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View Full Version : Rant: ThePunctualPlumber.ca



5hift
03-24-2007, 03:38 PM
So with my parents out of town for a bit, it would make sense for my sister to clog and backup the sink in her washroom now so I have to deal with it.

The sink was plugged in a way that draino or any other DIY was not working. We have a family friend handman that came over, took a look, tried some things, and and said I needed profesional plumbing help.

I Called ThePunctualPlumber.ca (also known as clearview plumbing). The whole reason I picked them, was because I thought it would be better to pay an extra few bucks and know when they will show, than have to sit at home all day waiting for a plumber to show up. I explained the problem, and they told me someone would come within a 2 hour window, and gave me a price window of what to expect in terms of cost.

After 4 phone calls trying to find out what happened to my appointment after I recieved a no show, a plumber finally showed up hours late, blaming the fact my street didnt have sequentially increasing house numbers on him getting lost for several hours?

When he finally took a look at the problem, he agreed it pretty much involved what I had explained over the phone So you can imagine my shock when I was quoted over twice of what the pricing window max given to me over the phone ($500 opposed to $250), and was told it wasnt negoitiable at all. Not wanting to beat around the bush, I told the plumber straight up that it looked like he jacked the price when he saw the house he was working on. He defended this by saying the job could take him 30 minutes or 8 hours and he could never know for sure until the job was done. He I paid him the $90 bucks minimum for showing up and told him to leave.


So after spending a day sitting at home waiting, I've wasted $90 and still have a fucked sink.

If anyone can suggest a honest/reliable plumber (if such a thing exists) it would be greatly appricaited.

hussein
03-24-2007, 03:46 PM
Oh, wow. Maybe if you explain exactly what your problem is, someone on here can come help you out!

5hift
03-24-2007, 03:50 PM
Originally posted by hussein
Oh, wow. Maybe if you explain exactly what your problem is, someone on here can come help you out!

Its clogged beyond the trap. Those DIY blast kits and draino did nothing. I'm pretty sure its not something I could tackle even if I did have the tools which I dont.

fiveabi
03-24-2007, 03:50 PM
yup put up the symptoms here many helpfull ppls.

tictactoe2004
03-24-2007, 03:51 PM
Originally posted by 5hift
you can imagine my shock when I was quoted over twice of what the pricing window max given to me over the phone ($500 opposed to $250)...

He I paid him the $90 bucks minimum for showing up and told him to leave.


You called plumber, they quoted you max $250... show up at your house to and double the price so you paid him $90 to leave?

lol...

ThePunctualPlumber.ca > You

fiveabi
03-24-2007, 03:51 PM
did you try a snake?

BlackArcher101
03-24-2007, 03:55 PM
+1 for the snake

Here's an excellent website showing how to remove clogs in pretty much every drain imaginable.
http://www.free-ed.net/sweethaven/BldgConst/Plumbing01/lessonmain.asp?iNum=fra0602

You can buy a snake for cheap, especially at princess auto I think.

5hift
03-24-2007, 04:00 PM
Originally posted by tictactoe2004


You called plumber, they quoted you max $250... show up at your house to and double the price so you paid him $90 to leave?

lol...

ThePunctualPlumber.ca > You

He shows up at my house late when I'm pissed already. On the phone I'm told me it will be $90 for just showing up/inspecting the problem +$250 for repairs. After he inspects the problem to see whats going on, I'm told it will be more of ~$500 + the $90 for showing up/inspecting. He cant explain the price jump besides saying with this kind of job he can never say how long it will take. I dont care if telling him to leave and looking for a new plumber will cost me more, its something about not giving money to a guy like that.

Self Respect/Not giving in to a Shister > Saving time(possibly $$$) and bending over.

*Sidenote: I'm going after their 'office' to get the $90 back as well because the guy came way after their promised time.

tictactoe2004
03-24-2007, 04:14 PM
Originally posted by 5hift
Sidenote: I'm going after their 'office' to get the $90 back as well because the guy came way after their promised time.

If I called someone, and they said $90 to come out and $250 max to repair and then they showed up and doubled their price i'd tell him to leave and would not pay him... I would tell him, they quoted me $250 MAX on the phone.. had they quoted me $500 max I would have called the other plumber that quoted me $250 max and not you. end of story.. I dunno man... if the story happened just as you said, the plumber would have a better chance of having a period than getting $90 from me. If they don't know what the problem is then they shouldnt be quoting $250 max... if they had said we'd have to come and check things out before quoting you a price that would be different... but if they quote you a "max" price they can't charge you "double-max"

topmade
03-24-2007, 04:25 PM
Those DIY blast kits are useless and only work if the clog is like a few inches away. Snake FTW. Go to any hardware store and pick one up, they are pretty cheap. Make sure to go for the longer one as well because before I had a 25ft one before and couldn't get at a clog so I had to call a plumber and he said the clog was at about 30-35 ft and it costed me $250 exactly as what was quoted on the phone. So now I got a 50ft snake.

5hift
03-24-2007, 04:33 PM
Originally posted by tictactoe2004


If I called someone, and they said $90 to come out and $250 max to repair and then they showed up and doubled their price i'd tell him to leave and would not pay him... I would tell him, they quoted me $250 MAX on the phone.. had they quoted me $500 max I would have called the other plumber that quoted me $250 max and not you. end of story.. I dunno man... if the story happened just as you said, the plumber would have a better chance of having a period than getting $90 from me. If they don't know what the problem is then they shouldnt be quoting $250 max... if they had said we'd have to come and check things out before quoting you a price that would be different... but if they quote you a "max" price they can't charge you "double-max"

I agree with your reasoning, but I thought with my parents out of town, me rarely home, and my sister usually home alone or with just a friend, it was better to pay with cc and try to reclaim the money through their office, than to piss of some plumber for the time being.

natejj
03-24-2007, 04:58 PM
You shouldn't have paid, because he wasn't on time. I am pretty sure they have a "satisfaction gauranteed" policy too.

Check their website out.

Number 2 - We guarantee to be ON TIME! That's our Punctual Plumber™ Promise- We surveyed our customers and found out that in addition to quality work our customers appreciate it when we are on time! Sounds pretty simple right? Well it is.

We know how valuable your time is and we promise to show up on time - or we pay you. That's right - if we are late for our appointment - we pay you! This is one place where time really is money.


http://www.clearviewplumbing.ca/guarantee.html

adidas
03-24-2007, 07:51 PM
Originally posted by topmade
Those DIY blast kits are useless and only work if the clog is like a few inches away. Snake FTW. Go to any hardware store and pick one up, they are pretty cheap. Make sure to go for the longer one as well because before I had a 25ft one before and couldn't get at a clog so I had to call a plumber and he said the clog was at about 30-35 ft and it costed me $250 exactly as what was quoted on the phone. So now I got a 50ft snake.

Are you sure you got the digits right?

A 50ft snake? i got a 5ft one and i thought it was pretty long. Im pretty sure if you put that in the toilet it would reach the sewage in your back yard. lol

TimG
03-24-2007, 09:14 PM
+4 for a snake.

I think the one i have is 10-15 feet long.

ninspeed
03-24-2007, 09:25 PM
you can rent snakes as well for 10-40$ at rona and home depot

topmade
03-24-2007, 11:11 PM
Originally posted by adidas


Are you sure you got the digits right?

A 50ft snake? i got a 5ft one and i thought it was pretty long. Im pretty sure if you put that in the toilet it would reach the sewage in your back yard. lol

Yup it's 50ft from crappy tire. But also keep in mind the thread was about a sink and not a toilet. Toilet ones are much shorter with plastic ends so they don't scratch the porcelain and have bigger ends to clear more "shit" :thumbsup:

drew_goring
03-24-2007, 11:49 PM
Originally posted by 5hift


I agree with your reasoning, but I thought with my parents out of town, me rarely home, and my sister usually home alone or with just a friend, it was better to pay with cc and try to reclaim the money through their office, than to piss of some plumber for the time being.

I am thinking CC chargeback FTW:thumbsup:

Melinda
03-25-2007, 01:14 AM
Funny you should post this. We had a water heater issue and thought bringing someone out to at least tell us the problem (so that we wouldnt need to rip the damn system apart to figure it out) would be the best idea. We called "the punctual plumber" cause we dont have a lot of spare time to sit around the house. Needless to say, our 10am-noon window had him showing up at shortly after 6 that night. The guy quoted us something like $700 for something that we knew would take an hour at most and he couldnt even guarantee that it was even the cause of our problem. So Rolland paid him his fee to come out (I'm pretty sure it was way less than $90 though) and sent him on his way. The next weekend Rolland went and rented some special tool and had it fixed in 3 hours. All it cost was the $10 rental fee for the tool.

Puntual plumber FTL. :guns:

Justing
03-25-2007, 02:12 AM
Originally posted by topmade
I got a 50ft snake.

BerserkerCatSplat
03-25-2007, 09:21 AM
Yep, rent a sewer snake. A powered drill-based 25ft snake works great for kitchen sinks, and it costs around $25 to rent at Home Depot.

CK4500
03-25-2007, 10:15 AM
I'd say that if this info below is accurate from their web site, the reason for the jacked up price when he arrived late is so "we pay you!" Jack the price, give some of it back for being late, all is well......plumbers are assholes.


Originally posted by natejj

Check their website out.

Number 2 - We guarantee to be ON TIME! That's our Punctual Plumber™ Promise- We surveyed our customers and found out that in addition to quality work our customers appreciate it when we are on time! Sounds pretty simple right? Well it is.

We know how valuable your time is and we promise to show up on time - or we pay you. That's right - if we are late for our appointment - we pay you! This is one place where time really is money.
http://www.clearviewplumbing.ca/guarantee.html

Pihsiak
03-25-2007, 10:28 AM
If they showed yup and jacked up the price saying it was non-negoitiable, I'd be like, well the phone guy quoted $250. I have 250 right here, take it or leave it.

adidas
03-26-2007, 10:37 PM
Originally posted by topmade


Yup it's 50ft from crappy tire. But also keep in mind the thread was about a sink and not a toilet. Toilet ones are much shorter with plastic ends so they don't scratch the porcelain and have bigger ends to clear more "shit" :thumbsup:

Oh kk, that def makes more sense!

:thumbsup: for making me laugh!

sputnik
03-27-2007, 08:30 AM
Next time call Silcraft. He's an old school semi-retired plumber that doesnt charge and arm and a leg and prefers doing small jobs.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Sil DeBortoli
560-4719

EnRich
03-27-2007, 08:56 AM
Originally posted by tictactoe2004


If I called someone, and they said $90 to come out and $250 max to repair and then they showed up and doubled their price i'd tell him to leave and would not pay him... I would tell him, they quoted me $250 MAX on the phone.. had they quoted me $500 max I would have called the other plumber that quoted me $250 max and not you. end of story.. I dunno man... if the story happened just as you said, the plumber would have a better chance of having a period than getting $90 from me. If they don't know what the problem is then they shouldnt be quoting $250 max... if they had said we'd have to come and check things out before quoting you a price that would be different... but if they quote you a "max" price they can't charge you "double-max"

word... I'd tell him to get the fuck out too. I'm not really a nice guy in these types of situations. I bet most of you guys woulda never guessed eh ;) I woulda had the 250 rdy in cash for the job, if he didnt like it he could leave. You never signed anything... The price was obviously quoted wrong, and over the phone, and the guy showed up late. If I were you, I'd forget about the 90 bucks you gave the guy, its not worth your time and effort to get it back. Whats the guy gonna do anyways when I refuse to pay him the money? nothing. cause he cant. I'm really surprised you paid him.... Better luck next time bro.

On a 2nd note and something I'd like to share with all of you..... Trades men in this city think their better then doctors. Their time is worth a minimum 100/hour. You should the see the gas fitters/plumbers and/or other trades I deal with at my job. Their shit simply doesn't stink. With this booming economy, and the lack of man power in their industry, they simply dont give a shit. Their just another reason I can't wait for the economy to go down the shitter, maybe it'll wipe the smirks off their faces... Fucking trademen....

In other news two soldiers were critically wounded this morning from a roadside bomb in Afganistan.
:D

jmc
03-27-2007, 09:44 AM
Originally posted by natejj
You shouldn't have paid, because he wasn't on time. I am pretty sure they have a "satisfaction gauranteed" policy too.

Check their website out.

Number 1 - We Guarantee Our Price. We guarantee that the price quoted before the work is done, won't change after the work is done. That's a comfort you can count on.

Number 2 - We guarantee to be ON TIME! That's our Punctual Plumber™ Promise- We surveyed our customers and found out that in addition to quality work our customers appreciate it when we are on time! Sounds pretty simple right? Well it is.

We know how valuable your time is and we promise to show up on time - or we pay you. That's right - if we are late for our appointment - we pay you! This is one place where time really is money.


http://www.clearviewplumbing.ca/guarantee.html
they should pay you for showing up late, not the other way around :dunno:

Mangina
03-27-2007, 11:15 AM
Originally posted by jmc

they should pay you for showing up late, not the other way around :dunno:

Yeah. You pretty much owned yourself.

5hift
03-27-2007, 11:42 AM
Didnt really own myself. The mistake I made was when he showed up late, I let him inspect the problem. Letting him inspect the problem, is letting him perform a service. I should have just told him to fuck off. After letting him inpsect the problem, I dont know how much success I would have refusing to pay the appearence fee (I might have gotten away with it for that day, but I'm pretty sure it would come back through collections or something).

Now here is where they show their true colors:

In regards to that if we are late, we'll pay you statement... its a load of BS. I called back to complain, and they have pages of clauses for themselves to get out of paying for being late. In my specific case, I was speaking to the same lady I made my appointment earlier with. Yet she denied making me an appointment. She claimed she didnt remember me, and that "someone" must have sensed the urgency in my situation, and probably tried to squeeze me in. Since it wasnt a official appointment, it doesnt qualify for their we'll pay you for being late statement. This despite I remember her clearly saying "your appointment will be in between the time window of etc... At this point its not worth dealing with their crap for $90 bucks, I'm more hoping a few people will read this and go elsewhere.

Crymson
03-27-2007, 11:54 AM
Who is the consumer affairs guy at Global TV? I bet he'd love to get a camera and pull a sting on these fuckers.

bignerd
03-27-2007, 01:41 PM
Originally posted by EnRich


On a 2nd note and something I'd like to share with all of you..... Trades men in this city think their better then doctors. Their time is worth a minimum 100/hour. You should the see the gas fitters/plumbers and/or other trades I deal with at my job. Their shit simply doesn't stink. With this booming economy, and the lack of man power in their industry, they simply dont give a shit. Their just another reason I can't wait for the economy to go down the shitter, maybe it'll wipe the smirks off their faces... Fucking trademen....

In other news two soldiers were critically wounded this morning from a roadside bomb in Afganistan.
:D

Whoa whoa whoa! As a "tradesman" in this city, yes my time is worth that much. Considering I have to commute/drive to your house, use my tools-which in total have probably cost me several thousand dollars, plus my expertise, labor and time to do the job... Trust me lots of people think they can save themselves a hundred bucks an hour by doing it themselves, do you want to buy a house where someone installed the gas lines themselves to save a few hundred bucks?? People think we charge these extreme prices, try to do it themselves, mess it up and then get charged double because it takes a qualified tradesman twice as long to fix it. But no I am not a plumber... and actually due to the quickly aging demographic of existing tradesmen out there, regardless of the economy, the employment outlook for tradesmen is looking better all the time...

EnRich
03-27-2007, 01:51 PM
Originally posted by 5hift
Didnt really own myself. The mistake I made was when he showed up late, I let him inspect the problem. Letting him inspect the problem, is letting him perform a service. I should have just told him to fuck off. After letting him inpsect the problem, I dont know how much success I would have refusing to pay the appearence fee (I might have gotten away with it for that day, but I'm pretty sure it would come back through collections or something).

Now here is where they show their true colors:

In regards to that if we are late, we'll pay you statement... its a load of BS. I called back to complain, and they have pages of clauses for themselves to get out of paying for being late. In my specific case, I was speaking to the same lady I made my appointment earlier with. Yet she denied making me an appointment. She claimed she didnt remember me, and that "someone" must have sensed the urgency in my situation, and probably tried to squeeze me in. Since it wasnt a official appointment, it doesnt qualify for their we'll pay you for being late statement. This despite I remember her clearly saying "your appointment will be in between the time window of etc... At this point its not worth dealing with their crap for $90 bucks, I'm more hoping a few people will read this and go elsewhere.

Haha thats why my dad records telephone conversations like that. One time I heard him replay it to someone that was trying to jack him, like you got jacked by her reply. Haha complete silence. LOL!!!!! it was amazing.

Mangina
03-27-2007, 02:03 PM
Originally posted by bignerd


Whoa whoa whoa! As a "tradesman" in this city, yes my time is worth that much. Considering I have to commute/drive to your house, use my tools-which in total have probably cost me several thousand dollars, plus my expertise, labor and time to do the job... Trust me lots of people think they can save themselves a hundred bucks an hour by doing it themselves, do you want to buy a house where someone installed the gas lines themselves to save a few hundred bucks?? People think we charge these extreme prices, try to do it themselves, mess it up and then get charged double because it takes a qualified tradesman twice as long to fix it. But no I am not a plumber... and actually due to the quickly aging demographic of existing tradesmen out there, regardless of the economy, the employment outlook for tradesmen is looking better all the time...

LOL. If everyone tried to do it themselves, you'd be out of a job. I've been successful as plumber, carpenter, gasfitter, electrician, and a mechanic without ever having worked one of those jobs in my life.

bignerd
03-27-2007, 04:45 PM
Originally posted by Mangina


LOL. If everyone tried to do it themselves, you'd be out of a job. I've been successful as plumber, carpenter, gasfitter, electrician, and a mechanic without ever having worked one of those jobs in my life.

Not saying that you can't do things on your own, but there are definitley people out there who CAN'T if you know what I mean. Fixing or building something so it is functional is one thing, having it pass inspection and meet code is another...

rc2002
12-30-2012, 09:41 PM
FYI for anyone that might turn up this thread in their search for a plumber:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/364200/how-much-did-your-hot-water-tank-cost/