Dealing with Fradulent Plumber

5 years ago

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on this issue from the community.

I'm based on Canada and a few months ago, we had a pipe leak in the main floor powder room which caused a flood in the basement laundry room. A small area was affected. We called an emergency plumber to repair the leak and remove the damaged drywall. The plumber came with a team, removed drywall and dehumidified the area. Now they gave us a $500 bill to fix the pipe leak but did not give us a quote for the drywall removal or drying because they said it will depend on how long it takes to dry and that they would send the invoice to insurance directly. As first-time home owners we didn't think much of it.

Now they have come back to us with a $24,000 bill for some basic drywall removal and they're harassing us with threats of legal action if we don't pay. The invoice they have sent us is totally fraudulent with line items that were never done, equipment that was never used, extra hours than were actually spent and an hourly rate that is obviously insane.

I'm not sure how to deal with this. The insurance rightfully thinks this is excessive and is only allowing up to $3500 for the job. I'm not sure what I should be doing in this situation. The company has a ton of complaints on the better business bureau, and have bad reviews on home stars. We got fooled by fake good reviews on Google and in a moment of panic with our basement ended up hiring them.

Any advice?

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Comments (3)

greg_2015
5 years ago
Call a lawyer and don't pay them a cent.
ceilsan32
5 years ago
Go to your local television stations. Post your issue on social media, with plenty of videos and commentary. Contact "Holmes on Homes" to see if they can help you. Contact your Attorney General's office (or equivalent). Your plumber is definitely a fraudster and should be prosecuted. You'll most likely find other posts (negative) about his company. Be prepared to hire an attorney, although once you contact the media, some may offer assistance at a reduced hourly rate. You'll need someone with expertise in this area, to avoid being needlessly billed for hours of research that could be more effectively handled by an experienced attorney. In the interim, don't pay the plumber's bills, as he may take your money and skip town.
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PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
5 years ago
Consult with your attorney and also check with your state, most states have Consumer fraud protection laws, contact them and they will handle this.

That said, I'm not sure how things work in Canada, but here using your pipe issue as an example after the emergency work was done and you paid $500 to fix the leak...

You contact your insurance company and they will send an adjuster to assess the damage and in most cases, the insurance company will send out a company ( around here ServPro who usualy handle that and they work with most insurance companies) to dry and clean everything up.

In the meantime, you get a few estimates of your own for the rest of the work and send it to your adjuster for approval so you can complete the repairs. i.e drywall patch, painting, etc.

Your plumber shouldn't do any work (other than emergency repair to stop the leak) and he knows better until he gives you a price and the insurance company approves his quote for everything else.

Good luck