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Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
Excavation - Major Grading or Resloping, Complete Home Inspection, Sewer Main - Clear,
About us
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is a family owned and operated plumbing company servicing Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, and Waterloo- and all areas in between. We offer 24 hour emergency service and your phone call will always be answered by a live person. Each of our technicians is background checked and drug tested to insure that we are sending safe individuals into your home. When they arrive, they will always be dressed in a clean uniform with a tucked-in shirt and will put shoe covers on over their boots before coming into your home. They are also sure to clean up any messes that may be created during a repair. Our technicians will arrive in a full stocked truck when they come to your home for a repair. This allows them to complete almost any job without having to "run out to get parts". It also gives them the benefit of being able to look each concern over, give you all of your options, and give you straight forward pricing for each option- all before they begin their work. This is to help you make an informed decision on how you would like them to proceed. We always try to the best of our ability to work with your schedule when booking an appointment, and in most areas we offer extended business hours during the week and do have appointments available on the weekends (including Sundays). Call today to schedule your plumbing repair, and mention you saw us on Angie's List to receive a $25 repair discount.
Business highlights
Emergency services offered
32 years of experience
Services we offer
Leaky faucets and showerheads, clogged floor drains, disposals, drains, faucets, frozen pipes, garbage disposals, maintenance agreements, mobile homes & tankless water heaters., pumps, running toilets, septic tanks, sinks, standard and tankless water heaters, stopped drains, sump pumps, toilets, tubs/showers, water conditioning systems, water conditioning/softening, water heaters
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
3.026 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 23% | ||
| 19% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 31% | ||
| 15% |
Showing 1-25 of 26 reviews
Ira G.
Aug 2019
It was good. Well request it. Upgrade
Annette R.
Apr 2018
Took way to long to install initially. It did not seem like they knew what they were doing. It was -30 and was told they will finish outside work when warmer. They never did. We have had multiple problems with the system. They messed up furnace wiring with original install and I had to have another company fix issues. We had many minor issues with system and than in a couple years system quit working. Since the manufacture told me it was not installed correctly and I was getting angry with all their problem and expensive fixes, Benjamin offered to fix it for free. They did fixed it by adding RPZ which requires annual inspections. According to install instructions, that should not have been needed but I am not a plumber so could not argue it. It leaked within a couple of days. They came out multiple times. They finally told me it should leak and stalled a hose to catch water and go to drain. Not long after that, when we were having furnace cleaned, the person noticed expansion tank was full of water. That was another costly fix. About a year and half after installing RPZ it started leaking on another place. O-ring failed. It cost over $500 to have it fixed. We have over 7000K stuck in this system because of their poor quality parts and poor workmanship.
Ann H.
Sep 2017
They spent quite a lot of time doing that, which was necessary. It was not unnecessary. They determined it was not an association problem, as far as the building itself. It was the unit itself. The home owner had to replace the water heater to replace the leak. The damage to the property was over $1000. The home owner choose to buy the water heater from Ben Franklin. The price might be a little high for equipment. The charge for coming out around the same range as everyone else. When I looked at other locations, their price was higher than others. I was surprised at the cost of the water heater. The price was up to the home owner, I just had to deal with them as the President of the home owners association. If it was me, and my water heater, I probably would've shopped around. They were very thorough. Sometimes you have to call and ask if they are coming. They give you a two hour window, and sometimes they are on the very outskirts of that window which can be frustrating because you have to be home from work. Sometimes the guy that works on our side of town is sometimes a little chatty and overly familiar at times, but I have dealt with him several times and he feels like he knows me. He's a little more familiar with me than if he just met someone. I would not hesitate to call them.
Barbara O.
Jun 2016
unknown
George M.
Jan 2015
He came out and charged me to talk about doing the work. If I would have known I would have said find someone else.
Richard M.
May 2013
Water heater was a success. They discovered that the anode was expired and replaced it which saved the tank. Regarding the shower drain, they talked me into replacing the existing plastic drain insert (which was leaking) with a brass insert. Said it would be better in the long run. I agreed. Book rate for that repair was $260 + tx. Used silicone vs. plumbers putty to seal. I questioned this but plumber stood his ground stating silicone was only way to go. Said to wait 4 hours before use. We waited 12 hours and took morning showers. Leaked like crazy and got basement very wet.Nothing ruined but made a mess. Called them and they came back out later that day. I had to burn 2 more hours of vacation to meet them. Surprise! They used plumbers putty this time. and no more leak. They were polite and professional. I guess I am neutral as to whether I would use them again. Feel there are alternatives out there for less $ and not cost me 2 visits home during my work day.
Doris A.
May 2013
In our apartment complex,the service provider put in an extra garbage disposer without asking us. He was called to put in a water
heater and a garbage disposer in another unit. I do not believe that he got confused. I do not believe the owner that it was just an accident. I would NOT call them for any kind of service. He left a bad taste in my mouth.
heater and a garbage disposer in another unit. I do not believe that he got confused. I do not believe the owner that it was just an accident. I would NOT call them for any kind of service. He left a bad taste in my mouth.
James B.
May 2013
Because this service was an emergency service we had no alternative but to use this contractor. Simple install of bathroom faucet. $382 in my estimate is very excessive for this service. Acceptable faucets can be purchased in the $100 range or less. Plumber was unable to install the new tailpipe which I paid for. I was told this was a great deal because the only faucet on his truck cost over $450. He charged me $382. Installation was not professionaly done. This is a total rip off. Do not use this company.
Peter S.
Apr 2013
They did a great job. They came right over. They gave me a price and completed the work.
John R.
Aug 2012
Faucet has been leaking for quite some time and is now very bad. Cost to fix the installed faucet seemed way too high. Person quoting the fix was very defensive and argumentative. I plan to have it fixed somewhere else.
Bonnie T.
Jul 2012
I saw their advertisement in a paper and so I gave it a chance. I used them once and will never use them again. They were very expensive. They charge me $130 bucks for installing a faucet. Never again will I use their services.
Cynthia S.
Jul 2012
I had good luck with them. They do a good job.
Chad Z.
Aug 2011
They cut two holes in the kitchen ceiling below the shower to make the repairs and declined to patch the holes or recommend anyone who could. This additional ceiling drywall patch work was quoted to me at $200 after I already paid Benjamin Franklin $640 for only a couple hours of work maximum and inexpensive parts. I found out later from local plumbers that I was way overcharged and that others would've done the both the plumbing and drywall patching for substantially less than $600.The Benjamin Franklin plumbers engage heavily in "up-selling" throughout the process, trying to sell you unnecessary long-term maintenance and insurance contracts. Definitely got the feeling that profit-maximization is a primary goal of the owner.
Diana H.
Aug 2011
Chris came out and assessed what was going on in our sink and tub. He explained to me in detail what was wrong and gave me an estimate. I thought he would have to make an appointment and come back, but to my surprise he was ready and willing to fix the problem right then and there. We are talking about 6:00 in the evening. He was done in less than a half an hour and everything is working better than ever has. The price was around what I had anticipated it to be.
Martha D.
Mar 2011
My toddler's toy slipped down the drain of our tub; it had no screen/trap on it at the time. A few days later our water began to back up, indicating that the toy had plugged the pipes. I called Benjamin Franklin based on Angie's List, and was very impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of the reception staff. She took the time to explain what I could expect from their scheduling options and flat service fees and helped me choose what would work best for my relatively non-urgent plumbing need. I received an email confirmation of the appointment within a half hour of the phone call. I noted that I could recieve a $25 discount for being on Angie's List, called and spoke to them, and they immediately and pleasantly agreed. I received a reminder call 10 mins before our plumber, John C., arrived within the timeframe we established. He was friendly, polite, and immediately slipped booties over his shoes to protect our flooring from his dusty shoes. Within 10 minutes he had pinpointed where the toy was lodged and had two options for how to address the issue, and explained the pricing to me so that I could fully understand the expense required before he began work. He took the time to re-explain all this to my husband when he became involved - which I think was above and beyond the call of duty, as my husband has a very technical mind (although not a DIY mind) and wanted to know the ins and outs of everything! He agreed to pursue the less expensive option, no pressure to do more, and thankfully it worked well - he finished his efforts with a full drain purge. I don't think I've ever seen water go down our drain this fast! We have an old house, and the plumbing has always been slow. I was pleased with the results. After he completed the work, he took a clean white rag and wiped off the fixtures and tub edge, leaving them as clean as he'd found them. He also took a few minutes to explain the company's Ben Plan - a plumbing maintenance plan that also offers it's members 15% discounts. Everything he itemized on the bill was clear, understandable, and there were absolutely no surprises about the cost. I imagine I may have found a less expensive plumber if I had shopped around a fair amount and been lucky, but because I've worked with contractors where the price grew by leaps and bounds, I felt secure getting the work done for a set price (albeit higher), with really amiable workers. I'll definitely work with them again...especially because I received a coupon toward future work. :)
Roger P.
Mar 2011
They took the old toilet out and installed a new one - a TOTO. I had looked up the price of the toilet on the Internet - about $150. They charged $675(!) for it installed, plus their installation quality was poor. The tank was left loose. I called them 3 months later when I discovered the loose tank. They came out and broke the tank trying to tighten it. The plumber called his boss in front of me, and the boss said that the plumber would have to "eat" the price of a new tank. I have suffered through them coming out for three previous jobs. Their price always surprices you in that they are so high! I have finally learned a lesson to never call them again. I need a new water heater today, and I called a plumber (Brown Plumbing) that ha earned an "A" on your list. I am happy to get away from Benjamin Franklin!
Shelley S.
Aug 2010
We were really disappointed to find out that "free estimate" really means if they come out and give you an estimate and they do the work, they take off the 68.99 service fee. Otherwise, they charge the fee. So, really no free estimates here. Also the bill was a lot more than we anticipated for replacing lines. He was here just less than an hour. They don't give an itemized estimate, so you don't have any idea how much you are really paying for anything. The plumber was very nice though and did a good job.
Kelly C.
May 2010
Found a small leak on my water heater had increased in volume. I called during normal business hours and they came over promptly. The Plummer started immediately telling me the drain valve you utilize for emptying could not be replaced because the water heater was old and needed to be replaced and the valve could not be replaced. It was a unit from the late 80's. I asked him specifically if the tank had a standard opening in which a standard section of pipe and valve could be attached? He then started to hem and haw - made a phone call to his boss who then gave him permission to make a repair and not sell me whole new unit for $987.00 plus a service call charge. He then overcharged me ($150) for the repair that took an hour and I helped drain the tank. I would have done the repair myself but had to leave out of town on business. I would hate to see how these guys would take advantage of individuals who do not have any knowledge of plumbing or are too timid to question their proposed actions.
DEBRA C.
Sep 2009
I called to schedule a service call and the phone call was handled very well by the receptionist. I got alot of information about their company and the people that they hire regarding how I should expect the visit to go, and that they do background checks and drug testing of their employees, etc. I was told what the basic service call would be and I accepted that quote, so I am not upset about what I paid as I had agreed to that price. It is just that I had a $25.00 coupon from the yellow pages on a service visit that I had not mentioned to anyone, and was told that the price I was quoted included the $25.00 coupon. I did not understand how the coupon could be included when I had not mentioned it to anyone. I did that on purpose because I did not want the price to go up $25.00 beforehand. Other than that, the serviceman was timely, professional, polite and very pleasant. I just thought I should have gotten the $25.00 off of my bill for the coupon and I ended up paying $74 for a new plastic ring and 5 minutes of repair work. I don't think I got any particularly great value. *******In response to the Provider Response.....I am not convinced anyone cares how "much they are saving" when you state that my bill started out at $130.19 for a 5 minute repair. Whatever you subtract from outrageous still started out as outrageous in my opinion.
Response from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
"Thank you for your feedback. We always appreciate any opportunity to improve the level of service we provide our customers. Looking back at the invoice, the charge for the trap adapter and nuts that were replaced under the kitchen sink was $69.00. On top of that, we normally charge a $58.50 service fee and a $2.69 environmental fee. This subtotal comes to $130.19. Instead of just giving you a $25 savings, your plumber, Troy, decided to waive the entire service fee of $58.50 and the environmental fee. By doing this, he was saving you an additional $26.19 on top of what your coupon was worth. This changed your subtotal to $69.00. Including the 7% sales tax, your final bill was $73.83. So, while Troy did not give you credit for the $25 coupon, he did opt to give you even more savings for the job that was completed for you. I can also understand the frustration in paying that much money for a job that may only take 15 minutes. We know how important your time is to you, however. In order to ensure that your time is never wasted, we hire only highly trained and qualified plumbers, which allows us to complete each job in as quick and efficient a manner as possible, while still giving you the best quality of work. In this case, the repair was able to be completed within 15 minutes, allowing you to spend less time worrying about a leak under your sink and more time on the things that are important to you. We hope that this clears up any concerns that you may have had regarding the billing for this repair. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our offices directly. Thank you again from the staff at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing."
Terri L.
Jul 2009
Overall, I was very impressed with the service. The only downside was that the receptionist didn't schedule our service for specific time so I was forced to take the whole day off of work as she led me to believe the plumber would be there before the Noon hour when in fact he did not arrive until about 1:30/2:00.
Response from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
"Thank you for your feedback. We always appreciate any opportunity to improve the level of service we provide our customers. Scheduling for plumbing repairs can be difficult, because no two jobs are ever exactly the same. What sounds like a simple repair can easily turn into a job lasting several hours. In an effort to manage our schedule efficiently, we only are able to guarantee scheduled slots for a limited number of calls each day. After these appointments are booked, all other jobs are scheduled for "Guaranteed Service" after a certain hour. Your job was scheduled for Guaranteed Service after 12pm What this means is that we do not anticipate having a plumber available to send to you until after 12pm. We always call when our technicians are on the way, and that usually gives you about 15 to 20 minutes advanced notice. We certainly apologize if this was not explained clearly to you at the time of your booking. We never want to inconvenience our customers more than they already are, and we do try to work with people based on their schedules. We are happy to call a work number, when available, to notify you when a plumber is on the way. We even understand that due to drive times, we may have to wait a few minutes for you, but we're happy to do that as well. To help out our customers even more, we do offer a few appointments after 5pm during the week and even schedule calls on the weekends. It is our hope that these appointments, which carry no additional charges, will allow our customers convenience when leaving work is not an option. We hope that this clears up any concerns that you may have had regarding the scheduling for this repair. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office directly. Thank you again from the staff at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing."
Eric J.
May 2009
The plumber repaired the leak with silicone and told it that he couldn't guarantee it. And he was right: it started leaking within a week. So $200 down the drain. We called another plumber who had more experience and he fixed it in like half an hour. The plumber also gave a bad initial estimate and was flummoxed by our 1960s plumbing. He was also very pushy and tried to sell us a bunch of plumbing packages that seemed like scams. The receptionist/scheduler also felt like a telemarketer trying to sell a shifty product. He also tried to claim that we had to replace the whole shower assembly for $600 and that he would only install one model, and that we had no choice in the matter
Response from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
"Thank you for your feedback. We always appreciate any opportunity to improve the level of service we provide our customers. When you call Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, it is important to us that you receive all the information necessary for you to understand how we work. Admittedly, we give all of our callers the same information when they are being scheduled. At times, this can even sound "scripted", but we are willing to risk that to ensure that our customers are fully informed. In the same respect, when we send a plumber to a repair, it is our practice to give our customers ALL of their options, along with straight forward pricing. This way our customers can make an informed decision on how they would like us to proceed. In this case, the technician offered to do a temporary repair on the faucet, but due to the age and condition of the faucet, he would be unable to warranty the work. Instead, his suggestion was to replace the fixture altogether. While a more costly alternative, this would have carried at least a 2 year warranty. Since the home was being sold, it was noted that the decision was made to do the temporary fix on the faucet. At that time, the plumber rebuilt the stem and used silicone to seal the entire fixture. It is definitely not our intention to make our customers feel uncomfortable or pressured into making a decision. Because we hire only fully trained technicians, they usually know what the best fix to a plumbing issue is going to be, and they can become very passionate about making sure the customer is making a decision that will truly fix the problem. It is true that sometimes the best fix is one that will cost more, but quality and full resolution are very important to us. We hope that this clears up any concerns that you may have had regarding this repair. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office directly. Thank you again from the staff at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing."
Steve S.
May 2009
One man showed up to do a two person job. The guy came out (late) and requested to use MY wrench to gain access to the main drain. I then assisted the guy as he used he rooter to clear out the drain. He complained that he was a plumber... not a "turd chaser". A couple of weeks later, the drain was clogged again. He had to come back out and I had to assist him again. For around the same price, I could have bought his commercial grade drain rooter and had it on hand for future clogs.
Rebekah J.
May 2009
We had to have them out twice. First they replaced just a few parts of our water heater. We paid about $300. When that still didn't work they came out and did a full overhaul. Although they did deduct $100 fromt he second fee it still cost us $500 more just to get our water heater fixed! That was more than a brand new water heater would have cost to have installed to start with!
Leslie T.
Dec 2008
Personnel were friendly and professional. After the work was completed,my research found that the faucet I purchased was a top of the line one; I would not have bought it had I known better.
Alison E.
Nov 2008
Hired this company because one of the basement drains occasionally overflowed. They supposedly cleared it out and said the problem was solved (IT WASN'T!). They had to come back when it backed up and overflowed the entire basement shortly after, but only after questioning us as to whether it was somehow our fault (after they had JUST supposedly fixed the problem for $600!). Also, they have an extremely short "warranty" (like 41 days or some other arbitrary number) which is way too short if they actually believed their work would last. Also, the estimate was far less than what it actually cost, even after they "forgot" to do one of the things they were hired for, and then tried to charge us for it twice. When it came to fixing a dripping faucet, they took a lot of time for what seemed like a minor thing, and then put our bathtub faucets on backwards. That wouldn't have been a big deal, but when we asked them to switch them back to what they were, they told us that we were wrong and this was the way they should be (even though we have lived in the same house for 22 years and know which direction our faucets turn.) Whatever happened to the customer being right?!
Licensing
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FAQ
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is currently rated 3.0 overall out of 5.
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing does not offer free project estimates.
No, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing offers emergency services.
No, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing does not offer warranties.