MORTENSEN CUSTOM PLUMBING

They are great have a verygood communication and have a fairly price.

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Their work is of the highest standard and quality.  Every job they did for my family was well done in a timely fashion.  If it were not for for their "Value pricing" model they would still be our plumbers today.  But they always give you three option a low, with less expensive fixtures, middle, and ultimate.  They warranty their work based on which package you buy, the more expensive the longer warranty on their work.   Many of the fixtures would carry their own warranty.  So I am uncertain as to why, they would warranty their work for different lengths of time.  When we need a toilet replaced quickly when selling our last house, the price was outrageous and they finally agreed to sell me an older model that was just collecting dust in their storage for 300 less than their basic.  They do great work and stand by it, but I would recommend more than one bid if you are going to use them.  I think their business model is geared more toward commercial than residential.  But in all honesty I do not have experience with using them for just minor plumbing repairs.

It was great - the service call is normally $80, I believe, and not having that expense this time - for a simple fix - was wonderful.  I won't hesitate to call them again and pay the service fee.

Mortensen is the "Cadillac" of plumbing service in Flagstaff. When one calls to set up a service appointment the phone is answered by the owner, not some receptionist. Amazing! After describing our problems Marty decided to send us Clay, with the understanding that the home visit and production of an estimate would cost $89.00, which would be deducted from the costs of any repairs that we authorized. Clay arrived on time, wore covers over his shoes, was pleasant, and was he worked we discovered that he had a background in commercial level plumbing and steamfitting; he really knew his stuff.

What came next was something I've never experienced in fifty years as a homeowner using many plumbers in a variety of differenct towns and states. Clay gave  us a five-level estimate, which we were not allowed to keep. The highest level involved total replacement of all of items that just needed repair with commercial level toilets, sinks, etc., at acost of something over $3000.00 complete with a 10-year complete warranty on parts and labor and 10 years of planned annual to semi-annual returns to the home and inspection of everything replaced.

The next level down was about $2000; now the stuff would be replaced with builder's-grade items, complete with a 5-year parts and labor and 5-years of inspection.

The next level down involved replacing all of the parts needing any sort of repair with builders-grade repair parts, leaving the current sinks and toilets renovated and providing 3 years of free parts & labor and semi-annual inspection for 3 years. This cost about $1100, and is what we chose after some discussion.

The next level down procided minimal repair with lower-grade parts and only partial rebuild of items to be repaired. That was about $800 and came with 2 years of parts/labor and inspection for 2 years.

The lowest level was to provide lowest-possible grade components and cutting corners in every possible way, for a cost of about $600 and 90 days of parts/labor.

Having chosen the middle-level choice, Clay disappeared to go buy all the necessary parts, came back and did a total repair of everything we had asked, though he did choose only to replace a sprayer head on our sink and leave the old hose on, though supposedly we were supposed to have all new components. This seemed a minor deviation, but surprising given the $1100 cost. After a total of four hours on the job, including getting parts, Clay finished, took our credit card number and left. Since that time we have had no trouble and everything works just fine.

The $1100 price just seemed SO high, on reflection, we decided to see for ourselves what the basic costs were. We went to the same plumbing supply warehouse that Clay used, and priced all the same parts at retail. They added up, at retail price, to about $120. Assuming that Clay's labor was billed at $100/hour [likely somewhat higher than usual] we figure that the actual cost of the whole thing to Mortensen plumbing was a bit over $500. I then called Mortensen Plumbing, explained what I had done, and asked the owner to explain what added the [extra] $600 to the cost. He pointed out that maintenance of his fleet of vans, advertising, etc., had also to be paid for, and said that he only made a 10% profit on the job.

Mortensen Plumbing does spend a LOT on marketing. They have a really classy web site, small ads in the local paper often, and sometimes use large posters in the yard of any place where they are working for more than a day. In summary, for marketing in Flagstaff, they have no equal. They are a slick outfit who hires highly professional techs, offer a warranty that could be meaningful, and are simply really smooth in public relations. When I described the job in detail to another company they gave me an estimate of $550, exactly HALF of what Mortensen charged, but they offered only a one-year warranty.

We won't be using Mortensen again; we feel basically "used" after looking back at a high-pressure, slick marketing process. The positives are certainly the professional level of Clay, absolutely cleanliness, and excellent warranty; only time will tell if that warranty really means very much. The negative is only one fact; Mortenson Custom Plumbing charges about twice what their nearest competitor charges. To have been charged twice what the job was really worth makes the warranties WAY too expensive. If you want "Cadillac" service at "Cadillac" prices, Mortensen would be a good call.

Professional, great follow-up, very responsive to our needs.... listened.... gave us options.  Will use them again.  Price was higher than expected, but service and integrity were above expectations and feel good about the experience.  

See above. Great, no problems. Very friendly and knowledgeable workers. Very professional. I have had many bad experiences with plumbers in Flagstaff with our home and 2 rentals. I am very glad to have found Mortenson Custom Plumbing. Even if they are a bit pricey, I believe they do excellent work and can be trusted.

They were professional. They got the work done very quickly. I called them and they were there that day. They got the job done the next day. It was a pretty big project.

Project was done on time and on budget. A year later everything is still going great. The bid included maintenance for 2 years. I don't have to contact them - they call me to schedule.

They also gave me estimates on updating some plumbing for the house in general. They were very professional and the quality of work was very good. They explained everything to me. They also pointed out and reviewed some things that I had concerns with. The best part was that they gave me solutions for pending issues that we had.

The plumber arrived the same day I called. What we thought would take a couple hours turned into several but the work was completed in a "licensed" fashion with attention to detail. I was offered several repair and continued service options and chose the plan that fit my budget.