Plumber massively overcharged on Sunday

[Shahzad Zafar]

We had an incident of estate water pipe burst and united utility had to fix the issue for the whole estate and this time we didnt have much water supply, they were supplying little bit by using their water tankers. When the issue was resolved by UU then my house's water tank's valve stopped working and tank was not getting filled, as a result we were not getting any water into the bolier and that mean no hot water for the house.
I googled the 'plumber near me' and a link came at the top of search for '247 best emergency services', Plumbing and Electrical Services - 247 Best Emergency Services - https://247bestemergencyservices.co.uk
, i called them and the lady said to me there will be £49.99 charges plus parts which i agreed, I asked about other costs then she said it will depend on the job, and engineer will be with you in next 1-2 hours. Then Engineer arrived in 3 hours, he asked the questions about the issue and started investigation and quickly spotted the issue that valve is not filling the tank, he replaced the valve, issue resolved.
Then, he called and informed the '247 best emergency services', they kept chatting for a bit on WhatsApp or some app which i dont know what they were discussing. Engineer said to me your invoice is ready, and it is ...
1. Emergency Call out: £50
2.Labour: £673.60
3.Materials: £50
4.Administrative fee: £94.73
5. VAT: £173.67
6.Total: £1042.00

Except call out charges none of the other cost were shared or estimate wasn't communicated and then insisting on this amount to be paid asap otherwise credit recovery will get involved.

I need your advice please; your any help will be much appreciated.
thanks

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It’s a Sunday they can charge what they want also the water board should of been responsible as it sounds like the blockage was caused by there works

Uu should come and checked you had water

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Agree they can charge more for a Sunday, but maybe contact the company number again, as it seems excessive to me for a small job. It also states on their website “affordable prices”.

 

[snowhead]

As Shaun, United Utilities should have sorted it.

That price is ridiculous even for a Sunday and even IF the engineer had to travel 3 hrs to site.
The fact they mentioned credit recovery would suggest less than honourable practices.

The name and price seems familiar from T.V consumer programmes.
Reviews of them are mixed, some say they were overcharged some are happy.
It's most likely an agency using subcontractors from all over the Country.

Try contacting Citizens Advice locally, but don't hold out any luck in getting any refund.

update,, yes they are an agency and their T&C's are to say the least,, interesting,,

just one of them,

Terms and conditions - 247 Best Emergency Services

247bestemergencyservices.co.uk

 

[Chuck]

This is a consumer advice question so IMO the OP needs to consult Consumers Advice and/or their local Trading Standards.

I am not a lawyer, but I take an interest in such matters and my understanding is that any bill in the circumstances described can't be 'unreasonable'. The less information the customer is given in advance the lower the bar is set for them to challenge the bill.

 

[Murdoch]

Those charges are obscene.

I would contact them in writing and ask for a breakdown so you can understand why they charge so much for effectively 1/2 day work

only when you get a response will you know how to tackle this

 

[Shahzad]

Thanks all for your very informative responses, yes plumber was a subcontractor, and he only traveled about 10 miles. I have contacted the citizens advice bureau via email and they have asked to call them, I will call them tomorrow then will keep posted here.

 

[Ben-gee]

For the job you have described materials are about £12 and I assume the work took less than an hour. This has clearly been overcharged for.