Jump to content

plumber @ $140 per hour labour?


limeyangler

Recommended Posts

hi all, just thought i'd ask....do you think this is fair/right...a plumber recently did some work at our place...he had an 'assistant' with him.

 

This looked like a kid doing his apprenticeship who stood and watched most of the time....only thing is the bill states we are being charged @$59 p/h labour for him on top of the plumber's $80p/h labour charge.

 

The $80 is the going rate for a plumber around here...but i resent having to pay $59 an hour for someone standing there watching /listening and handing the guy wrenches...i could be wrong but i'm pretty sure the kid doesn't get $59 an hour either.

 

Just thought i'd throw this out there...i know there are some plumbers on here...what do you think because i'm apt to argue this with the guy.

Edited by limeyangler
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell the plumber your not questioning "his" rate but ask to see the credentials of the assistant to justify the other 60 bucks....if he quoted the job and changed his price then thats another issue....if it was a "service call" then you may find yourself at the mercy of his ethics...

 

Good Luck Simon...try and express your views in a respectable mannner to the owner..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gotta remember there are many more costs that need to be included in an hourly rate.

 

Either way you shouldn't be paying for the apprentice. I never charge for a second guy thats on site if he doesn't need to be there and is watching

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The general concensus seems to be leaning towards what my instincts were telling me.

 

I should elaborate a bit....sometimes the kid did help out lots...4 hours was pulling up the 220' well line to fix a leak...the guys worked their socks off in 2 feet deep melting snow on our lawn.

 

However...a lot of the time it was a kid watching.

 

I have not had the opportunity to look at the breakdown of the bill, my wife just called me (in tears) to tell me about it...its a couple 1000 more bucks than we have right now.....anyway....thanks for the replies so far...helps me not to go off on a rampage but count to ten so to speak....I LOVE THIS PLACE BTW!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol...oh dear...my downfall usually when i'm pissed off.

 

I could talk to him Simon.I could tell him"my boss likes to hear bad news right away" :whistling:

 

 

Not to upset you any further,did you happen to catch the MANU game? :tease:

Edited by Misfish
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the job required 2 people to pull the well and it takes 2 people to put it back then yea the charge for two people is correct. It is not reasonable to expect them to stop the clock on the helper if he is helping the mechanic as he can. If they showed up to fix a toilet or install a faucet then the helper becomes a student and then he is free. This is normal for all of the trades and just by the nature of work and the expense of using two people on a job it would not be possible to charge by the work minute and be fair to either party.

 

BTW the $80.00 per hour is cheap compared to other places.

 

 

Art

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the job required 2 people to pull the well and it takes 2 people to put it back then yea the charge for two people is correct. It is not reasonable to expect them to stop the clock on the helper if he is helping the mechanic as he can. If they showed up to fix a toilet or install a faucet then the helper becomes a student and then he is free. This is normal for all of the trades and just by the nature of work and the expense of using two people on a job it would not be possible to charge by the work minute and be fair to either party.

 

BTW the $80.00 per hour is cheap compared to other places.

 

 

Art

 

I completely understand and agree that the well was a 2 man job...but 2 guys to fit a switch?

 

as for the $80 being cheap here...yeah...so is housing compared to Toronto...its relative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to say... but sounds appropriate to me... all trades make $$ off their apprentices. Might have been best to get the job priced.... and not Time and Material (which this sounds like.)

 

I would bicker about it.....to see if you can save a few bucks.. but again this seems fair to me when you use a licensed trade.

 

G.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you not get a quote up front? I always ask for a quote and state that ANY work that gets done beyond that must be approved or it would be paid for. That keeps people honest. Jobs don't get dragged out and I don't care if he pays his kid $1000 an hour. Oh, and not verbal quotes - written...quotes with a list of the work to be done and dollar amounts. Any good tradesmen/businessmen has no issue with writing a quote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If a plumber is making $200 per hour why would anyone want to be a doctor... :whistling:

 

That two hundred bucks an hour is worked out based on his training, knowledge, and expertise. Also if you figure out the cost of expenses, time plus material that should very well cover that trades person. You can pay a guy 60 bucks an hour but when people cheap out and buy the material and the time to get them you are doing the trades person a favor. Sometimes its the luck of the draw by the hour or quote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah but time and material is a license to print money.

 

Anyways, you can't have an apprentice on a stop watch. So the kid works his arse off for 3 days knee deep in mud and snow and then you cut him off and send him home for the week with half a paycheck. Next week he will be working for someone else.

 

It sounds like a big job was done, in the future if you have big jobs done without quotes, you should periodically 'check in' with the contractor to see what the costs are getting to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recent Topics

    Popular Topics

    Upcoming Events

    No upcoming events found

×
×
  • Create New...