Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

It was good. Well request it. Upgrade

Took way to long to install initially. It did not seem like they knew what they were doing. It was -30 and was told they will finish outside work when warmer. They never did. We have had multiple problems with the system. They messed up furnace wiring with original install and I had to have another company fix issues. We had many minor issues with system and than in a couple years system quit working. Since the manufacture told me it was not installed correctly and I was getting angry with all their problem and expensive fixes, Benjamin offered to fix it for free. They did fixed it by adding RPZ which requires annual inspections. According to install instructions, that should not have been needed but I am not a plumber so could not argue it. It leaked within a couple of days. They came out multiple times. They finally told me it should leak and stalled a hose to catch water and go to drain. Not long after that, when we were having furnace cleaned, the person noticed expansion tank was full of water. That was another costly fix. About a year and half after installing RPZ it started leaking on another place. O-ring failed. It cost over $500 to have it fixed. We have over 7000K stuck in this system because of their poor quality parts and poor workmanship.

They spent quite a lot of time doing that, which was necessary. It was not unnecessary. They determined it was not an association problem, as far as the building itself. It was the unit itself. The home owner had to replace the water heater to replace the leak. The damage to the property was over $1000. The home owner choose to buy the water heater from Ben Franklin. The price might be a little high for equipment. The charge for coming out around the same range as everyone else. When I looked at other locations, their price was higher than others. I was surprised at the cost of the water heater. The price was up to the home owner, I just had to deal with them as the President of the home owners association. If it was me, and my water heater, I probably would've shopped around. They were very thorough. Sometimes you have to call and ask if they are coming. They give you a two hour window, and sometimes they are on the very outskirts of that window which can be frustrating because you have to be home from work. Sometimes the guy that works on our side of town is sometimes a little chatty and overly familiar at times, but I have dealt with him several times and he feels like he knows me. He's a little more familiar with me than if he just met someone. I would not hesitate to call them.

Great. Highly professional and competent.

He came out and charged me to talk about doing the work. If I would have known I would have said find someone else.

Water heater was a success. They discovered that the anode was expired and replaced it which saved the tank. Regarding the shower drain, they talked me into replacing the existing plastic drain insert (which was leaking) with a brass insert. Said it would be better in the long run. I agreed. Book rate for that repair was $260 + tx. Used silicone vs. plumbers putty to seal. I questioned this but plumber stood his ground stating silicone was only way to go. Said to wait 4 hours before use. We waited 12 hours and took morning showers. Leaked like crazy and got basement very wet.Nothing ruined but made a mess. Called them and they came back out later that day. I had to burn 2 more hours of vacation to meet them. Surprise! They used plumbers putty this time. and no more leak. They were polite and professional. I guess I am neutral as to whether I would use them again. Feel there are alternatives out there for less $ and not cost me 2 visits home during my work day.

Because this service was an emergency service we had no alternative but to use this contractor. Simple install of bathroom faucet. $382 in my estimate is very excessive for this service. Acceptable faucets can be purchased in the $100 range or less. Plumber was unable to install the new tailpipe which I paid for. I was told this was a great deal because the only faucet on his truck cost over $450. He charged me $382. Installation was not professionaly done. This is a total rip off. Do not use this company.

They did a great job. They came right over. They gave me a price and completed the work.

In our apartment complex,the service provider put in an extra garbage disposer without asking us. He was called to put in a water heater and a garbage disposer in another unit. I do not believe that he got confused. I do not believe the owner that it was just an accident. I would NOT call them for any kind of service. He left a bad taste in my mouth.

Faucet has been leaking for quite some time and is now very bad. Cost to fix the installed faucet seemed way too high. Person quoting the fix was very defensive and argumentative. I plan to have it fixed somewhere else.

I had good luck with them. They do a good job.

I saw their advertisement in a paper and so I gave it a chance. I used them once and will never use them again. They were very expensive. They charge me $130 bucks for installing a faucet. Never again will I use their services.

They cut two holes in the kitchen ceiling below the shower to make the repairs and declined to patch the holes or recommend anyone who could. This additional ceiling drywall patch work was quoted to me at $200 after I already paid Benjamin Franklin $640 for only a couple hours of work maximum and inexpensive parts. I found out later from local plumbers that I was way overcharged and that others would've done the both the plumbing and drywall patching for substantially less than $600.The Benjamin Franklin plumbers engage heavily in "up-selling" throughout the process, trying to sell you unnecessary long-term maintenance and insurance contracts. Definitely got the feeling that profit-maximization is a primary goal of the owner.

Chris came out and assessed what was going on in our sink and tub. He explained to me in detail what was wrong and gave me an estimate. I thought he would have to make an appointment and come back, but to my surprise he was ready and willing to fix the problem right then and there. We are talking about 6:00 in the evening. He was done in less than a half an hour and everything is working better than ever has. The price was around what I had anticipated it to be.

My toddler's toy slipped down the drain of our tub; it had no screen/trap on it at the time. A few days later our water began to back up, indicating that the toy had plugged the pipes. I called Benjamin Franklin based on Angie's List, and was very impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of the reception staff. She took the time to explain what I could expect from their scheduling options and flat service fees and helped me choose what would work best for my relatively non-urgent plumbing need. I received an email confirmation of the appointment within a half hour of the phone call. I noted that I could recieve a $25 discount for being on Angie's List, called and spoke to them, and they immediately and pleasantly agreed. I received a reminder call 10 mins before our plumber, John C., arrived within the timeframe we established. He was friendly, polite, and immediately slipped booties over his shoes to protect our flooring from his dusty shoes. Within 10 minutes he had pinpointed where the toy was lodged and had two options for how to address the issue, and explained the pricing to me so that I could fully understand the expense required before he began work. He took the time to re-explain all this to my husband when he became involved - which I think was above and beyond the call of duty, as my husband has a very technical mind (although not a DIY mind) and wanted to know the ins and outs of everything! He agreed to pursue the less expensive option, no pressure to do more, and thankfully it worked well - he finished his efforts with a full drain purge. I don't think I've ever seen water go down our drain this fast! We have an old house, and the plumbing has always been slow. I was pleased with the results. After he completed the work, he took a clean white rag and wiped off the fixtures and tub edge, leaving them as clean as he'd found them. He also took a few minutes to explain the company's Ben Plan - a plumbing maintenance plan that also offers it's members 15% discounts. Everything he itemized on the bill was clear, understandable, and there were absolutely no surprises about the cost. I imagine I may have found a less expensive plumber if I had shopped around a fair amount and been lucky, but because I've worked with contractors where the price grew by leaps and bounds, I felt secure getting the work done for a set price (albeit higher), with really amiable workers. I'll definitely work with them again...especially because I received a coupon toward future work. :)

They took the old toilet out and installed a new one - a TOTO. I had looked up the price of the toilet on the Internet - about $150. They charged $675(!) for it installed, plus their installation quality was poor. The tank was left loose. I called them 3 months later when I discovered the loose tank. They came out and broke the tank trying to tighten it. The plumber called his boss in front of me, and the boss said that the plumber would have to "eat" the price of a new tank. I have suffered through them coming out for three previous jobs. Their price always surprices you in that they are so high! I have finally learned a lesson to never call them again. I need a new water heater today, and I called a plumber (Brown Plumbing) that ha earned an "A" on your list. I am happy to get away from Benjamin Franklin!

We were really disappointed to find out that "free estimate" really means if they come out and give you an estimate and they do the work, they take off the 68.99 service fee. Otherwise, they charge the fee. So, really no free estimates here. Also the bill was a lot more than we anticipated for replacing lines. He was here just less than an hour. They don't give an itemized estimate, so you don't have any idea how much you are really paying for anything. The plumber was very nice though and did a good job.

After a brief phone call, I discovered they do not perform this kind of service.

Found a small leak on my water heater had increased in volume. I called during normal business hours and they came over promptly. The Plummer started immediately telling me the drain valve you utilize for emptying could not be replaced because the water heater was old and needed to be replaced and the valve could not be replaced. It was a unit from the late 80's. I asked him specifically if the tank had a standard opening in which a standard section of pipe and valve could be attached? He then started to hem and haw - made a phone call to his boss who then gave him permission to make a repair and not sell me whole new unit for $987.00 plus a service call charge. He then overcharged me ($150) for the repair that took an hour and I helped drain the tank. I would have done the repair myself but had to leave out of town on business. I would hate to see how these guys would take advantage of individuals who do not have any knowledge of plumbing or are too timid to question their proposed actions.

I called to schedule a service call and the phone call was handled very well by the receptionist. I got alot of information about their company and the people that they hire regarding how I should expect the visit to go, and that they do background checks and drug testing of their employees, etc. I was told what the basic service call would be and I accepted that quote, so I am not upset about what I paid as I had agreed to that price. It is just that I had a $25.00 coupon from the yellow pages on a service visit that I had not mentioned to anyone, and was told that the price I was quoted included the $25.00 coupon. I did not understand how the coupon could be included when I had not mentioned it to anyone. I did that on purpose because I did not want the price to go up $25.00 beforehand. Other than that, the serviceman was timely, professional, polite and very pleasant. I just thought I should have gotten the $25.00 off of my bill for the coupon and I ended up paying $74 for a new plastic ring and 5 minutes of repair work. I don't think I got any particularly great value. *******In response to the Provider Response.....I am not convinced anyone cares how "much they are saving" when you state that my bill started out at $130.19 for a 5 minute repair. Whatever you subtract from outrageous still started out as outrageous in my opinion.

Overall, I was very impressed with the service. The only downside was that the receptionist didn't schedule our service for specific time so I was forced to take the whole day off of work as she led me to believe the plumber would be there before the Noon hour when in fact he did not arrive until about 1:30/2:00.

The plumber repaired the leak with silicone and told it that he couldn't guarantee it. And he was right: it started leaking within a week. So $200 down the drain. We called another plumber who had more experience and he fixed it in like half an hour. The plumber also gave a bad initial estimate and was flummoxed by our 1960s plumbing. He was also very pushy and tried to sell us a bunch of plumbing packages that seemed like scams. The receptionist/scheduler also felt like a telemarketer trying to sell a shifty product. He also tried to claim that we had to replace the whole shower assembly for $600 and that he would only install one model, and that we had no choice in the matter

One man showed up to do a two person job. The guy came out (late) and requested to use MY wrench to gain access to the main drain. I then assisted the guy as he used he rooter to clear out the drain. He complained that he was a plumber... not a "turd chaser". A couple of weeks later, the drain was clogged again. He had to come back out and I had to assist him again. For around the same price, I could have bought his commercial grade drain rooter and had it on hand for future clogs.

We had to have them out twice. First they replaced just a few parts of our water heater. We paid about $300. When that still didn't work they came out and did a full overhaul. Although they did deduct $100 fromt he second fee it still cost us $500 more just to get our water heater fixed! That was more than a brand new water heater would have cost to have installed to start with!

Personnel were friendly and professional. After the work was completed,my research found that the faucet I purchased was a top of the line one; I would not have bought it had I known better.