FLOW RITE INC

Working with Flow Rite for our sump pump replacements was a completely miserable experience. We have two sump pumps on each side of the house (one high for expelling water directly onto grass as a back up and one low for expelling water through a pipe to the storm drainage system). We called Flow Rite when our RIGHT sided high level pump activated and was pumping water out onto our grass (indicating that the low pump was defective). They came promptly enough and were courteous upon arrival and work. They ended up replacing two of our four pumps, and we thought all was well. 24 hours later, the right high sump is still activating. 48 hours the right high sump pump is still activating. So we called Flow Rite back because the problem was not fixed. We were triaged over the phone by their managers. I said that we still had the same sump pump activating and they said if the lows weren't working it was a problem with the outflow tract being clogged and that I would have to dig up my yard to find and fix the clog. This was over the phone mind you without any in person diagnosis/trouble shooting. I asked them if they could scope our outflow tract and they said it would be impossible because it was so small. I have a six inch pipe as my outflow track running to the storm drain system which has been scoped before. I know because my rain gutters empty directly into it AND I talked to my builder. Flow rite came back out on Saturday and did no further assessment of my sump pumps and placed extended pipes on my RIGHT outflow track (now my only working sump pump) so that a different part of my lawn was being ruined. There was no follow-up plan and when I called again for what the next step should be I was offered with no plan or advice except "call my builder" who I had already talked to. So then I hired another plumber and it turns out that they replaced the two sump pumps on the LEFT even though it was a problem with my right sided high-outflow. Not only that, but they had effectively jailed both floats on the left which they installed (one to the wall and one between the two sump pumps) so that NEITHER OF THE NEWLY INSTALLED SUMP PUMPS WERE FUNCTIONAL. So they replaced two sump pumps on the wrong side, and installed them in a way so that neither worked. All for over 1500 dollars. When I called to figure out what the next steps were I was treated like a moron who had no clue what was going on with his own house. This experience delayed a final fix to our sump pump problem for two weeks, and both my wife and I were belittled and bullied along the way with telephone triage that was completely and obviously inaccurate for anyone who had seen our house's plumbing set up. This smears the border between incompetence and blatant consumer fraud. Save your self the headache and personal/partner meltdown and go with a different plumbing company in the DC area.

I would probably use them again. Just one person came out to do the work and he was good. They actually started on August 4th and we had some problems with it that we thought was the installation of the toilet but it wasn't that. It took us awhile to find that out. They were patient with me.

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

The entire Flow Rite Team was wonderful, from Bonnie, who does the scheduling , to Chris and Steve Parker.  Chris was great, he answered all our questions and gave us advice on some future plumbing issues that are to be done down the road.  He worked tirelessly to fix the problem with our not level tile floor to resolve the leak at the base of the toilet.  They seem to be a very personable firm and friendly.  We enjoyed having them here and how many can say that about a Plumber's visit!  The price of the service was very fair and the fact that they continued to come back until the problem was resolved with no addtional charge was great.  Too often, these types of situations ends up in disputes; but Flow Rite and Chris worked to save us money and fixed the problem.
They were prompt and answered all our concerns and questions and I will most certainly be using them for our future plumbing needs.
 I can highly recommend them.

unknown

Someone from Flow Rite called 20 minutes before their worker arrived to let know he was on the way.  This was especially nice since the appointment was for a window of time.  We are preparing our home for sale, so I was pleased when he voluntarily removed his shoes at the front door without being asked.  He came with everything he needed to perform the work for which Flow Rite was called and he had the parts on the truck needed to perform some additional work I discovered just the day of the service call.  He also cleaned up after himself leaving the work area pristine.

I had a leak from my toilet upstairs into the bathroom downstairs. The plumber stated that I needed to fix my tiles and buy a new tub -- that I had a lot of issues with my bathroom which in all fairness is likely true. After I paid him the required American Home Shield amount (about $70), he left but never really investigated anything further in the bathroom. He never unscrewed or tested anything. Just a look around and a verdict. A friend came by who has done house repairs and looked at my toilet and the leak and guessed right away that I likely needed to change my wax ring. I do not know how to change a wax ring so I called Flow Rite to come back and I stated that I did not thing he did a thorough job. After about 2 missed appointments when no one showed up, I then proceeded to remove the toilet myself and take a picture of the wax ring and get help from the hardware store to pick out a wax ring. They gave me instructions and I changed it myself. I asked American Home Sheild for a refund but never received one. In my humble opinion, any good plumber would have at least looked under the toilet or done some other investigative work. He could have at least honored the appointments and come by when he said he would.

We purchased a renovative home from a builder who contracted with Flow Rite Plumbing for the plumbing work. We have had multiple flooding issues with the most recent (four years later) having the water main leak in the basement due to incompetent installation. It is amazing how some service providers will cut corners and employ people who don't know what they are doing. In correcting the recent problem for $2800 ? the following was discovered: 1. The Fernco sealing the main pipe to the sleeve on the outside of the house was the wrong size (it was a 2" by 2" and should have been a 2" by 11/4" Fernco) and was torn. 2. Spray foam insulation was used to seal the sleeve where it enters the foundation wall to the house instead of hydraulic cement and tar. 3. The inside foundation wall was not sealed at all inside the house where the main water enters the building. 4. The water main was not replaced all the way to the curb box. The original 1" copper pipe extended well into the front yard. 5. The curb box did not have a rod connected to the shut off value nearly five feet in the ground. The curb box was nearly halfway full of dirt and there was no way to shut the main down at the curb.

I went with them because their estimate for a new water heater came in lower than my original estimate from Service Experts, and I am so glad I did. They were extremely knowledgable and courteous from the first phone call to the final inspection. The person on the phone knew what she was doing and was knowledgeable about their products and installation, code and upgrades. The person who came out (Chris?) was friendly and competent, arrived on time and completed the work in just a few hours despite having to replace a valve to bring things up to code. I will definitely be calling them next time I have a problem. I would definitely recommend.

Steve came out thinking he was going to pull toilets, snake them and clean the main drain.  He took his time thinking out what would best solve my problem and suggested not pulling the toilets but rather  just clearing the main drain.
At my direction, he then cut a hole in the basement wall board to look for a second clean out drain that had been covered over by workers.  He found it...cleaned it and then went on to do several small plumbing items
in the house.
He went about his work professionally and spoke highly of the office staff and his employer.  He is an asset
to Flow Rite. 

The customer service over the phone was top notch. Within 2 hours a crew was in our backyard starting to pull out the existing pump. The company also reduced the  final cost of repair once the job was completed as it took less material than they estimated.

We had a major clog in our double kitchen sink. We tried clearing it ourselves by running the disposal and loading it with draino. We called Flow Right after reading their reviews on Angies list. They were able to come out the next day and clearly informed me of their rates and that it might require a drain snaking. The technician came out and was able to quickly a**** the problem and correct it without using the expensive snaking procedure. We are very pleased at their professionalism and ability to save us some money.

We got them from Angie's List. There was no hassle, the price was reasonable. They did such a good job that my son had them come over and install a valve in for him also. They were late one time and they kept calling and telling us they'll be there soon like when and who. I really like them a lot.

We use them on a regular basis. We've used them 3 or 4 times in the last year. The experience has been very good. They have been right on time when they said they would be here. They cleaned up after themselves and we've had no problems whatsoever. They have done a great job. They are a fairly small company. When I call they can usually get me in within a few days to a week at the most. They are very responsive. They are reasonably priced and they explain everything. We are very pleased with their work. We will absolutely continue to use them.

:

We found a water valve was leaking under our bathroom sink.  I had used Flow Rite a couple years ago and was very happy with the work I had done then (attach new shower head etc).  I called and although the plumber with them I used last time wasn't available for a week due to already scheduled appointments, they fit me in the day after I called with another Flow Rite plumber, Steve. 
I am thrilled with him and  his work too looks great so far (he just left)!  He not only was friendly and answered all my questions so I can understand how everything works, but he also recommended we replace the water valves on the 2nd sink in that bathroom as they may go bad soon too (preventative maintenance).  Since this company charges by the hour, the only additional cost would be the parts used.
And, their cost per hour was very reasonable, $85.   So that plus parts were about the same pricing as other plumbers hourly rate I'd seen on Angies list.
Thanks Holly for your friendly & attentive scheduling and Steve for taking good care of us in a professional and also friendly manner!

Fine, The came completed  the job promptly and left.

They are very curteous, quick, and are very friendly. I just think they do an excellent job!

See above.

I apologize that the below is long.  I have used portions of the email communication between myself and the company.
First visit 4/19/12 Plumber comes out after I call office to snake master bath shower and to check leaking faucets in Kitchen and MBR sink. Tells me upon looking at kitchen faucet to replace it.  MBR faucet he tells me I need to replace Hot/cold cartridges and he does not have them with him.  He will do when I get kitchen faucet to replace. He snakes shower.  At a certain point went and checked on him.  He had started working on sink. He told me he thought he could repair it now.  I said ok.     After an hour he determined he couldn?t fix it and would need to bring the proper parts the next time.
 When I call to get an estimate to finish the jobs I explain  that I already spent $55 for an hour for them not to repair the bathroom sink and that I think I should get some kind of discount this time.  The office estimates the job (installing kitchen faucet  and fixing bathroom faucet) at 90 minutes, which is also the amount of time I get as estimates from two other plumbers.    I set up an appointment for them to return on June 21 to install kitchen faucet and fix bathroom faucet.  As for the discount she says I should talk to plumber  when he comes out. Plumber starts with bathroom sink and determines he doesn?t have proper parts after he has opened everything up.  I tell him I had already spent $55 last visit and he himself had seen what needed to be done and what part was needed.  He apologizes and says he will go get the part.  I tell him that there is a hardware store down the street.  After trying to give directions I volunteer to go so he can install kitchen faucet.  By chance they have two of the cartridges in plastic (they don't have the brass) that someone had special ordered and decided not to take.  I spend $26. When I return I ask plumber if the plastic is ok otherwise I will return it.  He says it should be fine. 
 Later plumber says he is done, his stuff is packed up and by the door.  I tell him I would like to check the faucet.  The cold water faucet spins without turning off.  He takes it apart again and installs the old cartridge on the cold side.  On the hot side the faucet wobbles, He blames the plastic parts.  He apologizes for bringing wrong parts and agrees he said plastic parts would be fine.  He says he will come back for free other then I need to pay for the parts again.  Bill for the day is $137.50 for 2.5 hours (he discounted $20 off first hour).  The kitchen faucet took 45 minutes.  I have now paid for 2.5 hours of labor for what I was told should have been a 30-45 minute job of fixing leak in bathroom faucet. 
The next day I call office.  She says that I have to pay for them to come out again.  It?s my fault for buying plastic part.  I tell her plumber said he would come for free except I need to pay for part.  She talks to him and makes comment that Flow Rite will still have to pay for company gas (she says this twice) and he can do what he wants but I still would have to pay for parts.  She tells me I should return the other parts even though they were opened and one was installed (I offer her the receipt if they want to return them opened). I tell her I would like to talk to her boss that said Flow Rite would not do any more.  She says the person would not speak to a customer for this issue.  In the end when I summarize she backs down on this and says the boss isn?t there and would call me Monday.   She said no one would come out unless I paid for an hour of time. FYI the plumber was always very pleasant to deal with and I believe tried his best. Until the last call person I talked to in office was very pleasant to deal with  as well.  
  I feel I have vastly overpaid for a simple job and that it is still not fixed.
I emailed the above to the co-owner of company since she did not return my call from previous week.  She responded in part "On the second service call he installed parts that you purchased is also billable.  It is standard protocol to charge for customer supplied installation of parts regardless of if they work or not. The plastic parts should work - they are normally less expensive and available for homeowners to purchase at Home Depot, hardware stores, etc.  Had we supplied the parts, we would have ordered the brass ones from our professional vendor as they have a longer Lifespan and more quality than the plastic.  However, some parts only come in the plastic variety and they work just fine.  There is no way for us to know what will work and what won't if it is specified for that particular faucet.  (i.e. a delta plastic cartridge should work just fine in a delta faucet). "  She offered a $75 refund.
My response was that  the faucet repair took considerably longer then the job required and that I still did not have a fixed faucet. The plumber had on the first visit took everything apart and saw what the part needed was.  He wrote a note on the invoice to that effect.  I identified this when I set up the return appointment. It is written on the first invoice that they were supposed to bring the proper parts on the return They were meant to supply the parts and you should have known the proper parts to be installed considering I already had paid an hour for him to open everything up.  I only went to buy the parts to help out since he had taken the sink apart again and found he brought the wrong parts.  They should have ordered and had the proper parts when he came back.  I proposed the following: order the proper parts (for both the cold and hot as was meant to be repaired) and install them at no charge and refund one hour of $55.  They refused to finish the job and refunded $75.
I realize this company has excellent Angie's List reviews which is why I used them in the first place.  I was really surprised that they weren't willing to fix the leaking faucet at no additional cost that they had twice tried and failed to do.

Great company, nice employees, will use them again.From the first call to the service call, everyone was very pleasant to work with. The dispatcher returned the call promptly to get my information and services needed.  A day was schedule.  On the day of the work, I was called and informed who would be coming and that they were on their way.  Chris, the plumber completed the work.  He walked me through where the line would be going for the ice maker.  He then installed it and hooked it up.  He fixed the shower head, and did so without having to have to remove any of the tile or damage any of the wall, he then installed the new showerhead.  He was cheerful and seemed to really enjoy his work.   Once completed, the price was about 1/2 what we were expecting, as the job was completed so quickly and effeciently.  Overall, a great experience.   Will definitely use them for all our plumbing needs in the future.

Great experience! I will definitely use them in the future! Great service, great professionalism, great price!