Update.

So, our house is basically under warranty for the first year. So if things go wrong with stuff, it's basically covered by insurance that's provided by the seller. Pretty cool, eh?

We learned an important lesson today, I think. Diana called the plumber back and said that we appreciate his help today, and explained about the warranty, so we wouldn't need his services. She asked if he could come by and return the shower handle that he took with him (why, I don't know) and asked how much we owed him. He said $115, and said that was a $45 part that he left in our shower. What he left was a valve that fit the pipe, but that wasn't right for the handle to our shower. The $45 part is TOTALLY bullshit, though, as I've been to Home Depot and looked online and found what look to be the exact same parts for $12.

So I called (yeah, that's right, hard-ass me) and thanked him again and confirmed that we didn't need his services. I asked him how the valve that he left was different than the one that we'd eventually need, and he explained that the one that we need is one that sticks out of the wall basically, and isn't recessed like this one is. That made sense. I said that it was a little silly that we had to pay $45 for a part that was going to be replaced in a day or two, and wasn't there a way that we could sell it back to him or return it or something?

*silence*

He sort of sighed and said "Ok, I'll just charge you service. $75. Make sure you keep that part in case something else breaks and you can use it as a cap again." Woo hoo! I feel like it's a slight victory, and that we've learned some important lessons, about both the service industry in general and plumbing systems. I for one have learned so much in the last few days about house-stuff. It's a lot of fun.

Oh yeah. When Diana opened the door to let the guy in initially, he started with "By law I'm not allowed to enter the home unless you're over 18." Ha!