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Original poster

Plumber is charging me for cancelling!

128 replies

Rajster · 08/01/2018 20:35

Our boiler broke on 2nd Jan and we had a guy come out to have a look at it. He recommended having a new one fitted but he couldn’t fit it for another week. A day later we asked him to go ahead. However, in the meantime another person was recommend to us and he could fit a boiler much sooner - within 2 days. We asked him to do it and it was fitted today and finally we have heating and hot water. We have 2 children under 4 so it was essential that a new boiler was installed as soon as possible. We cancelled the original guy today and now he’s trying to charge us £250 for cancelling even though this was never made clear up front and there is nothing in writing to say we agreed to such a charge. He is threatening legal action if we don’t pay.

Surely we don’t have to pay this? It was an emergency situation that needed resolving as soon as possible.

Please help!

OP posts:

CurlsandCurves · 08/01/2018 22:30

Ok the boiler you no longer need can be returned.

But have you thought about the work the guy you turned down has lost? Your job was booked in, he/she has probably turned down work because you were booked in. Now they’ve got nothing for those days. Hopefully they can find some work to fill the days but it’s not guaranteed. I’d be really pissed off.

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 22:35

It boils down to this.
Wasting people’s time and expecting them to be fine with a job you’ve requested them to carry out, order parts for and clear time for being cancelled last minute is just a shit thing to do. Justify it however you want. It’s a shit thing to do, it’s disrespectful, arrogant and shit.

This........... was put much better than I would have done.

You were using plumber 1 as a backup even after agreeing a date!! He would have ordered the parts to make sure they're in on time and will possibly incur a restocking charge, at the very least.

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 22:39

@Jon66 If your plumber can do a job at such short notice then I doubt he's that good. You can keep hold of him....

Notreallyarsed · 08/01/2018 22:41

@MrsSthe3rd I thought that too

Bananasandwicheseveryday · 08/01/2018 22:44

We had to call the plumber out when our boiler broke down just before Christmas. He came out the same day, was able to diagnose the problem and thankfully, repair it that day. He said that if we had needed a new boiler , as we thought likely at first, he would not have been able to fit it for a compound weeks because he already had work booked in. Even when he was here, he had potential customers calling him and he was having to turn them away because he just didn't have time to see them. So, I can quite imagine that your plumber may have lost bookings by you cancelling at short notice. If , as a pp suggested , it is standard that a restocking charge is made, I think it's more than reasonable for that cost to be passed on to you. I would also be very wary of any plumber who can be called on Saturday and fit the correct new boiler on Monday. I'd want to know why he isn't booked up even a few days ahead. Every decent plumber, beating engineer etc I've ever known is always run off their feet at this time of year.

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 22:44

@Jon66 Oh, and (for the record) this is bollocks too......

And, any purchased parts or items he can return to his supplier without charge

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 22:45

@Notreallyarsed

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 22:45

Notreally My ex could attend a breakdown within a 1 or 2 and fit new boilers with a few days . The industry has a quick turnaround I hope this makes sense !

Bananasandwicheseveryday · 08/01/2018 22:49

Should clarify - our plumber came out to us on his way home after work because we are regular customers - he services our boiler as well as doing any plumbing jobs we want doing. He arrived at 6:30 and left around two hours later having sorted out our problem. Anything bigger and we would have had to wait until after Christmas because he is in so much demand.

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 22:49

entitled idiots Customers (to the self employed) who think "it's only a five minute job" are the biggest dicks going. I'm sure if someone said that in their line of work, it would be a different matter.

Notreallyarsed · 08/01/2018 22:52

@blurredlines a clear diary is never a good sign.

BackforGood · 08/01/2018 22:53

Agree with most people here.
Ultimately, it's probably not worth his time taking you to court, but why on earth would you behave like that ? . When your dh sent the text saying 'yes please, we'd like you to do the job' then you entered a contract with him. OK, I understand wanting to have the job done quicker and not being aware of plumber 2 at the time, but the bit where you have behaved so poorly is in not telling Plumber1 that you'd changed your minds at the time you changed your minds.

OutToGetYou · 08/01/2018 22:56

Well, the plumber who did do the work had the same notice to do it as the one who didn't and he managed to get a boiler and fit it today, so I'm not sure why people think the first plumber could not have got the boiler today too!

The op should at the very least pay him any actual out of pocket costs.

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 22:58

In all serious though during this time of year it is busy but with breakdowns you never really know until the day what your diary is like. I did also used to work for British gas and it was the same way there. An engineer could have no work by 9am but be floored by 1pm.

PinaColadaSong · 08/01/2018 23:00

Firstly, any tradesman worth their salt will have a reasonable waiting list - I don't think one week for a plumber to fit a boiler is unreasonable!!??

DH (tradesman) always says if you can find a tradesman who can do a job at the drop of a hat it usually means he isn't very busy, which is more than likely because he isn't very good..... if he was making you wait a week chances are he's good and in demand!!

Secondly, it's not just about the materials. The plumber will have pencilled in your job for at least one if not two days. Now that you've cancelled (on Monday) he will have to try and find another customer willing to re-arrange to let him do their job at short notice (Friday). If he can't then he has lost one possibly two days wages.

You did a pretty shitty thing OP.

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 23:02

I haven't seen where it states that plumber1 couldn't get hold of the boiler.

The OP stated he couldn't fit it for another week. Which is still very lucky at this time of year!

I don't know any decent tradespeople able to do this within two days. And some of that was the weekend!

MrsSthe3rd · 08/01/2018 23:03

British Gas is a whole different comparison, to be fair.

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 23:06

Pina - I agree it's a shit thing to do but trades are different . If your a builder working on an extension this would obviously need to be planned in . If your a breakdown kitchen appliance engineer you generally work on a fast turnaround.
I'd hate to think people dismiss good tradesmen because they can call sooner then others

kirinm · 08/01/2018 23:07

Blurred - your experience seems to differ from all of us who have a DP who is a tradesman. What is it that you did?

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 23:08

No British gas aren't a good comparison for what's happening here but I wanted to make the point of how fast the industry works .

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 23:09

His admin , take calls , help with appointments. I did the same with British gas.

kirinm · 08/01/2018 23:09

What 'industry' are you referring to? Construction? Plumbing? The construction industry doesn't work that fast.

blurredlines · 08/01/2018 23:10

Sorry . He's a gas engineer. Mainly boiler breakdowns and replacements

Viviennemary · 08/01/2018 23:13

You asked him to go ahead. Then changed your mind. He might have ordered the boiler. Go ahead means go ahead. What else does it mean. Not sure if he can make you cough up without anything in writing. Next time think before you say go ahead.

kirinm · 08/01/2018 23:13

Could be talking at complete cross purposes in that case. Plumber isn't the same as a gas engineer.

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