We recently hired a plumber for what we thought was a fairly simple, routine project. We were replacing a toilet and came across a rusted, cast-iron flange (the part that attaches the toilet to the pipes). Our home was constructed in the 1960s and, at the time, that was what was used. Today, these parts are made with PVC. Now, we feel fairly confident in our ability to handle many home projects on our own, but we also know there’s a time to hire out.
Ryan’s replaced a handful of toilets in the past and, if he had decided to troubleshoot this on his own, I’m sure it would have been fine. But we obviously don’t want to risk water leaking into our floorboards, so we decided it would be safer to just hire a professional to do it right the first time. Afterall, we had already removed the toilet and the space was clear. It couldn’t possibly cost much to have someone else handle it. So we called an HVAC & plumbing company we had hired for HVAC before and had historically liked. What happened next was unforeseen.
A couple days later, the technician arrived and he replaced our flange in 20 minutes. Since he had been so quick, we had him place the toilet, too. Before he left, he handed me a bill for $480! He hadn’t even been at our house for an hour. The part he used cost about $30. It was completely unjustified, so we placed a call.
Why did it cost so much?
Flat-rate pricing
When I called to contest the bill, they said that they use flat-rate pricing. No matter how much or how little time the technician had spent, we would be billed the same amount as everyone else who had had the same procedure done. It didn’t matter that we already had removed the old toilet and had the space prepped for him to get right to work — the charge was flat and it was exorbitant.
Basically, flat-rate pricing is built to ensure the company isn’t shorted based on the worst-case scenario. Unless you think that you have an unbelievably complex issue, this is not the way to go.
- The flange repair was $232.
- Because we had had him place the toilet (something we were very capable of doing), there was another flat-rate charge ($156).
- If he would have had to remove the old toilet it would have been another $156.
Service fees
In addition to the flat-rate fees, this company charged another $65 just to come to our house, no service provided. When I inquired about this, they boasted their well-equipped trucks, insurance costs, and their highly trained technicians’ time.
As someone who once worked in accounting, I completely understand overhead, mileage, and drive time. Yet another seemingly inflated flat-rate? Not okay.
What questions should you ask when shopping for a plumber?
When I called to contest our fees, the company encouraged me to shop their competitors and see what they would’ve charged. I did just that. These are the questions I asked and what I found out:
- Do you use a flat rate? If so, what do you charge for [requested] services?
- If you happen to come across problems during this service, how is it charged?
- If hourly, what is the rate?
- Do you have a base rate/minimum charge? What is it?
- Do you charge for drive time?
- Do you charge a service fee? How much?
Additionally, in the event that someone is training another person in, confirm you’re only being charged for one person to arrive onsite.
What I found out is that we were 100% overcharged
I reached out to five companies, three returned my call.
- Competitors’ rates were hourly — in our area, about $100.
- They do charge drive time.
- “Service fees” were nominal, if any.
- Base rates were about $75 for less than a half hour call.
In summary, based on the amount of time the plumber spent at our house, any other company would have charged no more than 30-40% of our total bill (parts cost included).
We did complain and received a partial refund. Our plumber should have let us know the costs before performing the services and did not. Nonetheless, their fees solely for replacing the flange (not including the toilet placement) still totaled more than the others’ estimated max.
As for the company that we thought we could trust? They had recently been bought out and had restructured their pricing as part of a big expansion plan. I can only imagine the turnover they’ll experience as their once-loyal customer base learns their new ways and seeks out more reasonably-priced alternatives.
We didn’t do our due diligence and thought that maybe you could learn from our mistakes. Any questions that you’d add to our list? What’s been your experience with hiring plumbers? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!
— Melissa, The Joneses Four
