Priority Plumbing was dispatched to my condo at 9 pm to fix a plugged toilet. The call was $159 flat. Upon arrival, the Priority Plumbing technician quoted a staggering $843 to fix the problem using a snake. I had no choice but to proceed as my neighbour below was complaining that water was dripping into his unit, and I was 1,400 miles away and unable to assess the situation myself. Within 90 minutes the problem was fixed, and Priority Plumbing banked a grand. A grand to fix a toilet in an emergency. A poll of my friends ("how much would you expect to pay for...") revealed that almost everyone viewed this amount as excessive. A follow-up call with Priority Plumbing to complain about the price proved fruitless. They claim that their up-front quote is what it is, and that I agreed to it (which is true, but the circumstances were such that I had no option). Lesson: keep a list of reasonably priced emergency service people on hand, so as to avoid outlandishly expensive charges levied under duress (such as this one from Priority Plumbing).
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,000.00
- Company Response
We are sorry that you do not see the value of having a licensed, insured, competent, drug free, criminal record free, fully trained, quality and accountable individual in your home, especially when you are 1400 miles away. I know that I would be quite concerned about letting just any stranger in my home with my family.
Some people would consider having their problem fixed in 90 minutes or less to be excellent service.However, I am not surprised by your surprise about the price. I too am amazed at the costs involved in running a fully licensed and professional service company. We have to pay for things like:
Licensing, Insurance, Office equipment, Telephone, Fax, Benefits, Truck Maintenance, Test Equipment, Gasoline, Truck Inventory, Training, Utilities, Office Leasing, Quality Control, Service Management, Administration, Postage, Technician Salaries, Office Help, Tools, Taxes, Workers Compensation, Office Supplies, Office Equipment and Computerization.Now come’s profit. A 10% net profit on the selling price, although seldom realized would be ideal. So if we were efficient enough to earn 10% on a $200 repair, we would earn 20 taxable dollars. I’m sure you’ll agree that this is not excessive for providing top quality services on your premises.
We try every thing in our power to keep our costs low, to keep our prices as low as possible to prevent this type of customer dis satisfaction. This is why we never ever start any job without you knowing exactly what it will cost first and you have to authorize it. Our up front pricing manual ensures that we are not just looking at you, trying to figure out how much money you have or that you need to be a good negotiator to get a fair price. Everybody pays the same.
And as far as keeping a list of emergency contractors more reasonable than us, I don't believe that there is another company out there charging less than us who would even answer the phone at night, and if they did they surely wouldn't have the accountability or quality of service that you received by us.
I think it is a bit unfair to slander us when you knew the price before we started. We can't control when you call or where you are when you need us.
We do not charge more for our services no matter what time you call.
Again I'm not sure of the type of service you are used to, expect or have required in the past, but I believe that it is unfair to complain when we did everything possible to be as transparent as possible before we started the work.
I can't do anything about the costs of running a business in downtown toronto, all I can control is the quality of service we provide. I don't think you can complain about that. This is what has won us the Top Choice award for Best Plumbing Company in Toronto 3 years in a row.
Priority Plumbing
https://priorityplumbing.ca
416-762-8662