As to a "cheap fix" that is pure bull..... We have customers that have old faucets still serviceable and people are willing to pay to keep them serviceable. The REPLACE mentality being pushed by the "tech teachers" is not always the best way. The date today is 2001 and this plumber still carries seat and valve resurfacing tools and I know how to use them."

Now, Bill, when have you ever known me to try and provoke someone? Wait...never mind that question. ;o)

I think you'll agree that there's a difference in offering top tier professional service and a "cheap fix." Seat surfacing gadgets are cheaper to carry around than a proper seat assortment. Maintaining an heirloom faucet may indeed be the preferable action, rather than replacing it. In fact, if you're like me, you have a set of taps and seats for cutting threads into non-replaceble seats so that a standard replacement seat can be installed. (Just for reference sake, I'd like to mention that my faucet repair kit is almost too much to carry and that doesn't include the stem and trim assortments. If repairing is the preferred option, then it's going to be a professional repair.)

We, in the profession, are often guilty of limiting our customer's choices by our own myopia. Rather than offer a repair versus replace choice, we only offer a repair. Our customer deserves a choice but we often fail to provide choices. That's where the "cheap fix mentality" shows up.

The cheap fix mentality bites the customer as well as the contractor. Think about it, if we place the value on the parts, rather than the benefit of our service, then we may be tempted to offer the "cheap fix" at a cheap price. These "cheap fixes" often result in a call back which means a wasted trip and an unhappy customer.

If we price the "fix" to reflect the added risks of a call back along with the costs to do it right then the "cheap fix" isn't so cheap anymore. In fact, the customer may see more value in the replacement than in the "fix."