We had new countertops and thus a new sink installed. We needed a plumber to retrofit the existing plumbing to the new sink and install a new faucet. It was a fairly easy job. I had just installed a new garbage disposal two months earlier. We were going from a two drain sink to a single drain. So the plumber needed to cap one drain line and slightly reroute the other into the center. Then simply reattach the garbage disposal. The new faucet was a single hole install. We also needed the hot and cold shut-off valves replaced as they tended to leak when the knobs were turned.

My wife was out of town and I wanted to surprise her by having all the work done before she got home. It would be a tight schedule, but the final step, the plumbing, was scheduled to be done several hours before she arrived home.

Since we have used Coolray for many years for our heating and air needs, we decided to go with their plumbing division, Mr. Plumber. The reviews were decent and people said their prices were fair. The plumber arrived and I had everything laid out and ready to go. I explained to him that my wife would be home in several hours (in hindsight, big mistake) and asked if he could complete the job before then. The plumber acknowledged that the job should take no more than 2 hours. Perfect. I was very excited to finally finish up several hectic days of contractors in our kitchen.

But then came the estimate: re-routing the pvc pipe and replacing the shut-off valves - $352. Install the new faucet - $352. Re-attach the garbage disposal - $387. Total cost $1,091. I almost swallowed my tongue. The plumber just told me it would take about two hours. I told him that I did not only find that price high, I found it astronomical. He said that this was standard Mr. Plumber pricing and there was nothing he could do to change it. He agreed with me that there would be less than $50 in materials being supplied by Mr. Plumber - 2 new valves, less than a foot of pvc pipe and a few couplers and elbows. That meant that the labor was over $1,000 alone (the eventual work took an hour and forty minutes total). That means Mr. Plumber charges over $600 an hour. I could hire a team of high-powered attorneys for less than that.

I explained to the plumber that I had installed the garbage disposal myself in about 30 minutes. All he was doing was putting it back in place and charging me $387. I told him I could reattach it 15 minutes. He didn’t disagree, he just simply stated again that these are Mr. Plumber’s standard rates. The worst part was that he could not leave parts like the garbage disposal for me to do. In order for their warranty to be effective he had to do the whole job or nothing at all.

Well, now I had to decide whether to send him away and not have the job done when my wife came home. And I would have to schedule a new plumber which could take several more days. I believe the plumber knew he had me in a tight spot. I was kicking myself for telling him that I needed the work done that day. So I bit the bullet and had him complete the work.

I will say that the plumber was very nice. He gave me good advice about using the garbage disposal and how to adjust the faucet if needed. As far as I can tell he did good work. Unfortunately he never turned the hot water valve that feeds our dishwasher back on. The next day my wife tried to run the dishwasher and it started making some gruesome noises before we realized what was the cause.

I can’t imagine any defense for this type of pricing. It’s beyond ridiculous. Fortunately my faith in humanity was restored several days later when an electrician came over to install 2 ceiling fans. Two hours of work - total $159. Shame on you Mr. Plumber.