Clarke Kent Plumbing

My only complaint is the cost. Clarke Kent charges $45 extra if they help you on the weekends. That's $20 more than another Angie's List competitor. Plus, the industry practice of charging you for using their equipment (and listed as "materials") really bothers me.

I required a pressure control valve to lower the water pressure to my house. No problem, call Clark Kent Plumbing, they will be right out. First issue is they could not make the scheduled appt at 830 am due to too many other calls. After the show up, they quote me $650 to do the work which seems high, but I needed it done so I say go ahead. An hour later, they call back and say that I have a galvanized pipe and they can't do it without replacing the pipe all the way up to the house. New estimate is given of $2600 but they say they have to have the company send the formal estimate. Still hasn't arrived so I call. They say we'll call back. I wait and wait and wait but no call. Now it is two days later. Looking for a new plumber on Angie's list because these guys are not every going to be called agian.

It was right before thanksgiving and even though it was a holiday, the guy made time to show up. So I was very happy about that. I don't really remember exactly how much I paid but it wasn't expensive. He made time to show up even though it was right before thanksgiving. That was kind of dubious. He didn't charge holiday rates either. I will use his services again in the future.

Went really well. See above. One thing to add here is that we have been using Clarke Kent for years and we've learned ALWAYS to request Marcel. We wait until he's available unless it's a real emergency and we have to get somebody out instantly. He is extremely well equipped, punctual, personable and skilled; he cleans everything up thoroughly; and we have always been really pleased. He's repaired a slab leak for us (in 2010), another major leak at the hose bibb on our home's exterior, and other minor issues (toilet repairs, sink fixture installation, etc.). With this company, it really depends on who comes out, so you have to learn whom to ask for. One time, they sent out someone named Billy who had NO equipment on him at all except a saw; he didn't even have a flashlight and was trying to use the screen of his cell phone to illuminate pipes under the sink. If that had been my only experience with the company I'd rate them pretty low! Their prices seem comparable to others and certainly less than companies like Radiant, whom we have also used; Radiant does a good job but they are really a lot pricier than anyone else.

During our spring HVAC inspection, the technician mentioned that the water heater was leaking; upon inspection I found a lot of corrosion of the fitting on top, and figured we needed a new water heater. We had used Clarke Kent in the past, so we contacted them via their web site (it was after hours) and the returned our call promptly the next morning. They set up a service appointment quickly, and the plumber arrived precisely on time. He inspected the water heater, and told us that he felt it could be repaired. He did not quote the work (nor did I ask for one as we've used them before and was comfortable moving forward on time and materials for a simple repair). The plumber was able to use materials on his truck to complete the repair, and he used a shop vac to pick up all traces of water he could, and asked us to look in on it after a few days to confirm that there was no leak (there was not - the repair has held and taken care of the problem). I very much appreciated that we did not have to purchase a new water heater (ours is 8 years old, so they could have very easily recommended that). The work area was left fairly clean (it's an attic crawlspace type area, so it was not pristine to begin with!). Total cost was just under $200.00 including about $100 for an hour of labor, a $45 trip fee, and the rest was parts and shop charges. While Clarke Kent is not going to go down as the low-cost provider, we have used them three times now, and they have always performed high quality work, on time, and we have felt that they have not "taken advantage" to recommend unnecessary work or to upsell us on items we didn't need.

They were responsive to the service calls. I think they are fine for services not involving ordering parts. I would have given them higher rating but I felt they ripped me off big time on the part. What a shame considering I was a repeat customer. Would likely try someone else next time.

The initial estimate was provided by a technician named Steve. I provided him with a written scope of work. Before he left, Steve provided us with a lump sum cost estimate and an estimate of the time required to perform the tasks. Later I dropped one of the tasks in the estimate for budget reasons. I wish I had gotten the estimate broken down by task as the reduction in fees was less than I had expected. After we closed on the house, I scheduled the work to be performed. I got a call on the day before the appointment to confirm and another call the day of to tell me a technician was on the way. Steve turned up on time. The initial work was performed over a two-day period due to other contractors being in their way. Installation of the kitchen faucet had to be delayed by two weeks until the countertop and sink were installed by others. All work was carried out in a professional manner. They even cleaned up after themselves - a rarity for a plumbing contractor. Once we moved in, we discovered that the gas pipe was installed in such a way that prevented the range from being pushed back against the wall. I filled out a work request on their website on Sunday afternoon and received a call on Monday morning saying that Steve was on his way. It took him nearly three hours to make the necessary changes in piping, but I was not charged for his time or the materials required. Overall I was pleased with their services and will use them again.

One night we had our toilet back up and ooze the outgoing water into the tub, onto the floor, under the wall, and into the adjacent rooms. Clarke Kent used it's TV camera snake to locate two pieces of PVC shavings that were loose in the line. We had replace the high-flow toilet with an ultra low flow toilet, and it wasn't able to get the job done like the high flow had. The plumber was able to use the snake camera to push the debris down the line until the got into the larger pipe at the street. Now it works, and no more black ooze.

Service worker arrived in a few hours the same day I called. He inspected the water cutoff and gave a fair estimate. This was the job we requested him to do. However, he finished earlier than predicted and then repaired the H/B toilet stop and fluid meter inside house without additional charge. He was professional, courteous and obviously anxious to help. The company made a followup call the next day to check and see if the job was done to our satisfaction.

Called on Monday morning expecting that the earliest they would be able to provide service was Wednesay. Was told they could have tech available in the afternoon. I told them I was unavailable until Wednesday and they offered me a 30 minute window on Wednesay morning for the tech to arrive - can't beat that. Tech was very professional and had problem diagnosed and thermocouple replaced within 28 minutes.

They came out to our house the same day I called them. They got there around 5 pm and didn't leave until it was repaired around 7 pm. The technician had to go out and buy a part and then come back to finish the job. We certainly appreciated his perserverence.

See above.

I called Clarke Kent Plumbing at 8:30 on a Monday morning. By 9:15 Five had come, fixed my disposal, and wished me a good day. I have used this company for many years, and they are always professional and have a wonderful customer service ethic. They are consistently a pleasure to work with - and pleasure and plumbing problems usually don't go in the same sentence.

I called Clarke Kent on the afternoon of Good Friday after three other plumbers told me they couldn't get anyone out to look at our clogged kitchen sink until Monday at the earliest. They sent Casey out within an hour of my call. He was very polite and professional and went out of his way to keep our light-colored carpet clean when bringing his equipment in. He cleared the clog in the sink and took a look at our sprinkler system, which has a slow leak, and showed me how to shut it off from the water line. I was impressed with the speed, thoroughness and professionalism of the job and will certainly recommend them in the future.

not well

They took advantage of the fact that we had this work done on our rental property. Meaning we weren't there to watch ourselves. Our tenants also did not keep us informed. This company trashed the outside of the home. They smashed flower beds, broke concrete, etc. They weren't easy to work with at all. There were many discrepencies regarding the warranties. According to the tenants, they basically send kids to do the work. Completely unprofessional.

Gave me estimate 2 weeks earlier. Showed up promptly on day of appointment. Came in very close to estimate. Had a young man name Billy who did a very professional job. Would use Billy again and Clarke Kent again!!!!

They did not try to upsell me to the latest and greatest water heater. They helped me get a quality one that would meet my needs.

Clarke Kent Plumbing is horrible. I called them to do some work. They gave me two or three different times, but they never showed up. When I finally called them to ask them not to come, they came out once. They didn’t know what they were here for. They said they’d come back but they never did.

When he arrived, he told me they would have to do a full house air check that would require a city permit and that it would cost $1500. When I told him I would need to think about it, he said I had to pay him $100 for coming out (he had only been here for 15 minutes and was trying to charge me about $50 more than I was told over the phone). I was about pay him the check when a dispatcher called and said to not pay him and that they were sending a manager out. He left, and I called the company back to tell them to not come out. After that, I called a plumber who was a friend, and he was able to fix the problem (and a little extra work, too!) for only $90.

Overall it went well. It was a smelly process and the toilet broke when we had a house full of people. But the plumber was very quiet.

They're very good. They came the same day that I called him. They checked out the problem and offered to come back the next afternoon in order to save us money. Their workers were very professional and personable. They cut no corners. They told us how we could prevent the same problem in the future. I appreciate that they tried to work with us regarding the price. Their price was competitive. They were right on.

The quote had 2 different workers at 2 different rates, one worker and one assistant. When they came out to do the job, there was only one guy that came out, so I asked them to adjust the quote because the hourly rate was not correct. They said they would go back to the office and requote me. I didn't hear from them the next day, so I kept calling them and they wouldn't return my calls. I ended up getting a quote from another plumber who did the job very well for about half the price. If I had been someone who wasn't accustomed to quotes, I would have gone ahead and let them do the job at the price they had originally quoted me when it was based on 2 people with 2 different hourly rate and only 1 showed up to do the work at a lower hourly rate.

Swimmingly. The guy showed up on time, was polite and professional and did everything we asked of him.