The plumber our builder found did the initial work, presented the bill, and then refused to itemize the bill. When I asked for a discussion about the bill, he told me to forget it. He said that I owed him nothing.
You guessed it! He got nothing from me. And his uncooperation caused us headaches. We had to find a plumber who could use his own imagination about what had already been done before he arrived.
Luckily my brother knew a young fellow who was trying to get his Allstar business up and running, and we were able to get our plumbing work done. This young fellow did not always answer his cell phone when we called, but I learned to call from different phone numbers (the phone at my dentist, for example), and he would answer. Caller ID isn't always helpful for the caller, unfortunately.
Recently we ended up installing our own kitchen faucet when no plumber wanted to come out into the country to our house in Wetcreek. Since that dizzying experience for my hub, we have seen some handy ideas on television handyman shows for future installations. Gosh, let's hope that won't be necessary!
If all goes well today, we can say goodbye to our Dutch plumber. Last week he and Colin installed a new water heater, and today they installed a new bathroom ventilation system and a new (old) heater for the spare bedroom here at the Beltway.
As I said at the onset of our home building in 2006, in my next life I will return as a plumber. Here is a list of the necessary items that I will take along to "finish" my jobs:
1. Two plastic buckets
2. Many large towels or rags to mop up water
3. Shop Vac
4. Floor mats or floor protectors
5. My own coffee/tea/bottled water
6. My own cookies
You guessed it! Our Dutch plumber (who also helped us with our Zoeterwoude farmhouse remodeling almost 30 years ago!) never brings the items mentioned above. Items 5 and 6 I have learned are the norm here in Nederland.
As for the rest, a good plumber needs to bring items 1-4 and use them!
Hmmm! In another lifetime, I suppose.
9 comments:
What a headache Hun. I hate dealing with trades people and home repairs or renovations, it makes my head want to explode. Anyways I should also mention that one of my blogging friends is a female plumber and she writes a blog about being a female plumber. The Plumbette if you're keen to take a look.
Oh- How horrible. We had the most problems with a plumber of any of the trades people we used on this last house. He came recommended, too....sadly, I would not pass that recommendation along. He was sloppy and showed up when he felt like it. Always something, isn't it? lol Thank goodness we can roll with the punches. xo Diana
The last time we needed a plumber it was extremely hard to find one.
Wat lastig als je niet goed een loodgieter kunt vinden of als hij zijn werk niet goed doen!
Zelf een cursus doen!
Zijn jullie nu nog in Nederland en hebben jullie een tweede huis in Deventer? Ik ben een beetje de draad kwijt nadat je terugkwam uit Marokko.
Lieve groet,
Gerry
I practically worship my plumber. If he weren't married, I would cast aside Willy Dunne Wooters in favor of the plumber.
Love,
Janie
Thank goodness you added "cookies", Lin!!!...:)JP
It sure seems like you guys handled your plumbing problems very well! Anyway, the thing about the coffee/tea/bottled water and cookies got me laughing hard! But seriously, why didn't your plumber bring any of the first four items? Unless they expect that the homeowners would have those things ready all the time, which they really shouldn't. Anyway, thanks for sharing, Linda. Have a great day!
Mindy Powers @ The Plumbing Authority
Once you get used to a lot of plumbing duties, you’ll be amazed how plumbing woes could be easily resolved without the help of a plumber. Thanks for laying out those item lists that a plumber would need to bring! I hope a lot of your readers would find your list handy. Thanks, Linda! All the best!
Lovella Cushman @ Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Ltd
Looks like you guys are getting good at plumbing. Well, that's great! At least, it won't be a big problem for you anymore when you need something to be fixed and, there's no pro available in your area. Well, thanks for sharing those necessary items that a plumber should bring. All the best to your whole family, Linda!
Levi Eslinger @ Capital Plumbing
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