T H Eifert Mechanical Inc

Description of Work: Furnace diagnostics and repair

Description of Work: T.H. Eifert repaired the sink stopper and installed new faucets, spout, and shower head in our bathroom. My main complaint is how expensive it was--$630.00--and the unreasonableness of two of the itemized charges. First, the plumber recorded a 4-hour labor charge at $89 per hour when he only worked 3.5 hours. Whan I questioned him, he explained that he had to "clock in" as soon as he showed up at the Eifert warehouse to load his truck and drive to the work site, hence the extra .5 hours. (When I complained about this to the Eifert billing dept., they did remove the .5 hour charge.) Second, the invoice also listed a $25 "truck charge," which is meant to cover fuel and maintanence costs, I suppose. This charge was not removed even though I complained. I also felt the mark-up on some of the materials was excessive--an almost $180 charge for a new bathtub spout, faucets, and shower head seems excessive to me, especially since I'm sure they purchase these things in large quantities at discounted prices. Also, I was not given an estimate of the cost beforehand, though in fairness to them, I didn't ask for one. Had I, however, I know I wouldn't have gotten one because I did ask, once the plumber gave me the "work completed" sheet to sigh, how much it would cost, and he responded he had no idea, that the people at the office knew all the prices of the materials and would figure it out. The quality of their work seems fine, and the plumber was friendly and seemed competent; however, I would suggest never using Eifert unless you request and are given an estimate before hand and are willing to pay a $25 truck charge and a half-hour (or more) labor charge to cover the time it takes the plumber to load his truck and drive to your house. Don't know about you, but I never charged any of my employers just for driving to work, nor for gas and vehicle maintenace unless it was a long, out-of-town trip.