Barbara Streeter
10 months ago
Elie's Plumbing staff replaced a 10 foot stack in the basement that had a difficult connection to the upper portion of the stack on the first floor level that had been replaced previously. I have used them twice before and they do good work. The previous two times their charges were reasonable: The first, in 1999, was cleaning out and replacing a huge drainpipe from kitchen sink disposal to the ground in the basement. Three people worked on it for more than half a day (coming, getting parts, coming again..) and the charge was $440. The second job, earlier this year, was the installation of a kitchen faucet and a tub spout, replacing a brass link on the water main and cleaning out the drain to a bathroom sink. Again, it was 3 to 4 guys working for somewhat more than half a day. The charge was $465. This time three people (two with some guidance from Avi, who is the boss) worked for about half a day and the charge was $1200. I was told that they charge $100 per foot of stack replaced and that their efficiency is part of the high cost, that is, that someone else might charge less per hour but take longer to complete the job. Given my previous experiences, I was unprepared for the high cost of the job, especially when I was told, this will be easy, we do this kind of job all the time. I wish I had asked for an estimate ahead of time and suggest that the boss, Avi, let customers know ahead of time what the cost will be even if they don't ask.