Fixing shower and leaky water valve
We had Priority Plumbing come in and clear our drain in the laundry room. They were extremely professional, came quickly and were very friendly. They also only charged $100 and we were very impressed. A few months later we had a few more different issues in the house so we called them again to fix them. At last we found a great, moderately priced plumber who did a great job. When I made the service call, the man who answered the phone was extremely pleasant and they came very very quickly. When the plumber came over, he listened to my complaints and briefly looked at the issues. He did not take anything apart. He then sat me down and went over in detail how my noisy shower and leaky valve would cost upwards of $1000 to fix. He said the part I needed for the shower was very pricey and hard to source. I asked if since we only renovated the bathroom 3 years ago would it be under warranty and he said no. However I insisted that I could get the part myself and he did give me a separate quote without it. He told me just the part would cost $300. For the leaky water valve in the basement, he gave me a whole long winded story about how he will need to take the entire thing out, put in new parts etc. That would cost $500. I was a bit flabbergasted with the cost because I renovated our entire house and knew simple plumbing issues did not cost that much. I called my neighbours plumber who actually took apart the shower, told me which part I needed, told me it would definitely be under warranty, called the store I bought it from, got the part for free and fixed it. I asked him how much the part would cost if it wasn't under warranty and he said max $120. As for the leaky valve in the basement, all it needed was to be tightened and problem solved. And no that isn't just a quick fix, it really had just become loose and needed to be tightened. I felt sick after Priority's plumber left only because I felt completely ripped off by them. Would it have been different if the plumber was dealing with my husband and not me? Who knows!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,000.00
- Company Response
Dear Jennifer, The difference between renovation plumbers and service plumbers, is that we service plumbers are called in to fix the problems that renovation plumbers create. For example, the reason the valve needed tightening was because the seal has worn away creating a space between the nut and the stem. Tightening the nut does not repair the seal that protects you from a flood. Eventually that valve will leak again potentially causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages. So in essence it is a "quick fix". The valve needs to be replaced. We see homes that are flooded every day because of this type of poor workmanship. Sometimes you may be happy to save a few hundred dollars in the short term, but it ends up costing you much more in the long run. We are sorry that you are unhappy and can understand why you thought we were trying to take advantage of you, based on an opinion of a renovation plumber, however we as service plumbers see the bigger picture and work to keep your home safe from problems in the future.
Thank you!
Priority Plumbing
https://priorityplumbing.ca
416-762-8662