So I'm getting my plumbing fixed...

There are pipes that go from my basement floor drains to the main drain. They were collapsed in the ground, so roots and grown up into them, dirt was in them, and they needed to be replaced. Also since there was a nice direct line from the groundwater to my basement floor, I had little floods that took forever to drain whenever it rained too much. So anyways I'm getting that fixed...

and the floor is dug up (I plan to post a pic to FB soon) and it looks surreal having something that's normally so static being gone. So, the floor's up and the new pipes are in, and the plumbers expected a city inspector to come today to see the pipes and give a thumbs-up but found out he won't be available until Monday or Tuesday. They came to me and told me they can't fill it in today because the inspector then wouldn't be able to see the pipes. They also told me it was going to be $250 for the inspection, which I'd assumed was included in the original estimate, but apparently not? I started to feel hustled but I chose the guy's other option, which was he can just skip the inspection even though he's not supposed to do that. He'll finish up today and I'll save $250.

If this guy weren't already giving us a KILLER price I would think this is unacceptable stuff, but his price is a full $2450 less than the next guy. This is just a guy who works for himself rather than a plumbing company.

So... hopefully I made the right decision and I'm not having problems that could have been prevented by an inspection!

I'm sure there's still a hustle going on there, but I can't for the life of me tell what it is.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir

Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Just try and get a vocal guarantee from him that it'll all work, and if there's anything wrong he'll come back and fix up up all cheap-like.
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Well, there is a new accent of n00b language. It's called: Vet LUEser goes Foreign!-MegaSpy22
Those must be the pants of the gods!-Digitalpython

As a non-lawyer, I can't give and am not giving you legal advice, but his assurances that he'll do an illegal thing for you are not really actionable. That is: If he says "yeah I won't tell the building inspector wink" and the building inspector shows up and demands that you rip up the floor, you can't bring the plumber to small claims on the basis that he said that that illegal thing he was going to do for you was going to be cool. That thing was illegal.

It might impact his ability to be a contractor, but that's probably only helpful if you want to get retributive, and no good will come from that.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir

I guess I was basically thinking, this whole thing is based on trust. Trust that I needed done what he said I needed done, trust that he wouldn't steal anything about of my basement, that he would do good work, etc. I mean I could've asked him for his license number and his insurance information instead of trusting that he had both... but big sections are still based on trust. So I went with it.

Yeah.

You're also trusting that he does not expect you to be inspected, because if he made a strategy of that he would eventually lose his license.

It's what Tom Wolfe called "the favor bank" kind of but not really. You're probably fine, just don't bother trying to get assurances, because they don't mean anything. (Not a lawyer.)
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir

Btw that was the 700th post on PMS ---^

Yay round numbers.
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Willis, it seems like every other time you post, I need to look up a word that's in the OED or Urban Dictionary but not both.
-Mimir

Holy s***, seriously? ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of the things that infuriates me the most about being in this business. Too many hacks that are willing to do anything, as long as the inspector didn't come along.

Paid cash, I would assume so it could be hidden from taxes both personal and business?

Please tell me all the work was interior? And that you have a dirt floor in case he neglected to prime the PVC componants he replaced the old cast iron with?
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I've looked at the world for quite a few years now and I've found that if I don't laugh, I'll probably end up crying.