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Joined: Jun 2001
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Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,006 |
A few weeks ago, our kitchen faucet started leaking, unbeknownst to me. It is one of the single-handle models, with a pullout spray head. It was leaking at the juncture of the spray head and the pullout hose, and running down into the space under the sink.
I was out of town, and my wife panicked and called a plumber. (The one with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages in our area.)
They send a guy over, he looks at the faucet, and proceeds to write up several estimates, not to fix the leak, but to replace the entire faucet assembly. The most expensive estimate was for $790!!
Fortunately, my wife did not tell him to go ahead. When I got home, I looked at the estimates, and after going ballistic, took a look at the faucet.
A 10 cent O-ring had broken. It took all of two minutes to fix the faucet once I had the new O-ring.
Fortunately, my wife had someone around with a grain of common sense about plumbing- but what about the thousands of people in my community, older women living alone, who would have simply caved in and spent the $790, needlessly?
I have communicated with the plumbing company, making my protest known, as well as the fact that their little scam operation will see the light of day. I expect this kind of BS out of our politicians, not from those who live and work among us.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,437
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,437 |
Don't know, do know I don't know one.
μολὼν λαβέ
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,795
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2008
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Me. LOL. Replumbed my entire house from scratch for probably less than he wanted to do the faucet.
Hard to find a good honest tradesman now - more people are throwing up their hands and not attempting to learn, and less people are going into the trades because they are being pushed to go the "college route" out of high school.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,644 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,644 Likes: 2 |
I feel your pain. I bought a new house in Pewtown in the late 1970s. It did have a few problems. I won't say that everybody in the trades there is dishonest, but it seemed to have its share of sleazy operators.
Go down to the nearest fire station and see if any of the firefighters do plumbing on their off days. The best plumber in this town was a firefighter who later became the city's plumbing inspector.
Paul
Stupidity has its way, while its cousin, evil, runs rampant.
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 14,742
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2009
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There's two things to know when you're a Plumber....shiat flows down hill and paydays on Friday. 
Jed York does not own the 49ers; Russell Wilson does.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,074 Likes: 8
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,074 Likes: 8 |
Bighorn: I have a pet peeve along these lines been noticing it a lot over the last 15 years now.
I call a "tradesman" (plumber, electrician, roofer, hot tub reparman, underground lawn sprinkler specialist etc etc etc) and I tell them what "I" think they need to bring to fix my various problems.
Then when they show up they verify MY assumption and then they have to return to the shop for the part "I" recommended they bring in the first place - and NOW they are on my DIME ($65.00 per hour "dime"!)!
I have have had to fire several tradesmen for this flaunting of "honest work for honest pay" violation.
It's little things like this that causes me more and more to attempt to repair/modify my own problems.
I did recently (two years ago) find an honest plumber - one who won't drive all the way back to town every hour to get a tool or another part he should have brought along to begin with - and I treat him RIGHT!
He is also a Pheasant Hunter and a trap/skeet shooter I have found out since first hiring him.
That is just a sickening situation your wife almost got stung by!
Sheesh.
Caveat Emptor.
Holdinto the wind
VarmintGuy
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Joined: Dec 2010
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2010
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Learn to do it yourself.
Cost of plumbers to do something will allow you to buy the tools to do it.
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Joined: Dec 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 17,048 |
It's like asking if there is an honest lawyer!
BAN THE RAINBOW FLAG!
PERVERTS OFFEND ME!
"When is penguin season, daddy? I wanna go kill a penguin!"
---- 4 yr old Archerhuntress
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Joined: Jul 2007
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2007
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What was the low price. All you told us was the high bid that included replacing faucet. What faucet? Some faucets are ridiculously expensive. Also remember that a plumber has to pay for the vehicle he drives to the job and insurance on the vehicle, plus bonding, licenses, etc. Labor rate to an employee? I don't drive to the job for free, the owners of the company I work for pay me. Think about it.
BTW I am not a plumber. I have not been in a union for years. I am a locomotive mechanic. I do my own plumbing. YMMV.
Ernie
George Washington - �Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire,�conscience.�
God save the Republic
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Dec 2006
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A few weeks ago, our kitchen faucet started leaking, unbeknownst to me. It is one of the single-handle models, with a pullout spray head. It was leaking at the juncture of the spray head and the pullout hose, and running down into the space under the sink.
I was out of town, and my wife panicked and called a plumber. (The one with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages in our area.)
They send a guy over, he looks at the faucet, and proceeds to write up several estimates, not to fix the leak, but to replace the entire faucet assembly. The most expensive estimate was for $790!!
Fortunately, my wife did not tell him to go ahead. When I got home, I looked at the estimates, and after going ballistic, took a look at the faucet.
A 10 cent O-ring had broken. It took all of two minutes to fix the faucet once I had the new O-ring.
Fortunately, my wife had someone around with a grain of common sense about plumbing- but what about the thousands of people in my community, older women living alone, who would have simply caved in and spent the $790, needlessly?
I have communicated with the plumbing company, making my protest known, as well as the fact that their little scam operation will see the light of day. I expect this kind of BS out of our politicians, not from those who live and work among us. Yes there are and I happen to know one! 
Liberalism is a mental disorder that leads to social disease.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,145
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,145 |
There are many honest plumbers. But expertise commands a good price. My note to learn to do yourself is simply to note that you can do most items less expensively, if you learn to do it yourself.
Making shooting friends who have the craft skills you may need doesn't hurt either.
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 14,742 |
Nobody more crooked than the Transmission thieves. 
Jed York does not own the 49ers; Russell Wilson does.
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 33
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 33 |
Three things every plumber needs to know. Sh-t flows downhill, payday is every Friday, and never, never, chew your nails.
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 19,269
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 19,269 |
There's two things to know when you're a Plumber....shiat flows down hill and paydays on Friday.  ...and don't bite yer fingernails
Be afraid,be VERY VERY afraid ad triarios redisse My Buddy eh76 speaks authentic Frontier Gibberish! ![[Linked Image]](http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/EvilTwinMar/Sabretooth-1.jpg)
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,896
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,896 |
Plumbers are like weathermen, they both get paid handsomely for the unknown but Plumbers seem to get it right more often!! 
You better be afraid of a ghost!!
"Woody you were baptized in prop wash"..crossfireoops
Woody
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,475 Likes: 18 |
Three things every plumber needs to know. Sh-t flows downhill, payday is every Friday, and never, never, chew your nails. We had our septic pumped several years ago. Watching the guy's hygienic habits would make you cringe. I didn't see him bite his nails, but he wouldn't have got any more crap in his mouth if he had.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 31,289 Likes: 10
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 31,289 Likes: 10 |
A great plumber and a fine man in our town: Mike Bachman.
But a cheap plumber? No.
Plumbers, electricians, doctors, and dentists probably save you more than they cost you in the long run. Just write the damn check.
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
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Joined: Feb 2009
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,311 |
Or an honest mechanic...lol
Buy once, cry once.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
I know an honest plumber.
but he's always up to his eyeballs in chit.
you want me to send him over?
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383 |
A few years ago I threw out my back,Toilet wouldn't flush because the wax ring was shot. My wife called a plumber that lives in our development to come fix it , It was a sunday and he was going to charge 500 to fix it when she handed me the phone, I told him to go [bleep] himself in Macy's window. I went to Lowes and bought a 3 dollar wax ring and between my teenage son and wife we were able to do the job in 20 minutes. The thief moved out of the development about a year later and I wonder how many people this azzwipe cheated.
Tough to find a good plumber but they are out there.
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