Dunbar Plumbing

Excellent!

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unknown

Horrible experience. Was referred by condo property manager. Was told Jim did numerous repipe jobs at this complex over many years. I called and every time I did he seemed annoyed. Similar comments on other review sites if you doubt my experience. Surprised not to read similar things here. It stands to reason that condo units of a certain layout in any given complex are typically designed in a very similar way. That I was told Jim had done work at this complex for years (he also confirmed this by phone) it also makes sense that he would be familiar with the typical layout of the plumbing. This is the whole point of calling someone experienced with our complex versus, say another plumber with a good reputation and good attitude. Jim was adamant that I have a company come out to identify where the manifolds were (areas where plumbing pipes branch off this way and that to other areas of the home) and said he would NOT come out and provide me with a quote otherwise. To hire such a company costs about $275. For someone who is familiar with the complex it seems rather redundant when the basic layout and location of manifolds should be apparent. Newsflash Jim: other plumbers who came out to my place confirmed that the layout in condo complexes are pretty cookie cutter and they don't deviate a lot since they are constructed the same way! So I went and paid my $275 since Jim offered no cooperation to come out and take a look until I had this done. Even if the manifolds were in slightly different locations than other units, there shouldn't be any significant difference in the work being contemplated (amount of labor time, amount of materials etc.). I agreed to have Jim come out anyway (let me remind the reader that his disposition over the phone hadn't changed since my first few calls). I gave Jim the lockbox code to come see our place to provide an estimate. I didn't hear back from him so at the end of the day I called to inquire how it went. Big surprise: he cut me off quickly, said he was in the middle of a job and would call me back. He never did. So I tried again the following afternoon but no answer so I left a voicemail. Many days have passed and I still have not heard from him. My money wasn't wasted on the other company to find the manifolds because I have hired another courteous professional with good reputation to do our repipe who wasn't familiar with our particular condo complex, but it's not like it takes a genius to measure, cut pipes, weld, insulate, etc. Maybe Jim thinks I would be too difficult to work with because I actually expect someone who shows the homeowner some courtesy and who follows through on their word. It may be easier to work for people who are naive and don't question things. It was obvious Jim wouldn't come out unless I spent my $275 to get the manifold locations identified. I figured that if Jim wasn't courteous he might at least be good at his trade and if he didn't come, the information about where the manifolds are would be helpful for another plumber. All of this is true and I look forward to reading whatever spin Jim has to write in defense of his appalling conduct. Zero professionalism in my opinion and I want others who subscribe here to know the truth. There is a reason Angie's list is a successful business model. It's founders understand just how prevalent poor service is among contractors and this serves as a means to vet them and find those who are good and worth hiring.

We had the gas company out to be sure there wasn't anything fishy with the gas to the water heater, as the pilot light wouldn't stay on. He suggested the issue would be with the control valve or the pilot assembly. Mr. Dunbar worked with us over the phone quickly to identify the necessary parts to make the repairs. We sent him pics of the make and model of the water heater, he gathered the necessary parts, and stopped by, essentially on the same day. He also told us that one of the parts was still under warranty, saving us a little under $250 on the overall work. He was in and out within an hour, and was quite efficient. The charges were in line with my expectations for parts and labor, and we will definitely use his services again. It is GREAT having hot water again! :)

unknown

unknown

We had an emergency situation and he was able to come out right away to look at the problem. He was very efficient and quick. Jimmy, the owner, was great to work with and he followed up well on any question or concerns we had.

Dunbar Plumbing is fantastic. He was very kind, and very careful while transporting the new water heater. They brought it up two flights of stairs for me. Installation went very well. They were very professional, and brought the water heater and area up to code. I would recommend Dunbar to anyone looking for plumbing/water heater services.

A

They worked independently - my husband was home, but left them to do the installation on their own. Once they were finished the final step was to fill the tub with water so that it would set properly. They had to cut a hole in the wall at the back of the tub in order to get the tub in place, and the cuts were messy and sloppy. We figured that wasn't a real problem because our tile contractor would correct this as he did his work. However, the next day when we went to empty tub we found that there was a crack in the front flange and that there was a large scratch inside the tub itself. We contacted them and were told that they couldn't have had anything to do with these and the tub must have been damaged before it was installed. I know for a fact that it was not damaged because I had cleaned the tub the night before they arrived. We had to delay our tile installation for several days until we could get a special tub service out to examine the tub. They felt that the crack in the flange could be patched by the tile installer and then they cleaned the tub to buff out the scratch. This cost us an additional $100.00 We had used this plumber before and not had any problems - so we were very surprised by this turn of events.

Mr.. Dunbar showed up promptly and went right to work. He did a good job and charged a fair price. He doesn't talk a lot but is a good plumber. We plan to have him back after our new cabinets are installed to install the sink, dishwasher, faucet and garbage disposal.

Initially, they were a bit difficult to make an initial appointment/ estimate with, but this may have had more their vacation schedule than being a regular occurrence. They discussed the pros and cons of ways to approach our problem. The estimate was accurate, and the work seem to be of very good quality. Once the actual work was scheduled, they were very punctual. They were polite, professional, and cleaned their work area. They tested their work, and in the process, snaked at looked at all of our drain line for free. The only real complaints I had were that the plumber on site put too much concrete waste in our trash can, and initially, the city was not willing to take it. On the other hand, when we contacted the company with this problem, the were very cooperative and willing to make things right. The second complaint was that their warrantee policy on their work was not written, and when queried, they only committed to a 6 month warrantee.

Great!

I called Mr. Dunbar based on the recommendations on Angie's list and I agree with the others who reviewed his service. He believed what I told him about what the problem was, the size of the tank, etc. I did not ask for an estimate because it was an emergency and I didn't want to delay repairs to get multiple estimates.

He was wonderful! He works fast and doesn't talk much, but I was very impressed with how experienced he was. There seems to be nothing that he hasn't seen.

MR. DUNBAR BOUGHT THE INSTANT HOT DISPENSER UNIT. CAME AT SCHEDULED TIME AND COMPLETED THE INSTALLATION WITHIN THE TIME HE SAID HE WOULD. HE WAS VERY NICE AND PLEASANT.