BALLENTINE PLUMBING

We used this business due to its association with the Bosch company, but are so regretful that we did. Ken did not follow through with his promises, and only once the licence board was called in did we get the job completed. Extremely unprofessional demeanor, does not return phone calls, and we definitely do not recommend to anyone.

He did a very good job with a crew of 4 people, and was very quick respond. I have used for multiple projects in the past. He is also an excellent tankless water heater specialist.

I called Ken because on the Bosch website, he is listed as one of the only authorized techs in my area. I was experiencing problems with the tankless water heater, and I needed someone to check it out. As it turned out, I was able to determine the cause of the problem before he even arrived, I had some water leaking through my roof, which dripped into the unit causing the igniter to stop working. I simply fixed the roof, and dried out the unit, and my initial problem was solved. I still had the appointment scheduled with Ken to check out the unit, so I kept it, as it was free of charge. He calls me once to reschedule, and I oblige. He arrives, and gives me a very detailed inspection of the system, complete with pictures and description. He advises me that my unit needs to have a gas/water valve servicing every few years to prolong the life of the unit, and it appeared I was due for one. I didn't question this as the previous owners of our home had neglected to make any general maintenance upkeep in the time they owned it. The cost for this service was about $300.00. I approved it and he said he could get it done next week. I schedule a time, and he didn't show up. I had to call him numerous times to get him on the phone and to reschedule. Finally he sends someone else out to do the work, and I feel good knowing it's done and all is well. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. The unit works worse than before it was serviced. I had no problems with it before he got his hands on it, and now it does not ignite and heat our water intermittently. We can wait up to 10 to 20 minutes for our hot water to come on. I call Ken back, and he says he'll come check it out. We schedule a 9am Wednesday morning time about five days in advanced. The time comes and goes, with no phone call, and no word from him. I call him, he apologizes, and suggests we meet tomorrow, at 5pm. That time comes and goes as well, with no phone call, and this time when I call, he doesn't answer the phone. I wait to call him the next day, and he answers (probably because I called him from a phone number he wouldn't recognize). He apologizes AGAIN, and said something came up, and he couldn't even call me. Really??? Couldn't even call me??? Now, I don't know about you, but a courtesy call to cancel an appointment doesn't take more than 1 minute to make. If you run a business, it's your responsibility to make the call. He has consistently wasted my time, with absolutely no regard or respect for that fact. He made a working unit not work. I write this as I sit here waiting for him to show up to our third scheduled appointment for him to fix what he broke. Rude, irresponsible, and lazy. This guy is on my sh*t list.

He will tell you he has over 30 years in the business. I found him patronizing and arrogant. There is a charge of $187 just to have him come out. He did the basic check one does on a tankless and found all to be fine, full water pressure. I was determined to get some resolution as to the source of the problem, since all problems began the minute the tankless went live. He performed a bypass test and found it NOT to be an issue. He was going to leave it at that, but I was able to get him to have his assistant perform a test of the plumbing line to the barely functioning kitchen faucet. He was willing, but only to prove his theory - that the problem was sediment in the line. There was some, but not enough to cause the problem. He said they don't do that kind of plumbing work. They cleaned up and left. I won't use again.

I installed a Bosch tankless water water heater approximately in October of 2006. The main burner would not operate. Three plumbing companies with a total of five plumbers between them diagnosed the situation over eighteen months. They were unable to fix the problem. I again looked at the Bosch web site and found Balletine Plumbing as a Bosch technician. I had not previously contacted them because they were over 20 miles away. I felt distance might be a problem. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I called on 2/14/2008 and Ken answered. We made an appointment for 5:30 P.M. He showed up on time with a van equipped with test equipment and parts. He spent about 2 hours diagnosing and replacing parts. When he finished the water heater worked and still does. I paid Ken $149 for his service call. The defective parts and labor were under warranty and paid by Bosch. My wife is ecstatic. I feel please with Ken's service.

The hot water still does not work properly and he has made no effort to resolve the problem. He replaced our water heater with a smaller one, that has lower capacity, which was not what I had requested, it is also inferior quality to the one we had before. The water heater cost was $200 or less, and he charged me $950 because they had to do extra work to accommodate the incorrect size. After the installation, he told me that I had to have a leak detection for $450, which I really didn't need. I called about the problem many times and did not receive a return call. Finally, I was able to contact him and asked that he refund a portion of the money that I paid, because I feel that he seriously overcharged for the work, and did work that was not needed. He told me he would think about a partial refund, but has not gotten back with me in 2 weeks.