# What do you charge?



## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

IF YOU QUOTE A PRICE TO CLEAN A DRAIN AND THE DRAIN IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT:furious: AND YOU END UP NOT ABLE TO CLEAN THE LINE WITH YOUR SNAKE. WOULD YOU STILL CHARGE THE CUSTOMER?:sneaky2: AND I KNOW YOU WOULD TRY TO SELL HYDRO JET OR CAMERA LINE BUT WHAT IF THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY . DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE UP TO THE FIRST PRICE YOU QUOTED?


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

This is why we are Time and Material. We explain to them that they are paying use for our time to try and open their line with a snake, but if there is a major problem we will find out after we stick the snake in. Then we will tell them what we found, and explain to them their options. If they choose to call a different guy for another opinion they pay use for our Time invested.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

We also do like SR and charge T&M.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

If they argue, just explain to them they know more about their line now than they did before you stuck in the rod.

I had one I stuck the rod in ground away for about a half hour. Pulled back and the blade was shined up with a little bit of clay on the blade. I explained to the owner of the building (lawyer) that his line is broken and its out about 70'. It needs to be dug up. He asked me where does 70' put me. I told him the only way to be sure is to locate it with a locater, and if is not going to hire me to do the repair it will cost him for me to do the locate which I will deduct from the repair if he does hire me.

He said ok do not locate it at this time and have a nice day. I then explained to him hey you owe me for my time. He tried to argue that I did not do what I was hired to do which in his words was open the line. I explained to him that he hired me to put my rod in his sewer in attempt to open his line, but his line is broken which he did not know till after I stuck my rod in the sewer. Now he knows it broken and how far out from the clean out. He just said Sue me. I did better I put a lean on his building he owned, and got paid when he went to sell it.


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

With interest I hope:thumbup:



SewerRatz said:


> If they argue, just explain to them they know more about their line now than they did before you stuck in the rod.
> 
> I had one I stuck the rod in ground away for about a half hour. Pulled back and the blade was shined up with a little bit of clay on the blade. I explained to the owner of the building (lawyer) that his line is broken and its out about 70'. It needs to be dug up. He asked me where does 70' put me. I told him the only way to be sure is to locate it with a locater, and if is not going to hire me to do the repair it will cost him for me to do the locate which I will deduct from the repair if he does hire me.
> 
> He said ok do not locate it at this time and have a nice day. I then explained to him hey you owe me for my time. He tried to argue that I did not do what I was hired to do which in his words was open the line. I explained to him that he hired me to put my rod in his sewer in attempt to open his line, but his line is broken which he did not know till after I stuck my rod in the sewer. Now he knows it broken and how far out from the clean out. He just said Sue me. I did better I put a lean on his building he owned, and got paid when he went to sell it.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

SewerRatz said:


> If they argue, just explain to them they know more about their line now than they did before you stuck in the rod.
> 
> I had one I stuck the rod in ground away for about a half hour. Pulled back and the blade was shined up with a little bit of clay on the blade. I explained to the owner of the building (lawyer) that his line is broken and its out about 70'. It needs to be dug up. He asked me where does 70' put me. I told him the only way to be sure is to locate it with a locater, and if is not going to hire me to do the repair it will cost him for me to do the locate which I will deduct from the repair if he does hire me.
> 
> He said ok do not locate it at this time and have a nice day. I then explained to him hey you owe me for my time. He tried to argue that I did not do what I was hired to do which in his words was open the line. I explained to him that he hired me to put my rod in his sewer in attempt to open his line, but his line is broken which he did not know till after I stuck my rod in the sewer. Now he knows it broken and how far out from the clean out. He just said Sue me. I did better I put a lean on his building he owned, and got paid when he went to sell it.


 
The lawyer in your story gets paid his fee even when he loses a court case, doesn't he? Or does his client say, "Oh you lost my case, so you didn't do what you were hired to do, therefore I don't have to pay you." 

I don't like customers like that. Thankfully they are few and far between for me.


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

I am also T & M, with a machine charge for a snake. I would still charge, and if I couldn't open it, they would still pay because I would be giving them information they didn't have before. I would not want to flat rate a drain cleaning unless I had been there before and knew what I was in for.

I did a kitchen drain that was packed full (cast iron w/ disposal) for 20' and it took me nearly 2 hours to clean. I have cleaned other k drains in as little as 5 minutes.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

ap plumbing said:


> IF YOU QUOTE A PRICE TO CLEAN A DRAIN AND THE DRAIN IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT:furious: AND YOU END UP NOT ABLE TO CLEAN THE LINE WITH YOUR SNAKE. WOULD YOU STILL CHARGE THE CUSTOMER?:sneaky2: AND I KNOW YOU WOULD TRY TO SELL HYDRO JET OR CAMERA LINE BUT WHAT IF THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY . DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE UP TO THE FIRST PRICE YOU QUOTED?


 
I went out last night at 6:00 and was home by 8:30. It was a main-line stoppage. The lady had a 4" PVC c.o. out in front yard which was holding water up to top. Within 5 minutes I opened it and restored flow. Didn't pull back any roots or anything for that matter. She said a cleaning gal was there yesterday so my guess is papertowels. My flat-rate fee for said work was $ 180.07. I love easy stoppages. :thumbup:

The other company that was called by her told her to wait until Monday. What the heck?! So I now have a new customer who is also a salesperson for me cuz she'll refer me to all her neighbors. She is a 90 yr. old lovely lady. 

Who would let her go all weekend without facilities?


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Who would let her go all weekend without facilities?


Lot's of companies on a holiday weekend. I treat mainline backups as somewhat of an emergency and get there as soon as possible. If you have raw sewage bubbling out of a cleanout for too long, someone is liable to call the health department. Going out at 6:30 at night would have gotten an extra after hours charge, but still better than waiting till Monday.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

I went out on a call a couple of months ago, side by side lavs stopped up. I went on the roof and ran a 25 foot cable down the drain made it about 20 feet and could not at first get cable out. I pulled and pulled with no results, I then hooked a hole hawg to cable and ran in reverse finally it came out of the vent line was still stopped up. I then explained to the lady of the house that there was a problem with the drain, possibly an object in it. I told her the name of another local company who has a camera to do a 2" line. I charged her for half an hour was on job for full hour. I leave any dont hear back from them, then I get a letter in the mail from her husband crying about how I charged them and did not fix the problem. He also states in his letter how his plumber buddy who only works for cash "hack". Well the hack came over and poured a 5 gal bucket of drain cure all acid in the line, and that makes him better than a professional plumber. I passed by this house again about a week later and saw that another plumber was working at the house, I knew the guy working there asked him what was wrong and said the lav drains where rotted out I drove away laughing and wondering what kind of letter the hack will be getting.


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