Valley Plumbing Home Center, Inc

1: Arrived on time 2: Quickly cleared the stoppage and checked to confirm that the pipe was clear and flowing from the back to front of house 3: Provided good advice on how to avoid stoppage in the future. 4: Friendly Service

Pro: The estimator showed up on time. Con: Overpriced. I received 4 bids and to make sure that I compare apples to apples, I will state only the labor part. The 4 bids are $5500, $6700, $7800 and $11200. The $11200 is the labor part of Valley Plumbing. Valley Plumbing's bid does not include painting the wall, while the other bids do include painting the wall. All 4 bids include necessary building materials such as copper pipe, studs, cement board, sheet rock, ventilation, etc. As an example of how overpriced Valley Plumbing is, let's look at the labor cost of tiling the tub wall. Valley Plumbing charges $3722.60 to tile approximately 72 sq ft. This comes to $51.70 to put one tile on the wall!!!! Here is another way that I understand this. Let's say it takes approximately 10 hours to tile 72 sq ft... Then the labor Valley Plumbing charges is $372.26 an hour!!!!! I am also disappointed about wall painting. First, I find it strange that Valley Plumbing charges such a high price for bathroom remodeling and yet for some reason does not do such a simple thing as painting the wall. Secondly, on the day of the estimate, the estimator did not reveal the fact that Valley Plumbing does not paint the wall. He only let me know several days later when I called to ask. UPDATE (7/23/2014) I have updated my rating based on the following: 1. You are unresponsive. I sent your store an email on June 26. One of the employees (Sharon) forwarded my email to you. You decided to not respond directly to my email. Instead, you waited until I posted a negative review on Angie's list and decided to post a response. 2. Much of your response is sales pitch rant. In fact, in your rush to rant your sales pitch, you "forgot" to respond to several issues I raised. For example: a. You "forgot" to acknowledge that on the day of the estimate, your estimator failed to disclose the fact that your company does not paint walls. b. You "forgot" to explain why unlike other companies, your company does not paint walls. c. You "forgot" to explain why you have to hire a sub instead of having your own employees paint walls. A few weeks ago, your estimator told me the opposite, that your company does not use subs. d. You "forgot" to explain why your labor cost for tiling is so high (approximately $51.70 to put one tile on the wall or $372.26 an hour). I found the following on your website: "With our licenses in plumbing and general contracting, we can perform all the services needed to coordinate your project." I am wondering why it doesn't read: "With our licenses in plumbing and general contracting, we can perform all the services needed to coordinate your project, EXCEPT PAINTING." Now, let me respond to some of your questions. You asked why I did not post the most expensive bid in the review. The answer is the most expensive bid is an informal oral quote and I never received a written detailed estimate from that company, so I cannot figure out the labor cost for that company. In the interest of comparing apples to apples, I decided not to use that company in the review. The 3 bids I used to compare to your bid in the review, came with detailed written estimates. I assure you that I am comparing apples to apples and the other 3 companies are every bit as good and sometimes better than your company. For example, one of them has been in business for 35 years and even manufactures quality bathroom products. That company certainly has a store that I can walk into any time. Another company also has a beautiful showroom next to a major freeway and displays major bathroom products such as RonBow, Toto, Duravitz, Grohe, Roln, etc. And yes, that company has trucks with the name of the company on it and they all have the proper insurance. I want to challenge you on two things. First, you say you "are standing behind what you do for years to come and if there is a problem your customers can walk through your door and tell you all about it." My challenge is: Can you stand behind what you said and GUARANTEE YOUR SERVICE "FOR YEARS TO COME?" That is, can you guarantee that if there is something wrong with your service for YEARS after, then you will fix the problems with NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE? And if you cannot guarantee your service for years to come, then what does your statement mean? Does it mean your customers can walk through your door and tell you about the problems, THEN PAY YOU MORE TO FIX THE PROBLEMS? Now my second challenge. You seem to say that your price for my bathroom remodel is high because there are hidden material costs that add up quickly. This is very vague. So let me make it more precise by looking at just one item: tiling the tub wall. You charge $4442 including a material allowance of $719.40 for the tiles. So I subtract $4442 - $719.40 = $3722.60. This is the labor part. There are approximately 72 sq ft to be tiled (your estimate shows 90 square feet and I understand that we need to buy more than 72 square feet of tiles, but the labor is only for 72 square feet). This comes to $3722.60/72 = $51.70 to put one tile on the wall (just the labor). If I assume that it takes approximately 10 hours to tile 72 sq ft, then the labor you charge is $372.26 an hour. My challenge to you is can you tell me precisely what materials other than tiles and grout you need to tile the tub wall? Feel free to subtract the cost of these materials from the $4442 total, then divide by 72 square feet or 10 hours AND PLEASE JUSTIFY YOUR UNREASONABLE HIGH PRICE. If you care to discuss any of thi in person, please feel free to give me a call. My phone number is on your estimate paper.

They arrived on time, and while he was still in the hallway the technician put covered his footwear with disposable covers. He proceeded with the installation, and did it within the hour. I had already removed the original toilet. The technician was very personable and efficient. That is all I ask for.

Excellent quality, fast work (less than 1 hour) resulted in only a 1 hour service charge. Perfect results.

This is the second time I have used Valley Plumbing. The first time I had a gas line installed for a dryer and a new faucet installed in the kitchen. The charge for that service was 198.00. Shortly after I had to call them back as the kitchen faucet was completely loose. The plumber fixed it without charge. I called them again for a valve on a Bar-B-Que gas line. Some adjustments to bathroom faucets, and a toilet that was making noise. They suggested that I change parts inside the toilet. The toilet is 4 years old and Toto brand. I authorized the repair, they changed two parts on the toilet. The toilet since the repair did not fill well and was not emptying well. I called them back out on 06/11/2014 to check the work. The plumber said it was clogged and used the plunger. Afterwards, I flushed the toilet in his presence. The plumber said I was not holding the handle down long enough. I did not use a different technique of holding the handle than I did down prior to the repair on 06/06/2014. He was in my home for 10 minutes and wanted to charge me $154.00 for using the plunger. I refused to pay as it was a recall on their work and the toilet worked better before they repaired it. I would never use this company again and cannot recommend them.

Valley Plumbing arrived when they said they would and did quality work.

Took two visits, both prompt, courteous, and professional. (Ryan & Jason) Diagnosed the problem, started with the simplest remedy, moved on to the next remedy, which fixed the problem. Price was totally fair, including parts to repair leaky toilet valve. Super honest accounting of time and great work resulted in my being happy to pay the bill. Thanks Valley Plumbing!

The guys were punctual. Immediately identified the problem and completed the needed repair in a timely fashion. I would definitely use Valley Plumbing again.

They sent someone to look at the leak the same day I called and had the water heater replaced the next day.

It went very well. Seemed expensive for the time and effort.

This was my second opinion. Glad I asked. First quote was over $2000. This quote was half of that to do the same work. Ended up repairing the pipe with help of neighbor since I had already dug up most of the pipe. But Valley Plumbing came highly recommended and now I know why - they are honest, fair and knowledgeable. You can typically get two out of three, but they were the trifecta!

We called Valley Plumbing after discovering a leak in our water heater. We phoned in the morning and the technician was out with a new water heater within a couple of hours. Unfortunately for us it was a Saturday, so extra labor charges, but we were informed of that when we called. The technician was polite and kept the mess to a minimum. Not a fun item to spend money on, but happy with the service!

They fixed water damage in my kitchen and laid new linoleum.

We're glad that we haven't had anymore leaks, but if we did we would not hesitate to call Valley Plumbing.

Scheduled appointment for new commode installation and yesterday, when I called to confirm the appointment, the lady on line said " oh and by the way, there is a $70 charge to haul away the old commode. ". I promptly cancelled the appointment based strictly on principle. This would have been the third time I used Valley in last year or so, and it struck me wrong that they would do this. I think it had more to do that I had purchased my own Kohler commode, which did not allow them to over charge me for the fixture, thus, decreasing their profit. Really disappointing that I now have to find another reliable area plumber.

Great company. They are helpful and professional.

We will never use this company again. Four days after we paid a hefty $135/hour (during normal business hours, not overnight emergency hours), our drains were backed up yet again. We naturally called the company back to try to get somebody to come back out and re-diagnose the problem. We were told we would be charged at the regular rate for additional work, and that the invoice clearly states there are no warranties on blockages. This was obviously very disappointing treatment. To be charged top dollar only to be told that they would not guarantee their work AT ALL, even four days later, seems like terrible business. We would not expect them to guarantee work that had been done a week or a month after the fact, but after barely 72 hours, I would hope they would come back out at no charge. What's worse is that we were never told ahead of time that there would be no guarantee on the work they did on our drains. I would have liked to have known this before hiring this company at all and certainly before allowing the work to proceed. The technician did stop prior to performing some of the repair work and let me know that it was going to be expensive and to make sure I knew how much they were billing per hour. It seems like if he wanted to caution me before proceeding, he ought to have let me know the work would not be guaranteed. In retrospect, it is clear this company only cares about getting paid--not about providing great service.

After having a new furnace and heater installed I needed an automatic gas shutoff valve installed on the gas meter in order for the project to pass the Town of Danville inspection. I called 3 plumbers to quote the job and while Valley wasn't the least expensive they earned my business because: 1. They arrived on time 2. Their employee was knowledgeable and well spoken 3. Their motto is "Integrity before profits" and it is emblazoned on their truck 4. They left me with a Welcome Packet that provided information on their business and included a $10 coupon for future business The bids I received were $285.00, $332.00 and $400.00. I chose Valley and went with their $332.00 bid and used my $20 Angie's List coupon bringing the cost down to $312.00 The appointment was for today, between 6:30am and 9am. Kirk showed up at 7:15am and was polite and professional - even in the bitter cold this morning. He completed the work in about an hour, showed me how to use the new equipment and left me with the proper paperwork. I would not hesitate to use this company again in the future.

Names arrived at 10:15 ( I had a 9-12 window). He was professional and friendly, and explained everything well. I was very satisfied with the work done.

We didn't use their service because the time was after work hour and we might be charged higher than the usual service. Instead we did try to fix by ourselves. We fixed it. But their customer service was kind and honest.

No fuss, muss, or damage to the flower beds. I'll definitely call them for a plumbing need, and look into using them for other services they provide.

I have an old house in Livermore and needed a new kitchen sink and faucet. ( I don't use a garbage disposal) I hired Valley Plumbing after visiting their showroom. I am pleased with the work, fairly straightforward work and all was good.

Valley Plumbing was fantastic to deal with. They only carry the best water heater around and their techicians are very knowlegeble. Great local business!

Mark diagnosed our kitchen faucet leak is caused by a crack in pullout handle. Advised us to call Grohe to find out if part has a lifetime warranty.

They gave me a 12-4 window. I let them know the only time I couldn't be there was a 15 minute window when I had to pick up my daughter. They told me the only time they could come was the time I couldn't be there. I waited almost for hours and they pushed me back until the bottom of the hour. I am so disappointed. The time I had to spent waiting for their service was unnecessary and now I have to do more research to find a plumber after I have already waited a week to have them come out. I am extremely dissatisfied. I had to take off of work and miss an entire day of pay to wait on these people and they just don't seem to realize what I had to deal with to accommodate a plumbing service.