Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

They were great. They came out and told us that we could buy the part and fix ourselves, so we didn’t need the coupon.

The experience was just fine. The plumber who came out was knowledgeable, accommodating, he was articulate, and he definitely knew what he was doing.

Everything turned out fine. Scheduling was very good. They were very responsive and very fair. He also gave me some good information. I had an issue with the parts a few months later on the toilet and they came out to fix the problem without any charge.

Took a lot longer than was expected.  Charged same amount.

Ben Franklin was very professional throughout the entire process. It was very easy to schedule a convenient appointment day/time. The service person who came out to my house was very polite and professional. Upon inspection of my outdoor hose/faucet he concluded that the work that needed to be done was unfortunately outside of the scope of the deal. He explained exactly what needed to be done and why these actions exceeded the terms of the deal. I agreed w/ his assessment. He then told me that I would be eligible for a refund and that he would let his company know in case they were contacted that no work had been performed. He did not charge me for his time in coming out to my house. He left me w/ a list of steps, tasks that would need to be done in order to get my outdoor faucet fixed. Although the deal did not work out, I would totally hire this company again.

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Service provider did everything I asked them to do and everything went fine.  I would use them again.

Outstanding Service!

It didn’t go well and they couldn’t fix the problem.

Nothing but call and give great customer service for free.

Top notch service!!!!

My experience was great. They were punctual and came on time for the appointment. The technicians were very knowledgeable of the plumbing in my house. He was able to solve the problem and he was very quick on the job. He also showed me ways to cut my costs with my plumbing.

I bought a big deal on Angies list but when I called to make an appointment, I was told the deal is for MD location only. However they did help me to transfer this deal to the VA branch and everything worked out fine.

Vincent of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing was punctual and courteous
in every way, including wearing shoe covers. 
During the house inspection, he was very professional and personable and
willing to share knowledge and advice.  He adjusted one or two toilet chains to optimize
flushing and efficiency, mostly as a way to educate.  He spent fully 2 hours on the house inspection-
he was very thorough.  Also, he was very
fair and honest in pointing out things needing repair or attention, with no
intention to drum up business unnecessarily. 
In short, Vincent is a top-notch plumber and I would recommend him
without hesitation.
However, Benjamin Franklin?s prices are quite high.  The faucet replacement cost the $119 Big Deal
price plus $188 over and above that for the frost free bib, for a total of $307.  This seems high, since a previous plumber had
estimated $90 to replace the same outdoor faucet a year or two before.  In addition, Vincent and we agreed that the
shut off valves for the bathroom sinks and toilets and valves going to the washing
machine needed to be replaced.  I am
disappointed at the process for arriving at an estimate for the whole job. There
was no clear ?cost per valve? estimate, or ?cost per time? estimate. At the
time, I was furloughed, so he offered an overall discount (a very nice gesture),
and another percentage discount (for being an Angie?s List customer, I think), but the process of arriving at an estimate was not clear.  So, for 10 sink shut off valves (H + C; 4 BA, one with double sinks) plus 4 toilet shut
off valves, plus two washing machine valves, I was left with a sheet of paper
with several numbers; I believe the final estimate was approximately $2200.  Without a clear estimate, I cannot compare estimates with other plumbers, and for a job of that scope, I would like to be able to comparison shop. 
Vincent explained that Benjamin Franklin?s prices are a little
higher than other plumbers because they are fully available, 24 hours a day (other
plumbers are not) and, further, they are part of a regional or national chain.  The quality of the work and the caliber of the
plumber are excellent; I have no hesitations about that.  However, the repair rates seem high.

It was okay, not great. They didn't do anything with the hot water heater because they said that the pipe was cross-threaded so they were afraid of breaking it. So they didn't do anything there and they couldn't help me with the blow back problem. They basically said that they have to be here when it happens and it wasn't going to happen that particular time. But they talked to me generally about what it might be and none of it worked for me. Their responsiveness was good.

He was on-time and professional, worked quickly and cleanly, and the faucet has been working great.

We had One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating to come out to fix a heating problem.  After fixing the heater, the technician noticed corrosion at the end of the pipe on the T&P valve.  He recommended that he get Benjamin Franklin to come out and give us a free inspection of our plumbing.  Upon arriving, Benjamin Franklin recommended that we replace the T&P valve and also the anode rod at the same time.  Not having done any research first, we agreed on having the work done: $345 for the T&P replacement and $263 for the anode rod replacement.  Benjamin Franklin also performed plumbing inspection and told me that there were leaks at some of the sinks.  One of the leaks was at the basement bathroom, which was just remodeled less than 2 years ago.  When the technician showed us the leak, there was a lot of water under the sink.  He said it would cost approximately $200 to fix that and about $100 each to fix the other two problems.  We didn't accept the service and figure our contractor can take care of that.  I went back to the leaks after the technician left and didn't see anymore water coming out of it, so I'm a little suspicious now.  Also after the technician left, I check on the Internet and found out a T&P valve costs around $17 and an anode rod on the Internet is $21.  Now I'm feeling really stupid as I could have fixed this myself for less than $50.  Just have to be careful dealing with the water pressure but there are bunch of information on replacing T&P valve and anode rod.  So I'm already disappointed with the cost of the T&P valve.  However, since things are pretty much done to replace the T&P valve, the anode rod replacement shouldn't cost that much.  It's just a 10 minute activity of taking it out and replacing the rod.  However, I was charged $263 for that.  That's $263 for 10 minutes of work.  I feel really cheated and will not use Benjamin Franklin or One Hour Air Conditioning anymore.  I feel their free inspection is a way to get in there and scare you into doing a whole bunch of work.

Our outdoor (garage) faucet is working for the first time in ten years, so I'll begin my review at the end of this project by stating that the service and outcome were first-rate. I could not find the parts for this particular repair in Home Depot, so having someone identify the brand and model number, order the right parts, and deliver and install them for me, was a valuable service. This was a "big deal," so the price was right, too. The service technician was the ideal "really nice guy" you always want to come to (and be in) your house (twice), so you can check off that box for BFP, too. Our office contacts were equally pleasant and easy, despite scheduling conflicts on our end that delayed installation of the parts for our specific faucet type. I couldn't say enough good things about the whole experience with the outdoor faucet, and only wished it had ended there. Unfortunately, I bought into the idea of allowing a "FREE whole house inspection" of our plumbing, which is how I realize now that these companies offering "big deals" on Angies' List try to "make back" the money they lost on the advertised service. I will be wiser next time and not go for any kind of "extra free service." Not that it changes my view of the faucet repair/replacement, that was still first-rate, but the inspection soured me on the deal I received and on BFP overall, primarily for its "flat rate" pricing structure. With nothing "really wrong" in any aspect of my home's plumbing, I still got a laundry list of issues that "should be fixed" for a price of $1200.00. Each of 3 toilets (which do not run) that "failed a dye test" (meaning there may be some minor water use when not operating) could have the "flappers" replaced for $254 each, or about $750 altogether. I have a real problem paying anyone $250 for 15 minutes of routine work, and that goes triple for that job. While the technician said he "probably" could do all toilets for one flat rate price, that did not appear anywhere on my written estimate. Maybe someday I will regret not keeping every plumbing device working flawlessly, but for $1200, I think things are just fine the way they are, and I'll save that $1200 for the next "real" plumbing service I "really" need.

Had used them previously and was happy. This time they looked at the water heater for a requested repair. They said it would be about $900 to repair, but because the water heater was 7 years old, they would not do the repair due to possible future warranty issues related to water heaters age. Offered to replace the unit for $3300. I paid the service call charge only and thanked them. I then replaced the part specified as the problem with the unit. That was not the problem. That cost me $350. The problem turned out to be 1) the filter needed to be vacuumed, and 2) the burner needed replaced. Parts cost me around $100.
After calling the service manager, I was refunded the money I paid for the service call. This is a professional organization. I can understand it is difficult to know about all manufacturer's products. However, I did recommend that as part of their troubleshooting procedures that they vacuum any filters on the unit before recommending a $3300 replacement or indicate they do not work on water heaters over a certain age.

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We called and they came out. I had already removed the drywall and found the pinhole leak. I was at work and my son was at home. The plumber called and told me it would be $455.00 to fix the leak. I couldn't believe it but we had to have it fixed as we have five adults living here. It was Friday so I would not be able to get someone else before Monday. They had me over a barrel so we had them do the work. Come on a pinhole leak in a pipe $455.00. That is no way to get new customers. I would not use them under any circumstances and I don't recommend them unless you have a lot of money to spend.

Went extremely well.  I purchased this service on a Big Deal, after my faucet continued to leak after I replaced the $6 handle.  The entire unit, which was 50 years old, needed replacing.  That involved cutting and soldering, which I don't do.  The workman arrived at the scheduled time and finished the job, which included parts in about an hour.  He was friendly and efficient.

Determined once they arrived that outdoor facuet could not be installed.  Inspections did happen and ended up having the internal
mechanism of all 5 toilets in my home replaced and a kitchen sink tightened/repaired.  That cost me $1,000, almost $150/toilet and then the costs for the kitchen sink repair.  I have had problems with 2 of the toilets and had Ben Franklin come back on 10/2/13to assess the problems.  Tech mentioned that repairs he made may/may not resolve the continuing refilling of the tank.  Repairs did not work so they will have to come back again. Staff is professional and courteous but their pricing for a house call is very high.

I had them stack a washer and dryer, re-route plumbing and dyer vent. I had huge holes in my wall and damage to the adjacent bathroom. The worst of it was finding that the dryer vent was located a few inches above the Fawcett and drain sink.







I had a water heater that was leaking. They charged me more than $2500 for the replacement water heater. They left before the tank was filled and it was set far to hot. When I asked for an adjustment they told me that was the standard temperature and refused to change it. I was getting burned each time I rinsed dishes, until I increased the cold water. To this date the water heater is not vertical--it leans a couple of degrees to the right.







As a customer my concerns were never valued or fixed.

The $ 119 included a outdoor hose faucet replacement that did not happen. This would have involved cutting drywall to get to the faucet from the inside. So the 119 was for an inspection. Thorough but do not think it was worth 119 dollars. The offer said Benjamin Plumbing will visit your home and replace your outdoor hose faucet with a brand ne one. Should qualify that only if they can get to the pipe from the inside.