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

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Comments

    • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 20:37

      Truck drivers get $30-40 per hour to drive as a professional driver, with a capital outlay of sometimes over $400,000 for the truck. Are you suggesting plumbers should earn full plumber rates for merely driving?

      • brendanm on 30/08/2019 - 23:33
        -1

        Of course they should, time driving is time they could have spent charging full price doing a different job.

  • lltravel on 16/08/2019 - 09:10
    +2

    Sounds about right

    $480 located in Brisbane to unlock a toilet pipe

    This is standard charges

    They are technically dealing with shit.

    That equipment isnt exactly cheap. You're also paying for years of experience.

    It blows my mind that people think they are only paying for the actual job but not the person's experience.

    • mubd1234 on 16/08/2019 - 10:14
      +1

      They are literally dealing with shit

      • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:21

        Storm water in my case. found one for half the price. took him 30mins.

        • toristo on 18/08/2019 - 21:35

          Yes, with $7-10k worth of equipment that he has to buy, maintain, and cover operating costs on too, plus travel. At this point, it ain't about the 30 mins he spent standing in your yard, it's everything else that adds to the real costs.

          Could you have cleared the blockage without the equipment in 30 mins?

          • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 21:38

            @toristo: Hi Toristo, I would be hiring plumbers more often if they were affordable.

            • toristo on 18/08/2019 - 21:40

              @john46352: Really? I mean, why?

              I've never thought about hiring a neurosurgeon just because he was running a 50% off special. Seems like a weird flex.

              • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 21:43
                +2

                @toristo: I have toilets to put in, washers to replace. I can't afford to hire a plumber to do this simple stuff. So I need to learn to do it myself. Washers are easy I know. But I'll probably install new taps myself just to save costs.

  • maverickjohn on 16/08/2019 - 09:16

    I paid $180 for a camera alone and he was there for only 15 minutes. Another plumber came to my house and said that’s cheap he would have charged $300. So if that was part of the deal that’s fine. $400 is what you should expect for the job performed.

    • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:20

      Found one for half the price. It took him 30mins. Do you think $400 for 30 mins is fair?

      • maverickjohn on 17/08/2019 - 14:01
        +1

        It is for their specialist service. Especially if they have the right tools for the trade. It’s like going to a GP vs. specialist. I think it’s a rip off too but that is how much they all charge

  • d86 on 16/08/2019 - 09:32

    Once I was looking for plumber in Hornsby, NSW to do a simple job of installing a new tap and freestanding bathtub. A dude came on site, had a very quick look and asked me whether I realised how much it would cost me? I said no, then he went "I wouldn't spend time on the official email quote, but you would be looking at $5000-ish. Would you agree to accept the quote now?"

    • mubd1234 on 16/08/2019 - 10:16

      Did you end up finding a cheaper plumber to do the work?

      • d86 on 16/08/2019 - 11:49
        +3

        Yes, for $800. Still a rip-off. He just installed the tap, the bathtub installation was only a lift and shift. I had to hire a tiler after to install 6 tiles. Another rip-off.

        • lltravel on 16/08/2019 - 14:34
          +2

          if you think its a rip off then learn to do it yourself. How do you know its a rip off? Do you actually have the skill to do it yourself?

          • d86 on 16/08/2019 - 15:44
            +2

            @lltravel: Wish I was a tradie. I have to sit all day long in the office to earn $800, the guy earned it in 2 hours.

            • brendanm on 18/08/2019 - 11:53
              +1

              @d86: Yes, let's completely ignore all the overheads…

        • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:14

          Yeah for sure

      • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:17
        +1

        I did actually! Charged about half. It was all fixed within 30mins :). It was lots of roots.

  • morebunnings on 16/08/2019 - 09:33
    +2

    Could of got one of these for $50 an done it yourself:
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20M-5800PSI-40Mpa-High-Pressure-…

    • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:13
      +1

      Tried that thanks for the suggestion

    • RSmith on 17/08/2019 - 21:49
      -1

      Need to buy the Karcher high pressure system too. Buying only the hose would be useless.

  • JimmyF on 16/08/2019 - 09:43
    +2

    Was this a weekend? I noticed you blocked the date…….

    • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:12

      No it wasn't

  • rehevoli on 16/08/2019 - 10:40
    +3

    We got charged $300 to get a drain unblocked. Sure it does hurt to pay that much for half an hour of work but when you factor in the time they take to get to your place, all the equipment they use, labour, libability insurance etc it's a reasonable price to pay.

    At the end of the day, plumbing is a specialised trade. I surely wouldn't do all the above for $79, it's not worth my time and effort to spend an hour in traffic and then do the job for that price.

    You can do it yourself if you know what you're doing, but where would you know if the drain is blocked unless you had CCTV (that piece of equipment is not cheap) to inspect the drain.

    This also goes for those who complain about electricians charging $80 to change a light switch or $100 to get their car serviced by a mechanic (there is more to a service than just an oil change). To remind everyone, they are all specialised trade.

    Then again these are the same type of people who are happy to pay $25 dollars for a smashed avocado and $8 for a skinny soy decaf latte.

    • capslock janitor on 16/08/2019 - 13:53
      +3

      Trade jobs are the most lucrative in Oz :)

    • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:12

      yep inflation is real.

  • cashless on 16/08/2019 - 14:35

    Normal price (in Sydney at least)

  • tryagain on 16/08/2019 - 19:00
    +4

    It's always interesting hearing people who earn a wage/salary trying to equate their hourly rate they earn to what they pay a tradie with no idea of the overheads like insurance, equipment, vehicle costs, earning enough to cover having time off sick leave/public holidays/a trip with the family etc, doing admin and compliance tasks, quoting, invoicing, chasing up payments etc etc etc.

    • kiwimex on 16/08/2019 - 20:25
      +3

      Well said, Some people have no idea honestly.

      • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:10
        +2

        Lol I love how people just assume stuff. :)

        • tryagain on 17/08/2019 - 03:12
          +1

          Wasn't aimed specifically in relation to you, but more at all the tradies earn to much comments.

  • HeWhoKnows on 16/08/2019 - 20:50
    +1

    All seems very reasonable to me.

    Its OP that is NOT reasonable

    Does OP expect tradesmen to work for nothing?

    And does OP realise that tradesmens rates change according to the hours the service is requested.

    No grounds for complaint here except that OP is being totally unreasonable and wasting our time

    • john46352 on 16/08/2019 - 23:11
      -5

      Nope disagree

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 17/08/2019 - 00:35

      Agreed. I think it's also telling about the passive-agressive nature of the post. …New alias account instead of using normal OZbargain account, business-name spamming hoping to have thread appear in search engines, not looking for a real solution yet pretending to, and other signs the OP is just angry and unreasonable.

      Thread should be locked, it's of no use except to let OP troll.

    • sleet on 18/08/2019 - 09:38
      +2

      He saw the starting price of $69 and got a quote for $400. We're not skilled enough to know what he really needed but you would question a jump from $69 to $400 is quite a big jump.

      It's not that unreasonable to ask questions.

  • gimme on 17/08/2019 - 07:23
    +5

    Lol yea that's pretty normal price. I was quoted 900 to replace a rubber seal behind my toilet and i had already removed and cleaned the toilet. Needless to say I showed him and his ipad quoting machine the door. Grabbed the part from a plumbing supply for $8 and did it myself in 5 mins. Only reason i called a plumber was because there was a 5 day w wait for the part. Cheaper to move into a hotel for 5 days.

    Drain cleaning is generally very easy using some aldi gizmos. Better still do it regularly before it becomes blocked

    • kiwimex on 31/08/2019 - 20:38

      Aldi Gizmos lol good luck with ya gizmos.

      • gimme on 31/08/2019 - 20:42

        Thanks. It's worked just fine for me. 30 years of doing my own plumbing. Only called a plumber 2-3 times across 5+ houses. No issues at all. Ironically one of the so called highly skilled plumbers screwed something up and I eventually ended up fixing it myself.

  • dufflover on 17/08/2019 - 09:00
    +2

    It wasn't this guy was it?
    https://youtu.be/ZzW2HK2jJV8

  • bluechips2 on 17/08/2019 - 10:48

    $400 for a blockage is quite reasonable as the plumber may have needed to use extra equipment such as camera jetter or sewer machine. also a plumber is a licensed trade which take 6 years to complete and other cost such as vehicle tools insurance and petrol to your house.if you think $400 is to much to install a toilet do it yourself and once you flood your house see if your insurance will cover the damage because i can guarantee they wont

    • tryagain on 17/08/2019 - 15:12
      +1

      Or you will realise that it's quite doable after watching a few youtube vids and that you have learnt something new.

      • dufflover on 17/08/2019 - 16:44
        +1

        Wonder what point people start going from "everyone should know how to do it" to "it's specialised so you don't burn/flood your house".
        Cos things like changing tap washers, or tap mixer, or a dishwasher, etc. can all easily do the same sort of damage.

        • gimme on 17/08/2019 - 17:01
          +2

          Depends on the person. I personally can do a better job for most things that don't require any expensive equipment by simply educating myself and paying attention to detail. I've seen plenty of so called specialised skill tradies rushing through jobs with a piss poor outcome. I on the other hand have the time, skills and vested interest to do it properly. Tons of apartments around the place with really shoddy plumbing and electrical work. I don't have any blind trust for any trade.
          Trades are lucky though as there's an entire generation of people who don't know how to change a lightbulb.

          • brendanm on 18/08/2019 - 11:56
            +1

            @gimme: The plumber who did my house didn't connect the bathtub to the drain. So everytime you let the water out of the bath it was actually going under it, then seeping through into the wall and slowly the room next door. Not sure how you stuff that one up, the connection points were a good inch offset from each other.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/08/2019 - 15:09
    -1

    Cant believe this has got to 3 pages, if i was plumber i would run a mile from doing a job for OP, imagine the whinging if it wasn't to his liking. Someone should send the plumber this thread. OP needs to learn a lesson hope the plumber takes action.

    lol

    https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/wp-plumbing

    • OneMoreTune on 19/08/2019 - 17:42
      +2

      If I was your potential client and you were a plumber I'd run a mile from hiring you if your happy with below par work and ripping people off.

  • juln on 17/08/2019 - 18:23

    I guess in future take notice of the "from", dont assume cost when you are only presented with a starting point.

    I think, and seems as most people in this thread think it is a resenable charge.

    Maybe you should go to bunnings and get a Drain Auger from bunnings for $36 and do it your self in next time?

  • sa-ozzie on 17/08/2019 - 18:31

    Is it illegal to contact wp plumbing and offer to hunt down OP ..for a fee of course

  • Davo1111 on 17/08/2019 - 22:34

    key words "starting price".

  • mlburnian on 17/08/2019 - 22:42
    +3

    Welcome to Australia…. Where plumbers make more $$$ than Engineers

    • john46352 on 18/08/2019 - 20:46
      +3

      and public servants, teachers, accountants, vet, customer service, retail, hospitality workers and owners make on average. I hope everyone is a little extra nice to Mcdonald workers who work hard every minute of every paid hour for a measly $8-16 bucks.

      I did get some info from the plumber I used, and apparently, there is a shortage of work due to competition, so when plumbers can get private work they have a ;how much money can I get out of this job mentality instead of 'how can I provide value to the customer so they rehire me'.

      Anyway, I can't afford to hire a plumber install my toilets so I'll have to learn how to do it myself. I think plumbers are shrinking their market by charging this way.

  • TailsK on 18/08/2019 - 10:08
    +2

    This doesn't seem unreasonable. When I had a blocked sewerage pipe, I called a plumber I had used before, but he didn't have the equipment to unblock it. Had to call someone that specialised in blockages. Unblocking it took a reasonable amount of time. A high-pressure hose would not have done what needed to be done in this case.

  • PAPower on 18/08/2019 - 17:12
    +5

    Most trade industries are fcuk scam in Australia, from mechanics to plumbers to sparkies to all sort of builders and various handymen.
    On one hand trade unions are strong and united. On the other hand, IMO, tradesperson are usually lazy and want easy money.
    There you have it, pressure jet and CCTV camera bullcrap, merely just showing off what they have on their van.

  • Sylke on 18/08/2019 - 17:44
    +2

    Always fun to read Ozbargain threads ; how much do you earn a year? Any idea what it costs your employer to employ you?
    What is the cost of your building, workcover, superannuation, the lease, your office equipment, your IT, your public liability, your general insurance, do you get a car with your job? How much does servicing, insurance, tolls, fuel cost? Does your company have any plant or equipment? Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth? My company does and they charge more than $15.25, they charge more than $60.57 and hour they charge more than $79.10 an hour….. why, because that what it costs to cover all of the above, oh and the wages of the admin staff that do the billing and the accountants for doing the taxation and the BAS and the FBT. Oh I for got the cost of the paper and the envelopes and the stamps…
    I am not a plumber and I’m not supporting the rip off merchants that DO exist and I don’t read OzBargains during work hours, seriously OP, stop flushing face wipes.

  • andyhwl on 18/08/2019 - 20:18
    +1

    Damn 400 is a bargain. CCTV probing and high pressure jet.

    • andyhwl on 18/08/2019 - 21:46

      Sorry it sounded insensitive but I paid more than that and I live in Adelaide.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/08/2019 - 20:59
    -1

    The plumber has been informed I heard, legal action forth coming for op lol.

  • gimme on 18/08/2019 - 22:19
    +1

    Lol some people are making it out plumbing is some super specialised skill requiring all sorts of expensive eqpt. Majority of the ecpensive work is performed with a spanner and some teflon tape. So let's not get ahead of ourselves. And a lot of plumbers just pick the simple money for jam jobs that any half witted handyman can do.

    • kiwimex on 31/08/2019 - 20:43

      You have absolutely no clue, on here spouting off to be some almighty handyman lol.

      • gimme on 31/08/2019 - 20:46

        Funny thing is I'm not an almighty handyman. Just a random person with common sense, basic manual dexterity, attention to detail and ability to watch youtube videos or read a book back in the day.

  • utsc on 18/08/2019 - 22:47

    Most advertisements are misleading and there seems to be little that can be done.

    So ask plenty of questions about the total cost before requesting a service call

  • Grish on 19/08/2019 - 08:48
    +4

    Am I the only one wondering what the hell an Ozbargainer is doing not unblocking their own drains?

    I did the bathroom sink last week, took all of 30 seconds to remove top pipe section, which was all gunked up, a further 2 mins to clean it and finally 30 seconds to reassemble.

    Total time: 3 mins +/- 10% (had to find my leatherman, only tool I needed - but any adjustable wrench or even pliers would suffice too)

    Total Cost: $0

    • OneMoreTune on 21/08/2019 - 12:00

      Fair call for a blocked trap or related pipes under bench but I'd like to see your average ozbargainer try locate a blocked sewer pipe and fix it. Would OP be ringing a plumber for a blocked trap? That's face palm worthy.

  • duluxe2000 on 19/08/2019 - 13:24
    +1

    So far not many people can explain why the fee is "reasonable" and why it is expensive. Also what law op violates by simply stating "the fact" ?

  • gimme on 19/08/2019 - 17:13
    +2

    Tip: Do not hire any tradies with 'fancy' websites and tablets. You are paying for the call center and various other business overheads that have no impact on the quality of workmanship.Also the 'what our client say' has only one pre-coded comment which has zero credibility.

    • [Deactivated] on 19/08/2019 - 18:52

      Tablet lol, doesn’t everyone have one. Fancy website haha. What about big yellow pages ads you got something against them too?

      • gimme on 19/08/2019 - 19:58
        +2

        Not really.. i like to stay away from plumbers who use tablets to produce and on the spot quote for a 15min toilet job and sync up with headquarters (personal experience). Prefer the less fancy (ripoff) local classified one man operation type. Again personal experience.

  • OneMoreTune on 19/08/2019 - 18:00
    +3

    Where was the blockage?
    Was a camera used and why was it used? (sorry if all answered before)
    Why couldn't they just rod down a cleanout point?

    I would think the need to use a camera is a last resort or if you think tree roots have grown into the pipes.
    Unless I'm the plumber and a bit of an Ahole who likes extra cash, then I would be suggesting the need to use a camera alot!

  • yellowfever on 19/08/2019 - 22:20

    The number one rule of thumb is don't follow a tradies advertised labour price. It is never real. Anything that involves trades labour will increase.
    It is how the industry is. The work involves travel, investigation, time, tools & skill.
    Unless it is Airtasker where they are contractually locked in by their nominated rates.
    It is different to say a dentist, where they can advertise a flat rate to clean your teeth. Construction trades is a different market.
    Agree they should not advertise "from" rates as it literally doesn't apply to any standard scenario. A "from" rate is misleading and should be banned in construction.
    But the consumer needs to know better than this and avoid being baited so easily.

  • abacus on 22/08/2019 - 23:05

    My next door neighbour googled blocked drain, got a flashy website, called the guy out, they charged $700 to put a camera through and clear the drain. They showed him a photo of a small crack which causes no problems and quoted $2500 to repair. I called out my guy who charges me $200 each year. He said the $2500 job would take two hours and they are being totally opportunistic. You can pm me for my guy in Melbourne.

  • Meeb on 30/08/2019 - 20:21

    Reminds me of that one time I made the mistake of using Service Today to come and quote me an air-con install (not a simple install but still way overpriced). The buggers rocked up all fancy with an iPad and quoted me $3500 for the install and a $59 call-out fee to boot. Stupidly I paid their call-out fee which just felt wrong since it was a fee for them to tell me it's going to cost an arm and a leg - I was under the impression coming out to assess a job is just cost of doing business.

    Anyway I felt it was really suss so in the end I got a real plumber (real because I honestly think Service Today just goes around making money off old senile people) to do the job for ~$800. I later got the Service Today quote-fee refunded after giving them a bad review on Product Review and complaining (they tried to blackmail me into removing the bad review for the refund, but I told them to stick it).

  • SeVeN11 on 09/08/2021 - 18:09

    Get the biggest pots in your house and boil water in all of them, kettle, pots, everything you have.

    Once boiled, pour it down the blocked sink. It should slowly drain down as the fat slowly melts away.

    Continue boiling water, waiting till you have 2 sink full of hot water and repeat the process until all your pipes are close to 100 degrees and you have free flowing water.

    This has always worked for me and was what a plumber told me to try first. If this doesn't work, then pay the plumber.

  • Cheer on 09/08/2021 - 19:31

    Every few months I blast some water down the external drains to prevent them from clogging up.

    The boiling water thing costs too much in my opinion to maintain unless you actually have a blocked drain. Prevention is probably cheaper than the cure.

    • SeVeN11 on 09/08/2021 - 23:42

      You only need to do the hot water when it's blocked… I wouldn't bother doing it if it's not blocked.

  • Muselibar on 11/08/2021 - 13:23
    +1

    I know it's easy to pipe on about plumbers (pun intended).

    But seriously, are there any plumbers out there on this forum?
    How do you guys get repeat business? Positive word of mouth? Do you even care about this?
    How much money do you make a week? How many hours a week do you work?

    In my dealings with plumbers, I always feel like I've been robbed.
    I understand it's at times a tough job with a specific skill set.
    But how do you justify charging $150+ p/h cash during regular business hour (don't even get me started on the extra charges and + GST rort)

    I've had lots of tradies work on my house, most good and honest and charge a reasonable rate. Including most electricians, which is also a very specific skillset.
    And no one should work for free.

    But plumbers just seem to somehow get away with daylight robbery, why is that?

    • SeVeN11 on 11/08/2021 - 15:48
      -1

      I think it's because nobody likes to be knee-deep in shit or going through your wastewater to fix the problem…. unless they can charge a premium.

    • kiwimex on 13/08/2021 - 22:32
      -1

      Try running a plumbing business and understating what operational costs can be.

      Insurances (public liability, vehicle, tools and equipment, building, income protection…etc)
      Travel time to and from your property
      tools and equipment / Maintenance
      Vehicle / maintenance
      Stock
      Business premises
      Ongoing education
      Superannuation

      I charge $50 call out fee, $100 / hr
      Minimum 3hrs for any after-hours work plus a $100 call out fee.

      I have hundreds of repeat customers, I work for 3 different retirement villages 2 private hospitals, real estates and local customers….I have no issues with repeat customers.

      Last but not least what do you think its worth to turn up and unblock your drains and have to deal with your shit and piss?

      If you like next time my drain blocks up and there's sewerage overflowing all over the place, ill give you a call to come and clean it up! ill quite happily pay you $150 Cash.

      • Muselibar on 16/08/2021 - 12:21

        You make it seem like you are hard done by…..
        But most of these expenses are tax deductible and/or standard expenses any working person pays.

        Pre-Covid, nearly every worker had to pay their own way to travel to work, with no available/legal tax refunds.
        I still have to regularly travel to work with no reimbursement from work. I assume you also get tax rebates for vehicle + maintenance + other costs that other workers wouldn't. My boss would be mighty pissed off I ask to paid extra to be at work.

        Income protection is a smart, but still optional expense, also standard expenses any working person pays (if they choose). Also tax deductible.

        Even when doing apprenticeship, you were making money working 8-4pm. Most workers now generally go to university, only able to work part-time whilst studying with crappy weekend/night jobs and ended up with $20-50k student debt.

        For a bit of perspective:
        The median Australian income is about $60k p/y.

        If you charge $50 call out fee + $100 / hr.
        You could work 1.5 days a week, have 4 weeks holiday and still make well over $60k a year!
        Never mind cash jobs, after hours work, extra tax rebates, etc.

        • kiwimex on 16/08/2021 - 22:30

          You make it sound like….we are rolling in wads of cash.

          You fail to take into account, the additional hours most business owners work outside a normal work day. Which of course are generally not chargeable.

          Its a little different travelling for us than the average Joe who maybe does 10-20km to and from work each day, We can be traveling 100km plus per day in some instances, Exactly the reason we get tax rebates for these expenses….still doesn't always cover 100% of the costs.

          Most working persons on a wage are covered by workers compensation…..no need for you to have income protection directly related to your employment.

          Have you ever been on apprentice wages? Most apprentices don't start making anything reasonable until they're a 3rd or 4th year, They too have expenses such as attending tafe and night school, tools and paying their own tuition as well.(well we had to back in the day) I my self worked a 40-50 hr week as an apprentice and worked at night and on the weekends to have sufficient to live on.

          Going to university is optional as is a $20-50K student debt. Roughly 24% of youth and adults attend university…not most!
          There are plenty of students studying online as they choose and working 30hrs plus a week and not just crappy weekend/night jobs (you make it sound like they are hard done by)

          Not sure where you pulled our $60k p/y from, but according to the ABS the average weekly wage for an adult is $1714.00 weekly, which equates to over $89k per year. If I worked 1.5days per week id be broke in a flash.

          You really need to factor in the following when you try to make out we are living the dream……No one pays a small business owner…Holiday pay, sick leave, public holidays, super, carers leave, bereavement leave, parental leave.

          BTW the offer is still open for you to come and unblock a few drains and wallow in sewage for $150 cash! I mean how could you justify charging me more than that.

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