How much would you pay to plumb in a dishwasher and have a small cupboard removed??

Question

I was quoted a maximum of £275. which I thought was a bit toppy. However when the work was finished I paid £230 - which I thought was generous. Now the man who did it is saying that in total it comes to £310 and which I think is extortionate. He is accusing me of breaking my contract with him - but honestly I thought that he meant that it might come to £275 - but looking at what he has done it doesn't seem to be worth that much. He simply removed a small cupboard, screwed in a bit of board with 2 small brackets to hold up the counter top and put in the necessary piping and stuff to plumb in the dishwasher. Actually he didn't even do it himself but supervised some eastern european guy who did it all. He is being unpleasant and difficult. I live alone with my children and I don't want any more hassle. But - he still has my back door key!!!! What to do????

Answer 1

Whoa, this contract law. What does your contract say?

Was the scope of the work FULLY described in the contract? Were there any additions (like removing the cupoard) or surprise situations (like he needed to revamp the house drain & water lines to setup for the dishwasher)?

My guess is that you have no contract and, in most legal circles, you are in trouble. Pay the man.

Lastly, he has NO rights, after the work is completed, to your back door key (contract or no contract and regardless of payment). You need to demand it's immediate return. If he does not surrender it immediately, advise him that you will call a locksmith, have the door re-keyed and the cost will be back-charged. That means you subtract the cost of the locksmith from the amount you pay him.

Answer 2

In the mean time, BOLT your back door. He could've had copies made by now & he's shown you can't trust him. Change your locks ASAP.
Do it yourself, you only need a screwdriver.
There is a book titled "1001 jobs you don't need a man for", I'm told it's very good.

If you agreed to £275 you should pay £275, unless the job is not up to standard. But if the cupboard is gone, and the dishwasher is working without leaks, then the job is done.

Having said that, it's unskilled work, and from the sound of it, could have been done in an hour. Even assuming he worked for the council and took all day, that's still very expensive.

Ask him for a breakdown of the bill. If "parts & materials" come to more than £20, ask him to be specific.

Answer 3

Plumbing in a dishwasher is a one man job and would take a half day to one day. Labour costs £100 + materials. Maybe if he was greedy = £150.

That is if he had to drill a hole in the wall. Of course, two people would double the cost. (If a dishwasher was already there before and the fitting were already in place, I could do it in an hour and I would probably charge £35.)

Changing the locks on the back door could set you back £50. It is easier to pay the £275.

Answer 4

The first thing you do RIGHT NOW IS CHANGE YOUR LOCKS! I would recommend asking a friend or relative to swap locks with you this way it won't cost you anything. Second Pay him. He is a jerk but he did perform a service and that is what you will be told plus court costs if you refuse to pay him now. Next time, shop around. Sorry I don't have a happy ending for you.

Answer 5

That's a price of a dishwasher! never ask a plumber you don't
know he will charge you extortionate prices. Next time you need
a plumber ask all your friends if they know a good plumber.
All you can do now is just pay him, and that will be the end of it.
p.s. make sure you get your key back. Good luck.

Answer 6

well too little too late for ya money but sad to say your not done paying yet... now you have to get a new back door lock... and that is gonna run about 50 bucks..... I dont know what you paid in us money but maybe about 150.00 us dollars should of been fair

Answer 7

Pay him....and get a friend who is into DIY