Legal Question in Consumer Law in Pennsylvania

Re: Plumbing fee dispute

You asked if you were liable for a repair bill where you felt you were taken advantage of after the work was completed.

It is unlawful to issue a stop payment on a check in most situations. Actions such as paying with a check and then stopping payment could very likely be seen as fraud. Issuing a stop payment is no different than writing a bad check. You requested that work be done at your home and the service provider requested that you sign documents before the job was started telling you what the hourly rate was for service. After the job was completed you signed off on the work and even paid with a check.

You could have asked for an estimate before starting the work, or you could have said I want XXX dollars worth of work and stop when you get to that point. But you didn't. You took all the service person's parts and labor and then stiffed him/her. You could have disputed the time as the work was completed. But you didn't.

In my opinion. You need to pay that bill and send the company and the service person a written apology because you acted like an ASS. You wasted the time of the company's employees and management for which they will never see payment. They went above and beyond in trying to solve your problems with their services. I note that you didn't dispute the quality of the work, just the bill. Ask for an estimate ahead of time and then the contractor can only exceed the estimate (outside a reasonable percentage) on your approval for additional work.

As to the collections issue, feel free to let yourself get sued for this matter. You will lose and this will be reflected on your credit record. Further, if you ever need a plumber again I am certain that this company will refuse your request.

Hope this helps. Now start writing that apology letter.

Regards,

Roger Traversa