A
angryguy
I asked for a plumber to look at a faulty bathroom mixer tap and replace a toilet seat. The price was £109+VAT ph (London) which although high was the cheapest a quick search yielded. The guy puts the toilet seat on but says the tap can't be fixed and I need to get a new one and call them out again. I ask how long it should take and he says 30 minutes. I say £109 seems a bit steep for 30 minutes work and he offers me a reduced rate of £74+VAT ph. A bit annoying that I paid £109+VAT to put a toilet seat on but figure it's my own fault for not big prepared and having a new tap ready.
I get a new tap and call them out again. He calls me at 11.30 and I go and let him in to my gated car park so he enters my flat about 11.35. At about 12.40 he goes back to his vehicle to get the invoice. He coms back fiddles around a bit with the tap and gives it to me to sign at 12.50. At this stage he had not put the cost on so I asked him to do that first. I get charged £148+VAT as he went into the second hour. I had a look in on him every now and then but can't tell if he was time wasting at all (although he didn't appear to be moving particularly quickly). It just strikes me that there is a huge incentive for the plumber to finish near the start of an hour.
Have I been scammed? Is there anything I can do about it?
I get a new tap and call them out again. He calls me at 11.30 and I go and let him in to my gated car park so he enters my flat about 11.35. At about 12.40 he goes back to his vehicle to get the invoice. He coms back fiddles around a bit with the tap and gives it to me to sign at 12.50. At this stage he had not put the cost on so I asked him to do that first. I get charged £148+VAT as he went into the second hour. I had a look in on him every now and then but can't tell if he was time wasting at all (although he didn't appear to be moving particularly quickly). It just strikes me that there is a huge incentive for the plumber to finish near the start of an hour.
Have I been scammed? Is there anything I can do about it?
Last edited by a moderator: