Bill The Plumber

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unknown

We had a leaky faucet in our laundry room. It was dripping from the faucet head steadily.  The estimate to repair the leaky faucet was $322 dollars. In addition there was a valve that wasn't working to turn off the hot water. The estimate for this repair was $253.40 or they could give me a new faucet for a total of $548.  I declined to have the work done based on these estimates. I had done some research to look for the average price for a leaky faucet which was about $114 dollars in this area.  To me these prices were outrageous and I declined the work and ended up paying $59.95 for the house call.  This was a company where we were a "Value" member.  We paid a lot of money to be a plan member and still the pricing was exorbitant. They charged us over $150 dollars to replace a toilet flapper. I'm wondering if the plumbers make commission on the up sales they suggest  as they offered to go around and check everything else to see if anything was wrong.
In the end, I went to Lowes, purchased new valves and new cartridges for the faucet handles for $27 and fixed it myself.  This is not rocket science.  I should have done that in the first place. However, there are times when it's more convenient to have a plumber come fix it.  Based on the prices being charged, I will not use Bill the Plumber, Inc. again.

unknown

Great service, I use them all the time.

This job seems highly expensive! A Google search told me that the high end of the pricing curve for this type of job in the same area was $1200--Bill the Plumber charged almost $ 2000.00. The cost for the water heater through this company, basic unit is $1200, through Home Depot $300-400. With adding on some kind of switch at $257.00 plus the price on an expansion tank ($219 vs $40-60 from Home Depot)..well you do the math. My 89 year old father trusted this company and in the past was very pleased with other work done--that's why he called them first and not Home Depot. But a simple $700.00 replacement job from Home Depot costed more than twice the price with Bill the Plumber! Needless to say he feels taken advantage of. 

unknown

unknown

II have owned my home for 12 year, when it was purchased new. Early on, I entered into an annual (lifetime actually) service contract with Bill the Plumber (BTP), which provides annual inspections of the basic plumbing systems of the home (sinks, toilets, hot water tanks, etc) as part of my one time fee. Additionally, the service agreement offers me "preferred" rates for any additional plumbing service that I need (beyond the basic inspections), plus priority dispatch/response in the event of a plumbing emergency.
Until recently, I have been satisfied with service agreement and overall service with Bill the Plumber (even though their pricing is high in comparison to comparable providers). I have had my annual inspections done regularly, had additional work done beyond the service agreements (install new sinks, install new garbage disposal, install new fixtures, etc) without any issues.
On my most recent annual inspection, the technicians conducted their survey, did the basic maintenance as provided by the contract, and pointed out a couple of items that they recommended for repair (water main shut-off and toilet float valve replacement (which I agreed to have done). They completed their work, I cut them a check and they were on their way.
A few day later, I was cleaning bathrooms when I discovered standing water below one of my sinks. After inspection, I could see that there was water now dripping from one of the sink water shut-off valves (which is a plastic plunger style - not a turn knob valve). Note: the technician inspection report stated that they turned off/on all water valves in bathrooms to check for leaks as part of the inspection. I turned off the valve to stop the leaking, and at the time, noticed that the technicians had turned off the other water valve, and not turned it back on as part of their inspections (which indicates to me that they were not very thorough).
I called the office for BTP, and was connected to Service Manager. I explained the issue to him and his response was that the type of valve leaking in question, is cheap and they tend to wear out. And, he instructs his technicians to recommend/replace this type of valve when they encounter them . I found this ironic, since I have been using BTP for over ten years, yet all my valves are still the original plastic plunger types. He commented that just because the valve is now leaking, it is not their fault, as it was merely a coincidental timing that the valve is now leaking as a result of the technician testing the valve (i.e. the valve was bound to go bad at some point anyway). While I agreed that there was no negligence or malice by the technician, the result is that, prior to the inspection, I did not have a leak, and after the inspection I NOW have a leak. He basically told me that things break. Additionally, I expressed my displeasure with the technician(s) that was dispatched to my home. Besides the new leak, they had not been thorough in their inspection (left water off in a sink) plus now, 2 toilets were running constant (which I fixed after the fact). His response to that was " That is why it's great that you have a lifetime plan; as part of the plan, you get annual service visits at no cost. And - technicians are like like everyone else - can have an off day too"
After our conversation, he agreed to send a technician back to inspect the issue. Upon return the same technician(s) from before returned to inspect the problem. After inspection, the techs confirmed that the leak was a result of the broken valve, and that it would need to be replaced. He also recommended that both (hot and cold) valves should be done at the same time, and with my "preferred pricing" would be $194.67!! He went on to tell me that they didn't intentionally damage the item as a result of their inspection, but that it just broke because it was old and things break (which is the same thing that the Service Manager said - and which I agreed to). I just reiterated that, prior to the inspection, there was no leak, and now, AFTER the inspection, there is a leak - that will cost me almost $200 to fix. This after I already paid $415 "preferred pricing" to fix the 2 items during the first inspection. At that time, I informed the technicians that I would opt to NOT repair the leak, which surprised them greatly!
They finished the report, and were on their way.
In the end, I just felt that this was very poor customer service from the BTP, especially being a preferred customer of over 10 year, in which time, I have spent a fair amount of money (not only for the original service plan, but for additional work over the years). Moving forward, I may/may not continue to use BTP for my annual inspections, but will not use them for ANY other plumbing needs beyond the inspections. I have compared their pricing to other competitors - and even with my "Preferred Pricing" they are still higher than other companies. So, why would I pay higher rates and recieve poor customer service?

Stay away from Bill the Plumber unless you like paying someone else to come in and fix what Bill's people do.   Worst plumber ever. Refunded their bill, but not the additional $198.50 I had to pay another plumber to fix their screw-up.  I put a stop payment on Bill's check which cost me 29.00, but I wanted to make sure the powers that be at Bill the Plumber knew I was p*****.  Worst plumber ever.  Check out Gem Statewide Plumbing if you need one.  Bill's capped a cold water line so the other company had to cut off the cap and re-pipe that section.  Cost me an additional 199.00 to fix what Bill's plumbing did, you think they will give me the money back for the extra repair that was caused by their person.  He was a terrible plumber and Bill the Plumber administrative treats people like an ATM.  Because no, they won't be responsible for damages caused by them.

We have used Bill the Plumber for the six year's we have owned our house.      They have done general maintainance, they have installed plumbing for an outdoor kitchen, they have helped to fix a water pipe leak under the pad under our house.     They are excellent and always prompt and responsive.      Their pricing is one price, they do not bill by the hour.  They have a maintenance plan to which we subscribe.     The maintenance plan has saved us money each year.    

I purchased a valued customer protection plan last year and scheduled an inspection visit because it was the one-year anniversary and I also had problems with a toilet that wouldn't stop running. I have used Bill the Plumber in the past and have always been pleased with their service, but I have had a suspicion that their prices are on the high side. While I believe in customer loyalty for outstanding service, I also have a limited income and have to watch my money.
The plumber was prompt and very courteous and thorough, doing an inspection inside and outside. The shocker came when he presented me with a two-page list of repairs that needed to be done, totalling $2,095.68. That was the VALUE price.
Let's see. My master bath toilet is loose at the base. It needs new flange, seal, and bolts: $327.62
The handle in the guest bath is hard to pull out: $176.97.
Sink drain replacement: $176.97.
Reinforced stainless steel washing machine hoses: $199.09.
I had him fix the toilet that wouldn't stop running, but I plan on asking for a refund of my customer protection plan (which I renewed) because I can't believe these prices are reasonable.

I had a massive flood in my kitchen on June 4. I called Bill the Plumber because my late husband had their business card in his file. Two technicians arrived, donned plastic booties, and went to work locating the leak, which I thought was in my dishwasher. It wasn't. A copper pipe in the wall behind the sink had a hole in it. To find the leak they had to remove the back of the cabinet, the wall, and the insulation to get to the pipe. They put a temporary cap on it and put me in touch with someone who could come and dry out the mess under the cabinets.
They returned a couple of weeks later, after everything was dry and the insurance company had inspected the damage, and relooped the water line through the attic and over to the washing machine. Again, there were two plumbers working to get everything fixed up. By purchasing the Valued Customer Protection Plan, I saved 10 percent on the repair and they inspected my toilets and replaced the flappers. The plan includes annual whole-house plumbing inspection, water heater cleaning, toilet flappers and faucet aerators, and extended warranty on labor and materials. I had called a couple of other plumbers to compare prices and they seemed very reasonable.
That evening I started to prepare dinner and realized there was no cold water in the kitchen sink. When I called they offered to come and repair it that evening. I had cold water elsewhere in the house, so I declined, but they came first thing the next morning and fixed the problem (which required another piece of pipe). No additional charge. I am having new cabinets installed, and they said they would call the Moen company and have them send a replacement faucet, since the one I had was beginning to rust. I don't know if they are going to charge me for that or not.
Both men were very friendly and explained to me everything that was being done. My only complaint? I did not receive the free garbage disposal "toothbrush" at signing. LOL.

We had joined the bill the plummer membership and as a member we would receive special pricing since we were a member so one day we had a stopped up toilet.  After several times with the plunger we decided to call a plummer.  Since we had a contract with Bill the plummer we called them.  They came right out.  Then after all the plunging the toilet finally cleared itself.  The plummer came in and flushed the toilet about 5 or 6 times.  It flushed correctly about half the time.  But by the time he flushed it a few more times the toilet started working properly.   Bill the plummer was going to charge us $120.00 for coming out and flushing the toilet  I asked him since we are a member of his so called club why was it so much. .He told me the going price for  a nonmember was $150.00 but because we were members we saved some money.  So he recommended changing out the toilet   So at this time we have the choice of paying $120.00 for flushing our toilet or he would throw that away and charge us $650.00 for a new toilet.  Now I have changed out toilets and I know how easy they can be.  So we agreed to pay about $650.00 to have a new and so called better toilet put in that they recommend.  I knew I could not put the toilet in with my back the way it was so they put in the toilet the next day with no problems and everything went smoothly.  When I priced the toilet at Home Depot after the work had been done I was amazed at how much extra we paid for this toilet. 
This company is way overpriced.
Save some money and call someone else.

We remodeled our kitchen and had Bill the Plumber put in our new faucet.  They came 2 hours early and my husband was there. When they gave him the price--he thought I already had approved it. He told the service person that is wife was handling the project and that we had an appt. for 1pm, NOT 11am. The service person said--Well-what do you want me to do...wait 2 hours or start? Well--he started the job before I got home.When I walked in--you could feel the tension--he was slamming tools around and asked me where did I get this faucet??? I said it was a special order. He said he had never seen one like this. I should have told him then to leave immediately. Meanwhile, my husband did not tell me the bill would be $600.00!!!!!I questioned the bill, and he said ---"that is what it is-- Your husband approved it!" I replied--how can you justify this price????He continued on, ranting about the parts and placement of the faucet. Very unprofessional. The next day--we had a HUGE water leak under the sink. Had to call them on a Sat. and another service person had to come out to fix it. We told him how disappointed we were and that I was going to call owner on Monday.I called and they said well--you agreed to the price!  I told them that we had a 1pm. appt., and they took advantage of me not being there. Someone came out the next day and took $100 off the bill. It still ended up still being $500 to put in a faucet----ridiculous price!We thought the experience with Bill the Plumber was awful and we were so taken advantage of!

His plumbers did not complete the project and left stuff behind it was a very very bad experience.

He was able to tell us that the three hoses needed to be re-routed in order to stop the leak.  I was very pleased with the results.

Originally called them out to evaluate a possible leak in the plumbing in pipes leading to shower. The serviceman told me that there was no problem with the pipes, but my shower enclosure needed new caulking - this is what was causing the leak. While he was there he looked at the two faucets in the same bathroom and replaced them as they were likely original to the house (20+ years). I have had faucets replaced in another bathroom by the same company and showed him what I wanted - very simple, no frills fixture. He wrote up the estimate and I was somewhat surprised at the cost, and said so. I was expecting a figure about $200.00 less! He did 'recalculate' the estimate with a loyal customer discount so I went ahead with the work, as I decided I really couldn't afford to miss another day of work getting further estimates, etc. He was punctual, polite, quick, and the work was done well. Just a bit higher than I recall paying for the same faucet a year ago.

Paul, the plumber from Bill's, spent four hours clearing my drains and making sure that everything worked. He ran a cable through the pipe under the house, and then got on the roof and ran it down through the roof vent stack. It was basically fixed but the laundry tub was still running a little slow. He kept at it until everything was totally clear. Bill the Plumber also provided a one year, one time return warranty. They also gave me a fixed price upfront as opposed to a time and material estimate which probably would have been more (four hours work). I like this company and find it professional.