Feeling Overcharged for sink/faucet install - what do you think?

[TexasKel]

We just remodeled our laundry room and the last thing to complete was installing the sink and faucet. We built the house four years ago and never had the sink installed however we do have the the copper line stub outs and drain/P-trap.

I already had the sink and faucet ready to go. The plumber said that the copper line stub-outs were too short and he would have to cut into the drywall to give him more room to work - he acted like this was going to be a big deal. He gave me a price, I thought it was high but I think my anxiousness to finish clouded my judgement so I said do it.

The whole thing took him no longer than 2 hours from start to finish. I know he had to do some cutting, sweating, and a P-trap adjustment.

This is the cost breakdown:
Angle stops: $189.18
Sink Install: $316.46
Faucet Install: $316.46
Total: $822.10

In retrospect, I would never have paid that much - at least not before getting a couple of estimates.

Depending on what I come up with in my research (including this post) I might end up calling the company and ask if there may have been a pricing error. It's a reputable plumbing company and I think they will fix their error if there is one. Beyond that, I guess I have to suck it up but I'd really like to know if I'm right about being overcharged. Thanks!

 

[johnjh2o]

Way over priced. $250.00 to $325.00 tops. Lesson to be learned get at least two prices.

John

 

[Fansplumbing]

WAY overpriced from the info you give. I'd do it for $300, plus materials, at most $100. If he had to do more than you said, I can understand, just seems really high.

 

[SlowDrip]

Ok, I work at a store I won't name but out install prices are laughably high. I wouldn;t recommend that anyone gets thier install done from us just because of the price.

We charge $145 for a basic faucet hookup (including shutoffs and whatnot) and $225 for a vanity install (most laundry tub installs we price as vanities for some reason).

So......yeah...

 

[LiQuId]

yup, WAAAAAY overpriced. angle stops cost 7.50 A piece here ( canada ) so $15 verses $189

I would be phoning the company furious if i were you, i would charge $150 for this Simple job and it would be done in under an hour.

 

[Caduceus]

Okay, my 2 cents. Please keep in mind that I am not talking down to you or scolding you for your decision.
Always get more than one price estimate, which I'm sure you have already learned.
I do NOT think that you were over charged. You just paid more than you expected to and now have regrets about the decision. What a company or an individual charges is based on their costs and desired profit. I have worked for companies that have fully stocked trucks, uniforms, paid benefits, excavation equipment, advertising, etc. and that all costs money. You have to pay for that overhead.
On the other side of the spectrum I have worked for (and currently do) a company that has none of the above mentioned overhead and is very "affordable". Our scheduling is always off and we can never see a client on the set day of the appointment. Not many resources are available and there is always a mad-dash to get the work done to even try to make a profit...but the work is very affordable, as I said. Regardless of what was charged, I always gave the same quality of work to all of my customers.
I would say that you were overcharged if the work was done in a shoddy manner, the work area was left in a mess, there are problems with the fixtures or leaks. There was no mention of dissatisfaction or complaints to what was done.
It sounds as though it was a flat-rate company and the price was given before the work was started. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
If you call the company and there was not a pricing error, hostility and the use of the word "rip-off" usually get you nowhere. If price approval was given before the work was done, there is usually no recourse but to never call them again and live on as a lesson learned. Some companies also pay on a commission and allow "price adjustments" to plumbers in the field, so when they have a slow week they can make up for lost earnings. If this is the case, they may be able to help you if the plumber over-stepped the limits of what he is allowed to charge.
Just like buying a car, the same car on 10 different lots may cost thousands of dollars more or less. The power of choice is yours and always remember that your signature the most valuable thing that you own. Don't give it away easily. Your signature can buy properties that you haven't the money to pay for, give away your children or put parents in a nursing home. It could land you in the military or jail or married to the love of your life.
And finally, look over the work carefully and be critical. For the money that you paid everything should be perfect. If you wish to recoup anything it may also help your case if you're no happy with the work performed.

 

[LiQuId]

REspectfully to you abd your post, and with much i do agree ( buyer beware )

800 plus, for a sink install = overpriced.

that is a price better suited to a new hot water tank installation .

 

[Fansplumbing]

REspectfully to you abd your post, and with much i do agree ( buyer beware )

800 plus, for a sink install = overpriced.

that is a price better suited to a new hot water tank installation .

Hard to argue with that.

 

[Caduceus]

I understand where others may come from regarding this situation, but to put things into perspective look at the few posts already written. Johnjh2o $250-$325 is "overpriced" to liquid's $150. Fansplumbing @ approx. $400 is "overpriced" compared to the other two. Then when a lower bidder comes in are all three overpriced? What then if the customer pays $100 and gets a horrible job done?...everybody will state "You got what you paid for." in unison.
Maybe I'm a little more sensitive about the words, themselves, because I've seen both sides of the pricing issue. The end message is still the same, though. Get more than one price/estimate, check references and listen to your gut if you think something is wrong. BTW, the company that I work for would have been in the $200-$250 range for that job and I've been called a "rip-off" and "overpriced" by customers.

 

[SlowDrip]

I know what you are saying, Caduceus, and agree that often terms like "overpriced" are thrown around a lot without people thinking BUT....$189.18 to put in angle stops? I cant foresee ANY situation that should cost someone even remotely near that price.

Sometimes one guy's prices are higher than others because of quality of work and materials, sometimes a guy is just ripping you off.

 

[LiQuId]

i suppose i should add that my 150 would be a under the table job price... I couldnt see a company charging less than 200-250 realistically, but that would be a quoted price and not hourly, hourly here plumbers range from 90-140 buck an hour, so even at top hourly rate here ( assuming the job takes an hour and it SHOULD take no longer )
140 bucks.

and that would be assuming ( as the poster mentioned copper stub outs ) that the angle stops are sweat on... Why would a guy neeed to "extend" the stubs... seems to me like nobody tought him how to set up a proper heat shield and he was fearfull of burning the cabinet backing.

 

[TexasKel]

I never said the work was "overpriced" but I did say that I thought I was "overcharged." I guess I didn't explain myself clearly but I was thinking that it was more of an honest pricing mistake. The plumber had a fixed price book where he pulled his prices from.

Anyway, I called the company and spoke with a supervisor. Turns out there was a $200 discrepancy. Still high but I'm grateful that they had the integrity to admit that there was an error in pricing.

Thanks you for your opinions.

 

[LiQuId]

still high, but admirablle of them to Accept that they made a mistake. Without this acceptance nobody gets anywhere.

glad you got this sorted out .