Upfront Pricing Vs. Time & Material Pricing

Time and material may work for an independent plumber who operates as a one-person operation, but for a legitimate service company, it would be unfair to charge customers “by the hour.”

All plumbers work at different speeds and have different levels of skill, personalities, and experience. For these reasons, charging “by the hour” would cause one customer to pay more than another for the exact same work.

It is also unfair to the more experienced plumber. Because the more experienced plumber may be able to perform the work at a faster speed than a less experienced plumber, the more experienced plumber would actually earn less money while the less experienced plumber would earn more. This is also why you can’t reduce the price to an hourly rate, since the goal is to provide the fastest, most efficient, and most convenient service possible.

In today’s marketplace, most reputable plumbing and drain service companies in and around Toronto charge using a method called Upfront Pricing. Upfront Pricing means that all customers pay the same price for the same work regardless of how long the plumber takes to complete it. An average time is taken across all plumbers, so it’s fair for everyone.

Another benefit of Upfront Pricing is knowing the price before the work starts, so you don’t have to guess what the cost will be. This way, both the customer and the plumber can eliminate the stress of “watching the clock.” After all, you might think it’s unfair to pay for the time the plumber spent answering a call from his wife telling him to pick up some milk on the way home!

Upfront Pricing also allows the customer to budget accordingly before the work begins. Once the price has been agreed upon, the plumber can focus on doing a great job without worrying about the time at all. Since we are all human, one plumber may be nursing a sprained ankle or simply having a slow day. If they were charging “by the hour,” this would cause one customer to pay more than another for the same job.

Another factor is start times. A job started at 8:00 a.m. will get done much quicker than a job started at 3:00 p.m. The plumber may be tired towards the end of the day, causing him or her to work a little slower. The plumber may also have used a certain part earlier in the day that is required for your repair and needs to drive to the supplier. If the plumber were charging by the hour, you would pay for that driving time as well.

With Upfront Pricing, there is no additional cost and no surprises. This is why Upfront Pricing has become the standard pricing model used by most reputable plumbing and drain service companies in the Toronto area today.

Click here to learn more about the difference between Priority Plumbing & Drains vs. an independent plumber!