Agreeing a price beforehand is usually good practice when you hire a tradesman, but it wasn’t an option for this week’s Metro Money Problem reader.
Sally, from Stroud, was trying to get the leak in her flat fixed before it caused more damage than it already had, and trusted the plumber she found when he said he was affordable.
But not only did he charge the 49-year-old a much higher price than she expected, he also intimidated her when she refused to pay.
With Sally convinced the plumber ripped her off for being a woman, Metro consumer champion, Sarah Davidson, offers her input.
The problem…
I have no way to prove this but I just know that I’m being massively ripped off because I’m a woman.
On Sunday night I noticed a large puddle of water coming from under the washing machine and then I heard a gushing noise. I live on the top floor of a block of flats and my heart sank when my neighbour came up to tell me there was water seeping down his walls. I rang around several emergency plumbers but they were charging £150 just to show up.
Then I had a brainwave and found someone local on Facebook who agreed to come immediately and said he was affordable. Within about 10 minutes he’d replaced a rubber washer that had degraded and caused the hose to leak.
I was expecting to pay more for an emergency call out but I was absolutely gobsmacked when he told me I owed him £375 + VAT. I felt sick – I live alone and I just don’t have that sort of cash to spare. I also think that’s a complete rip off.
I refused to pay it, saying I’d pay £200, which I still think is a huge amount for such a small job. He got really aggressive with me, demanding I pay and refusing to leave. I ended up having to get my neighbour and we managed to get him to agree to invoice me and leave.
I haven’t paid it and don’t think I should but I’m scared he’s going to come round. I genuinely think he thinks he can get away with this because I’m a woman living alone. What should I do?
The advice…
When you called me about this Sally, I could hear how upset you were – and how scared. It’s absolutely never okay for someone to intimidate you to this degree, let alone in your own home.
There are a few aspects to this.
First, if you are worried about intimidation or threatening behaviour then seek advice from Victim Support, online or by calling their free Supportline on 0808 1689 111. You don’t need to have reported anything to the police to get help to stay safe.
Next, let’s look at the cost. I agree, £375 + VAT is a staggering £450 bill for what sounds like a small job. And based on what a typical plumber around Gloucester and Stroud charges, I’d say he’s definitely taking the mickey.
While it’s usual for a plumber to charge between £75 and £150 to attend an emergency out of hours, plus the cost of labour and any parts, that’s usually at an hourly rate of around £75 to £150. A rubber washer costs a couple of quid from Screwfix.
It would probably be reasonable (though still eyewatering) for him to have charged you around £200 – absolute tops.
That established, the next issue you’ve got is that you’re disputing his bill and you need to find a way to sort things out.
The law states that charges must be ‘reasonable’ so it’s worth ringing around a few local plumbers to ask what they’d have charged for the work.
You need to find out whether he works for a company, and if so, the first step is to contact them directly to complain. They may agree to negotiate a lower price, particularly if you speak politely to them, explain your reasons for thinking it’s too high a charge, and let them know your neighbour was around and can corroborate how long the job took.
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If he works for himself, find out if he’s accredited through any approved scheme overseen by WaterSafe.
If you can’t reach an agreement on his charges directly with him, you may be able to complain to the scheme he is registered with – especially if he mentioned what he was likely to charge you or gave you a quote before doing the work. Make sure you share any written evidence of this – such as Facebook messages – as part of the complaint.
The other option is to contact WaterSafe directly on 0333 207 9030.
But if you still get nowhere, you could consider using an alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which is a lower cost way to resolve disagreements without going to court but brings in a third party to mediate an agreement.
For more free and confidential advice on this, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.