Was I ripped off?

[Jonk]

Hey fellow DIY plumbers, I recently had a concerning experience with a plumber and wanted to get your opinions on if I was ripped off. Here's the background: during a meeting for my property, concerns were raised about a descaling job that was done on the pipes. I also reviewed the video of the pipes before and after the descale. Here's what happened: the plumber successfully cleared the main sewer for a steep $900 price tag. However, they then urged me to also do a descale job on the other pipes in the house that were not blocked. They said it was to prevent future blocks, but charged an additional $2100 for it. The issue is that I later found out about the potential damage that descaling old cast iron pipes could cause, which could result in a $36k investment. The plumber did not inform me of this financial risk, even though they had many years of experience. Honestly, if I had known about this risk, I would not have gone through with the descaling of the pipes throughout the house, and would have consulted the other property owners before making such a major financial investment. I wanted to share my experience with you all and get your thoughts on if I was taken advantage of. I also have a video link if anyone wants to take a look for themselves. Thanks for any insight you can offer! Sincerely, Jonk

 

[havasu]

your video is set to private and unviewable.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Hey fellow DIY plumbers, I recently had a concerning experience with a plumber and wanted to get your opinions on if I was ripped off. Here's the background: during a meeting for my property, concerns were raised about a descaling job that was done on the pipes. I also reviewed the video of the pipes before and after the descale. Here's what happened: the plumber successfully cleared the main sewer for a steep $900 price tag. However, they then urged me to also do a descale job on the other pipes in the house that were not blocked. They said it was to prevent future blocks, but charged an additional $2100 for it. The issue is that I later found out about the potential damage that descaling old cast iron pipes could cause, which could result in a $36k investment. The plumber did not inform me of this financial risk, even though they had many years of experience. Honestly, if I had known about this risk, I would not have gone through with the descaling of the pipes throughout the house, and would have consulted the other property owners before making such a major financial investment. I wanted to share my experience with you all and get your thoughts on if I was taken advantage of. I also have a video link if anyone wants to take a look for themselves. Thanks for any insight you can offer! Sincerely, Jonk

It’s not his duty to inform you of the risks. This isn’t surgery…..

It’s your duty to ask if there are any risks.

 

[havasu]

There are "Snake Oil Salesmen" everywhere.

“Caveat Emptor”..... Let the buyer beware.

 

[Geofd]

I think unless this was a reoccurring issue I would have only had him snake the main
Drain but now at least you have a video of you piping that's not a bad thing

 

[plumbtx]

I disagree with @Twowaxhack (but just my opinion) that it's not his duty to inform you of the side effects of his repair. As a licensed pro, he should be forthcoming with potential risks his solution poses to fix your issue. You said you don't have an issue yet and "the potential damage that descaling old cast iron pipes could cause," is worrisome but you might get lucky. Homeownership does come with lots of learning experiences and plumbing is a biggie. Obviously dont hire him again. My experience is always a minimal intervention until the problem is not repairable.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Descaling doesn’t cause damage, it finds damage that’s already there.

 

[Riickk]

You can have the pipes relined, if as, and when, they fail.

YouTube Video Relining