Justen Plumbing

Our kitchen faucet began to leak. Its a single faucet. We looked at the instructions that came with the faucet. We realized that we would not be able to fix it on our own as it was not a simple washer that needed to be replaced but a cylinder. We also were not able to get the hot water valve below the sink to turn; it was stuck solid. When looking for a plumber on Angies List (its been a while since I have used the website) I entered information regarding what was going on and what I needed. Before I knew it, Angie's List sent out information to plumbers on my behalf. Justen Plumbing called within 10 minutes saying he received information from Home Advisors (I have never been on their website). I told him the situation. It was not an emergency so an appointment was set for the next morning. It was never discussed during this conversation what he charges for a trip charge or his hourly rate. His arrival was punctual. He first came into the house with no tools to access the situation. He was unable to unscrew the collar off the body of the faucet (he was just using his hands). He talked to me about maybe just replacing with a new faucet - he recommended going to Ferguson to look at what was available. Mike called Mico (faucet manufacture) and spoke to the company rep. Mico did answer their phone and spoke to Mike for a while. He was unable to order the cylinder as rep stated he was not open yet and he needed to call back (rep also said that it was a $1400 faucet and I should think about that before replacing the faucet i.e. order a part to fix it). Mike left and stated he would call them in 2 hours when they opened and call me back; we also discussed having the hot water value replaced and he gave me a quote on replacing a faucet in an upstairs bathroom (I already had the faucet; it was the same make and model as the one being replaced). I was quotes $150 for the kitchen faucet and $125 for the bathroom. I didn't hear back from Mike so the next day I contacted him and he replied saying that he was sorry for not communicating to me; that he did order the part and it should be in on Monday. On the following Thursday (its now been over a week since he was initially here) I sent him a text as his voice mail was full. I had contacted Mico myself and they said all orders are sent out 3 day air. So if he ordered it on Wednesday the part should have been received on Monday. Told him if I did not hear back by 5 I would contact Mico, order the part myself and get it installed. I let him know that my sink began dripping faster. He responded that he had the part. Again was punctual with the next day morning appointment time. During this appointment he came in with one wrench and a towel to set the wrench on. He placed the wrench around the decorative collar without taking any precautions to protect the faucet finish. The faucet is Oil Rubbed Bronze; an upgraded finish. During the process he ended up putting a big scratch in the collar; you can see brass metal below the brown finish. After a few noises (indicating he was frustrated - just like the day he was here trying to remove the collar by hand) he told me that "this is on me. I will see what I can do to replace it" Again he called Mico, which of course didn't open for a few more hours. Mike was able to purchase a new collar for $65. When he received the collar he returned (after rescheduling a few times as he forgot about other appointments and I wasn't home during some of his available time). He comes walking into the house with 2 strap wrenches (one with a rubber strap, the other with a cloth strap). He hap hazardly put the cloth strap around the collar and turned it. It slipped as he didn't tighten the strap to fit snuggly around the collar. He doesn't try the other wretch. He just goes back out to his truck to get another wrench and proceeds to take the collar off. He finally gets it off. Puts the new cylinder in the faucet body and needs to use my kitchen towels to soak up water that is filling into the faucet body. He now tries to remove the brass locknut from the collar so he can remove the decorative collar he previously damaged from the lift handle and replace it with the replacement he ordered. He is unable to get the locknut to budge so he calls Mico again. Thank goodness this was an afternoon appointment and Mico answered. We are told to soak the handle in a mixture of vinegar and water overnight. I get out the vinegar for Mike and he sits it in the vinegar solution without ever putting the collar and lift handle back on the faucet body to see if the faucet even works. Mike replaces the hot water value and at one point frantically starts asking where a bathroom is. Apparently something went a miss and he needed to run water. He never asked me if I wanted the cold water valve replaced - which I would have as I found out after he left that its a whole new valve since our plumbing was put in (instead of having to turn several times to shut off or turn on the water you just need to toggle the lever up or down). Since Mike had been here last my sink also clogged. I explained to him that the day before I tried unclogging it by using liquid plumber. he looked at me and said you are going to have to tell me what that is because I don't know (what??). He unclogged the sink. It was nearing 5. He then started going over what he was going to charge me for. He told me that he failed to tell me that each time he came out there should have been a $65 service charge. But since he forgot to mention that to me he is going to waive the additional trip charges but he is going to charge me the $65 for the decorative collar as he states he would have had to damage it in order to fix the sink anyway. I told him he still has the faucet upstairs that needed to be replaced. Since it was nearing 5:00 he said he didn't have time and would have to come back on Monday. I paid him over $400.00. The next day I attempted to remove the locknut from the collar thats been soaking overnight and was unsuccessful (being careful not to damage the locknut). I called Mico myself. He said to go to Home Depot or Lowes to get a decalcifying agent. I kept telling him there was no calcification on the brass. We (my husband and I) decided to just put the collar and lift handle back on the faucets body. As soon as we turned the valve below the sink the water came running out; however we were unable to stop the water flow by using the lift handle. We have to use the hot water valve below the sink to turn the water off and on. And to top it off we only get hot water, no cold water even though the cold water valve is on. On Monday I tried calling Mico as we decided maybe we could just buy a new collar and lift handle and return the collar received from the plumber. Left a message, No return call. Called the next day. Again no return call. Googled Mico faucets and started calling websites displaying our model of the faucet on their websites. No one had it in stock (besides the MSRP was not 1400 but 900 or less). On our behalf one of the companies tried calling Mico and they were not getting responses either. She said they had been having issues prior and thought the company went out of business. So here I am stuck with a faucet I can only use for hot water if I turn it off and on by using the valves below the sink. I had to buy a new faucet. Now to find a plumber that can properly install it without damaging the old rubber finish. On August 3rd I sent a text to Justen Plumbing requesting an invoice for the $418.04 I paid him.

He did a good job. Would hire again

Mike was great to work with and did everything for a much more reasonable price than other plumbers quoted me.

Listened to what we wanted, recommended a few changes and we are very happy with the result. Extremely trustworthy and competent plumber - we used him on a bathroom remodel last year and now use him for all our plumbing needs.

It took them an hour and a half to fix it. It needed a new valve and flap. For one thing, I had to call him back because the toilet was leaking. Secondly, he put plastic pieces and it didn't last and I ended up replacing them myself. The plastic pieces lasted maybe three months. They used cheap pieces that didn't last. They could use higher quality parts.

He did a terrific job. He is a master plumber. He is very knowledgable and respectful,and he is really great to work with.

After I tried to unsolder a leaking copper elbow and failed, I called Mike. He gave me some thing to try but I still could not unsolder the elbow. Mike came after his last stop(approx 6:00 PM) and attempted to remove the elbow. He couldn't get it off either so he cut it off and then installed my new parts. Good job.

Michael took off his shoes immediately upon entering our home and introduced himself. He was immediately relaxed and likable and assessed the issue quickly. It turned out to be minor and was done within a half an hour. The price was $65.00 for the service call and $240.00/hr (double time) on a Sunday with a half an hour minimum. We will keep Justen Plumbing's # in our vendor file for future use and would highly recommend him to others.

We discovered that our sump pump was broken late on a Saturday afternoon- called Justen Plumbing and he came out within 30 mins!! He had a new sump pump with him and was able to replace it immediately. He was great to work with - cost was very reasonable, especially considering it was done on short notice, on the weekend. Very pleased, will call again!

Mike came out to replace two toilets in my home on short notice. He gave an estimate of cost and arrival time, both of which came in as promised, with good communication ahead of time. My input was asked on color/materials/size/etc, and the units installed were as agreed to.
Job was estimated, materials obtained, and installation done all in the same day, leaving me with two new working toilets (rather necessary for a family of five!) and a cleaned up workspace.
Final bill was as estimated, and was a fair price for the work done and materials purchased.
One month on, both units are working well, and there have been no problems.

Mike squeezed me in after a long day. He was very nice, professional and polite.

I am very pleased with his service.