BENEDICT & BENEDICT PLUMBING COMPANY

2 reviews 1.0 star rating 11/28/2016 In 2010 Benedict & Benedict installed our water heater with an AABCO gas valve box (a controller with an igniter that relights the pilot). At that time, we had to have the controller replaced five times in a two month period because each unit was faulty. Last week our pilot light went out and the igniter would not restart. We called Benedict since they had installed the water heater. Russell came, and declared that the hot water heater was dead and needed to be replaced. When questioned, he insisted that the gas valve box could not be replaced and the whole water heater was done....after only six years. He admitted that six years falls short of the usual 12 to 15 years life expectancy but "sometimes this happens". He gave us two options: a replacement water heater for $1300 OR an on-demand tankless system for $4800. He pushed the tankless heater as a great option. We sent him away and said we woud think about it. We called our back up plumber who came and within 15 minutes fixed the broken igniter for $96. I will never again use Benedict. If you use them, get a second estimate if they are suggesting major replacement costs.

-  He kept telling me that I need to replace the entire shower valve instead of just the cartridge.   He wanted to know how to get to the     pipes.
-  I said only wanted to replace the cartridge. .  
-  I said that I had it replaced twice before and it should be easy.
-  He then quoted $275 and I said ok. 
-  He could not get the handle off the shower valve and said the the previous plumber put it on too tight and he cannot get it off.
-  When he went to his truck, I successfully removed the handle.
-  Then he returned and removed the face plate.  
-  Now he tells me that the cartridge is no longer available and asks me what do I want to do.
-  I said I was going to call the prior plumber to replace the cartridge.
-  He then said that he was going charge me $135 for a service call.  Later lowered it to $100.

-  I had Haddad Plumbers replace the cartridge.  It took them 15 minutes and they charged me $123.
-  Haddad Plumbers said the cartridges are readily available and that if I call Moen, Moen will send me a free cartridge.  I looked online and found that Moen has a lifetime warranty and you can call in and get a replacement part for free.
-  I called Moen and they will send you a free replacement part if you are the original purchaser of the part and the homeowner.
-  The cartridge is available on Amazon and several other online stores.

We have used Benedict & Benedict many times over the 50 years that we have owned our house, so when the sink backed up in the apartment above our garage, we called them. We had great trust in the firm since they had always done excellent work at reasonable prices, but we did not know that the firm had been sold since we had last used them.
The fellow that came out told us that the pipes were very old and corroded and had been plugged and broken by nearby ficus tree roots. We did see them pull a lot of roots out of the pipes when they attempted to clear them, so it seemed reasonable when we were told that they would have to dig up the concrete garage floor to get at the sewer main to repair all of the damage. Before starting any work, they quoted $13,000, which seemed quite high but we told them to proceed on the condition that they provide a detailed, line-item invoice after the work was completed.
In the process of working on the garage, they told us that the sewer main
to the street needed to be repaired at a cost of an additional $9,500. Again we told them to proceed on the condition that they provide a detailed, line-item invoice.
While working on the sewer main, they told us that the connector from the main house to the sewer main needed to be repaired. We have never had any problem with this part of our plumbing and asked that they inspect it with a camera and show us the damage. Despite our repeated requests to view the pipes via their camera, we were never given this opportunity. Instead they changed their mind and told us that their inspection showed that there were no necessary repairs after all. This seemed suspicious.
Although we do think that the initial work on the garage apartment and probably the sewer main to the street was necessary and we do think that they did good work, we think that we were charged far too much. Since we have never received the detailed invoices that we asked for repeatedly, we have no idea why this project cost over $20,000.
Our trust in Benedict & Benedict has been ruined because of this and because of how they changed their opinion about whether the main house to sewer main connector needed replacement when we asked to see the damage ourselves.
In retrospect, we should have gotten estimates from other firms before starting work.

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Bought a new kitchen faucet and need a plumber to install it. I was able to get same day help. They arrived on time and installed the new faucet in less than 20 minutes.

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The service went very well. They sent out the office manager to give me an estimate and to show me how it would run. One guy came out and it took about a full day to finish. A lot of digging involved. I would tell a friend or family member they a very dependable and knowledgeable and the answer to my prayers.

Three afternoons the guy was here. The first day nothing happened. I called Ray at the main office and asked him to send someone that would do work. I had to pump out the water mess in my basement. The second afternoon he game, he went, he came back, he walked around my property. Again I called the office and begged Ray to send someone to come fix the problem. Again I had to pump out the water mess in my basement. Finally, the third afternoon he replaced the 30 feet of 3 inch pipe and actually cleaned up the mess in the basement. The mess he made he left behind. He charged me for 14 hours of work. He only worked 6. They charged me three times what the parts costed. Both the owner and the plumber were very passive aggressive through the whole process. It was awful. Don't use these guys. They are dishonest and basically rip off artists. Horrible. The worst plumbers in California.

I was given an estimate of $840 I was billed $2800 I negotiated it down to $2200. At no time was i told the price of the job was going to be more. Real problem! I called and when I complained I was told it took more time and what could be done was to lower the bill slightly by giving me a lower labor cost. It was a total financial strain. I used them for 15 years, never again!

I called Benedict & Benedict late in the day and described the problem and how I wanted the work done as soon as possible. The woman who answered put me on hold and immediately checked with one of her service people in the field. Fortunately she and was able to have someone over in 40 minutes. Awesome! Dan showed up right on time and ready to go. He diagnosed the problem, told me how much it would be, and then throughly snaked the line. He also took the time to explain probably causes and remedies. He was courteous and professional. It is no wonder that the company has been in business for 98 years. They have certainly won my future business.

This job was HORRIBLE, cost $2,000 to install 3-bathroom sink faucets and as a result, I will NEVER use B&B again. I've used B&B prior and felt comfortable to use them this time to install 3-sink faucets. This time I was not able to stay at home and supervise while Joesph (plumber) installed the faucets. The first day he stated that he spent close to 1.5 hours trying to get one screw off one sink -- I asked him to leave me the screw driver that he was using and I would try and get it off when I came home later that night. I went right to the bathroom sink when I returned home from work determined to remove the screw no matter how long it took -- incidentally, I had the screw off in less than a minute -- the same screw that he stated he was working on for close to 1.5 hours. On the second day, I called and sent him text messages throughout the day to get the status of where he was so that I wouldn't get another "screw" story -- again, I kept getting vague answers or he repeated what he was working on just an hour earlier. I felt he was taking advantage of the fact that I was not there so when the job reached 10.5 hours (over two days), I finally had to ask him to leave my house with the work unfinished -- at that point he racked up $1,700 just in labor. I returned home that night and found the drywall carelessly sawed through (the bathroom is wallpapered) and a extremely sloppy job of caulking (didn't use enough). I ended up fixing up the mess the next day by going to OSH and buying less than $50 in supplies and it took just under an hour (although I haven't fixed the hole in the wall yet). I contacted the company and I am waiting for a call back, nothing yet.

This company had repaired a leaky shower valve for me in Dec. 2008 and charged me around $290 (no parts, just labor). The same valve leaked again in June 2010. I called the company, they came out and fixed the same problem and charged me the same price (again no parts, just labor). I requested a discount since this was a repeat repair; the plumber refused to give me a discount. I called the office and spoke to the receptionist who said she would talk to the owner. She never bothered to call me back. During the June service, the plumber replaced a toilet flap and charged me $35. I thought that was outrageous. I would not recommend this company.

They were just fine and we spent under $100 for that work.

The water heater was installed with new gas pipe, new electrical line, new tankless water heater (Takagi). I went so smoothly I wish I had done it 4 years ago when I first thought about it.

I called the company a week in advance to schedule an estimate. I had to make a two-hour drive to the house myself on the only day they could make an appointment. Halfway to the house, an hour into my drive, they called to cancel the appointment for that day and any day for the rest of the week. (It was a Monday.) They suggested I call back the following week to schedule another appointment. Needless to say I never called.

After surveying the piping he was going to be working on, he arrived with the materials he needed and went right to work. He worked hard every day until all the work was done and did an excellent job of cleaning up before he left.

Fine job. Work was done by Michael Valencia. I have used this company many times and always had good results.