EMPIRE PLUMBING

It was a smooth process from the beginning. They got the right equipment, scheduled promptly to get it installed and the installation process was painless.

Terrible experience. Worker did not turn off water main before beginning work. When he tried to fix the kitchen faucet, water went all over the ceiling, walls, etc. That was just the beginning. Our stand up shower had a bad valve which caused the hot water to drip constantly. Once again the worker didn't turn off the water main and water flooded in the walls and into my downstairs foyer. Owner refused to accept responsibility for the damage. Stay away!

Through the home warranty service provided when we bought the home, we were connected with Empire Plumbing. First trip, they gathered info about the water heater. Second trip, plumber was unable to remove the old rod. Third trip, another plumber was unable to remove the rod and nut was now stripped. Owner agreed to a new water heater. Fourth trip, old water heater was removed and new one installed. Paid $140 to have the water heater "repiped." We still had our initial problem of smelly hot water. Owner of Empire said we needed to install a water filtration system. I already had an estimate from the well people for about $2300! We called Kelleher that we have done business with for over 30 years. The new rod cost $29.94 and was quickly installed. In the process of working on the water heater, the plumber discovered that the ground wire had never been attached and the valve pipe was just stuck on by hand and not soldered. The electric line was pulled taut and one side of the connection to the top of the water heater was pulled up. The plumbing pipes were jammed up against the wall instead of being appropriately done which also accounted for the electric line being pulled taut.

Avoid avoid avoid!!! Terrible customer service. 
They were sent out by my home warranty company to fix/ replace a water heater. I took the whole morning off work so I could be here for their appointment. They came out and were very friendly. Then diagnosed the problem and told me I needed a new water heater. They said it would be 3-5 days.
A week passed and I did not hear anything. So I called Empire Plumbing. I got a voicemail, so I left a message. No call back. I called again the following day and again voicemail - no call back. I waited a couple more days and called once again. This time I got hold of someone. I was told he would speak with his supervisor and call me right back. No call back!!
I waited almost 2 weeks and called my home warranty people. They looked it up and told me that Empire Plumbing had not even sent in the report yet. 
I finally heard back from my home warranty company. They said that there would be an additional charge of $355 for modifying pipes and also a $75 fee to take away the old water heater. There was no modification listed or mentioned at my initial appointment and another person verified that this was not required. So they not only do not answer the phone or respond to voicemails, but now try to scam honest people. In addition I stressed my concerns of this company and their lack of communication skills. The home warranty people said they would instruct Empire Plumbing to contact me to discuss any concerns. Once again no call from them!!!
On top of that Empire Plumbing was going to do the work with no mention of a permit. In the county of Henrico a permit is required for any gas water heater replacements.
Due to their lack of courtesy of not calling people back, I would highly recommend you pass. There are so many other (better) plumbers out there (i.e. Advanced Plumbing). If you do a check online you will see that many people had the same experience as me.

They respond late ALWAYS. They say they will call in a couple days and they take 3 or 4. They say they will be out to repair and they show up late. After waiting two weeks for a water heater we asked them to install a gas line and some appliances. It took them TWO weeks to get out to our house and when the plumber showed up he ran part of the gas line and then said he needed another plumber to help him move the appliances. I said I would help him because I wanted the job done and he said no and left. I called and said I would have another plumber finish the work, what do I owe for the PARTIAL job completed and they said I owed the full payment. I argued and they took $150 off a $700 job when they left a gas pipe half installed under my house. I talked to the owner and he insisted on the payment amount even though he agreed my experience over the past month was terrible. Bottom line, this company is terrible and I will never do business with them again. I have filled a complaint with American Home Shield as well about there poor service and attitude.

They have been wonderful. They do a good job. When I first got the house, they did several calls for me. They went above and  beyond the call of duty. They were excellent. Plumbing sometimes isn't doing wonderful things. They are very good. They will work later if they have to. I was very pleased with them. They are on my list. That's my plumber guy.

Terrible. Will not use them again.

I live in Henrico and I had a water leak in the front yard on a Sunday evening, which turned out to be the water main. I don't know much about plumbing, but I called my home warranty company thinking this would be covered.  I just bought my home in December 2011.  It was not covered and I also tried my home owner's insurance - neither policy covered this leak because it was not within the "foundation" of the home.  I learned that if it is in the yard and between the water meter and your house, you are responsible for it; if it is from the meter to the curb, the County is responsible.
Empire Plumbing are the plumbing company used by my home warranty service and they called me back early Monday morning not long after they opened.  They did tell me this wasn't covered and were very upfront and suggested I try my home owner's insurance to see if they would cover it, although Empire told me most insurance companies do not cover this type of leak in the yard.  I confirmed all of this and called Empire back.  I asked them to come out and do a quote, which was free.  Matt showed up that same day - within an hour or so from the call - and was very professional and courteous. He described what needed to be done, how they would do it, and gave me the quote.  The quote included a 5 year parts and labor warranty.  Half of the fee was due up front, and the other half was due upon completion of the job.  I asked about additional payment options since I didn't have almost $4k on hand and they were willing to work with me on the second half.  They were willing to bring out a Certificate of Insurance as well to prove they are insured.
The job was scheduled for Wednesday, September 12 and two guys showed up a little prior to 9am.  I was surprised that Matt was not there. I assumed he would be performing the work.  The two young men were polite and starting working straightaway.  I was assured the job would only take a day and they did stick to that promise.  However, one of the team members did leave for approximately 2.5 hours to get a tool they did not have with them.  I was surprised about how long he was gone, which delayed the job.  His coworker called him several times to see where he was, and he assured me that he was "right up the street"; however, he did not show up for quite a while after that so I don't believe he was anywhere near the house.  When he got back they returned to work immediately and had water on by 6:30 that evening.  I had to leave by 7 and was not there to see them complete the job and fill the 2' trench they dug to put in the new pipes.
The next day I did have to go out in the yard and take a few hours to rake up some of the large chunks of gravel/rock they left on the surface of my yard, and I needed to rake up some dirt that was spread out and smooth it all down.  My mower would never have been able to be used if I had not raked - there was way too much gravel in the yard and spread out over a large area. 
I would use Empire again, but I do wish I had stayed home for the rest of the job to make sure the yard was left in a better state.  Today is Friday, and I have not heard back from their office on the other half of the payment that is due now which I am going to pay at one time after all.  I can only assume at this point they are going to stick to the original quote of $3500.

oy

Representative was professional and nice to work with.  It was a simple problem that he repaired in less than 15 minutes.  he also tightened everything.The $75 was a flat rate for Empire through AHS.

Poor

The technician arrived within the scheduled window on Tuesday 12 June.  I gave a low score for "professionalism" as the first technician complained the entire time he was here: "I hate going up stairs all the time" (our master is on the 2nd floor), "I don't know why this fixture was caulked; it doesn't need to be and it looks bad" (I specifically requested to have it caulked when we had the master shower re-done), "This shower control is a piece of junk" (it worked great for 10 years before requiring service).  The technician determined that we needed a replacement mixing valve based on my description of the problem - he never tested the shower control.
When we did not hear back from Empire Plumbing for 2 days following the initial visit, we called on Thursday 14 June to find out what was going on.  We were told that the part we needed was hard to find and a service appointment was set for Tuesday 19 June.  This is why I rated Empire poorly for responsiveness: not communicating with us and taking a week to find a part.
The technician arrived on time Tuesday 19 June, was professional and pleasant and completed the repair effectively and efficiently.
I did not rate Empire on cost, because the repair was completed under our home warranty with AHS.

When they got there they didn't have all the parts they needed so they had to leave to go get them but they  were good.

I was so pleased with Empire Plumbing. They go out of their way to see you are happy as they even took my new sink to a woodcrafter to have a drawer cut down, because the drain pipe was in the way of it opening. I know I can always depend on them to be here on time and do the job right.