Joe The Plumber

This is the 2nd time using Joe the Plumber for repair of the water supply line from the meter - the leak was in 2 different places over the course of 2-3 years. The first time, about midway between the water meter and the house and the 2nd time about 3 feet from the water meter. I had a leak detection company first diagnose and locate the approximate location of the leak. Joe the Plumber had 3 guys come out - they had to dig from the water meter, under the sidewalk about 2.5 feet to reach and repair the leak. It took about 45 minutes to dig to and identify the leak. They then needed to go to Home Depot to get parts - then another 20-30 minutes to replace and splice the section of line from the water meter to where the leak was. They did very good work on the orignal job and on this one. My only criticism is that the original estimate for the cost of the work was lower than the final cost. I know that there are a lot of unknowns when digging to find and repair a leak, but the final cost was about $150-$200 more when it as all said and done. I would use Joe The Plumber again for this type of work, but would try to get a more firm estimate on the cost or not-to-exceed price.