J.C. Plumbing, Inc.

They came out, identified the problem in less than 20 minutes, went back to the shop to get the part, and replaced it in less than an hour!

went well. he did what he said he could do and did it efficiently.

He did an excellent job. I was pleased how well he cleaned up everything before he left. He came out on Friday to give me the estimate and came back the next day to do the work. I was surprised that he would come back on a Saturday for a job that wasn't an emergency.

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He and his helpers changed out the electric box advising that the wires there are usually what the cause of the issue was. 
They were courteous and professional.  Unfortunately this was not the problem and in my case I will need to call someone to check the actual pump.  They dont do this.  he directed me to Shell Pumps.  I appreciated his quick response .  I still do not have water  but one thing down.  Next.........

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JC Plumbing was very fast, efficient, and punctual.  They were able to arrive the same day as my call, and were really pleasant.  They investigated all possible reasons for the sewage smell coming from the pipes in one bathroom (including checking the attic, roof vents, and snaking the vent) and explained their findings in a very friendly and easy-going manner.  They are very approachable and their fees were very reasonable considering the level of service and their thorough checks.  I would definitely recommend their services!

I called J.C., never used before, and they came out in about an hour.

They were very courteous ,neat and professional.

A couple days previous to contacting J C Plumbing, I had noticed that the water pressure in my home was behaving erratically, with normal pressure some of the time and no pressure (or water) at other times. I determined that the issue lie with a mechanism related to my well after ruling out other issues such as freezing pipes or a fault with the water softener, etc. On the night of 2/7/2013, I found myself completely without water, so I started looking on Angie's List for a well repair person to call on an emergency basis. I found J C Plumbing, and was pleasantly surprised when someone answered the phone at 11 PM. I described the issues I was having, and they agreed to send out a technician the following morning between 8:00 and 8:30 AM. That night, it snowed 4 inches at my house, so I called to confirm the appointment around 7:00 AM. I was assured that the technician would be there, and they arrived right on time. I showed them the well, and they were able to identify the problem within 5 minutes. The capacitor (device that regulates the pressure which brings water up from the ground) inside the well pump control box had leaked and caused a short circuit, and thus needed to be replaced. The technicians informed me that they would be able to fix it with no problem and immediately went to find a replacement. They were back within an hour and installed it with no fuss or problem whatsoever. Following the installation, the technicians gave me some helpful tips on how to prevent another short-circuit (which had been caused by water seepage). I found the experience to be very low-stress and the technicians competent and professional. 

I was installing a sink and had failed to check on the new sink depth. We ended up on a friday night trying to install a garbage disposal where the outlet was very close to the overall outlet of the sink. I called JC on Friday night and he was out there the next morning to take care of it for me. I was happy with the overall work. It seemed a little expensive, but I was also in a pinch and it was much cheaper than the alternative. I would use JC again for other plumbing needs, maybe not all projects, but some for sure. 

They used a super snake in the toilet...without having to break the seal or resetting the toilet.  The towel was pushed through the plumbing (but didn't quite make it to the septic tank before they left).  With their expertise, we now have a working bathroom!  They were quite late, but came on the scheduled day.  They were professional and did a good job.  They were finished in about an hour or less.  Cost seemed a little high but not unreasonable.  They cleaned up behind themselves and left the bathroom in good shape.  They also had us flush the toilet and inspect their work before they left....which was all in working order.  tWe would use them again the future. 

We did diligence and went through many profiles. Yet, when you hire a company to do a ?bigger? more costly job, there seems to be greater risk for problems (which never excuses anyone).  I have learned to consider both the cost of the job as well as the size of the job before hiring.  I encourage all of Angie?s members to include the cost, as many do not include the cost.

Nevertheless I had JC come out to the property on approximately the 9th of March.  I provided him with a written report from an inspector, and we went through the things needed in the house.  I was later contacted by JC via email with a proposal.  He wrote out everything he would and could do.  That included adding a frame for the tub shower.  No demolition was ever mentioned or insinuated. There was no indication of any difficulty he would face when the install took place.  I then called JC and I was asked to meet with him on the 12th of March to present a signed agreement along with 1300 dollars.   I was told the work would be done in two days. This was important because I worked around the tenant?s schedules to make this happen.  

The crew arrived on Wednesday the 14th.  While removing the old cast iron tub they gouged the stairs in multiple places on the way down. They also banged the rail post/support at the bottom and loosened it. (Fast forward for a brief mention of the post; on day two it seemed they were not going to mention the loose post so I had to bring it up to JC.  At that time his helper used a nail gun to insert a multitude of nails until the wobbling stopped.   I am not sure if that was the correct manner in fixing a rail post/support.)

Moving back to day one; much of the day seemed to consist of loud banging upstairs.  I figured they were building the frame for the tub shower.  Later on in the day they had left?again, (I?ll mention this in a bit) without letting me know why or where?   Fifteen minutes here and fifteen minutes there add up throughout the day.  Nevertheless, I walked upstairs to see how the job was doing, and was shocked to see that they had removed the existing wall as well as the 2x4?s where the tub shower was to fit.   (See photos) Why did they tear out the framing?  Why did they not return any of the 2x4?s? When they returned I asked JC.  He said the tub was going to cause a problem with the door opening so they had to tear out the wall to make it fit.  The contract did not mention the destruction of a wall to accommodate a tub shower!  Please note; if I had known this was going to happen I would NOT have permitted him to install the tub shower. This is an old house (1927) and I would not have disrupted the wall or framing if I didn?t have to.  I would have found a tub shower to accommodate the size of the room.  But because he did not take proper measurements, he could not forecast this problem.
 
On day two he continued to make the tub shower fit.  While ripping into the floor near the drain, water began to drip over the kitchen sink.  It appeared to me that the leak was caused by the disruption.  However, when I was not in the room a conversation took place between the tenant and JC in which the tenant told JC that that leak had been there for years.   

Again, the home inspector would probably have noticed an old existing leak right?  A leak not caught by an inspector who was very thorough with everything else?  Nevertheless, later on I was called outside where JC advised me what the tenant had earlier told him, and he pointed to a part on the ground that he said had been leaking prior to his work. I was advised I would have to pay for the repair; an additional $57.00 for a P Trap to be installed.    Before I forget, I want to point out what I had mentioned earlier and that was his leaving the property, again and again.   JC continued to disappear from the job site.  He would leave multiple times to pick things up that he did not have, or he and one of his helpers would just leave w/o telling me he was going. 
I was simultaneously dealing with other contractors that day so it was difficult for me to ask him where he was going so frequently, but I was paying for him to be at the property.  Thus, he should have had all his tools with him knowing what he was expected to do.   Along with the continual departing from the premises, there was a continual disruption to answer his cell phone so he could talk to potential customers. But he was hired by me and expected to devote his time to me-for two days.  

After I left on Thursday I thought ?the job is done. I will have an invoice mailed out to me for the balance, and therefore be through with JC Plumbing.?  But, nope!  On Saturday I receive a phone call from JC, advising me that they had been at the job and finished for the day.  He stated the the bathroom was done, but they would have to come back out on Tuesday to finish the drywall where the ceiling was ripped out over the kitchen.  First, I was not aware he was there working on Saturday.  No one informed me he was going to be out there, but rather, they told only the tenant. 
Had he called me I would have said the work was to be done in two days, per our initial conversation. He is now calling me about day four?  Again, these are my tenant?s and I did not want them to be bothered any more than they had to.  
Secondly, I asked him ?why Tuesday and not Monday??  Why drag this out?  He said he had other work at another job on Monday so he would have to finish Tuesday.   It is my opinion that because he had received $2200.00 with a balance of $174.00, I was now less of a priority.  So at that time I asked him not to return.  I basically fired him.  I then immediately sent the balance owed. 

Moving forward, I was not able to get back out to the property for about a week. No phone calls so I thought all was well. I brought my camera to record so other members could see.  I walk into the bathroom and immediately notice that the floor is wet near the tub.  (They had put in dry wood for a floor so the wetness was evidence of a new or existing leak)   I also notice that the bathroom was not finished. (See pictures)
 
I saw two potential areas of where the leak could have been originating. The first was the area where the PEX and the copper were coupled together. Yep, the top one was leaking one drop per 6-7 seconds.  For possibly a week now since they did the work.  Did anybody check the crimping?  The new plumber said it appeared they crimped over the paint which should have been sanded in order to attain a good bite.
The second potential area in which water could be escaping from the tub shower was where the tub shower pieces were brought together to be stacked. Whoever did the caulking missed several places, allowing water to exit the shower and run down the wall behind it. (See pictures)       

In addition to the above problems, the window is now affected. As a result of poor/negligent planning by the plumber, the tenant must now reach behind the wall of the shower in order to access the window opener.    (See picture)   It is no longer simple to turn and requires extra effort to open.  

It is possible that he would argue he was not through with the bathroom and therefore, by dismissing him he was unable to complete it.  But then, why tell me the bathroom was done?  And,   when you consider something as simple as the shower head itself, you see from the picture that it is missing the circular plate that goes on before the head is installed in order to conceal

Great.

My toilet was not flushing but sending water our the bottom apparently and giving me water all across the floor.  I called; he came wtihin an hour as he had indicated.  He immediately used those plumber tools to go into the drain much better than my drain snake, cleaned the blockage. I told him I was thinking about changing the toilet to a chair height because this older one was so short.  He said he could do that.  I showed him the upstairs one we liked.  He went to Lowes, got everything he needed and changed it out totally that day.  He  cleaned up everything and was very professional and efficient. I was thrilled!  He does replace water heaters, so when that time comes I will be calling him.  He even gave me a tip about prolonging the life of the one I have now.

It's fixed now. They showed up in less than 2 hours after the emergency call. They got everything taken care of. It was about 1 o'clock when we went to bed. It was 11 o'clock at night before they came out. They had to suck the water out of the basement and out of the sump pump so it wouldn't keep coming back. They were there bright and early at 8 o'clock in the morning the next morning to finish the job and install the pump. I felt the price was reasonable. I would use them again if I had to have another plumbing experience.