Plumber troubles - any legal or consumer advocacy options?

[symington]

We had a plumber over last Wednesday to clear a sewer drain and repair a corroded pipe. The guy that came over was great, but he couldn't clear the drain. Still, he charged full-price ($135/hr) for the time spent attempting to clear the drain.

Then we had Roto-Rooter over. They cleared the drain, but as part of the service, lifted the toilet. I tried taking the toilet off before they got there. I had it pre-emptied of water and nearly removed. I just needed help taking the water supply hose off because it was too tight for me. The Roto-Rooter guy took off the toilet, and when he was done, put it back on. But, when he re-installed it, it was wobbly and unusable. He couldn't get it right, so I had to call another plumber to fix it. Still he charged an extra 30 minutes of work ($42.50) and their toilet-removal-re-install fee ($85).

In both situations, I intended to pay a professional to come in and do a job, but instead I was forced to pay them for coming in and "trying" to do a job. Is that right/normal? Do I have any recourse other than asking them for my money back?

[chepito]

try the Better Business Bureau and you have civil court.