KEN'S EXCAVATING

I called many times over the course of one month and left messages on his answering machine before a service visit could be arranged.   He finally made a site visit and three days later returned and installed the item.   
A month earlier, when I first contacted him and requested his services, I was returning to a local
contractor with whom I had a prior record of business. I called
and left messages on his answering machine several times and finally
reached him on his cell phone. Weeks rolled by before I was able
to set up an appointment with him to first see the project and then
return a couple of days later to install a new water heater and make
a couple of other minor repairs.  In an effort to make the job
easier, I helped carry the tanks, some tools and a platform ladder and made myself available for any assistance he might need. I was
willing to be patient and helpful because expected I could get a fair
deal with . Now I'm not so sure got one!
The bill he presented upon completion was a shocker: $865.17, including $381.60 for labor
and $398.37 for a standard 6 year limited warrantee 40 gallon, nat
gas tank. I paid the whole thing on the spot, but suspected that I
was being overcharged. Later I checked prices around town. I
discovered that I could have gotten a 9 year warrantee tank from one
of the local big box stores for the same price he charged for a six
year tank. But OK, he picked the item up and was entitled to pass
on a mark-up. But the labor charge of $381.60 is a bit over the
top. He charged me almost $200 more to install a water heater than
Home Depot. (They install a water heater for $185, including
the permit!)