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7 Nightmarish Plumber Horror Stories
Popular Mechanics ^ | 4/25/17 | POPMECH editors

Posted on 11/13/2023 8:15:29 PM PST by DallasBiff

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To: Telepathic Intruder

I get $20/hr. to bring my tools & do the job, but I also get $50/hr. to bring what I know to do the job.
I’m usually the best deal around.


21 posted on 11/14/2023 4:04:03 AM PST by Fireone (Who killed Obama's chef?)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

How do you know he charged you 2 hours labor?


22 posted on 11/14/2023 4:04:42 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

The invoice listed a bunch of details, parts used, etc, and the labor. I got that about a month later.


23 posted on 11/14/2023 4:41:17 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: DallasBiff

DIY’s on Youtube have been invaluable for me.....


24 posted on 11/14/2023 4:46:03 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: Telepathic Intruder

It would sure be nice if you would tell us what the real story is.


25 posted on 11/14/2023 4:49:44 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

Alright. Understand that for brevity I only mentioned one occurrence, since I didn’t want to make a soap opera of it. But there were several occurrences, one to fix the toilet, and then two more to remove the toilet and replace it again while I was having the place refloored. Each time took about 10 or 15 minutes. But when I finally got the bill along with the invoice, I was grossly overcharged and had to pay almost $1,000. There was a minimum hour labor at $55 per visit, I was told on the phone, but the final bill was much more than that. Anyway, I didn’t feel like arguing so I just let it go.


26 posted on 11/14/2023 4:59:16 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: DallasBiff

In Texas we had a rattlesnake in the shop toilet.


27 posted on 11/14/2023 5:01:22 AM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: DallasBiff

The rusted steel pipe we noticed, running level above the entire length of the sandwich prep counter, and spliced with rubber couplings in several places, all of 2” diameter, was an unvented soil pipe for 8 apartment units toilet and sink flush from the four stories above.

No wonder there was a mysterious smell.


28 posted on 11/14/2023 5:07:00 AM PST by anton
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To: Telepathic Intruder

It is very confusing, it sounds like a lot of service calls and labor costs because several visits were required to remove and then reset the toilet, and an extremely fast plumber who does everything in 10-15 minutes excluding the driving to and from your house.


29 posted on 11/14/2023 5:08:46 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

But I was charged 2 hours for each visit, and I can get anywhere in my town in 20 minutes. What’s more, he had his van parked outside my house each time, just sitting there for maybe an hour. I suspect I was charged for that time.


30 posted on 11/14/2023 5:11:50 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder

This is all very confusing, without accurate information it is impossible to know what you are talking about.


31 posted on 11/14/2023 5:16:14 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

Yes, and I’ve tossed the invoice by now. But it’s in the past and I’ll get a different plumbing service next time. Like I said, I don’t want to make a soap opera out of it. It just annoys me that I couldn’t get an honest estimate up front.


32 posted on 11/14/2023 5:19:06 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder

It sounds like the plumber would be able to fill us in on what really transpired, during all those service calls.


33 posted on 11/14/2023 5:28:07 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

If you suspect there is more to it, you’re free to decide. But as far as I could see all three jobs were quickly and easily done. In and out the door in 10-15 minutes.


34 posted on 11/14/2023 5:35:04 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder

Having had a service plumbing business and being a repair plumber, what I see for the company is, run away from this customer.


35 posted on 11/14/2023 5:54:34 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: DallasBiff

Years ago my wife dropped a wash rag in the toilet as it was flushing.

No harm no foul I thought. A couple years later the toilet wasn’t flushing properly. I finally removed it and shined a flashlight down the pipe. The cast iron pipe had a little burr that caught the rag and completely unraveled it.

I must have pulled a mile of crap covered thread out of that pipe.


36 posted on 11/14/2023 5:56:28 AM PST by cyclotic (It's a great time to live in America. It's like the collapse of the Roman Empire except with wi-fi)
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To: ansel12

Dude, I paid the bill, I didn’t complain. But they billed me almost 3 times what they told me over the phone. I’m just telling my story.


37 posted on 11/14/2023 6:10:23 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder

I know that I tried but can’t unravel what your story is other than you have the fastest plumber in the world who walks in with everything he needs off his truck and does the job, interacts with the customer, and cleans up, all within 10 to 15 minutes, every time he did work at your house and then mails you a bill instead of collecting on the job.


38 posted on 11/14/2023 6:23:47 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: DallasBiff
Ok, how soon can you get here? We need our oven. April?!?!

... I'M WORKING ON IT SHARON!!!

(If you know, you know)

39 posted on 11/14/2023 6:24:20 AM PST by 70times7
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To: ansel12

Call Judson’s Plumbing Inc. if you have questions about their billing service. Or not. The last two visits he knew exactly what to do because I discussed it over the phone. Remove the toilet, set it in the bath tub. 10 minutes. Come back a week later, but it back. 10 minutes. The first visit to fix the leak might have taken a bit longer but I didn’t have a stop watch on him. It was clearly an easy to fix, however, based on the time it took. That’s about it. Don’t know what else to tell you.


40 posted on 11/14/2023 6:31:39 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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