A mum managed to haggle down an emergency repair fee quoted to her elderly in-laws from £8,650 to just £765.
Ray and Kau Lau, aged 76 and 72, were on the brink of shelling out thousands for a four-hour job, but were saved just in time when their daughter-in-law, Sarah Lau, 42, advised them to cancel the cheque. The pensioners had called upon a local plumbing firm after discovering a leak at their Gillingham, Kent, home on September 13.
Two engineers worked on the issue from 5pm to 9pm and successfully fixed the leak. However, when it came to payment, Ray and Kay found the cost "just kept going up and up". They were presented with a final invoice of £8,650 - which included £3,200 for labour and £3,400 to identify the problem.
But when Sarah got wind of the price, she stepped in and told them not to pay. After consulting with Kent County Council, the mother-of-two sought quotes from several independent plumbers for identical out-of-hours call-outs and was stunned when they ranged between £500 and £800.
Ray and Kay cancelled their payment but the situation became stressful when the company threatened them with bailiffs and said staff would be visiting their house to collect the money. Sarah took control and initiated a text conversation with the company as the email provided on the invoice was non-functional.
In her messages, she revealed that she had received alternative quotes for the job. The response she got was: "That isn’t fair. Every plumbing firm has its own prices." The message went on to say: "Yes, I understand some prices may be cheaper and some may be more expensive but it’s not fair to compare like that."
It also mentioned: "The price also considers rapid response and the scale of the emergency." After a tense showdown on September 25, Sarah and her dad confronted two men from the company outside her in-laws' place. Following an hour-long dispute over the fee right there on the street, Sarah declared: "I will see you in court." She claims the men then chased after her, resulting in a settlement of £765.
Reflecting on the frightening experience, Kay, a grandmother-of-five, recounted: "It was scary. First, he told me it would be £3,000 and then £6,000. It just kept going up and up." She added: "He was on the phone with somebody all the time asking what to do. At one point, he left for about an hour to get a pipe."
She continued: "They were told it was a ‘big’ job and unless something was done immediately their house would 'fall down' and they would be 'left with nothing'. What they did to two vulnerable pensioners was cruel. They used threats of bailiffs and scare tactics. And who knows, they may have done this many times before."
She stressed the importance of getting multiple quotes, saying: "My advice would be to always shop around and get different written quotes. And if you are not sure, don’t be afraid to ask family and friends. My in-laws are still very anxious. I wouldn’t want to see this happen to anyone else." The firm at the centre of the complaint has not responded to requests to comment by KentOnline.