On November 29 two employees from Bohmann Plumbing arrived to repair a dripping bathtub faucet. They gave me an estimate of $196.00 plus $39 service call to fix the leak. I authorized the repairs.
A few minutes later one employee came to me and said that he tried everything but the handle was seized and he could not remove it to accomplish the repairs. The employee said they would have to replace everything and they would have to cut a hole in the bedroom wall to get to the pipes. He said that would be over $1000 and I would have to get someone to repair the hole made in the bedroom wall.
I said I wasn't ready to agree to that expense and that I would think about it. The employee said that he would still have to charge $39 plus tax for the service call, and I agreed.
Here is the total work this employee did: removed a screw in the handle, tried to remove the handle with a handle puller, banged on the handle with a hammer, then replaced the handle screw. (20 minutes).
On December 15 I received my credit card statement (MasterCard) and I was billed $248.19 by Bohmann Plumbing. $248.19 would of been the price of the first estimate given me to repair the faucet. I was told by the employee I would be charged only the service charge.
On December 15 I called Bohmann Plumbing (262-789-8343) and talked to Brian Bohmann to inform him of the overcharge, and he said he could see no overcharge and that he didn't send his men out there for nothing, and that I didn't authorize them to cut a hole in the wall and replace the pipes so they couldn't do the repair. Mr. Bohmann was not very rational and could not see why I should not pay $248.19 for his employee to remove a screw, bang on a handle, and replace the screw. When I told him his employee told me I would only be charged the service fee, he denied the employee would say that.
I feel I should pay the service charge and not the total charge I would have paid if the repairs were done, because they were not done.
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