In December 2009, I contacted Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing when the spray hose on my kitchen sink began leaking. I was informed that there was a fee of $68.50 for a plumber to come out and assess the situation, and that if I chose to have repairs done, this fee would be deducted from the cost of the repairs.
One of their plumbers (Tony) came out the next day. He unscrewed the top of my spray hose and examined it for approximately 90 seconds. He then sat down, flipped through some papers he had brought with him, and after about 5 more minutes presented me with an estimate for repairs.
The estimate contained two options. The first option was to replace the spray hose apparatus. The estimated cost for parts and labor was $450. The plumber told me, however, that I should ?think about replacing the entire faucet.? The estimated cost for this was approximately $850. I was suspicious of both of these estimates, and so I opted not to have the repairs done.
I then contacted friends and colleagues to get recommendations for other plumbers in the area. I phoned several of these. Each of these other plumbers told me that my problem could be fixed at best with a $0.05 o-ring, and at worst with a $12 replacement spray head. Each one told me that while they could come fix the problem for me, it would be a waste of my money since any homeowner would be capable of fixing this simple problem.
Appalled by the difference between $0.05 and the $850 that the Minneapolis Saint Pal Plumbing wanted me to spend, I called Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing, explained to the dispatcher what had happened, and requested my $68.50 fee back. My reason for requesting the fee back was that it was meant to be the cost for the plumber?s assessment, but I was given a faulty (and in my opinion, dishonest) assessment. A manager reviewed my case and the next day called me back to inform me that my $68.50 would not be refunded.
Cons: Ripped me off
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