You are right. I can't get home depot to throw something off the truck for less than $200 broken. (And deny it showed up). So, where you are, where you live, I envy it. I imagine a world of nice plumbers and helper people. Canada????
Don't use services with a "name" and multiple trucks that have a bunch of employees doing work under their umbrella along with a staffed office. Search for independent contractors who do their own work. And don't do what other people in this thread are doing by assuming that plumbers and other tradesmen are making big bucks because your bill is large. The umbrella companies charge a fortune and the actual workers make jack. The workers do it so they don't have to be bothered with the business end of things. I use independent contractors who know what they're doing, don't do more work than what is needed, and charge reasonable fees. I live in an average small town in the US. And yes: our main contractor is a nice young guy who actually loves helping old people who've been shafted by those big companies.
I’m in one of the top 10 metro areas. But I guess I’m just lucky. I do avoid the marketplace services (I think Home Depot’s used to be called RedBeacon) and go for independent operators as I think they have more experience and more money goes in their pocket.
