This modern knight of the urban kingdom can be a hero or a cowboy depending on which you get. The secret to employing a plumber as with any other merchant is to be clear about what they are doing and what the cost of each bit is.
The Consumer Watchdog, offering some helpful advice on what to look for. They warn about the plumbers in south east London practice of marking on materials. While less common than it used to be, many plumbers still add 10-20% to the costs of materials they have purchased at a discount from a dealer. This is fine if they can get the products at a lower price than yours, especially in the sense that it also saves you the time and effort of having to buy the products yourself. However, on high-value items, such as boilers or showers, you can save up to 10-20% by buying or acquiring them online. In these cases, it would be worth buying separately and then paying the plumber just to adjust. However, be careful. Unless you know what you are doing, it is very easy to end up with the wrong specification or not all the parts the plumber needs. In this situation, they won’t be impressed to find that they have to circle the dealer for some parts due to a mistake on their part or that they have an inferior, difficult-to-install kit due to their bargain hunting. ! All of these additional charges could show up on your bill, especially if you just requested a quote rather than a written quote.
Be careful about the call charge, especially if it is at night or on the weekend. Often times, a plumber may appear to have a reasonable hourly rate, only to eventually reveal a high call charge that effectively doubles the cost of the job if it’s just a small one. Some plumbers do not charge a call fee, but will charge more in the first hour, which effectively acts as a call fee.
The rates that plumbers charge can vary greatly not only nationally but within the city itself. Therefore, trying to accurately identify a standard rate for a service is very difficult. In my home town of Nottingham, I can pay £ 35 for a gas safety check on a gas hob and boiler or £ 75 for the exact same job. The motto is to shop around.