The Oregonian reports that a local Oregon HVAC and plumbing company, Jack Howk Plumbing & Drain, has been over charging Portland-area homeowners thousands of dollars more than the industry norm for sewer line work. (Read the article here)

According to the article, the State of Oregon Construction Contractors Board has received customer complaints regarding the company’s sales and pricing policies. One customer was charged nearly $30,000 to replace 60 feet of sewer pipe in Southeast Portland. The customer states that he was initially given an estimate of $8,000 to fix the problem. Many other customers who were over charged note that the company had told them their issue was too serious to wait for any other estimates.

Replacing pipes in the Portland area should cost between $20-$50 per foot; however, Jack Howk was charging customers $100-$150 per foot. The Oregonian also notes that a review of Howk’s bills showed receipts that did not describe any circumstance, equipment or labor that would explain why the jobs cost more than what he would expect.

Jack Hock Plumbing & Drain, a 65-year-old company, was purchased in 2007 by Rescue Rooter/ARS.

This article is a great example of why it is import to get multiple estimates for plumbing & HVAC service and repair jobs. Plumbing Concepts offers free Portland HVAC & plumbing quotes and estimates for Portland area plumving and HVAC services and repairs.

 

Plumbing Concepts is a Portland plumbing contractor and a Portland plumber that offers Portland plumbing repairs, Portland heating service, Portland air conditioning service, Portland HVAC repairs and Portland HVAC service.