What would you do?

Hez

I'll try to make this quick. I am not a plumber, but have experience with plumbing, electrical work, general construction, etc. So, I have been renovating my house on my own. I was in the process of installing a half bath on the first floor. The Plumbing Inspector strongly urged me, however, to hire a licensed plumber to snap in a tee to my main soil stack at the basement level. OK. I hired a plumber who told me he was licensed and had him set the wc and lav (both of which I bought) and had him run the hot and cold connections and the drains. He wanted $1,000 and $500 down. I called a plumber I know to ask about the price and he said it sounded ok.

So this guy comes. I'm home while he's working and my house starts shaking. He is not snapping in the tee, but using a reciprocating saw to cut out the required section. Hmmmm. He is there all day with another guy working. Then he comes the next day and finishes up after correcting about 3 leaks. As soon as he leaves, I notice my furnace is not working. I quickly discover the condensate is backing up and the exhaust fan is now a pump! I take apart the furnace, drain it and dry it up and wonder what effect that episode will have on its useful life. Then I call the plumber and he refuses to come back because "he doesn't do snake work" so he can't help me. He went on to explain (like I'm an idiot) that sometimes the scale and corrosion fall off the stack when they have to cut into it. I'm thinking that if they didn't use the reciprocating saw it wouldn't have been nearly as bad, so I attribute that happening to the work he did in an unworkmanship manner. He doesn't agree, of course. It's funny that he had time to immediatly cash the other $500 check I gave him upon completion...I unsuccessfully tried to cancel the ckeck. So, I bite the bullet and call another company. $210 later, the clog is fixed and I'm out of the woods. Later that night I notice that he cut the soil pipe about 2" to big and the rubber coupling is barely hanging onto the PVC tee. Hoping this will "hold", but just another example - in my opinion - of shoddy workmanship.

The next day I call the plumbing inspector, because I want to make sure everything is up to Code and I don't want to waste too much time after the installation was complete. He tells me that guy isn't licensed in the City and that he has a poor reputation. Figures.

Anyway, do you think I should just cut my losses and forget about it? Or, take him to small claims court for the $210 and any future money incurred to fix his mistakes?

Thanks for your input...and by the way, he hooked the hot and cold connections on the wrong side of the lav too! Once again, it figures, but this time I wasn't surprised!

Dave Yates (PAH)

question

Why do you have a plumbing inspector? From your post it would seem he doesn't have anything to do with plumbing installations!

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Steve Eayrs

I would cut my losses and if there is a next time, before you hire someone....ask to look at the lisc., proof of insurance, references, and talk to the inspector.
Getting a couple bids might help too. Not so you can automatically go with the cheaper one. Like anything else a professional valid business will most likely cost a little more, because of higher overhead. The guy you hired evidently doesn't leave enough in his budget to buy good tools.

Steve


Steve

Hez

Not sure I fully understand your reply, but

here we have to get a building permit to do the work (of any nature). Once completed, the electrical work is inspected by the eectrical inspector, plumbing work by plumbing inspector and so on & so forth. I thought that was pretty standard everywhere, since the Building Code requires work to be inspected by the local authority having jurisdiction in order to get a CO...but I may be wrong, or maybe I misinterpretted your reply.

Paul_11

In many areas homeowners are not allowed to do plumbing or electrical work. Them must hire licensed contractors. In NYC Plumbing inspectors won't inspect work unless licesnsed contractors take out the permits.
Good luck
Paul

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bob young

cast iron pipe

upon examination by the plumber if the iron is old and depending on the condition it is sometimes safer to make a saw cut as a chainsnapper could shatter the pipe and instead of adding a fitting you have to replace sections of pipe and maybe go into a floor or wall. the saw cut is extremely more labor intense and is not done except when necessary [we are talking professionals ,of course. ]

jim lockard

seems to me

That the plumbing inspector would want to go after this guy if he has violated the city, county or states law.
Then again maybe whoever pulls the permit in this case you, is whom the inspector will look at.
In the state of Virginia it is against the law for you the property owner to hire an unlicensed contractor. Hope it works out J.Lockard

Tony_8

why ?

Why didn't you call the plumber you asked about the price to do the job ? I would call this a "life lesson".

Mad Dog

That guy is a loser and a hack

I know unlicensed guys that atleast do a good job and would come back. This guy gives plumbers a bad name, and on Long Island Our Plumbing Board will go after a guy like this to issue him fines and make sure he never gets a plumbing license if he ever tries....he is not "of good moral character" as most Master plumber test require. This is what I would do pal: Tell him you want a complete refund and if he won't give it, you will report him to the better business Bureau/consumer affairs, local plumbing licensing board, Local PHCC, attorney General, the Irs, workman's compensation board and anyone else who will listen. For you see, my friend, hacks like these do not follow any rules of the aforementioned authorities and ceratinly fears them. Its not right what he did and you should go after him if he doesn't comply. People with honor - even unlicensed one - would do the right thing, but this guy needs to be stopped! go get him...forget the 210.00...You deserve a complete refund. You are not the first person I ever suggested this to...anyone I ever did, got their money back, trust me. Keep us posted. Mad Dog

Terry St.James_2

I would at least try to get something back. If the new connection is not too good now it will get worse. Then the fun begins. I live in a different country and our rules are a bit different. I can't understand how these guys get away with it. Here in Montreal, we have the CCQ(Commission de la Construction du Quebec...yes its french). They oversee all the trades and even have guys out in the field hunting down the guys with no license. When they catch a person working like that it is a 1000.00 fine to the guy and the company. Needless to say that all contractors ask to see their cards.
You should get something back because it is YOU that will have to pay again.

jim lockard

Poor

Workmanship will always come back to haunt you.
Do what Mad Dog said call the guy tell him return your money or its off to the guillotine J.Lockard

Canuck

If it was me..

I'd drop another hundred bucks on an ad in the local paper or something of that nature; telling everyone what a bum this guy is.

Murph'_4

com'n knocc off the chest beating for awhile

he is in old house and stuff happens bad all the time during remodel this poor sapp did not charge enough and some people are just difficult to work for bob says old cast iron needs cut with saw if house is a mess he mite be spendin more time getting crapp outta his way then doing what needs done and forget about which side of sink he working on he might need more knowledge in customer relations buut some peopel just need to vent they did not want to spend money in first place you cannot judge this from one story so wye do you care anyways cause someone is wailing here kitty kitty



MJ

Mark Wolff

PortaBand

Using a portaband saw works WONDERS on cast iron pipe, up through 3", 4" you have to rotate it around the pipe. Super quick and doesn't shake anything. No jagged edges to worry about like a snap ring cutter.