ᐅ Are bathroom showrooms generally very expensive?

HilfeHilfe schrieb:
Hello, and then? ...
This is how you create a connection

But unfortunately, no one wants that if it means an extra charge.

And later on, they say it’s difficult to find a skilled tradesperson [emoji12]

The fact is: Every local craftsman only installs what has been sold. They also speak plainly: Go back to where you bought it. Karsten

ypg schrieb:
Unfortunately, no one wants that if it means paying extra.

And later on, people say it's hard to find a skilled tradesperson [emoji12]

Exactly, that's when forums like this pop up: tradespeople refuse to give me a quote for my faucet, and are the tradespeople lazy where you are too?

Then the only option left is MyHammer.

bluminger schrieb:

Now we’re wondering why we shouldn’t just order everything online ourselves, since the surcharge from the bathroom exhibitor seems quite high – twice the price just seems way too much?!?

What have your experiences been?

Thanks.

Of course, you can buy all the sanitary fittings yourself, but then you need to find someone to install everything for you. A regular plumbing company probably won’t do it, or only with a hefty additional fee; otherwise, everyone would do it that way. Also, your credit for the unused sanitary items will probably be quite low.

Best regards,
Sabine

There are three options for a main contractor bathroom:

1. Settle for the main contractor’s standard offering.

2. Buy cheap online and do it yourself (or have it done).

3. Upgrade significantly—and reluctantly pay double the "attractive" internet prices, even though a standard bathroom with installation (!) already costs as much or more than the main contractor’s price...

(Option 3 is essentially the extra cost for the above-standard bathroom. It’s frustrating, but that’s the current situation in the subcontractor market for main contractors.)

HilfeHilfe schrieb:
Hello, and then what? No one will install it for you—or they charge an exorbitant markup without a warranty because they don’t know the product online (even if it were from Villeroy & Boch).

Personally, I was quite apprehensive about changing a faucet (washing machine). The plumber who installed the expensive equipment came by and did it for 10 euros (around $11).

That’s how you create a connection.

These are the usual arguments from those who accept the opaque mixed pricing and are willing to risk possibly being taken advantage of. Everyone has to decide for themselves if they want to play that game.

At least in urban areas, in my opinion, there are alternatives.
It is simply not true in these environments that supplied materials won’t be installed or that no one can be found. For example, Reuter has been around for over 20 years, is very accommodating with complaints, and additionally offers a free service to connect customers with tradespeople. Enter your criteria, and you’ll find plumbing companies that clearly no longer want to deal with wholesalers’ tactics and, in my opinion, charge a fair hourly rate. It’s difficult to accuse all of these businesses of cutting corners or refusing warranties on their work.

Regarding the connection between customer and tradesperson: why? I want to pay fairly for the service and if I’m no longer happy with the original installer (too expensive, personally difficult, or simply unreliable), I want to be able to change. In that case, such a connection is pointless.

Second question: what do you do if the company that originally did your entire plumbing installation goes out of business? According to the logic mentioned here, it would mean that no plumber would be willing to take over the work.

Again, to counter that often-used argument: every good craftsman’s work should be well paid. But I am a fan of transparency—I want to know how much installation will cost me, the cost of materials, so I can decide if I am willing to pay it. Mixed pricing is anything but transparent.

Wholesalers dictate inflated prices, and plumbers then have to compensate by setting hourly rates that barely cover costs in order to offer something that end customers can still accept. In my view, the plumber avoids confronting the wholesaler and passes the cost on to the customer.

No, I’m not going along with that. Alternatives exist, and to claim that all these alternatives do shoddy work and lack expertise often sounds to me like rationalizing by those who paid inflated prices, got frustrated, but maybe don’t want to admit they were taken advantage of. The same goes for electrical or bus system work...

Finally, a note: I am building with an architect using individual contracts. So the above argument may look different when working with a general contractor.

But even there: aren’t the interfaces clear and standardized? A pipe of a certain diameter comes out of the wall, floor, or ceiling, or a water line with a standardized diameter. The plumber installs that. Then comes the branded ceramic fixtures, the branded fittings that match these diameters. What specific additional knowledge does the plumber who did the installation have compared to the person connecting the fixtures?!

With electrical work, that would mean that only the electrician who did the installation is the only one who can professionally connect switches, sockets, and ovens. So you seriously go to the same electrician who installed your wiring after 10 years when buying a new oven, because a) of a connection and b) otherwise there would be no quality or warranty guarantee?! Really?