Friend Overcharged/Scammed by Plumber? (with Photos)

brooksnk on 17/05/2022 - 14:09
Last edited 17/05/2022 - 14:56

Posting for a friend.

  • Friend has a hole in the roof
    • Her boyfriend asks her to call a plumber to fix it as it has been raining a lot recently
    • Calls 24 hour plumbing service
    • The quote her $800 on the spot and 'fix' the job
    • Took no more than an hour in total
    • The work looks shoddy - friend feels like she might be getting scammed/ripped off
    • She asks for an itemised invoice of the work done before she pays
    • They say they will send her one later
    • she says she won't pay until she gets a proper invoice
    • they wait outside her house, call their manager, and the manager sends through an invoice
    • Invoice shows no detail, just the total amount owing.
    • She says she wants to wait for her boyfriend to come home first to pay
    • they send her a text message asking her to 'send it back' as agreement that she will pay.

Take a look at the photos of the work done. I dont know anything about plumbing or whatnot, but this does not look like an $800 job.

https://ibb.co/QkJkkP0
https://ibb.co/4Mbj3HL

She hasnt paid yet and is unsure what to do. I told her to hold off for the moment. This has all happened this morning.

Would love to get ozbargainers thoughts on this.

Thank you.

Further Edit (regarding when it was done)
Just to add -

  • contacted plumber on Saturday when it was raining heavily.
  • chose company because needed emergency plumping for that day or sooner after.
  • ended up booking for Monday because of the Call-Out fee on Sundays which would also increase the price.
  • They cancelled on Monday because of circumstances 'out of their control', and rescheduled to Tuesday morning.
  • no emergency service was actually provided, and the job was completed 3 days after the initial call.
Home & Garden

Comments

  • richmond12 on 18/05/2022 - 16:59

    Roof leaks are hard to diagnose unless its obvious, so sometimes you have to have to factor in the expertise to find the issue rather than just looking at the fix in isolation. Eg it might take a while to to trial and error where the leak is coming from

    So if anything its a rough fix.. not a scam

  • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2022 - 17:42

    $800 for cling wrap and silicone 🤣🤣

  • trapper on 18/05/2022 - 18:00
    +2

    Your 'friend' agreed to the quote before the job was started, so this is not a scam.

    If she's not happy with the standard of the work then she should ask them to come and rectify it.

  • FlyingMiffy on 18/05/2022 - 18:25
    +1

    A bit hard to judge the quality of the work based on those photos. Looks to be patch work with some caulking over colourbond. You will need to factor in whether they had to find the leak first before doing the patching. To give you an idea, leak tracing minimum callout is about 350 for the first hour. After that, its time and material for the work. What's the hourly rate that they quoted? Asking for an itemized bill is the right thing to do but I hope your friend gets some support to deal with the likely "pay pay pay" hassling that will go on for a while.

    • mauricem on 19/05/2022 - 18:32
      +1

      Why is "leak tracing minimum callout is about 350 for the first hour."? There's no special equipment used is there? A tradies hourly rate shouldnt be more than $100ph, I know plenty of excellent tradies across all disciplines that charge less than this and do very well for themselves.
      Though if you've got to climb into a septic tank I'd have no trouble accepting a minimum $350

  • DoctorCalculon on 18/05/2022 - 18:26

    The quote her $800 on the spot and 'fix' the job

    From your story, the work wasn't done until 3 days later.
    Major red flag there.

    She asks for an itemised invoice of the work done before she pays

    This should have been asked for during the quotation.

  • bashar20 on 18/05/2022 - 18:47

    Why is a plumber involved in a roofing job in the first place?

  • redslert on 18/05/2022 - 19:00

    Very challenging to fix a leak while it is still wet… better off throwing a tarp over it and wait until a sunny day.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2022 - 20:17
    +7

    Don't pay them, once you do they'll continue to do it. Doesn't matter if you agreed, there's a standard of work to be done when you agree and if a large portion of the price was due to being a Sunday call out and they didn't come till Tuesday, it shouldn't cost that much.

    If I had a hanging bumper off my car and a mechanic quoted me $1000 to 'fix it', I expect more than duct tape and I wouldn't pay $1000 even if I agreed to it. I don't get this 'you agreed to the price' mentality, the cost of something should be proportional to the time and equipment/resources required for the job. No one is an expert at everything and know exactly how long something is going to take to fix. That doesn't mean you can rip people off for it. Who the (profanity) wants to live in a world like that?

    $800 for an hours work and $10 of silicon is a rip off, I don't care how people try to spin it on here.

    • john_conner on 19/05/2022 - 13:28

      Agreed.
      Just pay what it’s worth and let them chase you for the difference (they won’t). If they take you to a tribunal, you can let the member decide if their shoddy job is worth the money.
      I wouldn’t be letting anyone “fix up” their own mistakes, if they were capable of doing the right job, they should have done it in the first place.

  • digitalbath on 18/05/2022 - 21:03

    No such thing as an honest tradies these days. But we have to pay them if we want the job done.

  • kiwimex on 18/05/2022 - 21:05
    +25

    Im a plumber and yes we do roofing as well, was part of my apprenticeship.

    That is terrible work and no where near worth $800.

    There is probably $30 max in materials / consumables, 1hr max in labour plus a call out fee.

    If i was completing that job on the ridge capping there would be no need for any silicone, I would have made the lead slate to cover the entire ridge caping and dressed correctly and fixed with rivets on the outer edges..

    The 2nd repair on the sheet of an old roof penetration, I would have sourced a new half sheet of roofing and cut out the damaged section and fixed in the new sheet.

    On both repairs no need for any silicone at all.

    My cost to repair that properly would have been about $400 after sourcing the new roofing sheet and returning to replace.

    I would be refusing to pay for any of the work and ask for it to be repaired correctly.

    • dji1111111 on 19/05/2022 - 00:42
      +7

      A rare useful comment in this entire post.
      Funny a plumber is confirming it's a shoddy work and a rip off yet you still have the resident sub-par intelligence armchair experts saying it's reasonable and to pay up.
      What a great bunch of people to scam since they are so understanding and have little issues with parting with their money lol

      • Venustrap87 on 19/05/2022 - 07:44

        Should of called this bloke he would of done it for $400

        • keejoonc on 19/05/2022 - 09:56
          +3

          "of" =/ "have"

  • jerjergege on 19/05/2022 - 07:16
    -7

    Shoulda called someone else and see if 24 hour emergency quotes cost the same before going ahead.
    You already went ahead, 2 blokes, afterhours, at x3 penalty rates, sounds about right.

    • dji1111111 on 19/05/2022 - 07:48

      Sounds about right for another armchair expert who can't even get their facts right. The OP clearly clarified there was no emergency service provided. The job ended up being done 3 days after they rang up for "emergency repair"

      • Ryno08 on 19/05/2022 - 10:45
        -3

        Doesn't matter if she called an emergency line than that's what you get. It's fairly common sense, if you call one of these lines you will be charged a premium for you service. Call a roof repair, get a quote broken down into work required to be
        done.

        • dji1111111 on 19/05/2022 - 11:13
          +3

          Haha sure. Geez people love justifying a blatant rip off. Still doesnt explain the shoddy job that was done. He/she accepted the quote on the basis it will be repaired urgently not after 3 days and under the knowledge it's being fixed properly, not a temporary fix until it can be repaired properly

          • jerjergege on 20/05/2022 - 09:22

            @dji1111111: I work as an automation engineer that does offer our industrial sparkies 24 hour emergency response, they are around 500 for the first hour and 260every hour after. + Materials.

            So not an armchair expert ;)

            EDIT: I posted comment before her edit, only saw now that it was done 3 days after on a Tuesday.

  • LeDuck on 19/05/2022 - 09:45
    +1

    Also got overcharged by a plumber

    Partner organized, agreed and paid for the works. I noticed the ridiculous price later in the day.

    I took it to fair trading as I noticed the company had been on the news previously for overcharging.

    When I advised the plumbers about this, I managed to negotiate a $500 cashback. ($600 if I gave them a 5 star review)

    • johnno07 on 19/05/2022 - 10:22
      +8

      Please tell me you only took the $500.

  • pulpfiction on 19/05/2022 - 11:37
    +2

    That’s standard for these 24/7 or Nation wide mobs. Most are essentially a marketing company with sub-contracted trades people.

    They asked for a fixed leak and I presume it is now fixed. The agreement has been met.

    Would it have been cheaper going direct to a individual plumber or roofer? Yes. Would they have got a better result? Very likely.

    Cheap lesson on how to find trades people. My elderly neighbour was quoted $16k from one of these places for some sewage pipes. My friend (who’s a plumber) charged him $4k.

    Oh, and let’s be clear. They didn’t want the emergency service as that would add more to the cost.

  • berry580 on 19/05/2022 - 12:06
    -2

    So the lady agreed to the quote and is now looking for ways to not pay up after the job was completed.

    Yeah, it isn't pretty, but looks like it does the job/fit for purpose.
    If it's still leaking, then that's another story.

    • kiwimex on 19/05/2022 - 19:59
      +5

      If you are paying professional prices you should be getting a professional job…that work isn't even handyman standard.

  • echelon6 on 19/05/2022 - 13:54
    -2

    haha that's what u get

    • cookie2 on 21/05/2022 - 20:26

      Why?

  • h0mbre on 19/05/2022 - 14:07
    +7

    I'm a builder and this is my take on this.

    24/7 / Emergency trades always charge exorbitantly.
    The silicone work is not to a great standard but the repair will probably work fine as a temporary fix.

    These types of operations give trades a bad reputation but the reality is if you call an emergency service and they come out quickly, you're gonna be paying a premium for it.

    I remember one time my dad called an emergency electrician to fix a short in his very old house wiring. The guy came out and was telling my dad 8k for a repair job to the single burnt out cable in question. I arrived towards the end of the conversation and the guy started fumbling when he realised I was in the industry, I said thanks for you time and I got all the cabling and board upgraded for $2,700 a couple of days later but my dad didn't have power for those 2 days.

    In response to the OP, if a friend or client of mine asked me to do this job for them, I would've charged $250-$300 to get a roofer out to fix it but they would've waited a minimum of 2 weeks for it to happen and I would've scheduled it in for when the guys are close to the area of the works.

    If you want something done quickly, you're going to have to cop the travel/call out and min hours.

    I've been watching tradesman for almost 20 years and some make it look so easy but most of the time it isn't.

    Lets have a look at what the job carried out entails:

    Drive to site
    Ladder to access roof (if required)
    Harness (if required)
    Materials:
    Waterproofing membrane - $24
    Brush $4
    Silicone Tube $14
    Silicone gun $3 (cheapest one at Bunnings)
    Lead off cuts $10
    Clean up

    LABOUR!!!

    We are in Australia after all where labour costs are up there with the highest in the world.

    So yes, definitely overcharged but I don't think its fair to say scammed.

  • baskinghobo on 19/05/2022 - 14:21
    +2

    I think your friend would have a better case arguing against the quality of the job than the price since they already agreed to it initially.

  • bitcoinorbust on 19/05/2022 - 14:22

    Thats female price

    • striker5950 on 19/05/2022 - 21:52

      i dont think he was hating on woman, i think he just meant that some scum do this when they see a woman who has no clue if something is over priced or not, they take em to the dry cleaners. it happens more than you think. always better if a man handles it, and if the household has no male, get more than on quote? shrugs

      • Yola on 20/05/2022 - 11:29
        +1

        Agree also older people and in up market areas.

  • mdavant on 19/05/2022 - 14:55
    -1

    Just pay it.

    Those ford rangers aren't cheap you know.

  • tonsta on 19/05/2022 - 16:10
    +2

    1st mistake is asking a plumber to fix a roof???? Why people???

    Like asking a smash repairer to do dental work.

    Why didn’t you guys ask a roofer??? And no leak is an emergency, as soon as you mention emergency they have to tax you more… it’s the law (tradie law).

    • kiwimex on 19/05/2022 - 20:01
      +2

      Roofing is part of the plumbing trade.

      • UltimateAI on 20/05/2022 - 12:21
        +1

        There are companies and trades people that focus on roof leaks. Tonsta's point (which I agree), is these roofing companies generally do better work at a much lower price point. I was charged $50 to fix a recent leak, paid $100. From previous experience it would have been $350-$500 with a standard plumber and likely taken them longer.

    • cookie2 on 20/05/2022 - 16:15
      +1

      Don't presume everyone knows there are tradies that are roofers. Not everyone knows the right expert to call for a particular job. Or what the difference in workmanship would be too. I feel like your analogy is slightly different. It'd be like asking a doctor to do dental work… not that I know much, ozb just taught me that roofers exist as an occupation.

  • Dack Smith on 19/05/2022 - 17:34

    How do you think some plumbers can afford a Mercedes AMG and live in a mansion?

    The industry is poorly self regulated and people keep getting ripped off by criminal elements without oversight.

    They are above the law and they know it

  • clover on 19/05/2022 - 21:21
    +1

    I hated plumbers above all other trades in this country. Dealing with a number of them over the years and I haven't found any one decent. Big companies with nice websites are the worse: some demand to be paid to quote, many will add unnecessary services, over charged, bad and shody work, dragging things along as they charge by the hour, no accountability for their work, ridiculous call out fees during business hours, etc…..

  • striker5950 on 19/05/2022 - 21:45
    +1

    looks dodgy, this is what you get when you don't ask how the roof will be fixed. they glued the frekin pieces with silicone lol however they saw a female and thought to take her to the dry cleaners, thing is she agreed to the cost so you have no leg to stand on, only excuse you can come up with is that its a shitty job and either redo it properly and get the 800 or take the half and take a hike, or we can go to court (empty threat) i would not even let it get to that its not worth the time or attention for 400 bucks (after you pay half). look at it as a lesson learned not to get scammed again.

  • RocketSwitch on 19/05/2022 - 23:08

    Ah, tradies.

    Had a toilet that wouldn't flush and the pipe where the toilet is wouldn't stop leaking thanks to my mains stop tap not working. $565 for a water isolation valve, inlet valve, flex hose, take out toilet cistern and seal cistern bolts.

    Let's not stop there, roofers costs are also through the roof. $6,300 to install 8.3m concealed gutter, 12m of lead flashing (removing weatherboards too), replace 15 broken tiles and replace 6 gable tiles with flexible pointing (clean up included).

    It has to be done, getting any competent roofer out there is hard work, called 7 of them, only 1 was competent to actually complete the job.

  • gres on 20/05/2022 - 07:15
    +1

    If the $800 was the price agreed to fix the leaks then don't pay,

    They've patched the leaks not fixed them.

    Thank them for the short term patch and ask when they're coming out to complete repair,

  • upended on 20/05/2022 - 09:52

    Her boyfriend asks her to call a plumber to fix it as it has been raining a lot recently

    That's the problem for starters. Boyfriend should have asked for a roofer, not a plumber.

  • FittyFitty on 20/05/2022 - 11:03

    Insist on itemised invoice; pay nothing till you receive one.

  • UltimateAI on 20/05/2022 - 12:17
    -1

    Can't speak legally, but morally she needs to pay. They provided a quote and completed the work.
    If the work isn't to reasonable standards, then they need to remediate, but she needs to pay what was agreed AFTER they remediate to expected standards.

    Yes, it seems expensive but that is not a reason NOT to pay. She should have obtained more than one quote.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2022 - 17:34
      +1

      She needs to act morally to an immoral act? That's not worth $800 and most people know it. If went to an old ladies house took advantage of that to where she 'agreed' to fix her computer for $10,000 and it took me 10 minutes, is she 'morally' obliged to pay?

      Like I said before, if my bumper came off and I agreed to pay $2000 for them to fix it, if I find it's just been duct taped back on, I ain't paying shit.

  • kzrocky on 20/05/2022 - 18:49

    Fixed Price job quote = cost risk on the Plumber
    Time and Materials job = cost risk on owner

    Plumber quoted $800 and if you agreed you need to pay them $800, possibly get them back to fix up the shabby job but no additional $ need to be paid.
    Asking for an itemised invoice is irrelevant if its a fixed price job.

    (I deal with these sort of contracts all the time)

  • mickrb30 on 20/05/2022 - 19:01
    +3

    Agreed with post, work done is NOT to a acceptable standard from a tradesman, would not accept it from anyone, extremely rough temporally repairs that will leak again soon, BTW i am in the building trade
    1/- second pic roof sheet NEEDED REPLACING, it had some type of penetration( pipe coming out of roof at one stage) now repaired/covered with waterproofing membrane combined with fiberglass matting, which is sunk lower the surrounding roof, this will be now like a bowl accumulating water, water will still leak in. once pic is enlarged, it clearly shows this
    2/- patch on top of roof ridges is to small, does not cover problem properly, POOR ROUGH INADEQUATE REPAIR.
    The prick plumber did not even smooth over the silicon, to gain a better appearance and more importantly increase the surface area of contact to gain a better seal,
    " OLD TRADIE SAYING - you do our best, than finger the rest " failed here to finger the silicon
    suggestion -
    i would get the sheet repaired by them, removed and replaced, the ridge repair removed and replaced with a proper bigger repair, take pics of previous repairs and the proper new repairs
    tell them it still leaked and you not paying them nothing for their shoody leaking work, s
    at least then the repairs will last, if you pay them 800 its a total waste of money

  • mickrb30 on 20/05/2022 - 19:07

    BTY , forgot to mention for the further work, I will get someone else to do, otherwise if they do it, you only going to get another true botch job, they may even purposely cause more leaks to other places on your roof intentionally.

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