suspicious

[electricland]

So, J was just quoted $747 plus tax for two toilets (we need 3). The model we're getting is listed in the city list of water-efficient toilets at $240-260 for an unlined white model, and the manufacturer's website says says $149-$189 (presumably U.S.).

So $373.50 per toilet seems a little high. What d'you reckon? Is this our first experience of women getting screwed by the construction world?

Comments

[kendokamel.livejournal.com]

Unless the toilet will also clean and pat you dry, I definitely think it's too much for a toilet!

[duir-id.livejournal.com]

Oh now there is an invention waiting to happen....

*gets Ian thinking*

[electricland.livejournal.com]

I think you can buy those in Japan...

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

You get a bidet for the first part. And, yeah, I'm pretty certain they have bidets that'll dry you, too.

Ah, the pleasures of working for the rich-and-overly-eager-to-impress-their-friends....

[duir-id.livejournal.com]

Is that including installed? Toilets aren't that hard to do yourself. Trust me if I can install a loo anyone can.

I think if you shopped around you can find them cheaper. Try the big DIY places...

[electricland.livejournal.com]

That was just for the toilet (well, and shipping, I guess). We're installing it.

[rubberneck.livejournal.com]

Does this price include extras like labor for installation and disposal fee for carting away the old models (although older hi-flow models tend to be collector's items in some parts, so getting rid of an old one might be easier than one thinks)? See if you can get an itemized quote on that instead, so you can more easily compare charges with the other quotes you'll get.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Hell no! Just the toilets, plus delivery.

I am Suspicious. Going to get my dad to call and see if they give him a better deal.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

Having survived the cost of my parent's bathroom re-model, no that doesn't sound high. However, that's probably for the A+++ quality toilet (which their plumber recommended - excellent colour-quality, no visible impurities, etc), plus high-quality guts to make the water flow in and out properly.

Personally, I don't need *quite* that high a quality for the activities *I* participate in with my toilet. You should be able to find a decent (lower than A+++ quality) toilet for less. If you're adventurous that way, replacing your own toilet isn't very difficult; the worst part for me was lugging the bowl inside the house and up the stairs. (You'll also need 1 wax ring per toilet (goes on the floor), and perhaps guts for the tank, pipes to connect the tank to the incoming water pipes coming out of the wall, and a rubber gasket to go between the tank and the bowl.)

Oh. VERY IMPORTANT: You'll also need a (large) variety of curse words, and a few bandages for scraped knuckles.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Good to know!

A kind and experienced friend will be installing them for us. Hallelujah. And we have Strong Young Men (I should get them T-shirts).

This isn't a super-fancy toilet, although it is vacuum-assisted.

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

This isn't a super-fancy toilet, although it is vacuum-assisted.

IANAP. I Am Not A Plumber (but I am a professional home builder, albeit not the one that handles the money).

Ah. It's high for a normal toilet, but probably about right for a vacuum-assisted. I know some of those babies go for $500 or more american, and can seemingly suck an inflated football down the tubes. The tradeoff is noise -- the pricier, the quieter.
Offhand, and I may very well be wrong, I doubt your father will get a better price (then again, I should probably be on medication for being overly optimistic). The distributor will tack on something above manufacturer's suggested retail, and it's probably NOT 1-2%. Contractors with an account usually get discounts, between 5% and 20% (at a guess).

For a toilet, I'd look at Home Depot or whatever similar Canadian stores exist. Mark-up is less.

Fixtures with internal parts, like faucets, tend to be made out of crappier materials at the big box stores to shave off a few cents, but there just aren't that many fancy parts in a toilet that aren't already made of plastic.

And while we're on the subject of bathroom accessories, please, for the love of God, do not use the crappy little plastic wall anchors that come with every set of towel bars/rings/paper holders in the world. Go out and get either a) the "screw in" wall anchors (they have a big spiral screw thread on them -- they'll screw into sheetrock, and then the real screw screws into the anchor) or b) the toggle-type wall anchor bolts. If you get a narrow kind, you can usually "predrill" by poking a hole with a philips head screwdriver & enlarging it with a flat screwdriver.

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

Summary: I think you're just getting the "homewner" (aka "easy mark") markup and shipping rate.

They jack up the prices for homeowners since they're not concerned about your repeat business -- with luck, you'll only buy 3 toilets (or less) in 20 years. A good plumbing company could buy 3 a week.

Also, inspect the toilets as soon as they're delivered, preferably before you sign and the driver leaves. Make sure you got what you ordered and nothing is chipped, broken, cracked, or otherwise marred. If something's wrong, don't accept it.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Thank you! All this is going in my ever-growing list of things to remember.

My dad did call and got the same price, but said they didn't seem too sure and we might be able to talk them down with the combined ammo of the manufacturer's suggested price and the city website. So I will try this today.

[gurudata.livejournal.com]

Hiho,

What brand/model is it? Home Depot Canada has them online for as low as $66 per but also as high as $409 per.

Cu,
Andrew

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Briggs Vacuity. Sadly, Home Depot doesn't carry it.

I've asked my dad to call the plumbing supply place, as a sociological experiment. ;)

[evilgoddss.livejournal.com]

Are they charging for labour of installation too? I mean, geezum. Buy what you need from Home Depot, plus their handy-dandy book, and just install yourself. It's easy to do. Relatively speaking.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

I should check that. I've been blithely saying "no" but of course they could be...