Cynthia T.
08/03/2017 12:00:00 SA
First, let me begin by stating that I live in an older home with lead pipes. When the plumber came out he stated that snaking the drain would only be a temporary solution a mere band-aid for my aging pipes. He also told me that they charge by the hour not by the job. I understood these things going into the job, but should have been more aware of them.
I called Quality Plumbing based on positive reviews. They were able to get me in the next day. I called for two repairs 1) a clogged bathroom sink 2) leaking faucets. After taking a look at the job the repair man needed some additional tools. He stated that he would only charge 1 hour of time to collect these supplies. I understand that all faucets are different and this might take some additional supplies as well as a special tool to account for the small lead pipes in my house. He said that he was pretty sure with this tool he would be able to get through the sink drain.
Prior to going to get the parts the plumber told us that he would like to try plunging the sink first. I mentioned that we tried this as well as disassembling the sink to find the source of the problem. As a female, I want to make sure that my hair is not the problem. However, the plumber assured me that often this is a quick fix and would save us a lot of money if this was the problem. I appreciated the consideration for my budget. This is where the consideration of my budget ended.
After about a half-hour of plunging at $98/hour + $30 service fee and a huge mess in the bathroom, he decided to snake the drain. After this was unsuccessful from drain he tried from the basement then the sink. He was persistent. When water was sloshing everywhere he asked for towels to sop it up and a bucket to catch the water.
After 2.5 hours of attempting to fix the problem with no luck I decided that it was just best to call it a day. I was hoping that the drain would at least be slow and the faucet not leaking. Neither of these things were true. The drain was completely backed up, the faucet still leaked, and when he put the pipes back together those continued to leak as well. My bathroom and basement were covered in debris from the job and I paid $275 to be worse off than when I called.
I understand that the problem could not be fixed, but I do expect that a plumber can fix a leaking faucet and put a sink drain back together without leaking and also that they leave the job as they found it.