[Dottore]

So I'm visiting me mom's and find one of the toilets not working. Handle that moves the flapper is corroded off. It's a small piece of bent wire that looks like part of a coat hanger and costs about 2 cents to make.

I call the biggest plumbing company in the Yellow Pages—who also have the highest Better Business Bureau customer satisfaction rating. Lots of pictures of smart looking plumbers wearing bow-ties etc. (I'd do the job myself, but don't have the time or the tools handy).

I give company the Kohler toilet model number on the phone, and tell them I need a new handle and describe it to them. I don't ask about price.

Guy comes yesterday, spends 10 minutes, and says he doesn't have the right Kohler part. None of the six handles he brought along fit. Comes back today with the right part and installs it in 5 minutes. (I timed both visits)

Total cost: $354.38 Total work time: 15 minutes. Total labour costs: $278.- (which works out to an hourly charge of $1,112.- per hour!) BTW travel time is negligible—the place is 5 minutes away—and this was during normal business hours.

Breakdown:

1. Yesterday's visit charged at "minimum initial visit charge" of $180.- plus $31.- in parts for a piece of copper wire used for a temporary fix, plus taxes.

2. Today's visit charged at "continuation rate" of $98.- per hour(or portion thereof), plus $24.- for the actual part, plus taxes.

Total: $354.38

Yes I paid. (Didn't have the time or energy to feck around with this guy.)