Have I been ripped off by this plumber?

[marellocherry25]

Our toilet started leaking the other day. I got a plumber round and he identified that the cistern bolts had corroded and quoted me £200 plus vat to replace. I've never had to call out a plumber before so agreed.

My DP stayed in today for the work to be done. Apparently, the toilet had been stuck to the wall buy the shonky original builders (it's a crap newbuild flat) with a load of silicone and the plumber had to prise the toilet away to get it off.

We've been charged £330 for the job. It took no longer than I was quoted. DP says plumber claimed he'd broken tools trying to get the toilet off the wall and was billing us for that. We haven't received an invoice yet but DP paid up (he's a bit new to being a homeowner).

Have I been ripped off? I found the bolts in a DIY store for £6 so assume that the majority of the costs are the labour and tools but this seems quite high to me.

How long was he there?

2 hours

You can remove silicone with a normal knife - his tools must be really shite if he can’t remove silicone without breaking them.

But two hours work for 330 quid, even assuming he pays the vat that’s still more than £100 per hour😱!

I don’t really think there’s much you can do if you’ve already paid though.

You could ask him for a proper invoice, with full breakdown of costs, & then go to Trading Standards.

Bastard

& if he won’t give you one, go to Trading Standards anyway.

Him breaking his tools is his own issue not yours.

Well actually it is now you've already paid for it.

I doubt you will receive an invoice.

Broke his tools on silicone?

Broke his tools, that's a new one! You've been ripped off! Sorry. Please report him to trading standards.

My DP is a plumber/gas man just read that out to him and he laughed. Said you can get a brand new toilet fitted for a lot less than that. He also said a Stanley blade is probably the only thing you can break on silicon which cost pennies.
I’m sorry to say OP but you’ve been ripped off, as people have mentioned previously contact trading standards.

I only paid £400 for whole downstairs loo suite to be fitted. Took one and a half days

Agree ask for an invoice. Explain that you must have been overcharged and then take it further.

Yes you have been ripped off but it's a bit difficult to do anything about it when you've paid already.

Hi there,

I would keep the books and everything in there...I think potential buyers like to see a home that looks like a home.

It would be good just to declutter a bit, give attention to your walls with fresh paint, have your bathrooms and kitchen well clean and put some flowers around the house, something nice and cheerful like sunflowers.

Good luck.

@rowenaj86

Wrong thread?

I got billed £37 for the use of a plumbers tools during the time he was at my house clearing a blocked pipe, the hourly rate was £120 for hour or part of an hour and he was at my house for 20 minutes.

Unfortunately it does sound like you have been ripped off. I asked a bloke advertising locally to give me a quote for painting my hall. He told me he would be adding costs to replace his decorating equipment as his current stuff was a bit knackered. He was shown the door!! What a stupid thing to say. By all means build that into the price but really????

It seems like you’ve been overcharged for the repair work.