Your opinion on if this is a fair price...

tommy21

Would appreciate some feedback on whether I am being stingy or right to try to negotiate less. Three weeks ago we had a massive block in a pipe - kitchen sink, dishwasher, shower tray etc. was backing up. Anyway as soon as was decent I called my usual company who were block booked (get the pun?

So I called a random company who were at least a registered company. I asked at the time what the cost would be and he said it depends on the issue (more fool me, I admit I did not pursue him to ask what the call-out charge was). Plumber comes out to look (was actually younger than me I'd say no more than 21/22, but I suppose that shouldn't matter just felt he was a nice lad but clueless and was being let go at the end of that week) - spends about 25 minutes trying to trace blockage and generally scratching his head - needs to call the company for help several times - decides to pull off our wooden panels in bathroom to get at pipes, haven't been able to get them on since (to be fair can't see what other way there was around that though).

Anyway, after all that he says that the blockage is underground and he can't reach it. He recommends Dynorod who I get up later that day and who fix the problem for €150 - they used proper equipment and came at short notice so I expect to pay though nose. They would have had to remove panels anyway but I wager would have done a neater job.

Anyway the company director of the first company sends me on an invoice which I only got today 3 weeks later as it was the wrong first line of my address. The bill including vat is 98€. Am I being stingy in thinking this is way too high? It also bothers me that on the letter it says bills can only be queried from 7 days of issue - I only got the thing today!

If its the going rate of course I'll pay it (and lesson learned for future to always agree a price beforehand). Thoughts welcome, might seem like a trivial amount of money but I expected 60 quid or something. Based in Cork city here by the way.

Thanks for reading my spiel

Buford T Justice

Then I make the bill out as being €80 + VAT. Which imo is fairly ballpark for a callout charge + the first hour. (I'm not that expensive btw...:D)

Billy Bunting

This sort of situation makes you feel ripped off, i'd pay it ASAP and forget it.

Joey the lips

You have the right to query the bill as it was sent to the wrong address and it took longer to get to you

But unfortunitly the call out charge does not seem excessive.

Call out charges are usually the guts of 100 euro with the first hour free kinda crap.

If your finding it hard to pay tell them dynorod set you back a fair bit and to give you another couple of weeks. They will wait.

tommy21

Yeah I think your right after reading your comments! I'll just get my original company or Dynorod in future though! I do feel ripped off but more so because I basically paid twice for same service, should have been more saavy. Thanks for comments