CHICK'S PLUMBING INC

very expensive for services rendered

unknown

I called the office to have an installer stop by and quote me on my new Whole House Water Filter System. What I got was a sales guy who spent 90% of the call pitching his own companies Water Filter System. They charged me $47.50 for a useless sales call and an overinflated quote.

This company is very professional and very easy to talk to. The customer interaction in getting the service set-up was very pleasant as well.

I'm very satisfied with them. Their price is competitive. They are prompt which is rare.

I call Chicks from seeing their trucks in the area and he showed up promptly. I showed him the shower that had the original Moen faucets, that had the coin top. These are easily unscrewed to get to the screws. I checked in on him and saw him using a chisel to remove the top of the faucet. When I asked him what the heck he was doing, he said I can't get this darn thing off. I reached over him and used the palm of my hand. OMG. Then he informs me that he would have to bash a giant hole in my shower (through the tile) and replace the hole with a large steel plate, and it would only cost me $800.00 - Now being 'just' a girl, I get treated like a moron ALOT! Nevertheless, I threw him out immediately. I called our realtor as a last result and he gave me the name of a wonderful and competant plumber who wasn't trying to take advantage of me.He fixed the problem in 40 minutes and it only cost me his one hour fee of $90.00 WOW AMAZING He also told me I had the right idea, but even using an extension wouldn't work because whoever built the houses in Ocean Ranch, made the shower walls too thick to cover the original plumbing mistakes, and they don't sell them at the home repair stores.

Called to fix broken pipe in back yard. Estimate was $164.50; I said ok. He dug a hole, exposed the broken pipe, and now quoted me an additional 215.50 to glue the broken pipe back together!!! So total would be $380.00 to replace the broken PVC part that was a few inches long. He was unable to inform me where the shut-off valve was for the irrigation system (he seemed unfamiliar with it). He also quoted me $247.50 to replace shut-off valves and supply lines to bathroom sink. I can do myself for $30 with parts from the hardware store. and an estimate of over $400.00 to repair leaky flap in toilet. I can do myself for less than $15. I sent him packing. ( Took him 5 min to dig the hole.) Now I am without water to my house until my gardener comes out to fix for $25.00 max.

Chick's Plumbing was ok, I have used them for roto-rooting and I have never had any problems with them. This time when he did it he found some leaves and examined it with the camera. They do an alright job.

Went very smoothly and order came in early. Kelly at office friendly and helpful. Followed up day after with courtesy call.

Clay and Daryl (I believe he was his apprentice) arrived on time. The response time was excellent (I called them Tuesday in the late morning/early afternoon, and they were able to come by at 8am the next day.). The work done by the plumbers was satisfactory for the most part, but not exceptional. (For example, the sink could have been more properly cleaned while the old faucet was off.. He used one of those green scour type pads on it, which I think wasn't good for the finish and it still had areas of mineral deposit when the new faucet was put in. It would have been an extra 2 minutes for us to properly clean the top of the sink.. Instead, I had to work around the new chrome fixture with a Q-tip.. It's the difference between someone doing an "okay job", and someone doing a "good job"..) Also, there was more of a gap than I would have liked on the tub spout.. It was considered very normal by the plumber, but someone with an eye for detail would have cut one or two threads off the pipe and fit it snugly. Again, there are sacrifices made when a homeowner is unable to do the work themselves. Although I have an eye for detail, I've got other projects in the house demanding my attention and it was easier to hire in a plumber..) The cartridge replacements upstairs seemed to be fine, but I did not like that one plumber was working downstairs while another was working upstairs. Call me paranoid and perfectionist, but I think the job would have been a bit more precise with just the most experienced guy there. The new kitchen faucet was decent, I suppose.. (A Moen brand with detachable spray head.. I'm a pessimist and after googling that particular unit I expect it will fail somewhere in the next 2-5 years.. mostly likely at the spray nozzle..).. Unfortunately, there was a decent mark-up on the faucet (approximately $185 from the plumber, though it lists for $109 at Home Depot) and that is an area where I think Chick's falls short. Although the work was adequate (again, not exceptional.. but also not inferior), the price was steep for what I got. (An example: I was quoted $164.50 [if I remember my exact numbers.. if not, $160-$165] if I wanted to have a dishwasher installation done. Compare that to an installation done by an appliance shop a few years ago [$55], and the price of doing it myself [$time...], I believe I won't be using Chick's for that service..).. Some background-- my parents have used Chick's throughout the years (back when Chick and his son were active and out in the field..) and I chose them based on my parents' recommendation and the positive reviews on Angie's List.. I should have noted that price is not a strong category for Chick's, though it seems that nobody can deny that the work was completed satisfactorily. All in all, I'm not dissatisfied by the service, nor am I thrilled by it. The job was done, and time was saved by not having to do the work myself. But, unfortunately the bang-for-the-buck was fairly mediocre.. (Compare that, say, to my experience with my home inspector [A Thorough Guy] and my electrician [The Electrician].. Those two businesses were exemplary and I felt I received more than excellent service..) I write n/a for final cost vs. original estimate, because pricing was done per job rather than at an hourly rate. (ie: it costs X dollars to replace a cartridge valve, rather than tallying the hours worked).. Overall, I felt as though the cost could have been more competitive.. But, a common tactic (used by my garage door opener company as well as the plumber) is to state that there is a charge of X dollars to come out and investigate, however that amount is applied towards the total job.. (ie: there is no more free estimate.. either you pay $89 for the diagnosis, or you pay for the job..)

Samuel arrived at 3:45 pm within the window of 2-5 pm. The time it took to fill out the paperwork after he had completed the task of clearing the bathtub drain with an electrical snake was longer than the job itself. He, of course, recommended that more work be done (to the tune of $343 to install angle stops and three supply lines at the wash basin and toilet, a job that I declined). He left the site at 4 pm to continue the paperwork he had to take care of in his truck. With the senior discount of 10%, at $128 I still found this job far too costly for the simple job of clearing the bathtub drain. The initial cost of $45 to come to my home should have been the cost of this job.

I had called another local company and wasn't terribly impressed with their off the cuff quote ($361) nor schedule (tomorrow). It didn't really sound like they wanted the job. I spoke to a friendly lady at Chick's who scheduled me for a visit in three hours. The service guy (Bret) called on his way over and was punctual. He couldn't have been nicer. Gave me a good assessment of the situation, quoted me a reasonable price as estimate, performed the work in short order, provided me with a bill which matched the estimate. He gave me a recommendation which reflected our discussion and his understanding of my priorities. I have to admit it was a simple job but done very professionally and I'll call these guys when I'm doing more serious plumbing jobs going forward.

He did a good job for us. We had not experienced the problem again so far. The price is always a little high in this kind of work but that is standard. They seemed to me to be very professional, very good at what they do and I would recommend them.