00 using an electric eel.

      • SeVeN11 on 17/08/2019 - 11:36

        what's a reasonable price to pay someone to literally deal with your crap?

        • [Deactivated] on 17/08/2019 - 14:56
          -2

          About 10x more than any other trade.

    • BOGOF on 15/08/2019 - 14:26
      +5

      The plumber quoted a 'High pressure jet blaster'. This equipment has a camera built into the water jet head. The plumber has to use the camera to see and jet the blockage, so there shouldn't be an additional fee for the camera. However, plumbers always charge a higher rate for the HP jet cleaner than a traditional electric eel, but should take less time. $350-$400 for a jet clean is a typical charge, I personally believe it is too expensive, but that is what is often charged.

      • kiwimex on 16/08/2019 - 20:05
        +1

        No cameras are built into the jet head sorry. High pressure water would destroy the camera head.

    • Aerith-Waifu on 15/08/2019 - 16:52

      I had a similar problem not long ago, the guy charged me $550 and also an additional 15mins for $70 so the total is $620. Then after only 3 weeks, it was blocked up again and he came back and the second time I remember he charged me around $350 for it (less than 30mins of work, this is in Perth)

      I think you got off for $400 total, he could charged you way more if he wants to

  • khued on 15/08/2019 - 12:46
    +4

    someone should setup ozbummer.com to record these feedbacks

    • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 15/08/2019 - 13:02

      They should lol

    • amsaini15 on 15/08/2019 - 19:39
      +1

      I wish there is honest website for feedback on tradies.

  • elgrande on 15/08/2019 - 13:04
    +1

    If using the jet and camera, $400 is reasonable.

    • fantombloo on 15/08/2019 - 14:09
      +1

      What makes it reasonable?

      • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 16:03
        +4

        Depends how you calculate it.

        Market rationale: It's what everyone else charges.

        Cost rationale: It's cost of equipment, training, maintenance, plus all other overheads plus a reasonable mark-up.

      • kiwimex on 16/08/2019 - 20:08

        The equipment is expensive and expensive to maintain $400 is a little high but not unreasonable. I recently changes just the end cap on my drain camera because it had a slight ding in it and didn't allow the self levelling to work, at a cost of $800.00. Replacing just the camera module can be $4000-$5000, a kinked cable can run anywhere from $400-$800.

        • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 20:22

          ok, it sounds like there need to be improvements at the production level, so this equipment lasts a lot longer. If they do that, then the price can come down.

  • ca4cpa on 15/08/2019 - 13:12
    +1

    It is from $69. So there is a starting point. Advertise do not say other point.

    Quoted $400 is reasonable .
    I have paid $690 - two years ago.

    • RubenM on 20/08/2019 - 09:15

      You're on the wrong forum, you want "Ozpaywaytoomuch"

  • john46352 on 15/08/2019 - 13:18
    +2

    Ok, I don't think so. They should have advertised $400. Then I wouldn't have called.

    • HighAndDry on 15/08/2019 - 16:04
      +1

      But if it's just a clump of hair 20cm from the sink, a bottle cleaner might've fixed it and they would charge just $65.

      • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 20:23

        Yeah, I guess.

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