Cowboy plumbers overcharge elderly couple £7,000 for just 4-hour job
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An elderly couple in Kent were nearly charged £8,650 for just four hours of plumbing work - before their daughter-in-law stepped in to save them from the inflated bill.
Ray Lau, 76, and his wife Kay, 72, called a local plumbing firm to their Gillingham home on September 13 after discovering a leak.
Two engineers spent four hours fixing the problem between 5pm and 9pm that day.
But their final invoice included £3,200 for labour and £3,400 to identify the problem's cause.
The plumbers nearly charged the couple £8,650 for the four-hour job (file photo)
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The couple were hours away from paying the extortionate sum before their son's wife, Sarah Lau, 42, intervened and managed to reduce the bill to £765.
Grandmother-of-five Kay said: "First, he told me it would be £3,000 and then £6,000. It just kept going up and up."
"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 added.
The couple, whose first language is not English, were particularly vulnerable to the escalating costs.
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The couple were hours away from paying the extortionate sum before their son's wife intervened (file photo)
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One of the plumbers remained in constant contact with someone on the phone while quoting different prices.
The final figure of £8,650 was then presented to the elderly couple, who were prepared to pay until their daughter-in-law discovered the excessive charge.
Sarah Lau took control of the situation by consulting Kent County Council and obtaining quotes from other plumbers.
The alternative quotes for identical out-of-hours call-outs ranged between £500 and £800.
When confronted with these figures, the company responded: "That isn't fair. Every plumbing firm has its own prices."
The situation came to a head on September 25, when Sarah and her father confronted two men from the company outside her in-laws' home.
After an hour of arguing in the street, Sarah declared: "I will see you in court."
The men reportedly ran after her, and a settlement of £765 was finally agreed upon.
Sarah Lau claimed the plumbers used aggressive scare tactics on her elderly in-laws.
"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'," she said.
"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," Sarah added.
She urged others to be cautious, 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."
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