Business ProfileforEastern Plumbing

On November 1 a plumber came to the house as requested to look over repairs requested to change the plumbing from inside the walls to go directly thru the floor to run under the house to avoid water damage due to broken pipes. He arrived timely, looked around, in and under the house. My father paid the estimate fee of $128.05 which surprisingly included tax. We received the documentation to make the repairs in the amount of $3,881.32. The estimate only stated the steps the company would take to make said repairs. It did not indicate how much footage of pipe, what size pipe other than pex piping. It did not indicate how many labor hours it may take, nor how many men would be arriving to complete the work. When I requested a breakdown of the charges the response received from the representative was "we charge by the job and not time and materials, that is the reason we do quotes before doing jobs". Definition is as follows : "A quote or quotation provides the exact price for a job. This fixed price breaks down the full cost of the project, identifying its timeline and scope. When drawing up a quotation, you must clearly break down the project line by line to cover all anticipated costs". A request of the breakdown of charges is not an unreasonable request. How can you charge "by the job" when it comes to plumbing and there are different scenarios, problems and equipment needed for each. When I requested a refund of the estimate/quote fee, they refused saying they spent an hour looking over the job and what would need to be done. I feel Eastern Plumbing is being deceptive and a bit shady to send a quote for $3,881.32 and not be able to back up their numbers. I am unsure it's permissible to charge tax on an estimate fee? Having worked in international shipping, I was always able to provide a breakdown of charges or estimated charges to the potential or existing customer. I only want to know what I may be paying for and if it's fair.