Old Geek
Pattern Altitude
I had some unpleasantness with a plumber and his pricing yesterday. He came out to quote me on a rather simple repair. He said it would take 2 hours and his "rate book" said the cost would be $450. I asked for an hourly rate and he would not give it. The job would take a maximum of $40 in parts (my cost). I politely declined. I'm used to paying an excellent carpenter $35/hr (plus at least another $15/hr tip), an excellent painter about $60/hr, and my A&P $65/hr. I do electronics design consulting and inspect and calibrate AWOS stations for $100-$125/hr., requiring both an FCC license and an FAA certification. What's up with $200/hr for a plumber. Even my FAA medical examiner and my DPE gets less than that per hour.
I ended up doing the work myself. $40 for parts, $150 for tools and 2 hours of my time, including the time to buy the parts and tools.
I ended up doing the work myself. $40 for parts, $150 for tools and 2 hours of my time, including the time to buy the parts and tools.
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