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Original poster

Can someone help me work out this enormous bill?

42 replies

Gettingbysomehow · 12/12/2024 22:01

Hi everyone, I rung up a local gas person and asked him to come out to fit my new thermostat. I bought the thermostat online so he had to provide no parts.
He was in for 10 minutes rewiring it to the gas boiler, a very simple job, he even used the old dirty wire. I at least thought he's use a new one but I didn't notice straight away.
For this very small amount of work I was charged £180.
Gemini (AI) thinks they have grossly overcharged me. Where do I go from here?

OP posts:
LoyalTaupeTiger · 12/12/2024 22:04

You're not paying for the 10 minutes work, you're paying for all his training and experience, his insurance and professional subscriptions.

Did you get a price before he started?

Doggymummar · 12/12/2024 22:06

I imagine there was a call out charge, then an hourly rate. Did you not get an estimate or quote?

StMarie4me · 12/12/2024 22:08

Gettingbysomehow · 12/12/2024 22:01

Hi everyone, I rung up a local gas person and asked him to come out to fit my new thermostat. I bought the thermostat online so he had to provide no parts.
He was in for 10 minutes rewiring it to the gas boiler, a very simple job, he even used the old dirty wire. I at least thought he's use a new one but I didn't notice straight away.
For this very small amount of work I was charged £180.
Gemini (AI) thinks they have grossly overcharged me. Where do I go from here?

Had some guttering mended. Desperately needed it. Took him an hour. Cost £300. You're paying for his skills, training, insurance etc etc etc. it was worth it.

saveforthat · 12/12/2024 22:09

Did you not ask the price before booking the work?

Luckystar32 · 12/12/2024 22:09

We had a new thermostat fitted a few months ago. Including the thermostat (which is about £120 if we’d bought it) it was around £300

StSwithinsDay · 12/12/2024 22:16

For this very small amount of work I was charged £180.
What does Gemini suggest you should have paid?? You could have done it yourself but presumably you have no expertise in working with gas? Or insurance?

Viviennemary · 12/12/2024 22:18

It does seem a bit on the steep side. Did you not ask for a quote before the work got done. Not sure if there is much you can do about it now.

Pendeer · 12/12/2024 22:18

LoyalTaupeTiger · 12/12/2024 22:04

You're not paying for the 10 minutes work, you're paying for all his training and experience, his insurance and professional subscriptions.

Did you get a price before he started?

this he will have a call out rate, an hourly charge etc which should have been discussed prior to him coming out. But you are paying for his expertise. The old wire will be fine, house wires last a very long time and he should have checked that the sheathing was still sound, which he probably did.

PrincessAnne4Eva · 12/12/2024 22:20

Why would Gemini have a clue OP?! Checkatrade would be a better starting point! Look up AI hallucinations while you're at it, it's fascinating. On many things, they're as accurate as Wikipedia circa 2003 right now.

Awayinthewindow · 12/12/2024 22:27

AI thinks there's only 2 r's in strawberry 🤷‍♀️

Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 12/12/2024 22:34

I'd expect it's his minimum call out fee plus an hours labour. The fact he was there for 10 mins is irrelevant, he has presumably had to travel to you etc.

BitOutOfPractice · 12/12/2024 22:36

If the work was so easy and cheap, you could’ve done it yourself right?

WallaceinAnderland · 12/12/2024 22:37

Where do I go from here?

Back in time to agree a price before he starts the job.

NonmagicMike · 12/12/2024 23:07

Always makes me chuckle. It’s not ten mins. As others have said it’s the years of training, the insurance, the membership of gasafe and so on. He’s got to drive to yours, do the work, not do another full day job because that’s taken out three hours of his day. I paid a dentist £500 the other month for 45 mins of work. What price do I put on not having a hole in my left top molar anymore?

SabreIsMyFave · 12/12/2024 23:10

Oh well if GEMINI says it, it MUST be true that he ripped you off! 😂

YANBU @Gettingbysomehow for all the reasons people have stated.

And as someone said, if it was such a simple, tiny job, why did you not do it yourself? Wink

SabreIsMyFave · 12/12/2024 23:10

WallaceinAnderland · 12/12/2024 22:37

Where do I go from here?

Back in time to agree a price before he starts the job.

😄

CandidHedgehog · 13/12/2024 01:10

I thought you were going to say he charged you thousands. £180 for a qualified person to travel to yours and fit a thermostat seems fairly reasonable. What d9 you think you should have paid?

Floralnomad · 13/12/2024 01:33

You pay for an hourly rate he is hardly going to charge by the minute he wouldn’t make enough to live on .

gerispringer · 13/12/2024 01:43

I have just had a new thermostat, plus repairing a worn valve which meant we had no heating/ hot water for 2 days. The guy came twice as he hadn’t got the part initially. The bill including the parts was £240. I thought this was reasonable.

tolerable · 13/12/2024 01:46

did you not request ball park estimate first ? regardless of time took- it is one of those niche areas where you are pay for the security of professional (registered)service. so hads a whack.

FavouriteTshirt · 13/12/2024 09:14

Since you had the time, expertise and tools you probably should just have done it yourself.

Oh hang on...

RedRiverShore5 · 13/12/2024 09:19

As others have said you are paying for his expertise, probably an hour of time and a call out fee, if you get a tradesman in it is generally best to check nothing else needs doing as they can do them in the same job and it will be less expensive than separate little jobs

RedRiverShore5 · 13/12/2024 09:23

I probably wouldn't base what it should cost on some AI app

TrippTover · 13/12/2024 09:25

That’s an amount I would have expected OP, sorry!

FionaSkates · 13/12/2024 09:40

Why didn’t you get an estimate first?