Louis J Maccarone Plumbing & Heating

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I was okay with the price.  They are very quick to respond and knowledgeable.  They did a lot and they cleaned up the area when they were done.  They left it good.

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I called Maccarone based upon the recommendation of a family member who raved. My experience was mixed. I bought a place knowing it would need immediate repairs to two bathrooms. They sent someone out immediately who was very nice and professional. He gave me a quote to fix a toilet and a sink drain. He quickly fixed the toilet but could not clear the drain. They recommended another contractor who was not simply unprofessional (a no show) but also so rude that I found another plumber who showed up on time and cleared the drain in10 minutes.

We have used Maccarone on and off for probably 30 years.  They are not the least-expensive provider, but they always do a competent, professional job the first time, which adds value to their service.
Most recently, on what was to be one of the coldest nights of the year, I discovered that a sink drain in a bathroom above the garage was significantly-clogged and that its drain was leaking from where the trap connects to the drain tailpiece.  I called Maccarone after 5pm and asked if they could fix it that night.  The person answering the phone said that they absolutely could have someone here in an hour or so, but that after-hours service was significantly more expensive, and reviewed the differences in price for service that night versus service the following morning.  They weren't discouraging me; they just wanted to be sure that I knew what I was getting myself into.  For certain reasons, it was critical to get the matter resolved that night, so I told them to please send the guy tonight.  He was finishing up another job, and left me several messages to report his progress and when he would be arriving, which was as advertised.  He, too, wanted to make sure that I knew it would be more expensive than if the plumbers were to come during regular hours.
When the plumber arrived, he was extremely-nice and presented himself well.  It was messy outside, and he offered to put booties on so as not to track onto our floor.  He inspected the sink and went to his truck to get his tools.  I pointed out to him that the drain looked a little crooked, and he acknowledged that and went to work.  He vacuumed the water from the drain, then thoroughly-snaked it after inspecting the pipe run from below to see what he was snaking.  The snaking took a good twenty minutes of whirring and pulling and pushing.  He then showed me how the drain tailpiece had been cut a little long (or not cut) when installed, which was why the thing looked crookedly-installed and why it leaked when the drain backed up.  He took his time to meticulously-cut the tailpiece and properly-reassemble the trap and drain.  It now looks right and doesn't leak.  He then tested his work.  He took a piece of paper towel and placed it under the drain so any drips would be evident.  He then ran the water for several minutes to make sure the seal was good, which it was.  Meanwhile, he went downstairs and inspected the pipes to make sure he hadn't damaged anything while snaking, which he hadn't.  The drain flows now like there is a giant suction on the other side of it; I have never seen a bathroom sink flow so smoothly.  He also reinstalled and adjusted the pop-up drain.  I left him for a few minutes while I went to write the check and get him on his way, and when I went back to the bathroom later to have another look at it, it appeared that he had actually wiped up the sink basin and polished up the fixture.  I can't be sure, but he certainly left the area very clean.  You really couldn't ask for anything more.
Now I will tell you about their amazing plumber named Jim Brown, who is their Old Home Expert, a truly-nice guy who is an encyclopedia of old plumbing fixtures and how to keep them working.  Jim seems to love repairing things and particularly Old House things.  About two years ago, we needed new seats and stems on our ancient two-handle shower faucets, although all I actually knew was that they had basically almost stopped working.  Because they had deteriorated over time, we had just become used to forcing them open and closed, but they had become very poorly operable -- hard to turn if at all and not possible to smoothly adjust water temperature.  They also dripped. When I mentioned them to a contractor that was at the house for another reason, he said definitively that they weren't repairable and should be replaced.  That was a bigger job than I was inclined to undertake, and would have involved retiling, so I eventually just called Maccarone.  When I explained the symptoms and the age of the fixtures, the lady on the phone said that she would like to send over Jim Brown, who was very good with such things, but that he wouldn't be available for a day or two.  That was fine, no rush, so we set up an appointment for later that week.  When Jim showed up, it became very clear that I had the right guy.  He looked at the faucets, and instantly told me what brand and model they were.  I had been told American Standard, but he said that one was American Standard and the model, and one was Eljer and the model.  He said that parts were certainly available for one and almost-certainly available for the other, but it would take as much as a week for their supplier to obtain them.  He clearly explained the estimated price, and the couple of things that might make it cost a little more.  He also explained a couple of other options.  He was more than happy to try to fix the faucets, but felt that I should know that they could just put in a new single-handle valve.  When I asked about tiling, he explained some designs that wouldn't require re-tiling.  The gave me an estimate for those prices as well.  He also explained that sometimes when you try to disassemble faucets this old, unexpected things can happen: the metal can crack, etc.  He wasn't trying to sell me on one option over the other, just trying to let me know what the possibilities were.  It was clear that he would be very pleased to do the repair.  We liked our faucets as they were, we just wanted them to work, so I told Jim to proceed to fix them.  Maccarone called a few days later to let me know that they had the parts, and we set up an appointment for Jim to come an install them.  He arrived on time and got to work.  I hung around while he was working, and talking to him was a lot of fun.  He clearly knows so, so much about plumbing in these big old Long Island homes, and clearly enjoys making things work again.  It took a little work to get one of the faucets to come apart, but it eventually did, and the parts he installed made everything work perfectly again.  He left the work areas clean enough.  The difference in the faucets was amazing; they really do perform like new, and I candidly feel a little silly I didn't call Maccarone earlier about them.  Certainly now that I feel like we "found our guy", I won't hesitate to call with similar Big Issues in the future.  And ask them to send Jim.
I was so pleased, I recommended Maccarone and Jim to a guy whose family had all chipped in to fix the plumbing issues in the home of their aunt, who was in the hospital.  They had seen that things had deteriorated in the old home since her husband had died, and they wanted someone to fix a bunch of issues while she was in the hospital.  He ended up thanking me repeatedly for the recommendation, just raving about how great Jim was; he reported that JIm had fixed as much as he could on the initial visit, and made a plan with him for the other things that required old parts.
Finally, I will report on a call we made to Maccarone last year, when pipes froze in the ceiling of the garage during a deep freeze.  I had gone to run the faucets there, and there was no pressure.  Uh-oh.  We needed to get the piped thawed before they burst.  I called Maccarone and they sent over two nice gentlemen within an hour or so, who used an electrical device to melt the water in the frozen section and get us back in business.  They also made recommendations about how to prevent the freezing in the future.  It wasn't inexpensive, but it was worth it for the prompt, effective service and the good result.  A burst pipe would have cost a lot more.
All in all, a group of excellent experiences with competent, honest, fair folks.

Took FOREVER to get on the schedule to do the install - the generator supplier even got frustrated - it was post-Sandy but clearly we were a low priority and it probably took over 6 months for them to finally hook the generator up (after I'd already paid half their fee, naturally). The installation was more or less ok (they left a slow gas leak that had to be fixed, but they did come immediately and resolve that issue; the guy from the gas company seemed to think the leak was no big deal and I'll take him at his word, but it scared me quite a bit and did sugget a lack of attention - basically they left a valve loose). The install came with a year's service contract that included 2 maintenance trips. Maccarone failed to input that into their system and never came. When I followed up they were apologetic and said the year would start from that point, so all seemed good. They came and serviced the generator and as far as I know the work was fine. But they never showed up/contacted me for the second mainentance visit, and when I called to make an appointment - twice for sure and I think even three times, leaving a message each time with whomever the operator transferred me to who would make appointments - they never responded. Literally never returned my call, and all I ever got when I called was transferred to voicemail. I eventually got frustrated, decided to write this off as a bad job and now have a service contract with the people my neighbors have used for years and love (JHACS - who for the record came and serviced my generator on the same day that I sent them the signed service contract). So, I am out the value of half a year's service contract - $250 or so. I would sue, just on principle and to make a nuisance of myself like they have been for me, except I honestly think it will be better for my psyche if I never have to deal with this company again. I wholly heartedly recommend staying away.

They showed up on time, gave a quote on what he could see and the guy was really frank about stating could not give exact quote until able to see and may be possible additional $1200 depending on what he finds.

unknown

I felt that this company had everything under control. If we hadn't resolved this problem we would not have been able to turn off the water in an emergency. Maccarone did everything to reassure us and the plumbing work is superb. I am a loyal customer now.

The pipes under my sinks would drip water if you had the faucets on full blast. The original cost was going to be $150 to stop the leaks, but he ended up having to remove the pipes (metal ones installed about ten years ago) to PVC ones. After he left, it was still dripping water! He came back later that day and replaced some parts. I also got a quote from him about replacing both faucets with ones I had bought at Home Depot. He said it would cost $450 for both (minus a multi-job discount)! I ended up doing that job myself and it was pretty easy.

THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB. WHEN I CALLED THEM THEY CAME OUT WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS FOUND THE PROBLEM AND HAD I FIXED IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE.

I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICES THAT MACCRRONE PROVIDED FOR ME. THE WORKERS ARE PROFESSIONAL AND EFFICIENT. THEY ALWAYS TREAT ME GOOD AS A CUSTOMER.