Paul Flaherty Plumbing Co Inc

Do not hire! They will make you pay for their incompetence. I hired them because the property manager of the apartment complex recommended them saying "They know in and out of the place". I called them and explained that the shower was banging and probably the cartridge needs to be replaced. They came next day and said it needs to be replaced but they need the water to be shut down by the management. I called them several time after that for a month and they just told me they would call me back and never did. Finally I was able to arrange a water shutdown and get them in. They fixed it and charged me for the first visit too. They were supposed to know that fixing a shower needs a water shut down and came only after arranging one, as they were familiar with the complex. Even though it was their fault that they needed to come twice, I had to pay the price.

Everything went just fine.

Professional. Friendly. On time.

Great. They were prompt and professional and identified the issue quickly and had it resolved. Price was reasonable as well.

I use the same folks over and over again. They're always good. They're always on time. They always do quality work. I've never had to call them back about work they've done.

My complaint is in regard to how they bill their time. It is by the half hour and if it goes beyond that by any increment you are charged for the full hour. That includes time they didn't work such as writing up the bill. The clock apparently starts when they pull into your driveway. Any conversation about the issue and time in the truck writing up the bill is charged to you. They are nice and professional and I would like to use again but this really bothers me. I noticed it during both calls and when I questioned this I was told it has always been the rule for the many years he has worked at the company.

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Fast, and professional

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I will start by saying I am livid that I hired this company and paid a lot of money to have 2 sump pumps to ensure that my basement did not flood.  This history is important.  I spent approximately 20K-30K to completely finish a huge 1200 sq. ft. basement, including a french drain system to prevent flooding.  In March 2010, my basement flooded when all the snow outside melted due to the sump pump motor burning out.  The financial loss was severe.  To ensure this never happened again, I called in Flaherty Plumbing.  In 2010 they installed a 2nd sump pump that works on battery power.  This would ensure that if the first sump pump failed, or if it wasn't working due to a power outage, that the 2nd sump pump would kick in and prevent any flooding from occurring.  I have hired Flaherty Plumbing to come out every year in February to ensure both sump pumps are working properly before the snow melts
In February 2015, I scheduled Flaherty Plumbing to come out for 3 reasons:  (1) replace the main sump pump with brand new sump pump, (2) replace the battery in the backup sump pump, and (3) make sure the pipes in the basement weren't leaking due to some damage to the wall (this turned out to be from an ice dam on the roof).  It was especially important to have both sump pumps fully operational before the record amount of snow melted.   The technician who first responded wasn't aware he was to do any work on the sump pumps, and hadn't even brought a new sump pump with him.  When I called the office to complain, I was told that I hadn't mentioned the sump pumps when I scheduled the appointment.  I most certainly had.  She then acted as if it wasn't a big deal because they could still do the sump pumps that day.  Since they charge labor by the hour, however, I think it is a big deal that this will now require at least one additional trip driving back and forth.  
The plumber replaced the battery on the backup pump.  He also told my tenant that a nutrial wire was broken on the pump, and he didn't think the pump was working at all due to this missing connection.  it had been operational.  Since they had installed it and inspected it every year, and because no one else had touched it, that was a little concerning.  Someone else I spoke to at the office though, told me that wasn't the case.  
I had to constantly call the plumber to ask for updates after my tenant would give me concerning information.  I learned from my tenant that they were having problems installing the pumps.  When I called the office, they said they said there were having problems attaching the backup pump to the main sump pump. At another point, my tenant advised me he returned home to find the plumber had left, and there were not any sump pumps at all.  This made me very upset because there was nothing in the basement at all at that point to prevent flooding.  I called them and insisted they return the main sump pump to the house.  I expressed my concern also that they seemed to be taking an incredible amount of time tinkering with this backup sump pump to make it operational, and they were going to charge me way too much money due to their difficulty figuring it out.  Since they installed the backup sump pump initially, they should not have taken so long to figure out how to replace the battery and get it operational again.  
Once both pumps were installed, I specifically asked the plumbing company if they tested the sump pumps to ensure they were installed properly and were operational.  They said they did.  They said they filled the hole with water, and ensured that water was being pumped out.  I believe this was a lie due to subsequent developments.  
On 3/28/15, my tenant called to advise me that the basement was flooding.  He said water was coming out of the sump pump hole at a rapid pace.  He was trying to control it with towels and trying to prevent it from saturating the carpet.  I immediately called the plumbing company.  This was on a Saturday at 9:00 pm.  I left a message on their emergency line.  They returned my call at 9:09 pm.  I explained the problem, and Heather told me she would get someone out there, and it would probably take about an hour.  At 9:51 pm, my tenant called me again and said the water is coming in too much for him to contain anymore, and it has spread over 1/2 of the carpet in the basement.  He said the plumber wasn't there yet.  At 9:53 pm I called back Heather and told her the update, and asked how long until the plumber got there because now it was a flooding situation, and we are going to need fans to dry the carpet in addition to the sump pumps being fixed or replaced.  She again said it took them about an hour, and she could call him to get an update on his ETA.  I never received a call back on the ETA. The plumber did not arrive until approximate 11:20 pm, over 2 hours later!  By this point, the majority of the carpet in the basement was wet.
The plumber told my tenant that the two sump pumps weren't lined up properly or something, and that neither was working.  We already knew both were not working or the basement wouldn't be flooding.  He got the main sump pump to work, but was unable to get the 2nd backup sump pump to work.  He said that was all they could do that night, and said they would have to return Monday to work on the backup sump pump.  My tenant asked him about fans to dry the carpet, and he said "Nah, we don't do that.  
I am completely appalled at this situation, and that now I have to deal with a basement flooding again due to this company improperly installing not one, but two sump pumps.  I have done everything humanly possible to prevent this.  I have paid this company a lot of money since 2010 to ensure I have operational sump pumps every year.  The plumber on 2/19/15 didn't think the backup sump pump was operational, which would have been a result of the last installation.  They then installed a new sump pump and supposedly fixed the backup pump, and then both didn't work.  This company's prices are on the pricey side, but I paid the high prices because I thought I would get quality work and avoid the stress of having to deal with a basement flood when I live out of state.  
I believe the money I paid this company in Feb. 2015 was undeserved because they couldn't install two sump pumps properly.  I believe the money I paid them in Feb. 2014 to ensure both pumps were working was not entirely deserved since the plumber this year didn't think the backup pump had been operational   I believe they lied to me when they said they tested the sump pumps and ensured they were working, because the plumber who responded on Saturday said they weren't lined up properly and so neither was working.  Well, nothing had changed with the sump pumps since the date they installed them.  
As of Mon evening, 3/3/15, the company had not yet called me to discuss remedying the situation or to offer an apology, or to I have not received a phone call from them yet explaining what they are going to do to remedy the situation.  

REPLY TO COMPANY'S RESPONSE OF 3/31/15:
The plumbing company's response on is deceptive.  He falsely blames communication problems on me, calling me an "absentee landlord" and making it sound as if they have called me repeatedly without any response.  In reality, I waited by my phone Sat night, but they did not call me back even though I told Heather I would be awake and available for a call.  They did not call me back on Sunday.  They did not call back on Monday.  Paul literally called me twice on Tues morning as I was on my way to work.  The first call was dropped, and then he called a second time and left a message.  He said in his message to call the office, but failed to provid

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Went well. No problems

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Flaherty Plumbing has done several jobs at my house over the years and have always been responsive, on time and have completed the work quickly. Their work seems to last well and they leave a clean job site. In terms of overall experience, it does somewhat depend on who comes to do the work. I have felt more confident in some plumbers than others, though really no complaints with any. This  job was done by Andrew who I think did a particularly good job.

Called to see about why I was getting sediment in the bottom of my bathtub after each bath and why I didn't seem to get a full tub of hot water. Was quoted over the phone $85 for first hour and $65 for subsequent hours. Instead he charged me $85 for 30 minutes and $65 for the next 30 min. But I was suspicious from the very beginning when the serviceman asked me first how old was my water heater. Without asking me anything else about the problem etc he starts in wanting to sell me a new water heater. I knew he wasn't there to really help. He drained 7 gallons from my heater and found a TON of sediment and then says yep you need a new water heater(my water heater is6 years old and has a 10 yr warranty--works just fine). He writes up a quote on a new heater and then calls me twice to say the price is HIGHER than what he thought. I ended up calling another guy who came the next morning at 8 am to drain the entire heater, flush with water for 15 minutes and replace the dip tube. It's fixed!

Very well. Called in the morning and got an appointment for that afternoon. One plumber arrived right at the start of the scheduled window and assessed the situation, calling a partner who brought over a tank of the same size and from the same manufacturer as the old tank. While that tank was on the way, he drained and disconnected the old tank. The entire replacement took about 2.5 hours from the time the first plumber arrived. Flaherty does want payment upon completion of work (they do not want to bill you for later payment). I used a check. I think I have heard that they do not take credit cards, but I can't confirm that personally. The bill was a bit more than I expected, but it has been 10 years since I bought a new water heater, and I have heard "they are not cheap" but they came highly recommended anyway.

The plumber came and tried to figure out the issue and thaw the pipes but could not do it even after 4 hours.
 He called one of his colegue who came and was able to figure out the issue with in 30 minutes.
The first plumber seemed new to job and did not know what to do.
At the end I was charged for both about $1000.  Given the fact that the first plumbers was not effective and I had to pay him and also get trained.
I would not recommend this plumber as they are very expensive.

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Its only a few days but they do look solidly fixed.