‘I was shocked’: Tradie’s $800 bill for 15 mins

David Campbell

Updated 5 May 2026, 10:32am

First published 5 May 2026, 10:20am

The resident couldn’t believe the $800 bill they got.

---

An Aussie who was charged $800 by a tradie for just 15 minutes of basic work has expressed their disbelief at the exorbitant cost.

The Sydneysider, who lives in an apartment, had engaged the services of a plumber after discovering a leak from an unknown source.

The occupant said things went smoothly when the plumber first arrived.

“A plumber was called and he realised there was a small hole in the external wall that was slowly letting in water — most likely created by a previous tradie who forgot to fill it in,” they said.

“The plumber saw the hole straight away and didn’t even have to do any dye tests to ascertain where the leak was, he just filled the hole with silicone and left after 15 minutes.”

While the resident was happy to have leak fixed, things took a turn when the plumber’s invoice arrived.

“The company had charged $800 for less than an hour’s work. They applied a senior’s discount and reductions for booking online and using a magnet code, but it still came to over $500” they said

“It wasn’t an emergency call-out and he came on a weekday, so I was shocked at this high cost, especially considering he didn’t stay long or do any skilled work. It was such a small job that I honestly wondered if he’d do it as a freebie. I was so wrong.

“Is there a limit on how much trades can charge per hour? I’m glad I got the discounts applied, but it still feels awfully high. Is $800 a reasonable cost for less than an hour of work?”

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Alison Barrett told Yahoo tradies across Australia were free to set their own prices but that didn’t mean anything goes.

“In Australia, there is no fixed hourly rate or legal cap on what plumbers or other trades can charge for their services,” Ms Barrett said.

“For less than an hour’s work, no emergency, no diagnostic testing, and a simple silicone seal, an $800 charge, even discounted, raises real questions about reasonableness.

“This is even more concerning if the plumber gave you no clear quote or estimate, you were not told about a minimum charge and the pricing structure was not explained before doing the work.”

Under Australian Consumer Law, customers are meant to have protection where no price was agreed to upfront or if the price charged is not considered to be reasonable.

Ms Barrett said people in the occupant’s position could take a number of steps if they disagreed with the cost of a job.

“If you believe the cost was unreasonable you can ask for an itemised invoice showing labour, call-out fees, and materials; compare the charge with typical market rates for similar work; dispute the charge and ask for a refund; lodge a complaint with your state or territory consumer protection agency,” she said.

NSW Fair Trading looks after disputes between tradespeople and customers in NSW.