Heating and Sanitary Offers Assessment

The thing with internet stuff is always the following: you need someone who installs it (if you can't/won't do it yourself). Many simply don't do that anymore, at least around here. And if someone does it, they don't take any warranty on the equipment. The ping-pong: "It's the device / installed incorrectly" I've seen too often among acquaintances for me to be interested in that...

Live and let live...
If your heating breaks down at 7 p.m. on a Friday in winter, you’re glad to have a good relationship with the heating technician...

Or just use the “stinginess is cool” mentality and live with the fact that the other side sorts your orders (no matter how urgent) as low as possible in the pile...

I would recommend the original poster to speak with the plumber to see if anything is still possible. Get a counteroffer only from another local plumber.

I would like to enter into negotiations with the heating engineer and confront him with it.

... and the heating engineer will then tell you that you are welcome to buy at the low prices online. But then you have to install it yourself and give yourself the warranty for it. By the way, this price issue will come up throughout the entire house construction. Ordering windows from Poland is cheaper than from the German window maker. Insulation materials on the internet are also cheaper. Etc. Do you approach every trade and say, "But I can buy cheaper than you!"? Compare craftsmen with each other, but not the pure purchase prices. A craftsman does not only have material costs. He has hourly wages, vehicles, office employees, office space, storage/production rooms, insurance, etc. All that has to be paid for. And he buys from wholesalers, not from some internet shop. The wholesaler is not cheaper just because it is called a wholesaler. For example, go to Metro and find items that are cheaper than at regular grocers. I also calmly bought my two heat pumps on the internet. However, I also took over the entire heating installation myself (including underfloor heating). But for that, I can't just call a plumber to please fix what he messed up.

Wholesale is not cheaper just because it's called wholesale.

But hopefully you don't seriously believe that wholesale is significantly more expensive. You just don't notice it.

But you also can't just call a plumber to fix what he messed up.

The worse thing is that people like to refer to this circumstance, but when something really happens, endless discussions ensue. Therefore, I am really cautious when it comes to the "great" service that you also pay for. But complaining doesn't help: Either you live with it (including the prices) or you do it yourself. Where possible, I would recommend the latter option.

But you don't seriously believe that wholesale is significantly more expensive. You just don't notice it. The worse thing is that people often refer to this fact, but when something really happens, endless discussions follow, so I'm really cautious when it comes to the "great" service that you also pay for. But complaining doesn't help: Either you live with it (including the prices), or you do it yourself. Where possible, I would recommend the second option.

Nevertheless, you have a plumber who can fix it. In our area, where all plumbers are busy, I once tried to hire another plumber. No chance, they all have their regular customers.

But you don’t seriously believe that wholesale is significantly more expensive. You just don’t notice it.

No, not more expensive. But it can’t keep up with the internet. For example Metro, which every normal consumer can notice.