DU Help Needed - re: Honoring Advertised Prices

[otohara]

Any DU'ers who are knowledgeable in this area who can give me some advice or point me to a website I've yet to find with the answers I need.


I'm going round and round with this gal at the local Better Business Bureau in regards to a complaint I made about this plumber who came to my home.

Long story short: After said plumber left my home and I found someone else to do the job for a whole lot less. The first plumber then sends me a bill with a new charge of $250.00 tacked on for a "video line inspection".

After questioning the charge with this really rude owner who screamed and threatened to sue me (he isn't), I'm listening to our local "progressive" station and hear an ad for that business. The ad is for "video line inspection" special $79.99.

I used to work in radio and called my buddy at said Clear Channel station and found out the ad was running prior/during and after the service call to my home.

Now this gal at the BBB is asking: When you asked them to come out did you ask for that price?

It would seem to me that I'd have to be not only schooled in every plumbing term and service offered, and would have to have heard the ad for a service I didn't know I needed prior to calling them.

I checked the Federal Trade Commission site and they only deal in nationally advertised products and refer stuff like this to BBB.

Silly me, I thought truth in advertising meant something, but maybe not.

I have called the Attorney General in my state and left a message. We'll see if someone calls me back, but I have the feeling - they will tell me to file a complaint with the BBB, which I've already done.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I don't think you have much of a 'case' against the plumber. If the ad was running before you

called him, you would probably would have had to ask for the 'advertised' price of the video inspection. Since you didn't request that service at the time you made the call, but instead, I assume, just stated what you wanted fixed, I can't see where you can complain about the bill.

[sybylla]

7. But what you do have is

a great defense if he takes you to small claims court over the bill. He'd advertised a lower price. You expected a lower price. You've tried to deal with the man and gotten nowhere. I bet the small claims court judge will see things your way with said evidence in your hand.

[curlyred]

2. the Better Business Bureau is worthless

The only pertinent part of their name is the "business".
They will seldom take action against a member firm.

[SoCalDem]

5. AMEN to that..

They are little more than a "social organization" for people who like to have a monthly morning-get-together breakfast at a local restaurant.. They don't do much more than that around here, at least :)

[otohara]

13. You're Right

all i was trying to do is get this asshole bumped down from his BBB A+ rating. I am the 3rd complaint against this business with the BBB and still he maintains an A+ rating.

[MineralMan]

3. Hmm...you weren't aware of the price when you engage

this person to do a job? I'm afraid you're out of luck on this one. Did you ask the price before the work was done? If so, then you're truly out of luck.

When you engage a workman to do a job, always ask the price ahead of time. If it seems too high, ask if it can be adjusted. If you're not happy with the price, call someone else.

[otohara]

10. Didn't Know I Needed This Service

all I knew was dirty water was all over my bathroom floor, in the bathtub, toilet and I needed a plumber.

[MineralMan]

14. You have to ask questions.

It's that simple. What are you going to do? How much does that cost? Are there any less expensive ways to fix this?

That's basic consumer stuff. If you just say, "Go ahead and do what you need to do," you're opening yourself up to being charged for services you don't need, but that were performed anyway.

From what I can understand, the guy did the video survey of the pipes. Is that correct? Did you know he was going to do that? If so, did you ask how much that cost?

I realize that a flooded floor is panic time, but you really do have to ask and understand what's going to be done and the expense of having it done.

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. Call the plumber, tell him you'll photocopy the bill and start putting it up on bulletin boards

.
.
.

at laundromats, post offices, libraries, telephone poles, wherever

plus give it to local newspapers, radio stations anyone with a public venue

And will send HIM a bill for your time and expenses

I doubt he'll want the negative publicity

good luck!

[Systematic Chaos]

6. Did you get a detailed estimate from this guy before he started the job?

Seems to me your only legal recourse would lie along this avenue.

In the state of Nevada, a business which offers to do a repair or service job must supply a written, detailed estimate. The final bill for a job cannot exceed the amount of the estimate by more than 20% without notifying the customer before the commencement of the job. Any and all related fees would have to be disclosed up front. Your state laws may be similar.

I'm pretty sure that, in absence of such an estimate, the service can go ahead and bill you however they want for any work performed, including initial inspections regardless of whether or not you chose to have them do the work.

If it were me I think I'd refuse to pay the first company a dime. Let them pay the unrecoverable small claims fees if it's that important to them.

[otohara]

12. I Did Not Sign Off on This Charge

he did not add this to the estimate at the time, it was tacked on after I canceled them to complete the job (they were coming back the next day) nor did he tell me it would cost $250.00.

I'm just trying to get this guy who screamed at me on the phone to not continue to have an A+ rating on the BBB site. I'm beginning to think that's an impossible task - after all, the BBB relies on membership, so it's really not a regulatory agency at all.

[Systematic Chaos]

15. Hmm.... Well in that case they sound like a pretty crooked business.

I can see now why you want their reputation to suffer. Sorry you've had to put up with their bullying and bs.

But everyone here who has already said the BBB is a waste of time pretty much knows what they're talking about. :shrug:

[sinkingfeeling]

16. Did you sign anything with the plumber before they started the work? If you did and then canceled

them in the middle of the job, you may have violated a written contract.

[Blue Diadem]

8. Why would you have to ask for the special price when they are advertising it as their sale price?

See if you have any tv stations with a call for action or similar program that will handle problems like this. If they advertised it as their sale price, whether the customer knows about the ad or not, the price should be what they advertised.

[otohara]

11. I Know - Here's How I Answered The E-mail

Dear _____,

No, I am not that savvy of a consumer to have known that I needed a "video line inspection" in the first place.

Nor did I know said plumber was running a special on the service I didn't know I needed prior to calling them.

Nor did I know what a "video line inspection" was until after one was performed at my home and I did extensive research on the term on the internet.

It sounds to me like running an advertisement is one thing, but honoring said advertisement under any scenario is well....iffy and up for discussion.

Every business from big-banking to small business relies on the small print, loopholes, deregulation. What ever it takes to weasel it's way out of taking responsibility.

One might think the reason our country is in such a mess now is because no one from the FDA, FTC, FCC, to The BBB is really watching or even cares what's been going on or even cares how the consumer is always getting the short end of the stick.

Honestly ______, I really don't care anymore what you do with this. It seemed to me this should have been an easy one for The BBB, but apparently not. Also, I'm beginning to think "said plumber" will continue to receive an A+ rating no matter how vile, untrustworthy and dishonorable they are.

[pacalo]

9. I've actually had to call the state attorney general's office myself

& they sent me their own form to fill out & send back.

The information given to you by the BBB sounds off to me.