Around The Clock Service Inc

The pump still doesn't work well. I've asked them about it several times and they haven't taken care of it in the past couple of years. 

Again, I am gonna have somebody else come in. They don't give you a call to say hey it's time to replace your filter and that is fine. However, I have been with them for 30 years so I think they would extend that service but they don't. 

They put some holes in my wall and banged up my floor. It works but I have had a lot of trouble with this recirculating pump. 

There were some things in the interior of the toilet and the tank that they replaced. They were great. For this specific service they were fine. It was holiday rates. It was $150 to just cross the threshold and then it was on top of that. For labor it was really highly. He was only here for 10 minutes and then the cost of the parts. Quality was great, they were wonderful. Around The Clock used to be great, but they've become really flaky. I think these guys are so overworked. They're the only game in town. I made another phone call. The water was being turned off in the neighborhood and I have a recirculating pump on my water heater. I called several times to ask them what I should do to turn off the recirculating pump. I ended up having to go to the local hardware store and he helped me. I never heard back from Around The Clock, they never called me back. The woman who answered the phone was very, "Okay, whatever." For this specific situation they were great. They came, they did what they needed to do, they left. I've been using Around The Clock for 30 years and they've been great. I've noticed a dramatic decline in the quality of their work over the past two years. So I'm now looking for another plumber.

Tim, the owner of the business, did most of the work. He's great and I recommend you ask for him. He's very knowledgeable about his profession, can diagnose your plumbing problem accurately and get the job done quickly, thus saving you some money. Most of his employees are likewise very competent. In the past, a couple of his employees would guess what was the cause of my plumbing problem and then try various remedies before solving the problem. Or they were somewhat disorganized and need to return to their shop several times for more parts or tools.

The technician, Larry, arrived on time to deliver and install new water heater. He worked quickly, demonstrating knowledge, professionalism and skills. Some minor re-plumbing (replacement of valve and fittings, replacement of some old gas piping, restructure the gas vent) was required. There was no time wasted or unnecessary work performed, yet the job still required 3 hours to complete--that was just the way it played out. Labor cost was comparable to any other trained technician, i.e. auto mechanic, electrician, etc. While the cost of the unit seemed high at first blush, when the cost of delivery, removal and disposal of the old unit and the parts required for installation was considered, cost began to make more sense.

After giving the go ahead with the verbal agreement, I had my sons remove the portion of the patio required and dig well over 60% of the required trenching. ATC came out a day ahead of schedule and did the required trenching for the cold water replacement and finished a small section of the remaining hot water trench to get it to the required depth. They were nice enough to let my sons use their mini jack hammer to help them dig the trench. The next day they finished the pipe installation and requested payment. Frank provide me a an invoice for the full original price even though over half of the trenching had been done for them. Also the invoice was not itemized. When I asked why there was no discount for the work performed for them per our agreement, he said said it turned out to be more involved than he originally thought. I did agree to pay but felt I had been played. Upon further inspection after they had left, I discovered they had not covered the trench for the cold water line, left holes around the areas where the pipes entered the cottage and had not tested the hot water line. At that point I finished the work myself and did not call them back to cover the one trench or fill in the space around the pipes out of frustration. What made the experience even more frustrating is that I had had a great experience with Frank just a few weeks earlier and felt I could trust a handshake agreement. I learned my lesson to get a detailed quote and written agreement!

Had a very stubborn clog in the upstairs bathroom that was effecting both sinks in one bathroom. They were able to get to the clog and remove it after a short time. The job was made more difficult by an addition that was done 16 years ago where the plumbing was not installed correctly inside the walls. Their technician figured it out right way and was able to work around it. Turned out to be a large hair clog - guess that happens when you have three girls using the same bathroom! The other problem was the kitchen sink running slow and a backup when the dishwasher would empty. The technician found out that it was not really in the pipes but a problem with the garbage disposal so we are going to wait and replace the unit after a bit of research. I have used ATC many times in the past and have always been happy with their work on general plumbing problems. They were quick, clean and to the point and allowed me to get on with my day.