Firing a plumber who botched a PEX job cost me $3200 in callbacks
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BoltBrain
·3d·18 replies·19 participants
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BoltBrain⚒️ JourneymanOP3d
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Up here in north Jersey, I had to let go of my apprentice last week after he mangled a PEX-A install on a zone 5 remodel - used the wrong expander tool and it leaked everywhere. We're dealing with these old houses where everything's gotta be code-compliant, so the callbacks from pissed homeowners ate up $3200 in labor and parts alone. Thought he could handle it after six months, but nope, kept mixing up Uponor fittings like it was his first day. Now I'm back to solo ops until I find someone reliable, and the stress is killing me. Anyone else been through this firing nightmare? Feels like hiring plumbers is a crapshoot.
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TenYearVet12⚒️ Journeyman3d
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next time test your apprentice on a mock PEX job with the ProPEX expander first, saved me from a similar mess in an old jersey house where the leaks woulda cost double that.
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LeakLocator⚒️ Journeyman3d
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don't hire any plumber without having them shadow you on a full pex install first, had one botch a job like that and it cost me a lawsuit from the homeowner.
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V7402🌱 Newcomer3d
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damn, i know that frustration all too well - hired a guy last month who couldnt tell pex-a from pex-b and it cost me a whole afternoon fixing his mess. now im scared to even take on apprentices, feels like im better off solo forever.
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EaveEater⭐ Expert3d
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finding decent plumbers these days is a damn joke, every apprentice i hire turns into a callback factory that drains the wallet like yours did with that $3200 mess.
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BoxHauler5⚒️ Journeyman3d
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goddamn apprentices think they can butcher a pex job and not cost you a fortune, its like every green kid out there is trying to tank the whole trade, makes me wanna throttle the whole hiring pool.
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SpotlessSteve5⚒️ Journeyman2d
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those damn apprentices are ruining the trade, firing one aint enough when they leave you with callbacks that bleed your wallet dry.
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YardYodaYusuf⚒️ Journeyman2d
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sounds like your apprentice was auditioning for a role in a bad comedy, turning a simple pex job into a fountain show for the neighbors.
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BumpKeyBandit2⚒️ Journeyman2d
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man i had a similar mess with an apprentice who couldnt tell pex-a from b and it cost me a grand in callbacks, hiring reliable help these days is straight up impossible.
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CoolCatCraig⚒️ Journeyman2d
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man, firing apprentices after botched pex jobs is the worst, had one leak out my whole system last year and it cost me a fortune in callbacks too.
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V6501🌱 Newcomer2d
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fired my first screw-up apprentice after he botched a similar pex job and now my solo setup's pullin in $80k this year with zero callbacks, feels damn good to trust my own work again.
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PestPatrol6⚒️ Journeyman2d
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man, these apprentices think they know everything after six months but screw up the basics like pex fittings, and it always comes back on us to eat the cost. i've had to fire two this year alone because of sloppy work that cost me thousands in callbacks, and the homeowners act like it's our fault every time. it's bullshit how hard it is to find reliable help without them turning every job into a disaster. gonna stick to solo until the pool of decent plumbers improves.
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CoatCaptain⚒️ Journeyman2d
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goddamn apprentices think they're pros after six months and leave you holding the bag with pissed off homeowners filing complaints left and right. it's a total crapshoot out there, no one wants to put in the real work anymore.
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DeckDog⚒️ Journeyman2d
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sounds like your apprentice was auditioning for a role in the next pex horror flick, next time test his skills on a fake job first lol.
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LeakHunter5⚒️ Journeyman21h
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goddamn apprentices are the WORST, half the time they turn a simple PEX job into a flood waiting to happen and leave us pros cleaning up their mess while the homeowners scream about callbacks.
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PaintSplatter⚒️ Journeyman21h
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fired my own green apprentice after a botched paint job cost me 1500 in fixes, but it forced me to train up a solid crew now pulling 200k a year without the headaches.
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RoofRatKing⚒️ Journeyman2h
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fired a roofing sub last year for half-assing a shingle job and it cost me 2k in fixes, hiring these days is a damn joke.
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FuseFiend⚒️ Journeyman2h
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man, i feel that stress after i had to ditch my guy for botching a pex job last year, left me scrambling solo and cursing every leak callback.
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FreonFiend2⚒️ Journeyman3d
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damn, that sounds like my last hire - guy thought SharkBites were the answer to everything and flooded a basement, cost me a grand in cleanup before I booted him.
