Woman says plumbers scammed her and made pipe problem worse, gets refund after police get involved
What began as a simple plumbing issue turned into a dispute involving the police.
A woman took to Facebook on Sunday (Nov 20) to lament about her bad experience with two plumbers who she claims “scammed” her and made her leaking water pipe issue from bad to worse.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Li Chen Tien said she contacted a plumber from an advertisement flyer she found near her home.
The 33-year-old pharmacist said the plumber refused to quote a fee over the phone, and when he inspected the problem on Saturday evening, asked for $220 – to which she flat-out refused.
"I told my husband to give him $20 as compensation since he rushed down here. But he refused to leave our house," she wrote in her post.
The plumbers then accepted an offer of $150.
According to Li, they spent about one-and-a-half hours trying to fix the leaking pipe, but weren't able to.
"They wanted us to pay more money before they could fix it, so we argued," Li told Shin Min.
Eventually, the plumbers changed one of the pipes, and put back the original parts before leaving.
However, Li alleged that they made things worse: "When I turned on the washing machine, water spurted out, it was worse than before."
When she called the plumbers to confront them, they called her "crazy" and blocked her number. Li then made a police report.
The next day, the plumber returned to Li's residence. "He used vulgarities on us, I didn't open the door, but I called the police," she said.
With the police there, the plumber agreed to give the couple a $100 refund. Both parties also signed a handwritten agreement.
According to the note, Li wrote: "I agreed to pay $50 for his transportation, and out of kindness."
Li eventually hired another person who got the job done for a mere $50.
Shin Min spoke with the plumber, also surnamed Li, who said he spent three to four hours at Li's home, where he found two water leaks.
"She was unhappy with the price and kept refusing to pay, so I couldn't leave. In the end, I gave her a discount and charged her $150."
He maintained that he did not overcharge them.
The plumber also said Li had called him at midnight to complain about the leakage, and wanted him to rectify the problem immediately.
"I had just reached home, I wanted to sleep, couldn't it be done the next day?" he said.
Confirming that he had given the couple a $100 refund, Li added: "I made two trips and I only got $50, I didn't earn anything."
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