Plumber's Complaints

[plumbdog10]

I interested in what plumber's do not like about their job, and to give them an opportunity to blow off steam. Also, the complainer my get some advice from the other members to make his job a little more enjoyable.

[westcoastplumber]

Very good question. I don't have any complaints about the aspect or the labor of plumbing, it is a trade and one that I enjoy.

I have complaints about the fly-by-niters that don't care about the trade and who sell themselves short. The "Plumbers" that are lowering the market price of plumbing for the rest of us who have to feed our families while working in this trade. The ones who do crap work and don't care about anything.

I guess I would like to see everyone involved in the trade love it and respect it as much as I do.

[HVAC HAWK]

other then what i voted i got out of plumbing because i could not work on my knees a lot [ working under sinks ,in a ditch ,etc ] i loved doing it and still do when i can thats why I'm a pipe fitter .
i did get stuck in a small bath vanity when i was hooking it up ,i had to brake it to get out .:eek:

[DuckButter]

DOG!!!!
Thats HILARIOUS!!!!
Sorry Rick, I couldn't resist, I just hadda vote the last.
Only because my biggest complaint isn't listed and it was too funny to pass.

My BIGGEST gripe is about the same as Roberts.
Seems like I've possibly been bidding against unlicensed "mechanics" recently.
Companies advertizing as "mechanical Services", "Handyman Services", "Home Services" or "HVAC services" without plumbing licenses and homeowners are often oblivious.
A customer confided this to me yesterday as we waited for the inspector.
Said he'd called maybe a dozen plumbers, got 4 estimates and intentionally asked about licenses/insurance...he said one answered vaguely, another openly admitted he wasn't and said, "but that only means I won't have to charge to pull permits".
I'm getting to the point where I might start doing something I don't beleive in doing, calling them in to the board.
We work too hard to do this right, to get our licenses, to make sure our T's are crossed and i's are dotted, all to find that we are being lowballed by cheaters who don't have the overhead and proper license/experience.
I'm going to bet this becomes more trouble in upcoming months with the whole "credit crunch" dilemma over variable rate and A.R.M. mortgage fallout, as new construction shops and other trades that specialized in new construction start to scrounge for work.

[plumberscrack]

I have many complaints about the plumbing industry but here a just a few:

One of my pet peeves with plumbing is the quality of the help I have. I'm pretty anal about how my plumbing looks and it fustrates me when the helpers I have won't do a nice neat looking job. I'm am less concerned about how much time it takes them to perform a task as l am about the quality of the work. These guys think that the faster they get something done the more money they deserve. And that may be true at some companies but not with me. After they leave for they day I go and clean up the work that looks sloppy. If I don't, I'll just go home in a bad mood knowing there's a pipe that isn't plumb or strapped properly. Do I have an illness?

Also the blueprints I've seen lately are a joke. The "engineers" draw this stuff up it somehow makes it through plan review. If I do it "per plan" it won't meet code. If I change it to meet code, the inspector turns me down because it wasn't done per print. This slows the job down and costs money that wasn't in the bid. I have this same conversations with the electrical, mechanical and structurals guys as well.

[PLUMBER RICK]

dog, i'm not sure if i'm suppose to be flattered:confused: or be upset:eek:

i think to myself, wow, i got too much invested to try something different.

15 years ago i put an application in for firefighter. 7 years later they sent me a postcard to come in for testing. i guess good things take time:D

now in 20 years, i hope not to grow up to be slyvan:eek:

please warn me if i am working my way there;)

wasn't i leading the ridgid hat poll too:confused:

rick.

[drtyhands]

I have many complaints about the plumbing industry but here a just a few:

One of my pet peeves with plumbing is the quality of the help I have. I'm pretty anal about how my plumbing looks and it fustrates me when the helpers I have won't do a nice neat looking job. I'm am less concerned about how much time it takes them to perform a task as l am about the quality of the work. These guys think that the faster they get something done the more money they deserve. And that may be true at some companies but not with me. After they leave for they day I go and clean up the work that looks sloppy. If I don't, I'll just go home in a bad mood knowing there's a pipe that isn't plumb or strapped properly. Do I have an illness?

Also the blueprints I've seen lately are a joke. The "engineers" draw this stuff up it somehow makes it through plan review. If I do it "per plan" it won't meet code. If I change it to meet code, the inspector turns me down because it wasn't done per print. This slows the job down and costs money that wasn't in the bid. I have this same conversations with the electrical, mechanical and structurals guys as well.
That is why I had to be on the road today at 5:00a.m. to walk the job at 6:00 with the engineer cause the inspector turned it down for not being per plan.I had to do this on a Sat. morning because the engineer was too busy making money on new prodjects he was drawing up to fail in the future.

I will have to pass on his point of view.The person that accepts his bid has him grinding his price so low he cannot justify taking the time to properly research all the variables that go into a project and only draws up enough to get through plan check.This leaves it up to us the subs to work together to design and engineer how to get the 10lbs. of you know what into the customers 5lb box.You know what the cool thing for him is......He gets to charge an extra(today was double time for my engineer) to come out approve and draw up what I designed for him.I'm not going to get a penny for figuring out his job:mad:

[gear junkie]

After reading Robert's response, I'd have to strongly agree with him. I really love the profession I'm in and have no major complaints. Dealing homeowners are a double edged sword because without them, we'd be looking for a different line work. On the other hand, I've met too many that try to tell me how to do my job and haggle price as they don't understand the overhead that's involved with this industry. When I do HVAC, very seldom do I get a customer like that because most people have no concept of a refrigerant system. Probably through my own unreasonable expectations, I expect my customers to think the same way about plumbing.

[plumbdog10]

DOG!!!!
Thats HILARIOUS!!!!
Sorry Rick, I couldn't resist, I just hadda vote the last.
Only because my biggest complaint isn't listed and it was too funny to pass.

My BIGGEST gripe is about the same as Roberts.
Seems like I've possibly been bidding against unlicensed "mechanics" recently.
Companies advertizing as "mechanical Services", "Handyman Services", "Home Services" or "HVAC services" without plumbing licenses and homeowners are often oblivious.
A customer confided this to me yesterday as we waited for the inspector.
Said he'd called maybe a dozen plumbers, got 4 estimates and intentionally asked about licenses/insurance...he said one answered vaguely, another openly admitted he wasn't and said, "but that only means I won't have to charge to pull permits".
I'm getting to the point where I might start doing something I don't beleive in doing, calling them in to the board.
We work too hard to do this right, to get our licenses, to make sure our T's are crossed and i's are dotted, all to find that we are being lowballed by cheaters who don't have the overhead and proper license/experience.
I'm going to bet this becomes more trouble in upcoming months with the whole "credit crunch" dilemma over variable rate and A.R.M. mortgage fallout, as new construction shops and other trades that specialized in new construction start to scrounge for work.

I try to throw some humor into my posts, sometimes people take me too seriously. But this is a serious topic. We are running out of plumbers. I am hoping that some of us can give advice to our plumbing brothers that makes their jobs more enjoyable.


Rick,

You are the butt of my posts, but you have made me the butt of, oh, about 1,000 dog jokes. I have always maintained that if I was to work beside one plumber on this forum it would be you. I also maintain you are the anchor of this forum.

Don't go sensitive on me. I have always enjoyed the balance: I beat up those you love to see beat up, and you calm the waters when they should be calmed. We operate independently, but are a team weather we like it or not.

[plumberscrack]

I try to throw some humor into my posts, sometimes people take me too seriously. But this is a serious topic. We are running out of plumbers. I am hoping that some of us can give advice to our plumbing brothers that makes their jobs more enjoyable.


Rick,

You are the butt of my posts, but you have made me the butt of, oh, about 1,000 dog jokes. I have always maintained that if I was to work beside one plumber on this forum it would be you. I also maintain you are the anchor of this forum.

Don't go sensitive on me. I have always enjoyed the balance: I beat up those you love to see beat up, and you calm the waters when they should be calmed. We operate independently, but are a team weather we like it or not.


Oh Boy! What a team you two would make

Rick and Plumbdog........Americas Favorite Plumbers

[oldslowchevy]

We are running out of plumbers.



no way dog i mean gezz join the chat one thurday night, i am the only wood butcher there it seems. 10 pipe jockeys to 1 wood butch:( it just doesn't seem fair:o

[plumbdog10]

Oh Boy! What a team you two would make

Rick and Plumbdog........Americas Favorite Plumbers

Now that's funny.

[HVAC HAWK]

I try to throw some humor into my posts, sometimes people take me too seriously. But this is a serious topic. We are running out of plumbers. I am hoping that some of us can give advice to our plumbing brothers that makes their jobs more enjoyable.


Rick,

You are the butt of my posts, but you have made me the butt of, oh, about 1,000 dog jokes. I have always maintained that if I was to work beside one plumber on this forum it would be you. I also maintain you are the anchor of this forum.

Don't go sensitive on me. I have always enjoyed the balance: I beat up those you love to see beat up, and you calm the waters when they should be calmed. We operate independently, but are a team weather we like it or not.


i think i'm going to cry with all the love in the air :D

[westcoastplumber]

time to put the galoshes, it's getting deep in here:p

[PLUMBER RICK]

Oh Boy! What a team you two would make

Rick and Plumbdog........Americas Favorite Plumbers

problem is, dog and i have never talked to each other on the phone. we've never met.

dog, lets do lunch, call me:D

rick.

[drtyhands]

problem is, dog and i have never talked to each other on the phone. we've never met.

dog, lets do lunch, call me:D

rick.
May I suggest you guys go to Chez Nous in North Hollywood,you can chew with your chow,as long as he's well mannered,you keep him on a leash and doesn't have a problem with other dogs.

Rick,may I also suggest you wear your calendar thong to really get some attention from the guys who live in the area with alternative lifestyles:D

[Herk]

There really wasn't much on the list that seemed to apply to me.

Being a service plumber, I think that what I don't like about my job the most is the constant reminder that 'plumbers charge too much.' It wouldn't matter if you charged $5 an hour and gave away the material for free, you'd still be perceived as too expensive because that's the mindset that will never go away.

If you quote a price that will lose you money, the customer says, "That's fair."

And then there are the people who call me and say, "Can you thread a pipe for me?" "Can I borrow your cast iron cutter?" "I just need a 1-1/2" pipe tap for an hour . . ." or those who come to the door with all the tubular from beneath the kitchen sink and say, "Do you have one of these?"

Most of my customers are elderly, and they say, "I could have done that, but I can't get down anymore." I've had 65-year-old women who have done something like pulling all the parts loose on a Delta widespread, left them hanging beneath the sink, and said that they couldn't figure out how to repair the drip, after smooshing the bodies around the cartridges so that the SS rings won't stay on.

As you may be gleaning, most of the people around here do their own work when they can, and they do it badly, but at least they don't have to pay those exorbitant plumbers' wages. Code means nothing, "as long as it works." After Home Depot opened 30 miles away, my number of calls dropped to about 1/3 of what they'd been, within about three months. That was about six years ago. And "Not enough calls" wasn't on the list.

Meanwhile, the number of scabs has greatly increased. Typical newspaper ad: Handyman, brush hauling, porch repair, Plumbing, Electrical, Registered, and a phone number. I'm not sure what happened to the plumbing code, what with "Specialty Licenses" but it certainly wasn't a good thing. Apparently, that Homey training now qualifies one to be a plumber, and being able to run a backhoe means that it's OK to ignore code, under the "bury it and the inspector can't see it" rule.

[westcoastplumber]

There really wasn't much on the list that seemed to apply to me.

Being a service plumber, I think that what I don't like about my job the most is the constant reminder that 'plumbers charge too much.' It wouldn't matter if you charged $5 an hour and gave away the material for free, you'd still be perceived as too expensive because that's the mindset that will never go away.

If you quote a price that will lose you money, the customer says, "That's fair."

And then there are the people who call me and say, "Can you thread a pipe for me?" "Can I borrow your cast iron cutter?" "I just need a 1-1/2" pipe tap for an hour . . ." or those who come to the door with all the tubular from beneath the kitchen sink and say, "Do you have one of these?"

Most of my customers are elderly, and they say, "I could have done that, but I can't get down anymore." I've had 65-year-old women who have done something like pulling all the parts loose on a Delta widespread, left them hanging beneath the sink, and said that they couldn't figure out how to repair the drip, after smooshing the bodies around the cartridges so that the SS rings won't stay on.

As you may be gleaning, most of the people around here do their own work when they can, and they do it badly, but at least they don't have to pay those exorbitant plumbers' wages. Code means nothing, "as long as it works." After Home Depot opened 30 miles away, my number of calls dropped to about 1/3 of what they'd been, within about three months. That was about six years ago. And "Not enough calls" wasn't on the list.

Meanwhile, the number of scabs has greatly increased. Typical newspaper ad: Handyman, brush hauling, porch repair, Plumbing, Electrical, Registered, and a phone number. I'm not sure what happened to the plumbing code, what with "Specialty Licenses" but it certainly wasn't a good thing. Apparently, that Homey training now qualifies one to be a plumber, and being able to run a backhoe means that it's OK to ignore code, under the "bury it and the inspector can't see it" rule.


Herk, you said exactly what I was trying to say, just better! Great post.:D

[DUNBAR]

Product Reliability



And as I wander the www tonight I got a callback on those new Delta pop-up assemblies stating they won't seal off water in the bowls.

All 3 in one house doing the same exact thing; has to be pushed down in order to seal.


I know I adjusted them correctly just like I do all of them but this new style has a flimsy adjustment bracket that is probably to blame.

Anyone who puts their hands on product knows that from time to time that even if you buy the best quality, there is always that 5% of product that has a failure rate that destroys profit margins in a heartbeat.

I make a point to put the best materials in my hands but the more product I put my hands on, the more times I've seen quality go out the window.

All I ask *if this was always the case* would be for the product to break right there and now in my hands, not months later when the job is a memory.

And if there's property damage as a result? You know where the liability ends and begins......you.

[yasudaplumbing]

Very good question. I don't have any complaints about the aspect or the labor of plumbing, it is a trade and one that I enjoy.

I have complaints about the fly-by-niters that don't care about the trade and who sell themselves short. The "Plumbers" that are lowering the market price of plumbing for the rest of us who have to feed our families while working in this trade. The ones who do crap work and don't care about anything.

I guess I would like to see everyone involved in the trade love it and respect it as much as I do.

Ditto ! I love my Job.

Tracy

[Wild Weasel]

Oh Boy! What a team you two would make

Rick and Plumbdog........Americas Favorite Plumbers

I generally hate reality tv... but I would totally watch this... :D

[PLUMBER RICK]

I generally hate reality tv... but I would totally watch this... :D


me too just so i can see what dog looks like:D

rick.

[westcoastplumber]

I generally hate reality tv... but I would totally watch this... :D


I would watch it for the competition/knowledge aspects. The only thing is, Dog doesn't feel the need to prove himself, so I guess it wouldn't be much of a competition after all ;):D

[CPlumb]

I just joined up about 15 minutes ago ( Got 27 years in the trade though) You lads are singing a sweet song to me !!! Love the way EVERYONE who has NEVER made a living at it , knows EVERYTHING about our trade !
CPlumb

[plumberscrack]

Hey CPlumb,

Welcome to the forum neighbor :D

I did a tour of duty at a plumbing company in Annandale. Where in Fairfax are you?

[DuckButter]

Come on in Cplumb, more than happy to have an old hat here.
And you're right, amazing how many strong opinions come from those who don't have to do it every day.

[Herk]

Love the way EVERYONE who has NEVER made a living at it , knows EVERYTHING about our trade !

Ain't it the truth? And if you were to go down the street of Anytown USA and ask all the guys over about 30 if they were ever a plumber, about 1 out of 3 say they were. After about two weeks they decided they didn't like it and went to a cushier job.

When I first started, the instructor told us, "About one out of three of you will not make it through this course and get a license."

[oldslowchevy]

Love the way EVERYONE who has NEVER made a living at it , knows EVERYTHING about our trade !
CPlumb


fresh water comes in under pressure and waste water leaves under gravity.



can i be a plumber now.......PLEASE!!!!!:D:D:D

[CPlumb]

Crack ,
Right in the heart of "Civil War Rich " Fairfax City . Good experience on this forum ? I like what I'm reading , ,, Real plumbers talking Real stuff !

CPlumb

[Tyman]

Good thread! Service guy here.

I would have to say customers are the toughest thing about my job. I have had some really great ones but I have had some that made my life terrible.

My most recent complaint was that I scratched the tub. Now the customer does not want to pay the bill for the faucet install. The owner of the company looked into it and then gave me a raise. Second raise in two months. Thanks boss.:)

[plumberscrack]

Customers can be qurky and some are just plain whacko:eek:

I was trying to cleanup some drywall dust the other day after cutting a hole. She said don't bother I'll get that up. I insisted it's part of my job. She pushes me out of the way and shoos me out the door while handing me a $20 dollar tip. The office calls before I get 2 blocks away. Yep, she complained that I didn't clean up after myself...WTF?:confused:

[oldslowchevy]

people amaze me all the time.

[JERRYMAC]

Customers can be qurky and some are just plain whacko:eek:

I was trying to cleanup some drywall dust the other day after cutting a hole. She said don't bother I'll get that up. I insisted it's part of my job. She pushes me out of the way and shoos me out the door while handing me a $20 dollar tip. The office calls before I get 2 blocks away. Yep, she complained that I didn't clean up after myself...WTF?:confused:

yeah i had that happen on some jobs, when i first started out in my own truck,:confused:

i have custermer inspect job, learn how to use any new stuff i just installed etc. then when everthing is ok, i then total invoice and have them sing off
on it to show everthing is good!!:D

[Drain Medic]

Ya that is a huge one......I stopped that by making it company policy that the area you worked in had to be cleaned better then when you got there....Simple green and alot of rags, shop vac if you must...Then before you leave you have to have the customer inspect the area and sign off on the invoice. Ever since have not had one complaint on that;)

[DuckButter]

Crack, I've seen that a few times.
One customer insisted that he would clean the mess from a boiler breakup.
We repeatedly told him it would be bad, that we were responsible for it and had special chemicals to get the black stuff out of the concrete (despite drops it leaks by sometimes).
Sure enough he all but pushed us out the door, then called the office to complain the next day.

[plumberscrack]

I'm convinced that some people just arn't happy unless they are bitching about something

[Masterplumb]

I have many complaints about the plumbing industry but here a just a few:

One of my pet peeves with plumbing is the quality of the help I have. I'm pretty anal about how my plumbing looks and it fustrates me when the helpers I have won't do a nice neat looking job. I'm am less concerned about how much time it takes them to perform a task as l am about the quality of the work. These guys think that the faster they get something done the more money they deserve. And that may be true at some companies but not with me. After they leave for they day I go and clean up the work that looks sloppy. If I don't, I'll just go home in a bad mood knowing there's a pipe that isn't plumb or strapped properly. Do I have an illness?

Also the blueprints I've seen lately are a joke. The "engineers" draw this stuff up it somehow makes it through plan review. If I do it "per plan" it won't meet code. If I change it to meet code, the inspector turns me down because it wasn't done per print. This slows the job down and costs money that wasn't in the bid. I have this same conversations with the electrical, mechanical and structurals guys as well.



I agree, its hard to find good help. Maybe you are not paying enough? Or maybe you do not offer these helpers benefits? In order to get good labor you have to pay well.

[wrongler]

I would have to say that pay would be my biggest complaint. I can't really complain too much though as I do 20hrs max a week. I do service work and installations part time and go to college full time. $11/hr for what I do is not much at all considering I have to deal with customers and do installations on my own but I work for a great boss and have next to no stress so that makes up for the low pay. He also wants to help me get my journeyman's cert so that is a big bonus.

That being said, I also have to comment that I hate seeing shoddy work. I've only been in the trade for 2.5 years or so but I have worked long enough to establish a sense of pride in the work I do. I am still learning a lot every day though that helps me improve the work I do. On this topic, I gotta say I HATE PEX, it is easy as cake to install but it looks terrible. We put it in a lot to keep material costs down and to get jobs done faster in new construction but I would rather see straight and plumb copper installs. Sure you can add ells and j-hooks to PEX but it still looks like crap. It seems like people would rather have speed over a good looking job.

Now I'm angry.

On the topic of help being hard to find, I have seen that too back in Eastern PA. People just don't have the mindset to get through the grunt work and move onto the fun stuff. It seems like no one wants to work hard anymore. I started in Aug. of '05 and saw helper after helper quit after just a few weeks of grunt work. While they were quitting, I ended up putting in 4" water mains and helping with mechanical room installs. A trade isn't something you can just jump into, it takes time.

Now I'm more angry.

All of this being said, I am quitting college to plumb. Learning is great but there is just something about the plumbing trade that has its allure. My classmates always ask my why the heck I would want to be a plumber but every day after work, and every time a job is finished, I know why.

I am glad to be among people on this forum who also love and take pride in what they do.

Now I'm happy.
That was long...

[Herk]

On this topic, I gotta say I HATE PEX, it is easy as cake to install but it looks terrible. We put it in a lot to keep material costs down and to get jobs done faster in new construction but I would rather see straight and plumb copper installs.

I try to make my PEX installs look neat. I don't scrimp on hangers or elbows. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One faucet on each side of a sink looked great, too, but we've abandoned it for convenience.

A PEX manifold system works far better, in my opinion, than a regular copper distribution system. And who looks at how pretty it is? Plumbers might, but the homeowner wants quality at a decent price and doesn't pay much attention to how it looks - they look at the beauty of a room, not what's behind the walls, and they don't spend much time in the utility room.

How would you feel about copper if you started seeing pinhole leaks in jobs you'd done only a few years before? Personally, I've had extremely good luck with my copper installs, but doing service, I'm always seeing my fair share of failed copper.

I still drag my heels at the thought of making repairs with Sharkbite fittings, too, but who doesn't have nightmares of using a torch in cramped areas?

And you can't justify to the customer the high (and climbing) cost of doing a job with copper pipe - not unless you're willing to guarantee it longer.

[plumberscrack]

I agree, its hard to find good help. Maybe you are not paying enough? Or maybe you do not offer these helpers benefits? In order to get good labor you have to pay well.

Nope that's not it.

All helpers are top paid for their skill level. Full benefit package with paid health and matching IRA. They are just a bunch of two toed sloth mouth breathers waiting for a paycheck and I'm stuck with them.

Now I'm angry :mad:

[oldslowchevy]

Nope that's not it.

They are just a bunch of two toed sloth mouth breathers waiting for a paycheck



now thats funny:D:D

[gear junkie]

I agree, its hard to find good help. Maybe you are not paying enough? Or maybe you do not offer these helpers benefits? In order to get good labor you have to pay well.
Sounds like someone we know?

[Masterplumb]

Nope that's not it.

All helpers are top paid for their skill level. Full benefit package with paid health and matching IRA. They are just a bunch of two toed sloth mouth breathers waiting for a paycheck and I'm stuck with them.

Now I'm angry :mad:

Well it sounds like you have a serious problem then. I only hire licensed journeymen who must pass a test to work in the county that 90% of my work comes from. My 4th yr "helper" makes $22/hr plus full benefits, and a matching 401k. When you do find the right guys, you must do all you can to keep them. When I hire someone and if they are "dead wood" they are gone....fast!

[Masterplumb]

Sounds like someone we know?

?????

[gear junkie]

Sorry for the insinuation Masterplumb. We had this sorry loser of a plumber named Silvan Tiger who was an outright idiot. He wrote 1 or 2 good things then the rest was just throwup of the mouth. Real waste of space. He also came from NY. He was the first person Josh had to ban. He made some rascist comments. After he got banned, he came back under a false name and showed a picture of his private area. When his picture came up, my wife was walking by and started laughing; at him, not with him. He was pretty pitiful. Go back through the records and you'll see who we're talking about. Nice to have you around. What's your opinion on Ridgid's power spin?

Ben

[Masterplumb]

Sorry for the insinuation Masterplumb. We had this sorry loser of a plumber named Silvan Tiger who was an outright idiot. He wrote 1 or 2 good things then the rest was just throwup of the mouth. Real waste of space. He also came from NY. He was the first person Josh had to ban. He made some rascist comments. After he got banned, he came back under a false name and showed a picture of his private area. When his picture came up, my wife was walking by and started laughing; at him, not with him. He was pretty pitiful. Go back through the records and you'll see who we're talking about. Nice to have you around. What's your opinion on Ridgid's power spin?

Ben

I know him from another board. I couldnt agree with you more.

[ToUtahNow]

I watched for his truck while I was in Manhattan last week but I guess it was not working.

Mark:D

[PLUMBER RICK]

I watched for his truck while I was in Manhattan last week but I guess it was not working.

Mark:D

on chat you had us all believing you had lunch with him:D

rick.

[Service Guy]

There really wasn't much on the list that seemed to apply to me.

Being a service plumber, I think that what I don't like about my job the most is the constant reminder that 'plumbers charge too much.' It wouldn't matter if you charged $5 an hour and gave away the material for free, you'd still be perceived as too expensive because that's the mindset that will never go away.

If you quote a price that will lose you money, the customer says, "That's fair."

And then there are the people who call me and say, "Can you thread a pipe for me?" "Can I borrow your cast iron cutter?" "I just need a 1-1/2" pipe tap for an hour . . ." or those who come to the door with all the tubular from beneath the kitchen sink and say, "Do you have one of these?"

Most of my customers are elderly, and they say, "I could have done that, but I can't get down anymore." I've had 65-year-old women who have done something like pulling all the parts loose on a Delta widespread, left them hanging beneath the sink, and said that they couldn't figure out how to repair the drip, after smooshing the bodies around the cartridges so that the SS rings won't stay on.

As you may be gleaning, most of the people around here do their own work when they can, and they do it badly, but at least they don't have to pay those exorbitant plumbers' wages. Code means nothing, "as long as it works." After Home Depot opened 30 miles away, my number of calls dropped to about 1/3 of what they'd been, within about three months. That was about six years ago. And "Not enough calls" wasn't on the list.

Meanwhile, the number of scabs has greatly increased. Typical newspaper ad: Handyman, brush hauling, porch repair, Plumbing, Electrical, Registered, and a phone number. I'm not sure what happened to the plumbing code, what with "Specialty Licenses" but it certainly wasn't a good thing. Apparently, that Homey training now qualifies one to be a plumber, and being able to run a backhoe means that it's OK to ignore code, under the "bury it and the inspector can't see it" rule.

I hate that Lowe's and Home Depot offer plumbing installations, especially water heaters.
They get the cheapest guys in town to work for them and yet they have millions so they market themselves as "professionally installed" water heaters and they charge less than anyone else whose actually legitimate!!! Most of the guys that work for them do shoddy work and don't follow code.
I saw a water heater installed in a trailer closet with polybutylene piping, no shutoff valves whatsoever, no expansion tank and no piping on the relief valve!!!! I asked the customer who did that horrible installation..., "Lowes." they said without hesitating.:angry:

[MR.WRENCH]

i hate getting called off a job right after i pulled all of my tool off the truck
i hate the other trades that want me to move my tuck every 30mins
i hate electricians that put holes in my pipe, and don't tell me.
i hate the hvac guys that put duck work in my way.
i hate when other people look over my shoulder, and watch me work.
i hate my cell phone that only rings when i'm in a craw space
i hate when the delivery dude from the supply house walk in the house, and say "i have three cast iron tubs outside for you".:banghead:
i love the smell of pvc glue
i would put more, but i hate typing.

[SlimTim]

Though it's irritating to see the proliferation of handymen, I don't mind them too much. I usually have to go behind them and I look all that much better and can charge all that much more.
What really bugs me is the cr*p parts from China. You have to really look to get anything of quality. I generally buy from Wolverine Brass but you even have to watch it there.

[JCsPlumbing]

I hate the "while your heres". What I mean is getting service calls for one thing and the homeowner has 2 more "while your heres" they want you to look at.

One, I have several scheduled after you. You are asking me to be late at all other appointments.

Two, you'll usually need some part that will have to be ordered or I have to go and get.

Three, I don't like having dissatisfied customers so I do make an effort to do the other things but it does nothing but stress me even if it does mean more money.

J.C.

[SlimTim]

Oh yes, the "while your here's". Usually it's "can you fix my $1500.00 faucet in my bathroom with the white carpet after you finish repairing that broken pipe in the muddy hole outside."

[glkearns]

Very good question. I don't have any complaints about the aspect or the labor of plumbing, it is a trade and one that I enjoy.

I have complaints about the fly-by-niters that don't care about the trade and who sell themselves short. The "Plumbers" that are lowering the market price of plumbing for the rest of us who have to feed our families while working in this trade. The ones who do crap work and don't care about anything.

I guess I would like to see everyone involved in the trade love it and respect it as much as I do.

Amen brother.

[glkearns]

I have many complaints about the plumbing industry but here a just a few:

One of my pet peeves with plumbing is the quality of the help I have. I'm pretty anal about how my plumbing looks and it fustrates me when the helpers I have won't do a nice neat looking job. I'm am less concerned about how much time it takes them to perform a task as l am about the quality of the work. These guys think that the faster they get something done the more money they deserve. And that may be true at some companies but not with me. After they leave for they day I go and clean up the work that looks sloppy. If I don't, I'll just go home in a bad mood knowing there's a pipe that isn't plumb or strapped properly. Do I have an illness?

The company that I apprenticed with the rule was that if it wasn't "right" as described above, that whoever installed it had to take out their own work and do it again...EXACTLY as the foreman wanted...which was always WAY overkill. Doing something the second time under such scrutiny really makes you take your time to put the level on the pipe, strap it as it should be so you didn't have to cut it out and do it again.

I had a rough inspection on a whole house remodel today, and he complimented my work. The GC then told me that was the first time he had heard an inspector compliment clean neat work. Scary.

Greg

[HVAC HAWK]

I really can't complain about plumbing except sometimes its smelly and dirty. But I just got my journeyman ticket 2 years ago. I started up my own company. Last year I grossed $129 000 as a plumber tech doing service calls. I rarely work weekends and don't work more than 9 hours a day on average.

REPEAT

[gear junkie]

Venting here; I have a repeat customer that is a big diyer. I've replaced his oil burner transformer, condenser contactor and numerous other things because he tried to fix them himself. His service calls are always at some inconvienent time once he realizes he can't fix what he broke. He calls me last night and says "I broke a pipe, can you solder it back"? "Sure, why'd it break?" "Me and my cousing were trying to replace my water heater and we broke the pipe". "It'll cost this much".
Dead silence-"can I pay half now" "not really" "ok, come over".

So I pull up and what do I see-a brand new Merecedes-don't even know the model because they're so out of my price range. Got the job done with no hiccups but a mercedes in the driveway and you're going to haggle with me on price? I hate people like this.

[NHMaster3015]

I hate the lack of respect. Increasingly the trade gets more and more technical. Requiring the best of us to be more than service men or installers. We need to be engineers and designers. Business and marketing professionals. We need computer skills and have to constantly keep up with new and complicated technology. Plumbing & HVAC are no longer trades that can tolerate the dim witted ann lazy. We are educated, motivated, skilled professionals and we deserve the respect and renumeration for the time and effort we put in. All you home owners that that believe plumbers are ripping you off need to check your next lawyers or doctors bill. Or for that matter the price of a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas.
I have to stop now cause I'm getting wound up.

:wave:

[NorthernIllinoisPlumber]

I had the Funeral home director tell me my job was nasty...:speechless:

[NHMaster3015]

I had the Funeral home director tell me my job was nasty...:speechless:

What, compared to sucking the juices out of cadavers.?
I guess maybe he's right. Has "Dirty Jobs" done embalming yet.?