Emergency Plumbing & Drains

THE EMERGENCY PLUMBING & DRAINS GUARANTEE: NO RESULTS. NO GUARANTEE! PREFACE: This Plumber's rating was pulled down in a few areas due to his non-responsiveness to our calls for follow-up service. His pricing for initial work performed was reasonable and competitive. His Professionalism took a hit because he didn't extend us the courtesy of informing us he would not be returning to complete Part 2 of the job—I left a voicemail courteously explaining why we could not wait for our follow-up appointment. (Hint: He doesn't promptly return calls.) On technical skills alone, he made a good impression and appeared to know what he was doing; however, communication was strained due to his communication style i.e., verbosity vs. encouraging customer interaction. What's worse, we subsequently discovered his diagnosis was way off mark (supposedly metal was in the main line—actually this was old toilet paper clinging to our cast iron piping. He broke his snake entering our system through a roof vent instead of the 3" main line cleanout easily accessible from our patio. Then he couldn't fully insert his camera into our system, again, due to entering through the roof vent vs. cleanout. In short, we paid for nothing! CHIEF COMPLAINT: Jason was non-responsive to follow-up calls and Anglieslist messaging to complete agreed upon work to our plumbing system. He performed an initial diagnosis with a camera inspection then attempted a drain cleaning. Blockage was located and a follow-up appointment was set for initially diagnosed work and further investigation of our Sewer Lateral. This additional work for more than $500 was to remove the non-existent metal in the main line. While awaiting Jason's return appointment, we experienced a full-house backup and due to our difficulty in reaching him, we were forced to hire another Plumber to clear our drains to regain temporary use of our plumbing system. I then tried in vain to contact Jason by telephone and via Angielist for several days yet never heard back. PRICING ANOMALY: Jason's initial fee seemed competitive ($220 to camera and snake part of our Main Line); however, his quote for the limited amount of time and work required to remove the misdiagnosed blockage he said he discovered seemed excessive. What’s more, his quote did not include new parts. He intended to reuse two inexpensive 7-year-old rubber couplings which are easy to slip on and ensure years of trouble-free service. Low-balling a service to gain customer confidence is a gambit often used by tradespersons to secure a hefty subsequent paycheck when homeowners appear vulnerable due to their situation. I find this to be most deceitful and unprofessional i.e., praying on a homeowner's malady to enrich one's self--assuming that was his ploy. Lastly, a professional with integrity will always respond even if to turn down a job or to make a referral. That's the mark of a true professional in my opinion. FAIR-WEATHER TRADESPERSON: Times are good today bringing Plumbers a steady stream of business; however, that will change with a slowing economy. Fortunately for consumers, there are a great many Plumbers in San Diego County to select from. PS: After the hassle of dealing with Jason, we located a supremely professional plumbing company which redesigned our waste plumbing system. We’ve had two months with zero plumbing problems. They even offer a very strong 2-year guarantee. Emergency Plumbing & Drains won’t offer such a guarantee—perhaps due to his inability to properly diagnose more complex plumbing issues. PSS: Members: See Angieslist article entitled, "Here are 7 key questions to ask when hiring a plumber to do work in your home."

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It went very well. They were very responsive.

The owner is Jason and he is very knowledgeable.  We had some neighbours that had a big blunder going on and somebody else had recommended him.  He took a completely different path on the repair that was needed and fixed not only their big old problem which the other plumber was making it worse but was able to get their company to realise that they had approached the problem wrong and convinced them to give these people refund which they did.  He is absolutely excellent.