Bill the Plumber Their labor charge estimate (for simple job) was over $400 an hour. Sarasota Florida

Several years ago, I noticed a leak in the cabinet under the sink in a small second add-on bathroom that came with the house I had recently bought.

I was a young senior woman living alone. New to the area, I found Bill The Plumber's name in the phonebook anc called them.

They have fancy trucks that look like emergency medicals vehicles.  (I guessed they had high overhead)

I was told that I needed to replace the faucet. The faucet was a very inexpensive one-that I later priced at Home Depot for about $20.  I asked what it cost me for the work.  He gave me two estimates for the job--both included the price of the faucet.  One was for about $450 and the other was $500.  That seemed a bit high to me. so I asked how much the faucets cost so that I could deduct their costs to determine what the labor charge was. Please note: It took less than an hour to do the job when I had it done by an honest plumber. He said he didn't know the price of the faucet. 

I imagine that many seniors -especially women-with little or no experience hiring plumbers, would have gone ahead  and hired this thieving company.  And although I had never had to hire a plumber before, my instincts told me that I was being way overcharged and that their unwillingness to reveal cost of the faucet itself indicated that their labor charges were outrageous (and possibly illegal)? 

I immediately called other plumbers and learned that I was correct. 

The most expensive would have charged my $80 for labor-and allowed me to purchase my own faucet (which I did for $22).

However, a neighbor handyman charged me much less than that.  It was a simple job that took him less than an hour -and he wasn't even a professional plumber.

So Bill The Plumber was charging at least five times as much as every other reputable plumber in the area.

I reported this to the Better Business Bureau but never heard from them

It makes me sad to think how many unknowing victims they have taken advantage of over the years.