Plumber problems

So I had a plumber come in and look at the house a few months ago. I had him in again last Friday to refresh his memory. We agreed on the work to be done (reconnect the furnace, move some pipes in the master bathroom, install shower pipes in master bathroom, fix retarded radiator in a bedroom) and the price (6 grand). We also agreed that he start yesterday, so he could get the heat up and running this week.

In the morning yesterday, I got a call from him, saying that he loaned his pipe threader, which is necessary to reconnect the furnace, out to a friend of his and that friend is on vacation. Because of this, he said he can't start until Friday. I told him that's not ideal. He agreed to ask around to see if he could start today with a borrowed pipe threader.

A few hours later, he called back and let me know that he hasn't had any luck finding a threader, but "for a little extra" he could get the pipes cut and threaded at Home Depot. I told him 6 grand for the work or nothing. He hemmed and hawed a little, so I asked him if he could recommend any other plumbers in the area who could get he work done. He said he'd call me back with numbers, as they are in his phone. I hung up, expecting to hear back from him in a few minutes with a few numbers.

Three hours later, he called me back and said he found a threader. Miraculous. He's starting today.

As for the fake stainless steel appliances at Sears, they look just as weird as the ones from Lowe's T. I'm going to have to shell out for the low end, actual stainless stuff. Lame. I'll be scouring craigslist looking for some cheaper ones, as I'd really like to be under my $1500 dollar kitchen appliance budget.