To all plumbers & plumbing companies....what's your opinion on my situation?


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Posted by Marga on December 06, 1997 at 16:54:33:

I would like to ask for your opinion regading a plumbing job that I recently called for.

I called a certain plumbing company to fix my water heater. When the plumber came, he said that it needs to be replaced already. So he fills out the receipt that describes what he needs to do, the parts he replaced, as well as the price for the replacement of the water heater. I signed this form and he began the installation. Along the way, he suspected a leak behind the wall near the water heater. He immediately starts tearing down the walls to reveal his suspicion. True enough, one of the pipes was leaking. It wasn't a flowing leak, the water was just barely coming out of the hole on the pipe. And at that time, the pipe was dry, which shows that it hasn't been leaking for a while. Being unexperienced in his job, he tells me that he can't fix the pipe. However, to prevent further leaking, he decides to shut down the water supply for the entire apartment building. I told him that we should probably notify my landlord first before he shuts down the water, but he said "Oh we can't wait for that. This building is rather old, and the pipes could be brittle already. The slightest tremor could make the pipes burst and cause flooding." So he shuts off the water without notifying the tenants. I asked him not to do that and that I'll just notify my landlord of the leak so he could fix it himself so I wouldn't have to pay for the extra plumbing repair. But he wouldn't agree and declares the situation as an "emergency". The next day, another plumber came to fix what the first one wasn't able to fix. I told him I won't be able to pay for the extra repair anymore and to just let my landlord fix it himself. He said that I don't have to worry about the bill for the "emergency repairs" since they'll just bill my landlord. Now there is a huge bill which nobody wants to pay. My landlord claims he never authorized the repair, so he won't pay for it. I only authorized the replacement of the water heater and the amount written on that bill, which I already paid for. The replacement of the leaking pipe amounted to $700. Now who is liable for this bill???

Your response will be very much appreciated.


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