# Dollars ?



## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

I just got a call from a woman Named Olga .
She just bought a ranch style home in one of the more affluent neighborhoods.
She wanted to know if I was available today to install a water line for her refrigerator.

Me: " Sure I can do that today"

Her : " How much will this cost me ? "

Me: " Hard to say without seeing it, where is the fridge in relationship to the kitchen sink ?"

Her: " Its about 15' away on the opposite wall of the sink "

Me: " If its copper or pex your looking at $350 to $400, if you have galvanized pipes under the house the price will go up "

Her: " Dollars ?" did you say " Dollars ? " 

Me: " I can take Robles but the price will go up " 

Her : : " Clunk " and then a dial tone. :laughing:


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## sburntx74 (Aug 13, 2012)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> I just got a call from a woman Named Olga .
> She just bought a ranch style home in one of the more affluent neighborhoods.
> She wanted to know if I was available today to install a water line for her refrigerator.
> 
> ...


Haha


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> I just got a call from a woman Named Olga .
> She just bought a ranch style home in one of the more affluent neighborhoods.
> She wanted to know if I was available today to install a water line for her refrigerator.
> 
> ...


Is it Rubles or Robles?


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

Stupid mail order brides.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

rjbphd said:


> Is it Rubles or Robles?


Not sure but heres what wikipedia says: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ruble


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## sjaquay (Jan 13, 2013)

i went to a customers a few years back, dont remember what work i did, but i remember telling her the cost would be " five seventy five", those are the words i used, it took me almost 2 hours and when i was done i asked her if she would be paying cash,check or charge, she said cash and handed me a 5 dollar bill and 3 quarters, i looked at her and said "ok, thats funny,ill give ya that" like she was joking, she wasnt, she actually thought it was $5.75...she argued with me for another 20 min, i finally just said look lady, pay me or ill just take it all back apart and leave and well see you in court, not my fault you didnt read the invoice before you signed it and it clearly said $575.00 and how many plumbers or any body really do you know that will work for 2 hours for under 6 bucks...really lady? you cant be that stupid....she was....


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Had a guy a few weeks back ask me what it would cost to fix a water line under his mobile home. He wanted me to tell him what it would cost site unseen. I told him there was no way I could even come close over the phone, but said I would give him a total ballpark of a couple hundred dollars. 

Click. :laughing:


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## JoshJ (May 10, 2012)

Isn't that the way so often? Affluent neighborhood and cheaper than dirt when it comes to getting something done for them. Like you owe them just for working in their house. It's almost amusing.


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## Radium (Dec 25, 2010)

Yesterday I was running a new sewer main to the septic tank when the neighbor comes up to me. He needs a new 1 1/2" effluent pump line run from his tank to his d-box. The old line is on the my clients property. Right now there is a six foot chunk torn out where the corner of the new shop is built. I told him 100 for the band-aid fix, and 1000 for a new line run on his property. About sixty feet. Both numbers are too low, but it was the neighbor, and I am a "get my foot in the door" kind of guy....
He says, will you do it for three hundred? I look at his brand new BMW x5 beside me, and say to him, no, I'm not interested in the job, find someone else. 
That was the highlight of my day.

Sent from my iPad using PlumbingZone


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## BigDave (Mar 24, 2012)

I was working with my old master plumber one day. Followed him in the house
to visit with an old woman customer who needed a new washing machine box,
p-trap and wet stack installed. He looked things over and gave her the
price, she laughed and said "My old plumber never charged that much, I'll
call someone else". My master plumber handed her one of his business cards,
I figured he was gonna tell her to call him back if she couldn't find anyone
else. Next thing that came outta his mouth was... "If you find somebody
cheaper, would you give them this and ask them to call me, I have a BUNCH
of other tight fisted old biddys like you, he can have ALL of you!" She called
back two days later...


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## johntheplumber (Feb 11, 2013)

BigDave said:


> I was working with my old master plumber one day. Followed him in the house
> to visit with an old woman customer who needed a new washing machine box,
> p-trap and wet stack installed. He looked things over and gave her the
> price, she laughed and said "My old plumber never charged that much, I'll
> ...


This makes me happy.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

I've gotten this a few times. People with clogged sinks thinking it will cost 20 bucks to fix. I've told people it costs ME more than what you think the fix should be just to get here. Had someone call me up asking how much to install a water heater. I tell them typically a few hundred. They asked would you do it for 50. I said my truck doesn't leave the driveway for less than 100, all I heard was click. 

The best is people with bigger jobs like adding a bathroom in a basement, jackhammering floor, doing underfloor, patching concrete ect. I've had people think this should be under 500. I tell them there is at least 1k in materials. I always get the same dumbfounded look. Then the next question is anything I can do to make this cheaper? I always respond, sure, what do you not want done. If you do all the concrete work, it will be cheaper. 99% give the well I don't want to do that response. Clueless people.


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## plumber joe (Oct 17, 2008)

Had a guy demand a price over the phone the other day, which we don't do, and finally did, then he wanted to argue with me for the next 5 minutes about how that guess was way to high and he could get it done cheaper.


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