Edward K.
07/12/2015 12:00:00 SA
I just got charged the equivalent of $700 an hour !!!!! (there were no parts, special costs, etc.)
Yes, that is true. I'll now avoid Alkota Plumbing & Heating (they lost a returning customer). On April 15, 2015, I requested a service call to help install a simple bathroom faucet. I already purchased the faucet, and I had the old faucet half-way uninstalled. Part way in doing the work, I thought it was best to have the installation finished by a skilled worker. It was a simple task with no additional parts needed. The entire call lasted a half-hour. For that I was billed $350 !!! That is exorbitant even considering a basic service call fee on top of an labor charge.
In the past I had used Alkota for a kitchen faucet call, bathroom toilet call, and a furnace call. I was satisfied in the past, so I called the company for this service. Well, apparently their policies changed. For my kitchen faucet installation three years earlier, Alkota charged me $186.24 ($160.00 of which was for labor and the service call, so excluding parts it turned out to be the equivalent of $128 an hour). That call involved a few special parts (I supplied the faucet) and turned out to be a little complicated due to my kitchen setup, so for the 1 hour 15 minute call I thought the rate was quite fair. And that plumber (someone different) at the time was very professional. But how did the rate go up 273% in just three years?
Another thing irks me. On the day of service when paying by credit card a yellow invoice is given. Of course, none of the bill is listed for parts. But weeks later I received an invoice by the mail with a credit card receipt. But that second receipt shows materials for $16. The total amount is the same, but where did the idea come from that there were extra parts involved? I supplied the entire faucet that came with all the parts.