drain doctor

[des]

i called out a a drain cleaning specialist {rip off}15 mins work throw rubbish in green waste bin asked to turn on taps bill £108 drain doctor then said ok pumped a lot of water trough i know cos i turned on tap shame on you drain doctor if i know so much money through other **** i would be a !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CZ550Kevlar]

Bought a full set of drain rods and an extra attachemnt for cutting roots £20 from toolstation, never found a job yet the rods couldn`t shift. Best money i have invested for a while.

[al4x]

that is indeed life, you agreed a call out charge that would have covered a set amount of labour, the guy got lucky and it was an easy clearance. As said you need some rods to avoid it happening again. Knock VAT off that figure and its not an unusual call out fee

[Cosd]

A guy that lives a few doors away owns a few Drain Doctor vans, and shortly after my builders left I knocked on his door for help since I had a blockage in the manhole on the drive.

 

The guy came round and spent the best part of two hours down this 6' deep manhole covered from head to toe in "not very nice stuff".

 

My point is these guys deserve what they charge, I know I couldn't do it.

 

When this guy finished clearing and unblocking my drains he wouldn't accept a penny however much I insisted and told me to accept it as a house warming present :blink:

[Doc Holliday]

I don't understand gripes like this. I assume he gave you the charges before he turned up? £90 plus VAT seems about right. You're paying for this guys expertise and knowledge, like you would a lawyer or a consultant of some kind. This guy obviously knows his stuff as he sorted the problem for you in 15 minutes.

 

If you had some other schmoe who charge £50 per hour and took 2 hours to sort it would you still feel hard done by?

 

Even if the guy didn't give you the charges, you should ask for them prior to him turning up or at very least before he starts work. Then is the chance to say "No thanks!", not after he's billed you and sorted the problem pronto.

 

Nowt as queer as folk.

[gixer1]

I agree with the above!, i'd rather pay money than be up to elbows in **** with a stinking drain in the house!

 

How much did you want to pay???

[huffhuff]

I once had a similar situation. I got called out to repair a mail server that wasn't playing ball. I had quoted the prices on the phone, they were more than happy as it was their business machine and the work they did relied heavily on email. £45 per hour or part there of.

 

I turned up, resolved the problen with 15 minutes of reconfiguration. Gave the chap the bill - to which he said he was only paying half as I wasn't there a full hour.

 

"It was obviously a simple job which I probably could have done myself".

 

So I responded with "Did you try yourself?"

 

He said "Yes, but I didn't know what I was doing really". There you go!

 

You are paying for years of knowledge to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible! When I explained this, he paid with no quibble and got lots of repeat business!

Edited April 6, 2011 by huffhuff

[des]

you guys must get well paid

[al4x]

it comes down to what you expect when you call someone out, £90 plus vat includes the driving to you sorting the problem and the drive home, ok it was sorted in 15 mins but that is luck of the draw. Didn't they quote before coming out?

[gixer1]

you guys must get well paid

 

 

Nothing to do with pay, it's to do with a job and price being relative to the knowledge and effort a person puts into it, i know it can seem like a lot but imagine it caused something else to let go and you had a building firm in to dig up the drains! things can always be worse!

[J@mes]

The poor sod probably spends £50 a week on shower gel and brillo pads to get rid of the smell of other peoples feces from his body.

[jacksdad]

Try this then!

I fitted a kitchen for a customer, the AGREED price was £1000 cash. I did the job in a week, which included removing the old one, plastering and then tiling.

Feeling pleased that it was turned round in good time, I asked for payment, the woman said "you've only been here a week so I'm paying you £300 which is the average wage" :blink:

Obviously thinks my van and £10k worth of tools were free, as is my workshop rent, insurance, fuel, materials and piping etc. that I supplied.....I think the TV bods should make a series called ROGUE CUSTOMERS

 

(the cow still owes me £250!)

[J@mes]

You should have ripped 2/3 of the kitchen out.

[jonno]

it comes down to what you expect when you call someone out, £90 plus vat includes the driving to you sorting the problem and the drive home, ok it was sorted in 15 mins but that is luck of the draw. Didn't they quote before coming out?

And the cost of diesel, and the cost to buy and service the van, and the cost of the high pressure pump & other kit, and the cost to buy into the franchise, and the percentage paid to the franchise owner!

[Dr W]

Try this then!

I fitted a kitchen for a customer, the AGREED price was £1000 cash. I did the job in a week, which included removing the old one, plastering and then tiling.

Feeling pleased that it was turned round in good time, I asked for payment, the woman said "you've only been here a week so I'm paying you £300 which is the average wage" :blink:

Obviously thinks my van and £10k worth of tools were free, as is my workshop rent, insurance, fuel, materials and piping etc. that I supplied.....I think the TV bods should make a series called ROGUE CUSTOMERS

 

(the cow still owes me £250!)

 

Small claims court might make her think twice

[stubby]

I once had a customer call for a quote on ferreting their garden, £60 per half day between 2 of us, seemed fair in my books, irrelevant on the number of rabbits caught, plus it was in ware/hertfordshire, from essex

 

we ferreted for over 4 hours and caught 4 rabbits seemed most rabbits were coming through the fence from farm next door, they still asked how much at end of day, as if it would be cheaper, I felt a little bad taking the £60, but as you say, petrol there and back, van,insurance,tax,

[Canis]

i called out a a drain cleaning specialist {rip off}15 mins work throw rubbish in green waste bin asked to turn on taps bill £108 drain doctor then said ok pumped a lot of water trough i know cos i turned on tap shame on you drain doctor if i know so much money through other **** i would be a !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Been said by several other posters - the chap has driven a van full of expensive equipment to attend your call out , carried out some work and has cured your problem quickly and without leaving a mess. and you are quibbling over a bill of £85 + Vat!

 

Look no unexpected bill is welcome and how much such a bill "hurts" an individual depends on their level of disposable income. But, why do people think that when a Tradesman who is running a business is ripping them off if they actually price their work in order to make a profit.

 

you havent said exactly what the problem was but remember you did not have the skills, experience, training or inclination to cure the problem yourself

 

Harsh reality of life alert

 

either

 

learn how to do your own plumbing and drainage.

and

Buy a lot of expensive tools and equipment.

and

Be prepared to get covered quite literally in your own ****.

and

get off your bum and do the work yourself.

 

 

or

 

accept that you have to pay tradesmen to do jobs that you are unable to do or dont fancy doing your self.

 

come back and complain if a tradesman charges you £500 for fifteen minutes work- we might have some simpathy that you have been ripped off then!

Edited April 6, 2011 by Canis

[Hunter_zero]

Customers attitudes can really stink! In my line of work, it takes years to know exactly what to do and when to do it. I work as a full time pest controller BTW. Now and again, I'll get the same sort of response from a customer " £150, for catching a rat!! It only took you a day....... ". Well that's what I do, catch rats. I catch them quickly and effectively and that's why it's £150. That's why the drain guys charged what he did as well.

 

I'm currently treating a young couples house. The house has had issues with rats for over ten years. The old owner botched around and never really got to the bottom of the problem.

I set five traps yesterday and caught three rats today. I have established exactly what needs to be done to stop the rats (damaged sewer). Simple, and all for £140 with another visit to go.

Now, to my mind, apart from having rats in their home and all the problems that brings (they needed a complete re-wire due to rodent damaged wires). Ten years worth of rat poison, costs more than £140.

 

The guy who sorted your drains, was likely very proud that he did a good job for you and got it sorted out. Your attitude likely gutted him. Us little people who do these jobs, don't really get many perks and very little in the way of a thank you. So next time a trades man comes to your home, offer him/her a nice cuppa and when you pay them, pass over the payment with a nice smile, shake their hand and say "thanks for doing such a great job, and you did it so fast as well! Genuinely thanks!". I promise you, next time you call them out, you will reap the rewards and best of all it's cost nothing to be courteous and polite.

 

John

[bullet1747]

i had a phone call about a year ago (sat night ) ,is that the electrician ,yes i said ,all my electrics have gone out can you come and fix it please,yep no problem there is a call out charge £45 for the first hour followed by £20 there on , to which the reply was you robbing b a s t a r d, :o

[jacksdad]

Thats just typical of the Yorkshire peeps.....so tight they only breathe in

 

Nowt wrong with that pricing either, and precisely why I don't do 24 hour any more! Another one to try for size...Asian geezer rang me at 11pm and asked me to go round right away. Couldn't fully understand but he sounded a bit keen, so I went round, got there about midnight. And the emergency callout was? He wanted a price for shifting garden waste ! :blink:

I am not kidding, he just said, "well I work in my takeaway until 11 so thats when you need to come round"

I didn't do the job as my night vision and ability to work in total silence aren't up to much

[MaybeNextTime]

I think the issue is that a lot of folk work all week for £7 per hour and then, after the tax man has been at it might only take home £200.

 

They don't see any further than 'half my week's money for 15 minutes of your time'.

[andy the plumber]

I charge £38 to plunge a blocked drain, normally takes about 15 minutes.

 

That's £1 for plunging, and £37 for knowing how to do it without knackering the waste pipe joints.

 

Oh, and normally, when people are really grateful, I just say, give us £30.

[des]

i takes 3 days to earn that to b taken in 15 mins isnt good

[des]

maybe canis can lend me some money

[danccooke]

The amount of times I have rebuilt family pcs and laptops etc basically given them software I pay for licenses. Last time I told my aunt stop downloading **** or get someone else to fix it next time. If I billed her what I bill normally she could have bought a couple of new laptops.

I've spent many years getting my qualifications. Experience and learning the tricks that can make jobs short and sweet but I still know how to deal with things when the soft and brown hits the fan. That's why I charge what I do. And that's why companies pay me. Also people forget a company hourly rate isn't what I pay myself. There is income tax national insurance employers and employees. Corporation tax. Vat. Insurance incase I cock up. My accountant takes a cut. ( still rather work for me than anyone else though)