October 1, 2025 at 7:55 am

Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didn’t Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

by Heide Lazaro

Person doing some plumbing work

Pexels/Reddit

Helping family can sometimes create unexpected drama.

If you were a training professional in a certain area, would you be willing to help a family member in that area for free, or would you want to be paid?

This man agreed to help his sister with a plumbing issue at her home.

After hours of hard work and travel, he charged her $100, which is way less than his professional fee, but she refused to pay him.

Now, she wants him to help her again, and he’s not sure what to do.

Read the full story below to find out more.

AITA For not doing work for family member

A few years back, my sister needed a new well pump.

I work for a small plumbing company.

She lives about 45 minutes from our shop.

I worked it out with my boss for me to use a vacation day for that day.

This man, along with 2 co-workers, helped his sister with her plumbing problem.

In exchange, my sister would not be billed for labor for two men. She would just have to pay the labor charges for my co-worker, who I needed to help with the job.

This was a pretty involved process for all she needed done.

We spent a good 7 hours there, plus the 45-minute commute each way.

All in all, my arrangement saved her a good $600 in labor charges.

He asked her to pay $100, but she refused.

At the end of the day, when I was getting ready to leave, I said to her:

“I’d be good with you giving me 100 bucks for helping you out with everything. I definitely saved you several hundred dollars.”

Possibly more, because she wasn’t at the mercy of other unknown plumbers in her area.

Her response was, “You got paid for the day, didn’t you?”

He realized he wasn’t gonna get paid, so he left.

I hovered around a few seconds thinking she was joking, but when I realized she wasn’t, I got in the truck and left.

Everyone else I’ve ever helped out on the side or whatever has offered me more than I ask just out of sheer gratitude.

Her sister texted him again asking for help with another plumbing project.

Now, she texted me a few days ago, asking if I could help with another plumbing project.

I never replied.

I’ve spent the past few days trying to come up with a response to respectfully decline, but the only thing I can come up with is, “You burnt that bridge several years ago.”

Anyway, AITA for expecting some sort of payment for helping her out?

He thinks she should still pay him even though they are siblings.

I understand you shouldn’t always expect money for helping out friends or family.

But I feel like there is a big difference between helping someone move furniture or something like that versus helping someone with something that you are a paid professional in, especially when you saved them a significant amount of money in the process.

Was he wrong to want his sister to pay, or was his sister wrong for refusing to pay?

Let’s find out what others have to say about this on Reddit.

This person suggests a good response to the sister.

Screenshot 2025 08 26 at 4.13.57 PM Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didnt Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Screenshot 2025 08 26 at 4.14.22 PM Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didnt Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

Your vacation day isn’t a free day, says this person.

Screenshot 2025 08 26 at 4.15.06 PM Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didnt Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

Here’s valid advice from this user.

Screenshot 2025 08 26 at 4.15.25 PM Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didnt Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

Finally, short and simple.

Screenshot 2025 08 26 at 4.15.43 PM Man Helped His Sister Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Plumbing, But Since She Didnt Pay Him, He Refuses To Help Her Again

You shouldn’t always expect free labor from professional family members.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.