MNG PLUMBING

Stay away from these plumbers! Before they started work, we had all of the plumbing fixtures -- from valves and flanges to shower heads and tub spouts -- in hand and available for them to see -- so they knew exactly what was required and could factor that into the rough work. (In other words no "surprises" or retrofitting involved.) They completed the rough work and we asked them to review the work to make sure everything would work with the fixtures and was properly done and ready for the next step. They gave the "ok" to go ahead with drywall, tile, wainscoting and paint. Once that was done, they came back to install the finish elements -- and announced the rough work wasn't done properly for the tub spout --and to install it, they needed to CUT A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE to access the plumbing. Ultimately, they were able to install the spout going under the tub (the side of tub had not been tiled yet). When they finished the plumbing, there was no hot water in my tub/shower. Warm, but not hot. They came back, removed the shower knob and reinstalled it and said they had fixed the problem and left. Still no hot water. They came back, and said there was nothing they could do, that was how the valve was made -- and they couldn't fix it by replacing the valve because "all valves are manufactured like that now." They suggested they might be able to figure something out, but first they'd need to CUT A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE. Before going that drastic route -- with no guarantee (or even moderate confidence) that would lead to a solution, we decided to try to raise the temperature on my Noritz tankless water heater and see if that could solve the issue (I would just have to be "careful" when turning on hot water anywhere else in the entire house or risk being scalded.) Unfortunately, the MNG plumber couldn't figure out how to raise the temperature on the heater from 120 to 125 -- using a DIGITAL control with up and down arrows. So, the guy left saying there was nothing he could do, but if we figured out how to change the temp, to call him back and he'd try to do it. We called another plumber -- who actually looked at the diagrams/blow-outs of the valve and talked with the manufacturer -- who had never heard of this kind of complaint (much less that "all valves were designed" to exclude hot showers). As it turns out, MNG Plumbing had installed the valve incorrectly -- severely restricting the amount of hot water that mixed with the cold. New plumber fixed it in one visit -- and actually tested the water temp, compared it to temp in other faucets/spouts in the house, and made sure the issue was resolved before announcing it was "fixed." New plumber also noticed spreading water damage on the new wainscoting next to the tub -- right at "tub deck" level (top of tub). Which has now led to the discovery of a major leak behind the wall. As it turns out, in addition to screwing up the valve installation -- MNG also screwed up the tub spout installation (you know, the one they had trouble installing, because they didn't account for it in the rough work...even though they had the tub spout in their hands before they actually did the rough work....yeah, that one) --and now there is a constant, steady stream of water flowing from that tub spout behind my wall. When my designer called MNG Plumbing about these issues, demanding they pay for the repairs (which include CUTTING A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE, water damage in wall, water damage to wainscoting, repainting, and oh, yes -- CORRECTLY INSTALLING THE FREAKING TUB SPOUT) -- we were told that this debacle wasn't MNG's problem, since we "hadn't paid the balance of the bill" for the original shoddy work they had done (after paying the majority of the bill, my designer withheld payment of final portion when we realized the work was unacceptable and needed to be fixed). Oh...but MNG did offer to come out and "look at it." Apparently, they're really good at "looking at things" -- just not all that great at the actual "doing" of things -- well, doing things correctly, at least. BTW -- we've already spent more money fixing their work on the valve, etc.. than we withheld from their payment....and we haven't even BEGUN to count the cost of fixing this leak. So much for making sure we used a plumber that is "licensed and bonded" in case something went 'wrong.' I guess as long as I still have running water -- even if it is running behind the walls rather than into the tub -- MNG believes their work is satisfactory! Meanwhile, the expensive new plumber who figured out what's wrong, says it will take about a week to fix the leak -- because of MNG's sloppy work, I now have a complicated issue...and he needs a couple of days to figure out the best approach to get the best outcome-- although he's pretty sure it will require CUTTING A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE. And then ...we get to pay all the other crews to come in and fix the water damage to my brand new master bathroom -- and, of course, someone to fix the soon-to-be-cut gaping hole between the outside and my tub (did I mention I just had the outside of my house painted?). As of today, it looks like lawyers will be required -- we are determined that MNG should cover the costs of the repairs for their shoddy work and the damage they caused, just as a matter of principle. But please know, after this experience, I wouldn't let MNG Plumbing insert a garden hose into a wading pool -- or anything else involving water moving through a pipe of any kind. And neither should you.

I waited for three hours for plumber to show up. He never did. This is not the first time this has happened.