I called True Plumbing because they were on the Sheppard’s Guide and there were good reviews on Yahoo. They gave me a call back to set up an appointment within a few hours (the number listed is to a call service). When they arrived they were very polite and knowledgeable. I had a small job to be done on my kitchen sink (pipe connection between the disposal and drain and a water line to be removed). The guys seemed to think it was going to be very easy to fix. As they began to work the pipe connection was quickly fixed, but when they got to capping the water line they realized that they did not have the correct size cap and would need to get the part. This was not a problem since it was needed to fix the issue. What I did not realize was that I was going to be charged labor fees for the time it took them to pick up the part, adding an extra 30-40 minutes worth of labor fees. Needless to say at $100 an hour it was not a cheap shopping trip. Had I realized this was going to be the cost to pick up a $4 part and screw it on I would have closed out my bill and gotten the part myself, thereby saving about $50. When I called the owner of the company about this he informed me "the labor charges are correct. While we carry what we believe we need we are not a parts store. We did not need the part you did." I have to say, if this is how they think and work I do not need them. I have plenty of other work that needs to be done, including remodeling both of my bathrooms, which I will be looking for another plumber for. I have learned a valuable lesson. In future I will ask the hourly cost, if there is a fuel surcharge, if the meter will continue to run if they must pick up a part, and for an estimate ahead of time. This job was small and simple and I was overcharged. If they are going to overcharge on a small job what would they do on a large one like a remodel?
more