Did I get ripped off with new water heater?

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mdhouseowner

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Did I get ripped off?

OK, I’m not sure why I approached this without my usually carefulness. Anyway, it was time for a new electric water heater (52 gallons) in my house. The old one still worked, but was showing signs of age.

So, I called a reputable plumbing company and scheduled an appointment. When they arrived they said it would cost $1299 to replace the water heater and that they could do it right now. Without thinking too much about it, I said OK. They went to work and less than two hours later the new heater was installed.

But then I thought that the price was a little high and called some other plumbing companies who quoted me $600-$900 for a similar sized and quality heater.

Now I have this sinking feeling that I was ripped off. So my questions are:

1. Did it totally mess up by paying $1299 for a new electric water heater with installation in suburban Maryland?
2. Is there anything I can do about it now?

Lessons learned: Do your research…. :mad:
 

Finnegan

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It is hard to say without seeing the installation and knowing the type of heater installed, but yes that sounds a little high.
 

hj

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wh

If everyone is quoting prices in the same range and this one is much higher, probably because you called one of the nationally advertised franchises, then you probably did pay too much. But at this point there is nothing you can do about it. There is no rule that says they have to match someone else's prices so they can charge whatever the customer will agree to pay. There is not much, if any, difference between heaters, unless they used one with an extended, more than 6 years, warranty, or some other "special" model. Self-cleaning not being a feature that warrants an extra charge. Personally, I would love to be able to install water heaters for $1,200 apiece, and do several a day.
 

mdhouseowner

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Well, it was just a local plumber and they installed a 52gallon A.O. Smith heater with 6years warranty. Nothing fancy.
 

Cass

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Sounds like you did pay a little more than you might have.

But I can say with almost 100% surety that I doubt it will happen again.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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thats my ideal price

I wish I could charge that all day long......

but for some reason because my business name begins
with a W instead of an A , I get the smarter shoppers
that start looking from the BACK OF the YELLOW PAGES

Now if I had the brass kahonneys--or gall ---or greed
to even quote 1299 to my loyal customers they
would probably throw me out
of the house...

I dont know where you are inthe USA but in the mid-west
the average price range is from 550 through 900..

I usually try to get 650....

maybe 800 with a thermal expansion tank and a pan

you can always call them back and raise cain about it....
and ask for a price break down ect....

or call the BBB


but then again they didnt twist your arm and force you
to do this so basically a deal is a deal..
 

Master Plumber Mark

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650.00

650 means with the water heater, labor, install, and
6 year warranty tank, 6 [parts, 2 labor...warranty


I am sure if you call them they will probably claim

--if you push them -- that they gave you some sort of

"life time warranty" or "delux" unit.....


if it is a SMITH unit its probably only a 6 year water heater

if it is a Conservationist Smith uniit its a 10 year unit


the 10 year unit from us usually costs INSTALLED around $850


I have heard all this before......from customers on the phone

with buyers remorse.....

just call them and question them about the bill

they will probably hem -haw on the phone with you..

and if pushed --or threatend with a complaint to the BBB

they will probably drop it down to someting lower...


its more up to you--- how angry you are ---- that will determine
the outcome....
 

hj

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bill

But if they are like some of the companies around here, they just want to get into every house one time, they are not concerned about repeat business, unless the customer is a masochist, or believes that because they charge a lot more, they are a better company.
 

Lithnights

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So what of that cost is actual labor? My gas water heater is going on 12 years and I'm planning on replacing it soon.

Wondering whether I should pay or just do it myself one afternoon. I'll get local quotes but just wondering what install is for you all?

Thanks,
 

Cass

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That is hard to say because you will pay more than a plumber for a heater because you buy 1 and we buy 100s.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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support your local small business man---NOT LOWES

I usually leave the job when the customer gets out

a stop watch and starts to time me ......


Once I even asked a guy if he timed himself in the shower too...LOL
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lowes and HOME DEPOT usually charge about 200 bucks

for their dummies to come out and installl their water heaters...


usually when you buy one from a plumber you are getting
someone more competent,
and you are probably getting a better service warranty
on the water heater......2+ years service for free....
and your small town plumber will honor that warranty too...



genereally you get what you pay for....

if you dont want anything more from someone than just an install

and not someone that will take care of other emergency problems in your

home on a cold and snowey night, when those needs arise, call LOWES


If you arent willing to let your local small business man

make a living too, by getting out the stop watch and

whineing and haggleing with him over 50- 100 bucks...


Just call Lowes and they will send out the "A" team...

hell--you might even get someone that can speak english..

they might look like extras in the movie "Deliverance "
but you got a cheap price.....and thats what counts...
-------------------------------------------------------------------

In a few years from now when all the small guys are out of buseinss
and you cant find any small plumbers in the yellow pages willing to fix a faucet
or do any small jobs.....for a fair price......

or basically not even walk in your house .for under $300 or so....


you will know why...



enough pontificateing for now...
 
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Mikey

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I vote for ripped off

I bought a 50 gallon Whirlpool "Energy Smart" water heater from Lowe's just about 4 years ago for $298. (God knows who really made it. The data plate says "US/Craftmaster", the warranty says "Whirlpool", and the copyright on the Installation Guide says "American Water Heater Company".) It has a "Limited lifetime" warranty, which basically covers everything one might reasonably expect to be covered for my lifetime in the original installed location. Schlepped it home in my truck and had it installed in about an hour. Total time spent shopping, schlepping, and installing was about 3 hours. But, I enjoy doing things like that. If you don't, and have a lot more idle cash than I do, you might considered it a bargain. Even considering overhead and other pro-type issues, though, and based on what others have said, I think it was a poor deal at best.
 

hj

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cost

Cass said:
That is hard to say because you will pay more than a plumber for a heater because you buy 1 and we buy 100s.

But that does not mean he will sell it to you for less than HD or Lowes, however. He will mark it up to make a profit, which will also cover his implied warranty to you in case there is a problem with the heater. I really do not break a water heater installation down into labor and materials.
 

malder

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$600 for a new W/H? Are you insane? Who can make money on that? Are you a charity? Materials alone are close to that much on a new w/h install.

It's odd to me that so many plumbers are so eager to tell homeowners how they got ripped off. Then some of you go on to say you wish you could charge that much. Have you ever tried? Maybe you can't because you don't back that price up with value.

Charging higher prices does not make you a better company. Charging higher prices enables you to be a better company. Big difference. Are you driving a broken down truck? Are you working 50-60 hrs/wk and still bringing home $50k/yr? Still charging $80/hr? Are your skills not worth more than a menial living? I know mine are. As long as you don't value YOUR expertise and ability to serve your customer, then you will never be bold enough to DEMAND a decent wage. When you are ready, then I suggest you double your rates, double your customer service and join a contractors group to get yourself off the bottom. Service Roundtable is a great start.

Don't tell me that if I charge $XXX for a job that I will have no repeat customers and everyone I serve will be getting ripped off. I have plenty of repeat customers and the vast majority are thrilled at paying substantially more than $1299 for a new W/H. I know because we ask them. Then again we offer an awesome value for that, so that's what really matters.

Sorry for the rant. The sooner we all value our expertise and stop worrying about the 'going rate', the better for everyone.

Feel free to tell me how greedy I am. Tell me what a bad person I am, etc...

Malder
 

Cass

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Tell me,
What is a low price, what is a high price, and what is the median price for you (Malder)to install a 50 gallon electric Rheem water heater with no obstructions in the way and no upgrades in a walkin basement?

Lets say a 5-6 hour job from first contact to finish.
 
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JK60

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malder said:
Don't tell me that if I charge $XXX for a job that I will have no repeat customers and everyone I serve will be getting ripped off. I have plenty of repeat customers and the vast majority are thrilled at paying substantially more than $1299 for a new W/H. I know because we ask them. Then again we offer an awesome value for that, so that's what really matters. Malder

Two years ago I paid $279 for a Rheem 50 gallon gas water heater. Plumber came in and charged me $125 to install plus he took the old heater with him. So the grand total was $404. Today I would do this job myself, but that's another story. So what is it that you offer exactly that would lead me to not only consider paying you more then $1299 for a new W/H but on top of that to be thrilled with this prospect?
 
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hj

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5 to 6 hours to install a 50 gallon water heater? If I cannot install the new one in about the same time the old one finishes draining, I usually consider it a "tough" job.
 

Mikey

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Draining time

My (30 year?) old WH took over a day to drain. I wanted to see how bad it was inside, so I cut it open. Damn good thing my wife didn't see what was in there.

The new one started to produce stinky water after a year or so. Tried to drain, but it drained very slowly -- looked like another 1-day affair -- but little balls of white solids came out. I figured they were clogging the drain so I just squirted some compressed air up the drain hose (yes, the WH was disconnected) to keep the stuff suspended, and it drained OK in about half an hour. (The drain valve is a plastic thing I didn't want to try to remove.) The white stuff, of course, turned out to be what was left of the anode rod. Replaced it with an aluminum rod on the recommendation of Whirlpool, but I think there are better ones for my problem. In any event, it doesn't make stinky water any more, and drains readily.
 
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