They are not upfront about the costs, TERRIBLY OVERPRICED!
I called them to cut two copper pipes, and put two valves in. Was charged $520. They cut my pipes, and told me they will put valves on that cost X dollars. I told them those valves are too much, so the offered cheaper valves (but surprise, for those they had to make a run to the shop). 2 hours later, I got charged for the run and a $520 bill. Now tell me, if initially was told it would be more to get CHEAPER valves that it was to pay $10 for the more expensive valves, would I pick the cheaper ones? Finally, all their parts are like 10x the price it is in HomeDepot. Example: 2 finishing plates (that cover the whole in the wall) - 10 bucks LOL very tricky, not upfront, and then Dorrit - their rep, ran circles around and did nothing to fix the situation.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $520.00
- Company Response
Hi there Eugene. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate any and all feedback from past and present clients.
We checked our history and it seems as though this service took place on January 12, 2015 which is actually more than two years ago. Nevertheless, your concern is important to us and we’d like to address it at this time.
Our service men had asked if you’d like us to install new ½” dahl valves for $36.49 each. These valves were readily available on our truck however, you did not want those valves and opted for a cheaper valve that we do not regularly carry being an R14 straight stop which prompted us to have to go pick them up. When our technicians receive a request from a client, they do as instructed so not to upset the customer.
Our billing does begin from the time that our truck arrives on site as opposed to charging for travel to a job site. There is no way to say how long a trip to the supplier will take due to traffic and/or material availability at our plumbing supply wholesalers whom we purchase our materials from. The entire job took between 2-3 hours to complete including our trip to our supplier which we feel was fair for the scope of work completed at your home on that day. We completed a full rough in for your kitchen after you had new cabinetry installed.
Our materials are purchased at plumbing wholesalers, not from Lowes and Home Depot. It is common practice to add a percentage onto the price of materials that we purchase as done so by all competitors in our field of business. As well, it is fair to mention that our price for completing your work on site was actually $459.98 + HST as opposed to reporting that we charged $520.00.
Lastly, pertaining to Dorrit… Dorrit has been employed with Bartman Plumbing since April 2011. At the time of your service taking place, Dorrit was not our Rep, but rather an office assistant and was in no position to offer remedies to rectify the issues you had. Dorrit simply forwarded your concerns to me and I personally responded to each of your concerns. I had even offered to extend extra cost savings to you in terms of material discounts applied to any future invoices for being a return customer due to the negative feedback received, although, based on wholesale pricing plus standard industry material mark ups, you were treated fairly by our company.
We are here to assist you with all of your plumbing needs and requirements. In the event that you choose to use our services again, we would still be pleased to offer discounted pricing to you at that time. Once again, we apologize for any miscommunication or negative feelings you’ve encountered. Feel free to call us at 416-898-0094. Thank you. - Michael Bartman