Had a pinhole pipe leak at house side of water meter located by the street. Water bureau inspected and indicated that the pipe to the house was good except for where it connected to the meter. Needed to disconnect the meter and pipe, cut about 3" off the pipe, splice and reconnect. Since some cleanout and digging was involved I figured maybe 3 hours and $200 to $300. Hawthorne came in with a bid of $795 and when I said I would have to get another bid they hit me with a $69 estimate charge. He took 5 minutes looking at the job. I called another licensed, experienced plumber and the job cost me $300 including a tip. Excellent work , with warranty and cleaned the area spotless when he was done.
I agree with others who think Hawthorne are rip off artists. They may do good work but so do a lot of others and at reasonable prices.