Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers", OVERPRICED & out to get your money.

[evilplumbers]

Action Auger Canada Inc "The Gentlemen Plumbers" are in fact 3x more expensive than the average plumbers. They try to excuse their prices because of their so called "service". Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" charges every client for every call 49.95 just to come out, calling this a "dispatch & travel" fee. They tell you give you options for a solution and then let you know how much each option will be BEFORE they get started on the work right? Sounds all good right? Actually, Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" uses this tactic so they can get their foot in your door, since you already have to pay the 49.95 regardless if you get the work done or not, you don't really want to say no to the price because the plumber is already at your door to fix you up. The truth is, Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" are so ridiculously overpriced that they just hope you aren't aware of it. They also offer a senior discount of a whopping 5%! 5%?! That is definitely a joke! Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" claims to offer guaranteed quality service to back up their arm and a leg of prices, but on average they get about 5 complaints a day! Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" offer they're senior discount because usually seniors are the easiest to rip off. They come in all dressed up and polite, they put on this show, only to charge them so much money that the discount isn't even accounted for! The price to install a toilet usually varies from $80-$130 but Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" charges anywhere from $200-$300 dollars. Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" is out to get your money! Beware! Don't be fooled by the smiley faces and the attire or girls that answer your call. They claim to have 24/7 service but rarely ever come out at night! Action Auger "The Gentlemen Plumbers" is the last place you should ever get a plumbing job done!

[Gordon smallwood]

" the gentlemen plumbers" What a joke, the trouble is they should not be able to obtain a license to operate anywhere!
First off they come to you saying that they will give an estimate before each job is started, there is never a mention of them charging you 49.95 to give you the estimate wether the work is done or not?
In my case that is what happened but the real problem was when I asked him to do a simple job he went and quoted me a rebuild price for the shower faucet which was to include (or so I thought) a new faucet(as I was eliminating the shower which was an add on ) he said no problem, but he didnt have the part in his truck so advised that he would be back to install it when he picked one up well that was last tuesday and it is now sat and I have had to pick up the part myself and install it!
When he advised that he would be back in a day or so he also demanded payment in full and would only accept visa or MC and wouldnt leave untill payment in full was made.
I have contacted their office and have asked to speak to the fellow who did the work, all they do is keep telling me he is busy but will call me back (still waiting for him to call).

And to top it off the seniors discount well they added it to the bill so I ended up paying and extra 5% for there already overpriced work??
Talk about a "RIP OFF" Never Never Ever Call "The Gentlemen Plumbers", in fact there name should be "THE RIP OFF PLUMBERS"

[Plumber89]

I'm a self employed Plumbling & Heating contractor in Pennsylvania.

Now that i got that out of the way, once in awhile I like to read about Plumbers who are ripping people off, and these 2 posts prompted me to respond.

First off, I'm not sure what part of the country you live in, but $200.00 to install a toilet is a normal price in my area to do the work.

Second, there is NO SUCH THING as a simple job in our field. If it was simple, then why are you calling a Plumber out in the first place?

I find most of these "rants" about Plumbers, are coming from people who don't understand the first thing about economics, and most of you people are college educated that are slandering these companies...lol.

So let's start off with this..

We are entitled to charge for profit-wages-overhead. Those 3 things cover all of our expenses to come out and fix YOUR problem. That also includes (listen up Plumbers) a return trip if necessary, if the problem isn't fixed correctly a few days after.

I will agree that Plumbers need to stand behind their work, and not charge for a return trip, because they didn't fix it the first time.

So if this Plumber is charging $200.00 to install a toilet, is he really ripping you off? Shall we go through the numbers together, so you can see you both are complete idiots?

You people act like Plumbers are high 5ing each other all the way to the bank with your money.

Here..I have a better idea, you should tell us what the job is worth, and us Plumbers will tell you how long you would be in business for..ok?

[Happy Client Jason]

Greetings,
I am writing to comment on the recent positive customer experience I had with your company. I reside in the Edmonton service area.
Shortly before retiring for bed at 10 pm last night, I noticed water rising up from our basement shower stall. I tried a few of the normal DIY solutions such as snaking some of the drains with my home snake. When those didn’t work, and raw sewage started to back up, we knew we would need professional help. And fast!
It was now just before midnight on the Saturday of the Canada Day long weekend. We shuddered at the prospect of not being able to find someone, or if we did, the high callout and overtime fees that might be associated to the late hour. My wife called a few other companies and was told repeatedly that no one was available, despite all the ads stating “24/service”. We then called Action Auger and were told that someone could be there within half an hour.
Our service technician, Neil, arrived shortly after, and was extremely professional right from the start. He was clean cut, professionally dressed, and had a friendly and courteous attitude, despite the late hour on a long weekend. I explained the problem and he gave me a quick estimate, and I was pleased to see that there were no extra fees for the late callout, and that it was just like any other service call. Neil had our problem solved quickly and soon the drains were flowing freely. His friendly attitude helped a stressful situation and we were joking and laughing throughout the call.
Neil was a true professional and an ambassador for your company. He should be commended for his commitment to customer service. I won’t hesitate to recommend Action Auger to anyone in need of a good plumber.
Thank you,
Jason Altmiks

[Glen]

I had them clean some drain Kitchen sink and Bathroom sink. They sugested that I hace the city line as well. The sinks have not empied as they do in years. The price I found high, just over $1300. The floors my wife had to scrub, as they still had the sewer sludge, and the vanity drooors (3) on the one slide were black when they pulled them out had to be cleaned. In the basement the broke sometile off and never told my wife, so I now had the job to replace them which never fits the same spot again so is noticable. Would I get them again NO!

[Mike]

I have dealt with these guys in a business capacity on several occasions and I find that their work is on par or better than most other plumbers that I deal with. The fist 2 posts that complain about "travel fees" are standard in the industry. Most companies, no matter which industry, will charge a service fee but may not break it out of the price. I'm sure that many people would throw a fit if they saw a "travel fee" on their next pizza delivery even though it's normally integrated into the price. It's a part of doing business so don't complain. As for individual service complaints, that should not reflect poorly on the company, it's more to do with the individual employee and their attention to detail.

[John]

I have no problem with their 49.95 service call fee...but my 89 year old dad had them come to replace a bathroom sink and faucets. I think they took huge advantage of an old man.
I looked at his bill and they charged him $710 just for the sink, and $501 for the faucet. This is for parts only...labour and materials were on top of this.
The sink is a basic low line sink you can buy at Totem for $75...same with the faucet.
I believe they took advantage of him. They may have good service but that doesn't give them the right to rape people.

@Plumber89...don't get so defensive...the comments weren't made at plumbers in general...just Action Auger.

[Plumb1]

I'm a service repair plumber in Red Deer, AB. Ive been working in this trade for 6 years and I'm a registered 3rd year apprentice. Action Auger charges out a fee slightly higher due to the fact that their service area is so wide that the vehicle charge needs such in order to alleviate fuel consumption for their large service trucks. Action Auger doesnt want to get ripped off.
Most plumbing contractors in Red Deer charge out extra if they have to go out of town for service.
Let me tell you a story about a handyman who wanted to save 850 bucks for a new hot water heater for his infloor heating because he didnt like the plumbers price. He went and bought a 33 Gal gas heater and took it home and got prepared to install it. He shut the pumps off, bypass valves and gas. He then drained it down. Once it was empty he cut the copper pipes, disconnected the gas union and hauled the old tank out and brought the new one in. he "connected" the gas, he half assed "soldered" the copper lines back onto the tank, he didnt know how to cut and re-size the exhaust for the tank so he ran a flex line and tied it into the main trunk (heat duct).
WRONG
1. His tank was undersized
2. he ended up dead-heading his circ pumps
3. his solder joints had pin hole leaks which he wrapped with T-tape
4. burst pipe under the garage pad because he forgot to add glycol (anti-freeze)
5. he had gas leaks because he didnt seal the threads
6. the tank burnt out because he fired it too early
7. he forgot to install a new automatic air vent.
It cost him $5,000 to have complete repairs done in his mechanical room and repair the line under the pad. If he spent $850 plus GST and truck charge plus supplies, he would have enjoyed paying that fee instead of 5 grand.
Ultimately its the little "simple" things that can cost you big bucks in some cases if you dont have a qualified plumber do it for you at a cost.
Ive seen people flood their own homes because they thought their solder joints would hold after they drove off to B.C for the week.

[Rick Maher]

These guys wanted to charge my retired, disabled parents over $1100.00 to change a small pressure tank in their basement.

I bought it from Amre Supply for $40.10 and installed it myself in 20 min.

[keith]

my question to all these people who think there getting ripped off is,why didnt you do it yourself? Right you dont know how.Were trained and your not.

[Joan Wotton]

we were very pleased with the Gentelmen Plumbers..
they changed our toilet...very quickly. cleaned up their mess. and did not take long at all...
If you can't do the work yourself. you have to expect to pay for these jobs. Just hopefully they are done right.
Gentlmen Plumbers i would recommend to all my friends.
We were very pleased with them!!!!!!!!!!

[Rick Maher]

keith wrote:

my question to all these people who think there getting ripped off is,why didnt you do it yourself? Right you dont know how.Were trained and your not.

I particularly liked the guy who got charged $710 for a sink and $501 for a faucet in this thread.

"This is for parts only...labour and materials were on top of this."

Must have been one heck of a sink and faucet for more than $1200 just in parts alone.

[kman 403]

gentleman plumbers... where did they come up with this name.. it should be bend me over plumbers!!! i'm a carpenter by trade and work in the interior design industry... i no what plumbers should be chargeing and these cowboys are allways looking to rip of the older people in our community.. how do they sleep at nite!! i have an older lady i no that had these scumbags out to fix a leaky pipe aswell as install 2 faucets which she brought her self because off the huge price of the plumbers to pick up they charged $1100for and hour and halfs work which i no for a fact is a total rip off these guys need to be reported to a watch dog thing and i'll be doing everything possible to report them to the bbb .. do not use these guys they want your money and alot of it .. as for the plumber that commented on this get back to riping people off you obviously have time to comment after lining your pockets with old peoples money ..

[H8 rip off artists]

keith wrote:

my question to all these people who think there getting ripped off is,why didnt you do it yourself? Right you dont know how.Were trained and your not.

So you are trained as a plumber.....WOW!!!!!!!!! According to your logic, kieth, then anyone who has any specialized training , try to keep up if i am using big words,(those are commas by the way) has the right to bend people over. YOU ARE SCUM.

[Marie]

Plumber89 wrote:

I'm a self employed Plumbling & Heating contractor in Pennsylvania.
Now that i got that out of the way, once in awhile I like to read about Plumbers who are ripping people off, and these 2 posts prompted me to respond.
First off, I'm not sure what part of the country you live in, but $200.00 to install a toilet is a normal price in my area to do the work.
Second, there is NO SUCH THING as a simple job in our field. If it was simple, then why are you calling a Plumber out in the first place?
I find most of these "rants" about Plumbers, are coming from people who don't understand the first thing about economics, and most of you people are college educated that are slandering these companies...lol.
So let's start off with this..
We are entitled to charge for profit-wages-overhead. Those 3 things cover all of our expenses to come out and fix YOUR problem. That also includes (listen up Plumbers) a return trip if necessary, if the problem isn't fixed correctly a few days after.
I will agree that Plumbers need to stand behind their work, and not charge for a return trip, because they didn't fix it the first time.
So if this Plumber is charging $200.00 to install a toilet, is he really ripping you off? Shall we go through the numbers together, so you can see you both are complete idiots?
You people act like Plumbers are high 5ing each other all the way to the bank with your money.
Here..I have a better idea, you should tell us what the job is worth, and us Plumbers will tell you how long you would be in business for..ok?

These people are not saying all plumbers are rip-off artists. Just this company in particular (Action Auger- Gentlemen Plumbers). And they are right. This company over-charges. Period. I called two other plumbers after I pd them $430 and they quoted $240 and $190 for the same job. And try to get a hold of them to complain? Not a chance. They have it all worked out so that you will never talk to anyone in charge. If gouging customers is the way you do business, then feel free to keep chattin' them up. I will recommend other companies to my friends and family.

[steve]

lol 1200 for a sink and taps and labour? ironically they charge one flat rate, not parts plus labour. i had them out a few weekends ago and they did a great job, not the cheapest in town but they do good work and have good warranties. i would recommend them for sure. you get what you pay for. i don't think you would be calling plumbers scum when they save your ass. so you can shower, drink water, use the toilet, not have your basement flood, pretty well everything you do needs water lol, but thats just my opinion. maybe im crazy.

[John]

steve wrote:

lol 1200 for a sink and taps and labour? ironically they charge one flat rate, not parts plus labour. i had them out a few weekends ago and they did a great job, not the cheapest in town but they do good work and have good warranties. i would recommend them for sure. you get what you pay for. i don't think you would be calling plumbers scum when they save your ass. so you can shower, drink water, use the toilet, not have your basement flood, pretty well everything you do needs water lol, but thats just my opinion. maybe im crazy.

Sounds like you work for them? His bill had everything itemized, parts and labor, like I said in my previous post. Why do some of you get so defensive? We are not dissing all plumbers...just Action Auger.

[Lajos]

They should change their names to "Gentlemen Robbers" They come in all dressed up and polite, and charge 49.95 for dispach and travel and 267.00 for line augering , for a partially plugged bathroom sink. Total 332.80 for a ten minute job. Ridiculously overpriced !

[Poplar plumber]

I don't seem to understand all the complaints here?

Gentlemen plumbers charges $49.95 to drive to your home, diagnose your issue and provides a written quotation before they start the work?

If you had the opportunity to approve or deny the quoted amount, what are you griping about? You had the opportunity to say no!

If the 49.95 is an issue, ask yourself this; if someone called you, day or night, to come and provide insight into (insert what you do for a living) and wanted you to provide an estimate. What would that be worth to you?
Oh, don't forget you need a van. Oh and $25,000 in tools and parts on board. Oh, and insurance and training and a support network oh and... See where I m going here?
Next time - call every plumber in the book! I dare you, hire the cheapest one you can find. It's obviously what your looking for.

I don't believe in unfair prices. I don't like to see people ripped off.
What did the plumber do, hold a gun to your head and say "pay this amount"

I doubt it as I doubt most if the people who have quoted prices above. Get your heads checked, they obviously don't rest on your shoulders.

Sincerely - popular plumber

[plumber]

don't trust these guy's.