Cook Richard Plumbing & Heating

Steve R.

So, I had a very straightforward gas plumbing issue. I had a wall that was water damaged. A gas line runs through the wall. In order to fix the wall the gas line needed to be disconnected and capped until the wall went up. Then the gas line could be reconnected. This consisted of loosening 3-4 gas fittings on a 28in pipe. That's it people! I know plumbing, but I don't mess with gas.

I found this company online and the guy emailed me within literally five second of submitting a request. We agreed to meet the following morning at 0930 or so. The person who showed was on time. Good so far.

The plumber looked at what I needed as described above, and he said he had to call his boss to get the quote. Keep in mind, I estimate this job will take no more than one hour. He comes back with a quote of $400. I was dumbfounded. I told the guy there was no way I was paying that money for a simple job such as this. He then gets back on the phone with his ""manager,"" who magically said he would take $300 if I paid in cash. That was the second clue. I ultimately told the guy no thanks and he left.

Keep in mind, I asked the estimator about the condition of this 28in gas line. To me it looked corroded from the years of water damage. He said the pipe would last forever. I said ok.

About 30 seconds after he left, I called another plumber who told me I was essentially getting scammed. This new guy showed up and had the gas lines disconnected and capped in 20 minutes. He will come back next week and reconnect within about 40 minutes. I'm paying him $180. And remember that gas line that looked corroded to me?

Well yes people it had a leak. This metal pipe that would last forever had a sizeable hole that has been leaking natural gas. I wish I could attach a picture, but I kept the pipe. Buyer beware. The original company may have been well intentioned, but I wasn't looking to buy a new car. I wanted a simple plumbing issue addressed.