Husky Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 It's great really, it gets recycled and I don't have to waste fuel going to the skip to get rid of metal things (not that I even have a car that'd fit them in anyway). We time things disappearing, the record is a washing machine in 2 and a half minutes. I always separate the metal and pop it in front of my wall to let them know it's fair game, I once left it on the inside of the wall and it wasn't touched for days. Somehow they have developed a pikey etiquette near me, but maybe it's because we help them out by making it really simple? One of them even apologetically knocked on my door and asked for help shifting a fireproof filing cabinet I'd left for them into his van. I had a skip once where I'd left all the metal outside of it for them, I watched the woman pick up the metal and then, like a human metal detector went straight for the skip, reached deep into it and pulled out a mains cut off tap. I had tossed that thing in by accident and thought it was lost to the landfill, noooop mrs magneto pulled it out no problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Bradders- Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 you threw it in the skip, if the plumber didnt take it the local romanian scrap man would have fished it out anyway lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhorno Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 If you put it in the skip I'm surprised the pikeys didn't beat him to it lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Unless you tell him otherwise that you want to keep a particular item (I am clear about this sometimes - being woerd that I am!) its normal practice, Put it this way unless you are weighing in tonnes you wont make any money on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) mrs magneto pmsl. so true though! unless you are weighing in tonnes you wont make any money on it! I had a few odds and sods of copper pipe and a couple of copper taps which I took down the scrappy last year and got £50 for them. I forget how much they weighed but it wasnt much stuff. I was well surprised as I remember taking a transit van full of scrap to a yard a few years earlier and only getting £30. Edited April 15, 2014 by rabbitstew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 They always used to say - if you leave rubbish outside it'll sit there for weeks. Stick a £10 for sale sign on it and it'll be nicked within 5 minutes by the scrappies who drive around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Funny I have never heard of this, but then again never been in that situation. Bit daft of a plumber to assume that everyone knows this is what they do. If you have tossed it in a skip then I guess even though it technically is your property people will think they are doing you a favour by selling it on. They should mention it though - a bit stupid not to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
370Ad Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Tbh if you put something in a skip it's fair game for anyone imo. You don't want it and it's better someone recycles it than it ends up in landfill. Did you copy and paste that OP? Yes as he posted it on two other sites first. The internet is a wonderful and terrifying place Curious as to what other sites now!? Definitely won't be on www.plumbers.org though I'd bet. Euro Gamer forum and some god awful football team 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwize Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 if its in the skip, its anyones but I think its totally fair to say that you want to cats/copper bits/whatever back. I think a company should make clear that they'll be keeping the thing they are replacing and making money from it, otherwise they are just playing on a customers lack of knowledge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sorry, but no. That's not the real world. Think about it: Any time you get something fitted at home, be it carpets or kitchen or toilet or wiring, do you ever expect them to leave the old rubbish behind? No, of course not. Why would plumbing a boiler in be any different? It's not preying on lack of knowledge, it's disposing of the waste. Just because that waste could be worth something to someone doesn't make it any different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 When I had a new boiler fitted, i told them i wanted to keep my old copper. However, they took the old copper water tank without asking me. Baring in mind I think that alone would have been £70 at the scrap yard. However I didnt cause a scene about it as i figured if they were that desperate for money they could keep it. I remember my dad having a boiler fitted and he told the plumber he wanted to keep the old copper tank and the plumber went mad, got well upset about it. I guess they just assume they will get to keep it. Really they need to be more "transparent" (hate that word) about things and say to the client, "look, its this price for me to fit new one as long as I can keep the old one". Not automatically assume that they are entitled to keep the old copper. On the other hand, anything in a skip is fair game. Around my way, any scrap metal which goes in a skip lasts about 3 seconds before some transit magically appears and takes it. Its as if the pikeys have a built in metal detector. Absolutely - it is your property and no-one should be assuming they're getting the scrap - you've asked for a quote for work and supplying parts. I am always very clear with any trade if I want parts kept or removed as part of the job. But if you've skipped it you can't be asking about it after the fact 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sorry, but no. That's not the real world. Think about it: Any time you get something fitted at home, be it carpets...... When ive had carpets fitted the last 3 times, the carpet supplier has expressly told me that their fitters are NOT ALLOWED to take the old carpets as they then have to pay to dispose of them, so they leave everything behind - including any off cuts of the new carpets and let the house holder worry about disposing of them. Which is a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 If a carpet fitter refused to take the old one away I'd cancel my order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerzed Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sorry, but no. That's not the real world. Think about it: Any time you get something fitted at home, be it carpets or kitchen or toilet or wiring, do you ever expect them to leave the old rubbish behind? No, of course not. Why would plumbing a boiler in be any different? It's not preying on lack of knowledge, it's disposing of the waste. Just because that waste could be worth something to someone doesn't make it any different. Because they make money out of it!! Is there a market for second hand toilets?? Not me thinks . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Plumbers always get to win the copper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 The guy who fitted my new boiler last year was great....he left the copper tank and piping round the back of my house and advised where to take it to get the best scrappy price. He said that now it's all BACS rather than cash it makes his tax affairs too "complicated" him taking it. Since I've found out how valuable copper is I'm like a bloody magpie. And I can't pass a church roof without liberating some lead. S. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponsonby Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 After stripping my quite expensive BBQ for a deep clean I left some bits round the back of the house to dry. Our local 'any old iron' chap came around and my wife decided that since these bits were lying around they must be scrap and gave them to him. On his next visit he got the rest of the BBQ since replacement of the parts would have cost more than a new BBQ. Gotta love them! My mother was having some radiators replaced so I phoned her to ask for the old ones, for work. She explained that her and the plumber had just put them outside and she had just rushed in to answer the phone. Plumber was round the back of the house, by the time they got back to them they had gone! They did not see or hear anything but had spotted a white van 'patrolling' the area earlier. Astonishing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmck13 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 The guy who fitted my new boiler last year was great....he left the copper tank and piping round the back of my house and advised where to take it to get the best scrappy price. He said that now it's all BACS rather than cash it makes his tax affairs too "complicated" him taking it. Since I've found out how valuable copper is I'm like a bloody magpie. And I can't pass a church roof without liberating some lead. S. And that your honour is where it all went wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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