Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer Inc

The work was not possible with within my timelines. They are a professional company

I met with Steve and his apprentice, John, on October 7, 2015 to talk about our plumbing needs. I specifically asked for the Kohler brand. I requested a cast iron Kohler Villager tub and we discussed problems with the old drain. I was told a new drain came with the Kohler tub. Steve made a pitch for the Moen brand pointing to the showerhead and saying how he would "give" us a Moen shower head. I told him we have Kohler in our other shower and Kohler throughout the house because I like the quality of the brand. Steve was pushy about Moen but I let it go just knowing we didn't need him to pick out a showerhead for us anymore than we would need him to pick out a toilet seat. What Steve didn't take the time to explain was the shower valve. I have since learned how important the shower valve is because it is installed behind drywall. There are a lot of options that Steve never addressed. I feel if I am paying $155 an hour to a plumber, I am paying for his knowledge - not a sales pitch about showerheads. The critical information I needed was about the shower valve - because 1) he was deviating from my preferences and going with the brand he wanted us to use and 2) the change was going to be semi-permanent (that is, we wouldn't be able to go back unless we took down drywall and tile.) The appointment to install the tub was set for October 30, 2015 at 8:00 AM. I scheduled this appointment three weeks in advance as I was taking time off and also had to coordinate the carpenter's time. At 8:00 AM on October 30, I received a voicemail stating that there was a problem with the tub. After an hour passed, I received a second call stating it would be yet another hour . Steve and John finally arrived at 10:30 AM - 2 1/2 hours late. Steve's excuse for being late was a defect with the Kohler bath tub. He explained that they noticed the defect as they loaded the tub in their truck that morning. All of this seemed odd - I made a mental note at that point thinking if they knew they had a tub installation job, why did they not inspect the tub and parts a day or more before heading to our home. We were the first appointment. I wish I had cancelled the install at that point. I cannot prove it, but my gut feeling was Steve was not being truthful. In the end the results were terrible. Steve and John installed a Moentrol shower valve. We now have a water stain on our kitchen ceiling. The water is coming from the valve. I was told the Moentrol valve has been discontinued - I can see why. The bath tub faucet is plastic painted in chrome. Also, oOn the Kohler tub, they used Gerber parts. If I asked for a Kohler tub, I expect Kohler parts. Moreover, I'm the lay person - at $155 an hour, I expect a consultative approach. If all you are is an installer, you need to lower your rate. A consultant would present the options and inquire about the customers needs and wants. I don't know what questions to ask. I pay a professional for that insight. A professional would have inspected their work. Another issue was the toilet. Steve and John removed the toilet and left it in my hallway on a plastic garbage bag. When I say "remove" I mean they unscrewed the bolts and lifted the toilet bolted in one piece with water in the tank and bowl - and placed the toilet on a garbage bag in my carpeted hallway. The carpenter needed to repair the floor before the toilet could be reinstalled and they said what they usually do is come back to do that work. Another red flag . . . . I have since learned that this is against the licensing rules. Plumbers must exercise diligence and safety. Leaving an unstable toilet in a customer's hallway with water in it is not safe. Unfortunately, the worst that could happen with the toilet, did happen. On Thanksgiving morning, an hour before our family was to arrive for dinner, I hit my shin on the toilet in the hallway and it rocked and crashed to the floor. The unstable toilet with water in it was a disaster just waiting to happen - and it did. Fortunately, a child was not hurt and it was only my shin that got bruised. However, I had dirty ceramic pieces (take a look at the inside of any old toilet - it was like that on my carpet) and toilet water all over the carpet because the Steve and John did not exercise caution and care. So I was cleaning ceramic chunks and small pieces of glass-like bits and shampooing the hallway on Thanksgiving, with 15 minutes to spare before dinner. After seeing what Steve and John did, I realized there was a credibility issue with this plumbing company and I looked further in the area where the toilet was sitting. Sure enough, the closet the plumbers used to access the piping had large chunks of drywall on the floor next to my linens. They left drywall and shims on the floor with white chalk everywhere. I didn't get to see that earlier because the toilet was in front of it! I called Jim Dhamer Plumbing to rectify the situation and Tom, the "business manager", who I later realized was another plumber, answered the phone. I had written two emails and called twice before I even got ahold of anyone. Tom's response to the toilet in the hallway was "you wouldn't be unhappy with the shower valve if you had not knocked your shin against the toilet in the first place." This is an example of the nonsense and aggravation I had to deal with while trying to get answers from Jim Dhamer Plumbing. After many phone calls and emails, I was finally offered a refund for $195. The $195 represented the money I prepaid for their services. After the toilet broke in 3 pieces, there was nothing to work on anymore so Jim Dhamer was gracious enough to refund what I paid to have them service the toilet. I was also refunded $225 to purchase a new toilet. Since then, our tile has been installed and of course the Moentrol shower valve is spraying water from behind the shower wall. I have sent photos of the stained ceiling and wet framing wood below the shower valve. I am waiting for a response as this issue started to occur after using the shower for less than a week. I paid Jim Dhamer Plumbing $1,495. This is the worst experience I have ever had with any provider. The absolute worse. We have lived in the area and have used Jim Dhamer Plumbing many times in the past because of their reputation in the community. However, something has changed with the management. I asked to speak to someone in charge and got the former plumber Tom. Then I spoke to Monica. No one would tell me who was in charge so I could escalate the service issue. I look at the reviews and there are problems noted in the same week as my issues - is there a connection between that service issue and my service issue? Is this how Jim Dhamer Plumbing now operates? I can only go by my experience and tell you that I will never again work with Jim Dhamer Plumbing, not just because of the poor service and workmanship, but because when there was an opportunity to address quality and service, they stonewalled - I'm guessing they hoped I would give up out of frustration - and the problems continue because now the shower valve is leaking. I have sent two emails about the latest development. I have sent photos of the stain on the ceiling and the water leaking behind the shower wall. The way I feel is no matter how many glorious reviews - what I have described happened - and it is very telling about this company's current values, operations, and leadership.

My old outdoor faucet was dripping constantly and needed to be replaced. I found Jim Dahmer Plumbing on Angies List and called them. The woman taking my call was able to give me a quote and also sent over a plumber who arrived with 20 minutes. Bob was very professional and took care of the removal and installation all within 45 minutes. I highly recommend Jim Dahmer Plumbing.

It went very well.They were able to come the same day, in fact within an hour.They quickly determined the problem. They were very courteous. They unclogged the drain and cleaned up after themselves. I was very happy with the service.

I called. Set up appointment. They showed up on time and expeditiously rodded main line. I do every year and it keeps my plumbing free of tree roots.

Installation took about an hour and a half. I am writing this within minutes of them leaving, so the installation appears to be fine so far. I felt the charge for those services were exorbitant and I felt it was insulting to offer a mere $10.00 (ten dollar) senior discount on something they charged $400.00 for. I felt taken advantage of.

The technician was on time, job was done thoughtfully and fast. He also provided a lot of additional info about appliances he was installing. Overall great job.

This company responds to any call with courtesy on the phone, professionalism at their office and with their technicians in the field. Service is quick, done right the first time, and at or below quoted price.

I was very pleased with the initial phone call that I placed to Dhamer Plumbing. When I called other plumbers I was usually told that they needed to send someone out to determine what I needed. When I called Dhamer Plumping I received a lot of information regarding what I might want for a sump pump replacement as well as a general estimate. Terry and Alex were the plumbers that showed up to do the work. Terry worked with me to help me understand the replacement pump I wanted as well as how the backup system they added would function. I needed work done on an outside sillcock as well. My only complaint is that they may have been able to repair my existing sillcock if they had more parts on the truck. I ended up paying for a complete sillcock replacement which may not have been necessary. All things considered, I am very happy with the service and would use them again.

Great service. Scheduled quickly and efficiently through Angie's list messaging, received cost estimate. Came on time, worked quickly and efficiently and solved the problems without mess and one visit. Would definately use again.

I had a leaking hot water heater. I called Jim Dhamer Plumbing, and they responded the same day. They drained the old heater tank and disconnected it. They installed a new 40 gallon, 40,000 BTU Bradford White water heater. They turned it on and tested it. They cleaned up after their work. They hauled away the old hot water heater. I am very satisfied with everything they did for me. This is the fourth time I have used Jim Dhamer Plumbing during the past several years. Each time I have been very pleased with the results..

My tenant called last night with plumbing issues, things backing up. I called at 7AM and it is now 10:30AM and all is fixed. They found "a ton of roots" in the line. They were quick, professional, and I will definitely use them again.

Tony A. showed up right on time. He went straight to work. Very neat & organized. Completed the job quickly and his work was excellent. Very courteous too. For those who fear plumbers as I do....then fear not with this group! There was not any upsell, nor "doomsday" predictions of current plumbing in the house. He stayed on task and did not try any overcharges. I have more projects coming up and I will use them again.

It took two service calls to resolve the problem of a severely clogged kitchen sink drain. None of the commercially available drain cleaners did any good. After Dhamer's first visit the drain was working as it should with no problems. Two days later the drain exhibited the same severe blockage. When I called Dhamer about the problem he arranged to have one of his guys make a same day unscheduled stop at my house. He was courteous and took his time to thoroughly clean the drain to eliminate the clog. Once the work was completed the plumber presented me with a reduced bill for the return service call which I of course didn't agree that I should pay. The service man called the office and was instructed not to charge for the second call. It was obvious to me from my experience with Dhamer Plumbing that the owner is more concerned about customer satisfaction than he is about squeezing every penny out of the services provided. I will be calling Dharmer for future plumbing needs.

The installation was done promptly and the company fixed the minor issues that appeared.

Excellent job. Work done quickly and cleaned up after. Faucet is working great. I would recommend them to anyone. Helped that he was local.

Plumber was available at a convenient time for me. He and his assistant arrived on time. They looked over the soft water conditioner and pipes running to and from it. We discussed the best way for the removal of the condition, as well as closing the copper water lines running to and from the conditioner. They told me it would cost $190.00 to remove the old conditioner, and $30.00 for them to haul it away. They shut down the water supply and we opened fawcets to drain the lines. They cut the copper pipes where we had agreed, and then they closed the open ends of the lines with copper pipe and solder. They tested the soldered joints and the water was turned back on. They used a two wheel cart to remove the conditioner from the basement. I don't recall exactly how long it took them to complete the project, but I think it was about an hour.

I had left a message at another plumbing business that never returned the call. The next day I called Dhamer Plumbing, based on Angie's List. Someone answered the phone and was offering to send someone within three hours, but because I'd wasted time, I couldn't accommodate that. They committed to first thing on the next business day. Tom showed up exactly on time and did a great job clearing a pipe that was unusually clogged up. His estimate was spot-on and he was also downright friendly as well.

One faucet was buried behind a finished basement ceiling. Work damaged the least amount of area possible. The plumber still had a very difficult time with the installation. He did not have a single word of complaint, and was very professional. The other faucet was easy and was done without a hitch. The price was not jacked up excessively for the contortions required for the first faucet. I feel very relieved, and am extremely satisfied with the work done.

Called about a leaky toilet. The repair would have been over $200. Offered replacement as an option. Since TGE toilet was over 10 years old decided that was the best option. Service men were very professional. The turn around was quick. I called for service that morning and they were able to come out within a couple of hours.

This time around, I did a little research and was impressed with the reviews from Dhamer's Plumbing Service based in Lisle, IL. I called at 7:00 AM and they scheduled me for same day service based around my schedule. Tom was our technician. He called ahead 15 minutes before arriving and arrived at almost the exact time I had requested. Tom was very courteous when he arrived. He had our sink drain clear within 30 minutes and had checked the remainder of the associated plumbing just to make sure the clog didn't move forward and cause problems for any other fixtures. He left no trace of any mess and was extremely professional. We were pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the charges were! Our entire experience with Jim Dhamer plumbing was positive and I would recommend them to anyone in the west suburbs. I will definitely use them again!

Paul came at about 10:30. The same morning. He assessed the problems and got right to work. He explained everything he was doing. Paul was very professional. He also replaced a plug on the drain of my sprinkler system. Couldn't ask for a nicer person. I've used Dhamer before to put in a tank less water heater. Will use them again if something else needs to be fixed.

The guys were very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Completed the job in less time than I thought it would take. Will recommend them to others.

It went extremely well. They did what they promised, explained everything, were extremely neat and also fixed a leaky toilet while they were there.

I called Dhamer Plumbing about 8:15 AM in the morning and explained that my toilet was leaking causing water to accumulate on the bathroom floor. I was told that a serviceman would arrive the same day between 10 AM and 2 PM. I received a call from Dhamer Plumbing at 9:30 AM and was told that a serviceman would be at my house in fifteen minutes. He was there in exactly fifteen minutes. Paul, the serviceman, assessed the situation and showed me that it was the tank that was leaking. The toilet would need to replaced. Considering the toilet was 36 years old I was not surprised. The issue, however, is that there is a counter top that sits above the toilet. Can they get a toilet to fit in that space and still get the top of the tank off.? Paul took measurements and called his company. Paul had a brand in mind that he thought would fit. The company called back to say they will order the toilet but that installing it may not happen till Monday, although there could be a chance they could install it either Thursday or Friday. This is the week of Spring Break and some servicemen were on vacation. My phone rang around 1:15 PM the same day. It was JIm Dhamer Plumbing saying that the toilet was in and they could install the toilet some time today. Ten minutes later they called back to say that a serviceman was coming to my house in an hour to install the new toilet. Around 2:15 PM the doorbell rings, it is Matt and Jack from Jim Dhamer Plumbing with my new toilet. Paul was unable to return. They were aware of the tight fit situation. Jack dismantled the old toilet while Matt got the new one. They assured me that the new toilet would fit. In an hour I had a brand new toilet with a couple of inches to spare under the counter top installed in my bathroom. Jack and Matt were both professional and personable. They made sure that the bathroom floor was clean so that their was no evidence that they were there. I personally called Jim Dhamer Plumbing Company and told them what a fine job all three gentlemen dis. I have used Dhamer Plumbing in the past and will certainly use them in future.