Am I being ripped off? Plumber (apartments, renter, condo)

[vintastic]

I was on vacation out of the country and my rental's property's tenant said the hot water heater wasn't working. They said they were going to get it fixed by a plumber they knew. I thought the most it could be was $500 for the repair. Anyways I get a bill from the plumber for almost $1100 with $150 in parts and $900 for labor. He did the following on an electric water heater that's like 30 gallon or so (condo):
Replaced shut off for cold water,
replaced drain valve,
replaced upper and lower t stat and
replaced upper and lower elements.

First is this a reasonable price? I don't think it is because I could have replaced the water heater for this price. What recourse do I have besides calling this plumber and telling him I know he's trying to rip me off. Or should I not pay it and let me take me to court? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

[daliowa]

Originally Posted by vintastic

I was on vacation out of the country and my rental's property's tenant said the hot water heater wasn't working. They said they were going to get it fixed by a plumber they knew. I thought the most it could be was $500 for the repair. Anyways I get a bill from the plumber for almost $100 with $150 in parts and $900 for labor. He did the following on an electric water heater that's like 30 gallon or so (condo):
Replaced shut off for cold water,
replaced drain valve,
replaced upper and lower t stat and
replaced upper and lower elements.

First is this a reasonable price? I don't think it is because I could have replaced the water heater for this price. What recourse do I have besides calling this plumber and telling him I know he's trying to rip me off. Or should I not pay it and let me take me to court? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

I'm assuming that you mean over $1,000 with $150 in parts and $900 for labor. 900 + 150 = $1,050.

You'll want to find out the plumber's hourly labor rate.

How many people worked this job. How many hours were worked.

If more than one person worked the job, do they all charge the same hourly rate?

Start by asking your renter how many showed up to do the work & how long it took them. Then ask the plumber for a written breakdown of hours worked, worked by whom, hourly rate, etc.

For future reference, if you rent out apartments it's a good idea to have a trusted handyman, plumber, etc. for these jobs.

[tickyul]

YUP, way too much IMHO.........and didn't even replace the WH, DONK!

[RobRiguez]

I had a leaky trap on both upstairs tubs. Plumber was here for 4 hours (2 guys) figuring out what was wrong, removing drywall ceiling, going to get parts, replacing not only the traps but the pipes back to the main because the traps were the low spot and the drain was not at the right angle. Total was $980.

If they came out as an "emergency" call, you pay more. If they came at night or on the weekend, you pay more. From the little investigating I did, most plumbers charge 120-150/hr range.

[Retriever]

Yes, that bill seems to be very high, especially in view of the fact that the water heater itself wasn't replaced. Over the years, I have found that a bill from an electrician is almost always less than I expected it to be, and a bill from a plumber is ALWAYS more than I expected it to be.

Why do you think that they tell the following joke about plumbers?

A pipe burst in a doctor’s house. He called a plumber. The plumber arrived, unpacked his tools, did mysterious plumber-type things for a few minutes, and handed the doctor a bill for $600.
The doctor exclaimed, “This is ridiculous! I don’t even make that much as a doctor!”

The plumber waited for him to finish and quietly said,“Neither did I when I was a doctor.”

[ansky]

That price seems way too high for a repair. Probably would have been cheaper and faster to just replace the entire water heater. I know when I rented an apartment a few years back they replaced the water heater for about $1100 including labor.

[bradykp]

to replace a hot water heater runs about $900-$1200. i don't know how many hours of work they did to fix it, but I think you got ripped off.

after you speak to the plumber, the only things you can do if he won't help you out is tell him you'll be writing a review on angie's list (which some people seem to love, but i don't), and BBB, and any other websites you can tarnish his reputation, for ripping you off.

[Ivan Putski]

Granted I've known my plumber/HVAC guy since the day he was born, I paid $750 for my new Rheem 50 gallon water heater including labor/disposal few months ago (this is in North Jersey). He said he normally charges $900 - $1100 for a 50 gallon depending on the complexity/model (replace rusted pipes, fittings etc.). Subtract $100 for a 40 gallon.

I'm a homeowner now but back when I was renting, my landlord gave me a list of who to call in case I couldn't reach him. The list had contact numbers for plumbing, HVAC etc. who he vetted in advance so he wouldn't get ripped off. Not to sound preachy but you may want to look into doing something like that yourself.

[jaymoney]

A plumber they knew, huh? And then charged you as much as installing a new one and removing the old?

Sounds like someone might have gotten a kickback somewhere along the line. When I was a renter I certainly didn't know any plumbers, it was my landlord's responsibility and I let him handle it. Do not let your renters do any repairs for you again, this is why people get estimates before any work is done, a responsible plumber would have probably just told you to get a new hot water heater at a price like that.

Get an itemized bill showing how long things take and their cost and then show it to a trusted plumber. Worst case you're out $1100 but have learned a lesson in dealing with these tenants...

[daliowa]

Originally Posted by Retriever

Yes, that bill seems to be very high, especially in view of the fact that the water heater itself wasn't replaced. Over the years, I have found that a bill from an electrician is almost always less than I expected it to be, and a bill from a plumber is ALWAYS more than I expected it to be.

Why do you think that they tell the following joke about plumbers?

A pipe burst in a doctor’s house. He called a plumber. The plumber arrived, unpacked his tools, did mysterious plumber-type things for a few minutes, and handed the doctor a bill for $600.
The doctor exclaimed, “This is ridiculous! I don’t even make that much as a doctor!”

The plumber waited for him to finish and quietly said,“Neither did I when I was a doctor.”

That joke's been circulating for decades (way before we had internet.) it's still so funny.