Geq P.
02/11/2019 12:00:00 SA
2/11/19 Update
The agreed upon rate was $125 an hour for repair of the pipe. There was never any mention of the charge being per person as there was never any mention of an accompanying assistant. Bottome line, there was either a charge for the work performed for free or there wasn't and if there was I should have been notified upfront so as to make an informed decision about whether I wanted to proceed and for which tasks, but for JS to act in the manner of pro bono and then inflate the cost of an agreed upon job after the fact IS dishonest. Yelpers take note.
Revised Rating. One star. Awesome work. Shady pricing.
Original Revie
Things that make you go HMM
1. How niceness (is this even a word), can be deceiving?
I didn't realize right away that I had actually contacted JS in December for a nagging issue with my water heater only to be told he was too busy to help at that time. Now, having a situation in late January, where I had no heat, no hot water and a clogged sink with a jammed garbage disposal, I was at my brink and sent a mass message to most of Yelp. 41 degree house? Fine, dress like an Eskimo, heat one room like a sauna. No hot water? Does the stove work? Do I have a pot? Yes, to both? Then what's the problem?? But couple those two issues with, single kitchen sink clogged and suddenly it's hell on earth. This time, John responded within minutes, after hours, while enroute to an emergency call on a Friday (nice, right?). He was booked thru the weekend, but agreed to check his schedule and get back with me by Monday. He called on Tuesday, able to stop by in 2 hours. Luckily, I was able to be home. By the time John arrived, me, a handy friend thousands of miles away and Youtube, resolved the clog, but in all my understanding and my friend's expert explaining, I couldn't fix the garbage disposal. John took 10 seconds to connect a loose hose and 20 seconds to explain how it all works, for no apparent charge (nice, right?). John took a look at the water heater, which may or may not need to be replaced and by chance at the furnance also. In thouroughly explaining the system to me (nice,right?), we found a leak in one of the pipes. John agreed to return in 2 days to fix both issues. Price: Water heater replaced at $1200 and $100/per hour for the cracked pipe. I passed on the work for the water heater, having already received a more competitive quote. Without the work for the water heater, the charge for the pipe work would be $125/hour. Sure.
2. How does 1x1 equals 3?
Having had the same work done previously (& recently), which I observed from start to finish, and having consulted people that I know and trust before John arrived, I knew the job should be straightforward, relatively simple (it was both) and take no longer than an hour (though John somehow guesstimated 3-4 hours). For whatever reason, (you be the judge) in all his experience and having seen the exterior pipe he would be working on, when John arrived, he claimed to not have any of the necessary replacement supplies (i.e. the standard 3/4 90 (basic elbow) and a 3/4 union pipe). Not sure that I buy that a 17-year plumber that drives a van and presumably has repaired countless pipes, didn't know what would be needed beforehand AND didn't already have the supplies. If not, what a waste of the van's space and so said experience. While you're at it, you may as well tell me that the earth is flat too. At any rate, he left for nearly an hour, obviously at my expense. All told the actual work lasted hardly an hour at best, but with included 1 hour trip to supply store, 2 hours. Lucky me, I have a security camera, so I can be accurate with times. Arrived-8:55. Left- 9:22. Returned- by 10:05. All work completed-10:51. $125x1= $125 right? Not with JS-BS math, as my total was $350. I didnt contest it initially, expecting the invoice to explain further. I don't cheat, I'm not conniving and I have morals, so if I owe you, I'll certainly pay. Instead, the invoice I received (which I checked in email after he left-major no,no I now know) shows one line item for a single, inexplicable, overpriced total. I've reached out requesting clarification twice, by email on the day of service and by text the following day. Two full days have now passed with no response. Guess he's really busy.
3. Why it's IMPOSSIBLE to find credible (read, honest) contractors in Philly?
Enough said.
Rating: Decent work, Bamboozle Pricing -20 stars for the riduclous pricing. 22 stars for the solid work and patient service. TOTAL: 2 stars
BS math back at ya.