gnvqsos Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 £40 for a stop **** and a washer seems a wee bit steep to me. I think £4 would be closer to the mark. jb Yes a good **** can be bought from Toolstation for £3.78,and a washer is well washers.£4 should be adequate and the job would take a plumber no more than two hours.I really cant see the need for two men except to intimidate the customer.It does give plumbers quite a bad name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggotty Posted November 15, 2012 Author Share Posted November 15, 2012 Surestop stopcock + washer for bathroom tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retired Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Anyone thought it might have wanted a lead to copper connection? Cannot use the brass ferrule now and solder it a big fancy compression thing. Not £40 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnvqsos Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Anyone thought it might have wanted a lead to copper connection? Cannot use the brass ferrule now and solder it a big fancy compression thing. Not £40 though. Lead locks are under a tenner,even in places like B&Q. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey19 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Bit off topic but in the mid 1960s the hourly rate for a building trade skilled man was 6 shillings and 8 pence. Wonder what this would equate to today ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepsendlane Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Plumbers are a trade who have always been the most expensive tradespeople in the building trade and never short of work. It has become a lot simpler in recent years with plastic pipes and speedifit etc but it is also a technical job with responsibilities. They are expected to be always available at short notice for what is only a small but potentially a house destroying job. I personally think they are milking it a bit but I have to also give it to them. They are not frightened of competition but rather the opposite. If one gets away with say £30 an hour the others follow suit. Not like the stupid wet trades I am in. Hard slog, can,t work in the rain or cold and your fellow competition is so desperate and jealous that they will gladly undercut you to get the work and the punters know it. Come 40 and your back has gone with the tons of bricks, blocks and concrete you have laid. Plumbers want paying to diagnose the problem and quote and so they should. Me, I have to diagnose problems on the excuse of a quote and after telling the punter what the problem is (saving the next bloke to diagnose) I have to quote and then let the punter "think about it" while they get other wet trades with no business sense to compete. But yes for this particular job £160 seems to much. They have got away it and you simply spread the word and do not employ them again. My current plumber is off here (JB), £35 per hour (ouch), I begrudge paying it but on the other hand here is there when I want him, on time, very good at his job, polite. I never have to ring him back and he looks after me. My last plumber bodged his £25 per hour work and it costs me dearly so JB in comparison is cheap. Find a decent plumber, look after him and he will look after you. Just need to find one first but there are plenty on here with good feedback. Not only the back Retired but the wrists and knees, I can spot an old bricklayer a mile away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnvqsos Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Bit off topic but in the mid 1960s the hourly rate for a building trade skilled man was 6 shillings and 8 pence. Wonder what this would equate to today ? Well in direct terms about 33 pence.however given that the cost of living has increased about 50 fold,I would say its about £15 per hour approximately.That equates to £600 per week or £30K per annum.I would imagine that can be earnt today as many ask for £120 per day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattricia Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Yesterday my sister had a plumber do a small job in the kitchen. There was actually 2 plumbers - a man and his son in law. The cost of the materials was £40. The plumbers also changed a washer on the bathroom tap. They charged her £160. I think this was far too expensive. What do others think. Its not the cost of the materials, but the experience of the plumber. Were you satisfied with the job ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81weaver Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 if it was a surestop stopcock then thats different. they are a valve that works on pressure meaning the water supply can be shut off via a switch similar to a lightswitch. they are very convenient and reliable. They are also more expensive and takes more work to fit than simply fitting or replacing a standard stop ****. 160 may seem steep but the moral of the story is to get a quote first. For a job like this the plumber should have given the quote anyway in my opininon On the other hand, no one here as seen the job and so doesn't know for sure what was involved and exactly what materials were needed. maybe next time try - Pete Green & Sons Plumbing 01709 374546 or 07748 483761. price always given beforehand, the work involved explained and work guaranteed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandr Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 everyone pays tax and vat, is the lawEveryone is supposed to pay tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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