Kevin Shaw Plumbing, Inc.

One morning the bath was clogged. I had to go to work and asked my wife to call a local plumber to support the local guy. I go to work. When I come home and ask how much it cost my wife says 500.00. One guy came out snake the main which had easy access and took less than 15 minutes and charged us 500.00 smackers. Obviously a crooked outfit. I called and complained, all they said would that they would some credit toward future service. No Thanks.

When I called the provider to schedule an appointment I told them my tankless water heater was not working. They said it would be $41 just to come out and look at it so I set up an appointment. When the contractor arrived he told me it would be $150 to diagnose a tankless water heater. I told him that was not what I was told over the phone but he insisted that was the price. I was without hot water and desperate so I agreed to this and had him look at the water heater. He gave me estimates for repairing my existing tankless water heater and for replacing the existing water heater with a conventional tank water heater. He also observed that I had a circulating pump on my water heater and said that if I replace it with a conventional tank water heater that my pump wouldn't work and I would need a new one. He told me this would cost ~$300. His estimate to repair the tankless water heater was $1434, and to replace it with a tank water heater was $3397.86. My homeowners warranty company got the estimates and insisted on sending out another provider for a second opinion. The second provider quoted $655 to repair the tankless water heater and $1200 to replace it with a tank heater. The second provider said the tankless repair was broken down as $295 for the parts and $360 for labor, and it was a 3 hour job. That amounts to about a $100/hour rate for labor. Given the price of the part, this means that Kevin Shaw plumbing was charging over $1100 for labor for a 3 hour job which is a labor rate of ~$380/hour. I had also asked the Kevin Shaw contractor what they charge to flush a tankless water heater (a recommended yearly maintenance procedure). He told me this would be 1 hour and also cost $380. (the material costs for this are trivial- just a bucket of vinegar essentially). My homeowners warranty company went with the second provider due to the cost difference. I had the second provider replace the water heater with a tank water heater. When I asked him about the circulating pump he told me what I had was fine and did not need to be replaced. I had the water heater put in ~2 weeks ago and it works just fine. Given the price difference between the two providers, one may assume there is a difference in quality. Where I live I am required to have a city inspection done of the tank water heater installation. The city inspector looked a the installation of the tank water heater done by the second provider and said it was the best installation he had ever seen. He pointed out a few things to me about how they did certain things and commented that they were done very well and that most contractors didn't bother to do these things. I am giving Kevin Shaw an F for pricing. While I expect some differences in pricing among different providers, I consider the amount of Kevin Shaw's estimates to be price gauging. Especially since I was able to find a contractor who did a very good job at only 1/3 of the price. I am giving Kevin Shaw an F for professionalism. They recommended an unnecessary and expensive replacement of a circulating pump. And, as a final note, I have now received a bill from Kevin Shaw for $150 for the tankless heater diagnosis, not the $41 I was quoted on the phone. The second provider is Western Rooter based out of Arcadia. They were nice, fairly priced and did a great job.

Jeffrey was clean, courteous, on time, everything you expect from a service provider. We chatted about the fact that while I know my water heater will probably need replacing soon, I've just bought my house so going little by little doing the things I HAVE to do now and either fixing or shoring up everything else. He was super knowledgeable about plumbing (been in the biz almost 20 years) and gave me things to think about that no other water-person had. For example, we had contemplated getting life source water filters, which he said were great, though he asked where the life source guy had planned on placing the unit. When I told him, he said that's pretty normal, but it would also filter the water for my lawn, which actually needs the minerals that life source filters out. He suggested either installing the filter at a different spot (which would necessitate some new piping and be expensive - and of course life source guy failed to mention cause he's a sales guy, not a service provider) or getting a water softener for JUST the hot side, which would alleviate the problem totally. We also chatted about tankless water heaters. When we dug into the idea, though, we realized it would be far too much work and money to do that? I'd have to reroute a gas line, install another electrical outlet outside, etc. we also discussed the fact that even though it would be a "gas" tankless, it would have to have electricity to run the unit itself, which could present a problem because every so often my area gets blackouts due to wind storms that even a battery back up just won't be able to handle. so we instead decided to get quotes on a regular 'ol water heater. The quote wasn't the cheapest by any means and I'm going to get other quotes. That said, I'd TOTALLY trust Jeffrey to do any plumbing work I need. Oh! he also mentioned that the co has 3 trucks and guys, so they're available 24/7. some other companies say they are (and I'm sure try to be) though if you've got 3 trucks, you're more likely to get service when you need it. Hopefully my water heater will last another couple years and I won't have to deal with it, but at least I have a backup plan in place should I.

Kevin Shaw Plumbing, Inc. is really good. They're really punctual. They're available. They leave everything clean when they're finished. The guys were professional. I would absolutely use them in the future.

Jeff the plumber who came out for the service was great. Explained everything to me. He gave me my options for future problems - probably will need new main drain. 60+ year old house - so I'm not surprised. I'd definately use this service again & would probably request Jeff, he knows his stuff. Mar2014: I had problems with my gas, needed a new earthquake value, etc. Jeff came out again & fixed me right up. As soon as i realized I needed a plumber - went right for the card on the frig. These guys know what they are doing.

He saw he could not find drain site to perform rooter service. Said would need to dig. Would not be able to perform. Thanks for your kindness and help!

The service was good. I thought they were very professional and helpful. Originally, I wanted them to do work to the basins but they said they could not because of the year of our home so we replaced the fixtures instead. They explained everything. I liked their service.

Plumbers caused tremendous damage in my bathroom. I called Kevin out for a consultation. He was arrogant, aggressive, and said the damage had nothing to do with his crew.

The receptionist I spoke to really made the company seem very professional and competent. We purchased the deal for installing the emergency shut valve but also wanted to have our washer and dryer installed in the garage. The receptionist said we would be given a quote and if we like the price they would do the work right there and then. But when the worker came out, we were told he wanted his boss to give them estimate. He didn't feel qualified. We have just purchased our home and was doing a lot of remodeling. I thought was going to be able to cross to big jobs off my to do list. I was disappointed the worker sent to do our job wasn't as knowledgable as I was lead to believe he would be. I don't remember if they ever called back to have his boss give an estimate. The work they did was good. I guess I can't really test it until there is an emergency. They just promised more than they could deliver.

Went well. Quality job and parts, but again on the more expensive side

The experience was fine. I like them better than their competitor. They also came quickly.

The experience was fantastic! They did not charge me additional for the toilet repair because they were already at my home for the tankless water heater work. They were polite, respectful, and kept in contact throughout the process. They even sent me pictures to explain the sewage work because I was not there during that time. I would highly recommend their services. They stand by their work and I was pleased with the service.

They were good. I was not there during the time of the work but I have no complaints with the service. They did exactly what they said they would do and showed up on time.

The experience was fine. They responded quickly to our emergency situation.

They were very professional, prompt, took care of the job in the time frame they said it would take, left the job clean, and their performances were all very good. I thought their prices were rather high. I probably would not use them in the future.

It went fine. It took a few days because of the need to figure out what I needed, and not just replace what I had with something similar. But, Keving researched my unusual heater, which also draws on the hot water, and figured out how to get me the volume of hot water I need.

I give them an "A" overall. I would use them again.

The inspection was part of the annual club program they offer. We then had a list of things we needed done. Jeffrey had been out to our house before so they sent again. They like to keep the same guy on your projects as he is familiar with your stuff. Jeffrey always dresses professionally in a polo shirt and wears booties when he enters your home. Very pleasant to work with. The first time he came out for our garbage disposal he quickly figured out it was not a plumbing issue but an electrical issue and recommended an electrician for us to call. Really appreciated his honesty. This time out he did not have the kit in the truck for our shower, so he scheduled an appointment for the next day and came back out to install it. He has always been right on time, within the early part of the time window arranged. During the inspection he also looked at our furnace and AC unit, which is 30 years old and needs to be replaced. They have recently gotten into the heating and AC business as well. The next day Jeffrey had Kevin Shaw himself come out to take a look at our unit so they could give us an accurate assessment and estimate. Really impressed that Kevin made the effort to come out himself and take a look.

I read online where several people felt mislead in the price they were charged and I would have to say that while I think the people who came were very polite the reviews I read were right on. I was home, but working. I should have been more attentive to the work they were actually doing and stayed with them while they worked. While one man was already working on the leak, the other worker was using a tool to detect the leak. This was obviously a second thought. It made no sense and they charged me almost $400 for this. They left major gapping holes that they covered with red plastic. They also commented on the cars in my garage and asked if they were for sale. I will not use this company again.

Professional, polite and friendly plumber arrived on time. As a first time homeowner I was quite surprised at the high costs of the estimates ($3100, $2400 and $2100 for three levels of service and warranty) but since this appeared to be a reputable local plumber I agreed. I had to vigorously negotiate keeping my existing and functional disposal unit, for which I was given a $700+ discount (!). No estimate was given for time needed or an hourly rate as all work was done on a "per bid" quote. After the kitchen sink repairs (and before returning to install the bathroom sink) he had spent less than 6 hours (including his lunch). Allowing for a generous $400 for parts I calculated that his $2000 labor bill amounted to $250 per hour for service; at least twice what typical rates should be for even expensive plumbers in my area.

i was happy with their service even though plumbing turned out to not be my problem. these guys are very professional -- booties before they enter the house, they suit up to go in the crawlspace, etc. you pay a full price for the great quality but they don't nickle and dime you once they are on the job.

The work performed was fine. They cleared the line of some debris and we had water pressure restored in the kitchen - although $142 seemed expensive. While they were out, we asked them what they would charge to change out one 8" spread bathroom faucet. The rep told us the price was in the $900 range but that he could quote us $480!! Needless to say, we found another plumber to do the work for less than half of the $480 quoted. We wanted to alert any Angie's List members to Kevin Shaw's outrageous prices. They pride themselves on providing "Nordstrom" like service (and their reps are very polite, neat & clean, they even put booties on their shoes when entering your home), but they do so at a price that's 4-5 times (or more) than reasonable. They won't even come out for less than their "service charge" - so that estimate for the faucet would not have been free, had they not already been out here on another matter.

Anthony came out to look at the water heater. After some checking, he indicated that the water heater had failed and required replacement. I was shocked by the estimate for warranty replacement of $1437. Without the warranty, it would have been $2126. The original install was about $1100. I didn't want to wait for another day without hot water so I authorized Anthony to go ahead. However, after discussing with my wife and reconsidering, I decided to stop the work in progress. Anthony had been on the job for about an hour for troubleshooting and draining the water in the heater when I told him to stop, and the bill came to $342. Anthony was very polite and nice about the whole thing and the office had called several times to confirm the appointment and the time Anthony would arrive, but the price was outrageous for both the water heater installation/replacement and for an hour worth of work.

Excellent. It was easy to schedule the repair over the phone. Plumber was on time and very polite. This company may be more expensive than others, but it is very professional and appears to have very skilled workers.

MY TOILET OVERFLOWED AND I CALLED KEVIN SHAW OUT BECAUSE I HAD USED HIM BEFORE. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE QUICKNESS IN BOTH THE ARRIVAL AND REPAIR OF THE TOILET.