I've been Bell's customer for 19 years and have always rated them high on service and professionalism. They have attended to both plumbing needs and heating services for my residence.

However, they recently performed two routine services that took about an hour and cost me $678.00. The services included replacing a stop valve that shuts off water flow into a toilet and replacing the cartridge for a shower. In years past, equivalent services from Bell would not have exceeded $200.00, including labor, trip charge, and parts. They have gone to a flat pricing model, and it appears that they are now charging about $300.00 per hour.

Although I've been a loyal customer, I can no longer recommend a company that charges so much for services that could be completed by a handyman for 1/5 or 1/6 of their charges. Bell is worth a premium for its quality and professionalism but not at prices that are so very difficult to justify.

There is a well vetted marketing concept that Bell's leadership needs to grasp: price elasticity of demand. With higher prices will come less demand, to a point of diminishing returns.

This is what buyer's remorse looks like