Rapid Plumbing

Called Rapid Plumbing, PO Box 4109, Torrance, CA but now see from Angie's List that the same phone number is used for a PO box for Rapid Plumbing in Anaheim, CA, also. Possibly a different franchisee. First visit by Rapid for this problem was in April 2012 and cost $100.00 for an unsuccessful effort. Plumber Jose R. (under 35 years of age) told me that he couldn't open the pipe using the cable ("snake"). Said the problem was corrosion, possibly a collapsed pipe. Led me to believe that the remedy was to go under the house and replace the pipe. Quite plausible, given the age of this house. Before that visit, I had removed dirt in my yard to reveal the sewer cleanout cover. Jose unscrewed the cover and ran a camera cable into the sewer line. Jose reported that there was no blockage of the sewer line and the problem was limited to the bathroom sink outlet pipe. In leaving, he estimated that the repair would be $450.00. He failed to get the cleanout cover seated back on its threads properly, so I screwed that back down. I also cleaned up the mess in the bathroom. I saved the money for the repair and negotiated a $25.00 price reduction in advance, figuring maybe two hours of labor plus parts needed to replace the bathroom sink outlet pipe under the house. Jose returned on June 7, 2012 to do the work. A few minutes after Jose arrived, a second plumbing truck arrived with a big tank mounted on it, also painted with the Rapid Plumbing logo. This one was new to me. A second plumber drove it. Into the bathroom both plumbers went. Twenty (20) minutes later they were finished and the bathroom sink pipe was open. I asked how much I owed. Jose said I owed the negotiated $425.00 for that visit. I objected on two grounds: (1) In his first visit, Jose had led me to think that he was going to go under the house and replace a pipe, which in my opinion would have been worth $425.00, but that was not done. Thus, no contract was formed. Instead, without my informed consent, a chemical technique was ostensibly used to open the pipe. That technique was not explained to me before or after the work. (2) The labor rate works out to about $1,275.00 per hour, more than that for kidney dialysis in the home. It was pointed out to me that the equipment used to open the pipe is very expensive. I'm sure that's so, but am I buying shares in it? Further, although Jose had a cable camera, he did not offer to show me the results of his work. For all I know, he may have blasted a hole in the pipe to make it drain properly. Jose also failed to obtain my signature on the work order until after my objection to its cost. He took offense at my pointing out that plumbers are not so highly educated as to justify a $1,275.00 per hour labor rate and said his boss required him to charge me the $425.00.