Martel Plumbing & Heating Inc

Martel replaced our hot water heater four years ago (in less than 24 hours on Fourth of July weekend, no less) and I noticed today that it had started to leak. I called in to their office at 11:15 am spoke with a very kind and friendly woman who transferred me to Jeff. I left a message and had a call back in less than an hour. The heater was still under warranty, they had one in stock and the technician, Mike, was at the house in less than an hour and by 2pm the job was done! I have always had more than amazing experiences with Martel, but this one takes the cake. Jeff was very informative and helpful in diagnosing the issue and Mike was an absolute pleasure to have working in my basement. If you are looking for a stand-up company for any of your plumbing and heating needs, do not hesitate to call the friendly folks at Martel!

They deserve an A+. They were on time, responsive, did a great job, followed up, and communicated well. Price was fair, reasonable, and easy to understand. It's a relief to find a contractor that we can trust - one less thing to worry about the next time. Fully recommended!

Martel workers were very professional and courteous. After the work was finished I could not tell if they were there, the clean up was great. They went up and beyond with the install. I would hire them to do all my plumbing needs.

Very pleased with service that was done. Arrived on time and was professional. Would definitely hire again.

They are pretty good. They provide us with an annual service. I’d rather pay $150 for a service rather than rebuild a whole system. I called, they put us on the schedule, they showed up as promised. We use them every year.

Troy was great. Pleasant and professional.

Fast & efficient

I am writing regarding the charges for the work performed at my residence by Martel Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning and invoiced on the attached invoice. (NOTE: I was unable to attach the invoice.) I feel strongly that this invoice is unfairly priced and that it represents a very significant change from the way in which we have done business with Martel in the past. In the fall of last year I contacted Martel and asked for an estimate for replacing our heating and air conditioning equipment, and our water heater. A representative came out and examined our equipment and emailed us an estimate. Although the form was labeled as a “Proposal”, I took it to be Martel’s standard form that they use for estimates, and I thought that the total amount quoted represented an amount that the work would not exceed. It was never explained to me that this was a “fixed price” job, as Martel had always done work for us on a time-and-material basis. When I contacted Martel to make arrangements for the work to be done, the thermostats were still a question. So I went online and called Honeywell to obtain information about the wireless WiFi thermostats that Martel had suggested as being suitable. Both the Honeywell website and the Martel estimator told me that my existing thermostats would not work with a two stage furnace. The estimate included thermostats but it did not list the manufacturer and model number. Also, since the two stage furnace would be replacing our one stage furnace, it was understood that we would need a new control panel, and that this was a part of the estimate – just like all the other parts and materials needed for the installation. When the installers arrived, the question of the thermostats was still unanswered. But it so happened that during the previous year, Martel had already replaced the furnace control panel, and had installed one that could operate with either a one stage or a two stage furnace and would work with my existing thermostats, so neither the furnace control panel nor the two thermostats needed replacing. This represented a significant savings in hardware costs ($570-$786 at sale and list prices) as well as labor ($???), since the wiring for the existing thermostats was insufficient for two stage wired thermostats and would have necessitated either rewiring for suitable thermostats or using wireless WiFi thermostats. As the installation was beginning, I received an invoice from Martel. It did not account for the actual labor expended, nor did it make any allowance for the unneeded parts that were included in the estimate. This upset me, and I contacted them and asked for an itemized invoice, expecting to get a time-and-materials invoice that reflected the reality of the actual work involved and the parts that were actually installed. I did not receive the revised invoice until after the work was completed. It was for the same amount as the first invoice, with a small credit for the thermostats and the furnace control panel ($300, not the $570-$786, plus labor). This caused me to question all the charges on the invoice. Using the internet and looking up retail prices for the major components actually installed, I discovered that the prices for which Martel had invoiced me was more than $900 over the retail prices I found, and that Martel’s charge of $1955.02 for miscellaneous materials (which conveniently brought the invoice total to an even number of hundreds of dollars) was even more inflated than their other prices. Actual consumer prices for the copper and pvc tubing, elbows, 3 shut off valves, a condensate pump, wires, hangers, blocks, gravel, etc. is $1500-$1600 less than the invoiced charges. I have documented the consumer pricing for the components used and I am willing to share this data. Overall, I was charged more than $2500 above RETAIL prices just for parts and materials – even though I am confident that Martel purchases these at WHOLESALE prices – making their gross profit $5000 to $6000 over their actual total costs for parts, labor, and materials. The “senior discount” advertised on their website turns out to be a mark-up to inflate all their costs. This incident leaves me believing that I have been duped and unfairly invoiced. Further, I didn’t initially receive any information or help getting my new equipment registered so that the warranties would be in effect. And no information regarding rebate programs from which I might expect to benefit. When I inquired about this, I was given websites to go to so I could learn about this and deal with it on my own. Finally, when I contacted Martel with my complaints about their invoice, I was told that when I signed the “Proposal” it became a “Contract”, and I was obligated to pay the amount on the revised invoice regardless of the actual costs of parts, labor, and materials. Even though I shared my documentation regarding consumer pricing, Martel refused to share their wholesale pricing information. No one from Martel ever pointed out in advance the change in our business relationship - that unlike other work Martel has done for us, the work listed on the estimate would be done for a fixed price, not on a time-and-material basis. While it may or may not be true that I am legally obligated to pay the greed-inflated amount, it is nevertheless a fact that I was grossly overcharged, and that I was tricked into thinking that we would be doing business as we had always previously done. Paul Cully 5 Ezras Way Dover, NH 03820 978-692-2498 [email protected]

Excellent response with unexpected replacement within hours at a great price. The installers did excellent work. The price was half of the quote of another company & 20% below the estimate.

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Tony arrived on time and ready to work.  He was very friendly and polite, and took the time to explain what he was doing and why.  I pointed out two leaky valves and he fixed both right away.  The first was a shut-off for an outside faucet that requires a quarter-turn tightening whenever it leaks; the second was a mixer valve for the washing machine, which he replaced.  I also had questions about other parts of the plumbing and Tony took the time to explain which were not a problem and which might require work in the future.  I will use Martel Plumbing for any future plumbing needs.

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Could have have gone better and the units thus far are excellent.

As stated in " What did provider do?"

Provided an accurate quote of what is necessary to fix the air conditioner. Able to complete the work within the estimate provided. No drama and decent people to work with.

Best call I ever made and I dropped previous company after this. Martel is al I need from now on.
Called them after 9pm and they still got there in 20 minutes !!! :)
Had everything he needed and had heat back on within 15-20 minutes after he got there.

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Took less than 5" to accomplish job. Bill came to $55.00+. Left with my brass. I asked twice for my brass to be returned and was told they would do so each time. Never did. That's poor customer service.

I was very happy with the work done.

Excellent.  Came  a week before  to see what I wanted done.  CAME ON APPOINTED DAY AND TIME TO DO WORK.  worked efficiently, cleaned up after himself. removed old toilets.  Neat professional job!