A 98-year-old veteran refused to be taken for a $35,000 ride—and won!
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A Sydney war veteran faced a shocking plumbing bill that left him stunned.
What began as a small noise from his toilet spiralled into a quote worth tens of thousands.
It took the quick thinking of a neighbour to stop him from losing even more.
John Rose, 98, said he first noticed ‘a simple glug’ coming from his toilet before calling Ferguson’s Plumbing.
He was then handed a staggering quote of more than $35,000.
‘I was working out how much money I had in the bank—so much in this one, so much in that one, and between the two of them come up with this 30-odd thousand or how much it was worth,’ the World War II veteran shared.
Rose said he was already considering how to pay for the bill when his neighbour intervened.
Instead of draining his savings, the neighbour arranged another plumber who fixed the toilet in about an hour for just $550.
By then, Rose had already paid Ferguson’s $6,000.
The 98-year-old said he would rather have put his money toward helping others, revealing: ‘Last financial year I gave away $30,000 to charity.’
Reviews of Ferguson’s Plumbing painted a divided picture, with its official website showing five-star praise while other platforms told a different story.
Among multiple one-star reviews were warnings including: ‘DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!’
One customer said: ‘Beware—Before engaging with this company ... they quoted me $12,500 to connect a washing machine.’
‘Absolutely shocked and disappointed at the final price,’ another review read.
Others described their dealings as ‘an extremely disappointing experience’ and the ‘worst experience ever’.
Ferguson’s Plumbing traded under Australian Trades (Pty Ltd), which also operated as Andersons Plumbing AUS, Bob’s Plumbing NSW, Dan’s Electrical AUS, Dan’s Electrical NSW, Dan’s Plumbing AUS, Dan’s Plumbing NSW, Lloyd’s Plumbing and Gas, and Willson’s Plumbing NSW.
Authorities have now banned all eight names from operating for the next 60 days while investigations continue.
Better Regulation and Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said: ‘We can impose significant financial penalties for those who are caught doing the wrong thing.’
‘We could suspend or cancel their licence if the evidence holds up.’
Rose said he wanted to share his ordeal as a reminder for others to always seek a second opinion.
The company has been contacted for comments.
Stories like John Rose’s are sadly not isolated—many people have faced eye-watering bills that just don’t add up.
In another case, even those within the trade industry were shocked to see how some customers were being treated.
A mechanic recently spoke out after learning a customer felt scammed over two separate repairs.
Read more: 'How can they scam someone like that?': Mechanic calls out fellow professionals after customer feels scammed for two repairs
Losing thousands of dollars to an inflated quote is one thing—but what would you have done in John Rose’s place?
What began as a small noise from his toilet spiralled into a quote worth tens of thousands.
It took the quick thinking of a neighbour to stop him from losing even more.
John Rose, 98, said he first noticed ‘a simple glug’ coming from his toilet before calling Ferguson’s Plumbing.
He was then handed a staggering quote of more than $35,000.
‘I was working out how much money I had in the bank—so much in this one, so much in that one, and between the two of them come up with this 30-odd thousand or how much it was worth,’ the World War II veteran shared.
Veteran, 98, hit with $35k toilet bill. Image source: Facebook/7News
Rose said he was already considering how to pay for the bill when his neighbour intervened.
Instead of draining his savings, the neighbour arranged another plumber who fixed the toilet in about an hour for just $550.
By then, Rose had already paid Ferguson’s $6,000.
The 98-year-old said he would rather have put his money toward helping others, revealing: ‘Last financial year I gave away $30,000 to charity.’
Reviews of Ferguson’s Plumbing painted a divided picture, with its official website showing five-star praise while other platforms told a different story.
Among multiple one-star reviews were warnings including: ‘DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!’
One customer said: ‘Beware—Before engaging with this company ... they quoted me $12,500 to connect a washing machine.’
‘Absolutely shocked and disappointed at the final price,’ another review read.
Others described their dealings as ‘an extremely disappointing experience’ and the ‘worst experience ever’.
Ferguson’s Plumbing traded under Australian Trades (Pty Ltd), which also operated as Andersons Plumbing AUS, Bob’s Plumbing NSW, Dan’s Electrical AUS, Dan’s Electrical NSW, Dan’s Plumbing AUS, Dan’s Plumbing NSW, Lloyd’s Plumbing and Gas, and Willson’s Plumbing NSW.
Authorities have now banned all eight names from operating for the next 60 days while investigations continue.
Better Regulation and Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said: ‘We can impose significant financial penalties for those who are caught doing the wrong thing.’
‘We could suspend or cancel their licence if the evidence holds up.’
Rose said he wanted to share his ordeal as a reminder for others to always seek a second opinion.
The company has been contacted for comments.
Stories like John Rose’s are sadly not isolated—many people have faced eye-watering bills that just don’t add up.
In another case, even those within the trade industry were shocked to see how some customers were being treated.
A mechanic recently spoke out after learning a customer felt scammed over two separate repairs.
Read more: 'How can they scam someone like that?': Mechanic calls out fellow professionals after customer feels scammed for two repairs
Losing thousands of dollars to an inflated quote is one thing—but what would you have done in John Rose’s place?
