DAVE BLACKWELL PLUMBING MONEY FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET! Brunswick, Maine

OK, it was stupid. I was emptying out a tub of water into the toilet, that I had used for soaking my swollen feet. Per some advice on the Net, I had put some lemon slices in it, along with epsom salts and vinegar. I tried to carefully hold back the lemon slices but two went into the toilet and got stuck. It wouldn't flush, no matter how much I plunged and tried to get the lemons out with a wire hanger. So, I called a plumber, that is, Dave Blackwell. I imagined he'd have to dissasemble the toilet or do some extensive work to get it working again. So when he quoted $150. for the job on the phone, I agreed. He arrived at 1:55 pm, plunged the toilet twice with a commercial grade plunger, and was done. It flushed. The time was 2:03 pm. I said, "You're not seriously going to charge me $150. for 8 minutes work and just plunging the toilet, are you?" "All the time," he replied. He wasn't kidding. I told him it was ridiculous, and not fair. I refused to pay. He said he'd lower it to $140, then $120. I said that was still too much. He said he had to drive from Freeport (about 15 miles south of me), and I said Big deal. Anyway, he advertised that he was in Brunswick, 10 miles south, so why should I have to pay for him to come from his last service call? Finally, I said, you'll have to take me to court. I'm not paying. He asked, What would you pay? I agreed to $75., still too much for plunging a toilet but I wanted this over with. He wrote out a bill, I paid him, and that was that. So see? He was just trying to get as much as he could, and I suspect alot of plumbers are like that. Moral of the story: Don't let these guys bully you. Plumbers' fees are insane. But they're not written in stone. I asked Blackwell how he decides on his fees. he said, "It's what we all get." So they're all in cahoots, to get as much as they can. I'm a single woman homeowner, 64, and I would bet he thought I'd be a pushover. I still paid way too much, but at least not as much as he wanted. I'll never call this guy again. Trying to rip somebody off is almost as bad as really ripping them off. He did look inside the tank and twisted the ball thing down so my water levels would be lower, and that might help my water bill. But $150. for that? If these guys won't set fair rates among themselves (fat chance), then the state ought to regulate rates for them. No one should be paid for work they don't do, and no one should charge grossly unfair rates, such as $20. a minute to plunge a toilet. Don't be bullied--and forget the lemons for soaking your feet!