DOUGHTY & SONS INC PLUMBING & HEATING

Performed an amazing rebuild of my furnace/ baseboard heating. The system was 22 years old and starting to fail. They gave me a great price and the work was stellar. Good couple of guys.

I called Doughty & Sons in late Dec. (2018) to get an estimate for a few plumbing issues I needed to have fixed. Left a message with his answering service. Didn't get a call back, so a few days later I called again. I got a call back from Ed, and he said he was looking at mid-January. I booked for January 18th as it was going to be a vacation day for me. I called a few days prior to make sure I was still on his list. He called back and said he would be there. On January 17th I got a call from Maria (?) who told me they had been called out to an emergency and would not be able to show up on the 18th, but that Ed would call me on Monday (21st) and we'd book another day. Ed did call on Monday morning (I missed the call) and left a message saying he could be at my house between 7:30 and 8:00 am the next day. I called back at the number he gave me (got the answering service, again) and told them to let Ed know I couldn't do the next day as I had to return to work, but he was free to call me during the time he would have been at my house and we could decide on another day. I figured he could call me at that time, even if we couldn't meet at that time, but I never got called back - so once again, I called the end of that week (Jan. 25th). Frustrated by now, I told the answering service to let Ed know that I would be willing to meet with him ANY morning in February for the exception of the 9th (I had a doctor appt) to have him look at all of what I had to have done and if he would please call me back. This review is being done on February 19th. Never heard from him. I can understand that being a small business, you need to juggle a bit and I can understand emergencies come up. But he clearly needs to get a new answering service. I'm thinking they are not giving him all messages or the work I wanted done wasn't a large enough job. If that was the case all he had to do was let me know. I ended up hiring another plumber to do the work.

We solicited three quotes, and while Doughty and Sons were not the least expensive, they were by far the most responsive, and I appreciated their follow-up with me as I navigated the MassSave loan approval process. The other companies couldn't have cared less about getting my business, and I didn't even hear from them again after getting their quotes (I had to phone these other companies just to get them to send me their estimates!). Jim Doughty on the other hand was responsive, and followed- up in a friendly manner that was never intrusive. The work took two full days, and they were extremely diligent. My husband commented that the hole they drilled for the exhaust pipe (to the outside) was perfectly done. Our new boiler, a high-efficiency model, is impressive. They left all areas perfectly clean and all together it was a very pleasant experience. I am glad I listened to my gut and went with Jim and Ed. You will be our go-to guys going forward!

Ed spoke with me for about 20 minutes asking about the problem and the nature of the system, ultimately recommended that I try a $50 DIY fix before scheduling an expensive service call and he was right-on. My furnace is fixed!

These guys are great.They were very helpful not only with getting a new furnace installed over the holidays but also with helping me feel very comfortable with what was a pretty stressful situation (one year old baby, no heat, have to buy an expensive new furnace right away, its the holidays (!), etc.). I actually got two estimates for a new furnace and both were very close in price. I went with Doughty and Sons because they assured me in a number of ways that they would do right by me and stand by their work. I was very pleased with how they treated me and how they handled the work. They also brought to my attention a hefty rebate I could obtain for replacing the furnace. The furnace they installed works great and is so much better than the one it replaced. I have since used Doughty and Sons for other jobs as well. All of my experiences with them and their work have been positive. They always ask a lot of good questions about the work that I am wanting to have done. It is very evident to me that they pay careful attention to their customers - what they want and their concerns. This is very helpful because much of the work they have done for me is for something that I have never had to have done before. They have always been very patient in talking with me or my wife, ask good questions that help us get more precise about what and how we want things done and always provide us with any information we either ask for or could ever need.

I selected Doughty and Sons because they were the only company to point out that the old boiler was hooked up incorrectly and they would correct it when they installed the new boiler. They were prompt, efficient, professional and did the work very well. They also ensured the system was working with all radiators. No more bangs at all. Three years later it's all still running very well.

We moved into a house with a 50-year old steam boiler that needed replacing. Doughty was one of four companies that bid on the project. They were one of the higher quotes--we went with them b/c of professionalism and high-quality boiler they offered. Everything went as planned and to specification. We had some initial questions about using the system, they were quick to respond and explain things. We haven't given the boiler a 2nd thought and the system has kept us warm through the last 3 winters. We definitely recommend them.

They were very professional, showed up on time and provided a detailed estimate. After just speaking w/Doughty and Sons, they felt as though I unfairly portrayed them with pricing depending on location. I party agree and have changed my overall rating up a grade but still have some major concerns w/this overall process and pricing. My main issue is that they wouldn't allow me to buy my own boiler and I had no idea of what the price of the boiler was and how much labor would be from looking @ the bid. I looked the Lochinvar Night SS Sealed HE Direct Vent Boilers they proposed online (on pexsupply) and the same boiler (@ 226K BTU) was being offered online @ $5600. I needed less than a 226K BTU boiler (but they didn't know that and didn't perform a heat/loss on my house to determine how many BTUs I actually neded). Even pricing a boiler (320K BTUs) (2x as big as my house required), this was approx $7500. If the boiler that was chosen was appropriately sized @ 226K BTU, it would roughly be $11K for a two day install. I don't think Doughty and Sons were doing business any differently than any other bid process in plubing/boiler installs, it's certainly to the contractors advantage to not have the consumer know how much they are paying for in materials and labor (in separate line items on the proposal). If you add a generous 20% markup on the boiler and $1000 in parts... you are still looking at around $7K for a two day install for the large boiler and $9K for the small boiler install (which shouldn't take more than two days for this job). That's a lot of money in labor for a simple two day install of a boiler. I've changed the overall grade from a D to a C b/c I unfairly portrayed them and I apologize. What I do not apologize for is the lack of details in parts and what they charge in labor. All I can say is you should always get multiple bids whenever you can as you can get a reality check on these prices.

Update as of 13 Aug 2010: The provider tells me that they left a message, but I never received one. However, since it is possible that either (a) I gave the wrong phone number (I do not think so) or (b) the answering service made a mistaken when recording the phone number, I'm willing to assume that the lack of response was accidental. Therefore, I would like to delete my report. Since I cannot find a way to do this, I have set all individual ratings to N/A, and the overall rating - which cannot be set to N/A - to "A". Sent an email via Angie's List on 8 June 2010. After receiving no response, I called them on 11 June 2010. I explained my problem (broken A/C whole-house system) to a woman, who promised me a callback by a technician - which never came.

They were very knowledgeable about the boiler and I was very satisfied with their service. They came on Christmas Eve, they had outstanding customer service. I would use them in the future for boiler work.

They are reliable and responsive at all times.

They did a wonderful job. I called and they told me when they would come out. The man showed up when he said he would. He was quick and competent. I would recommend them to anyone.

They were very professional and an absolute great company to work with. They were prompt. They were great at communicating. They got the job done and cleaned everything up spotlessly. My husband is in the service industry and ALWAYS has something to pick at about any company we use. He could NOT find a thing to complain and even said he would highly recommend these guys. They were really great.

Based on my experience with Doughty and Sons, I would recommend this Company very highly. We were very pleased with our experience with this company.

He serviced the furnace, cleaning out massive amounts of buildup, and made adjustments to improve the system. He also checked the flue (between furnace-chimney) and noticed some condensation buildup so he cleaned that too. After installing the new expansion tank, he ran some tests using rather sophisticated equipment to ensure things were running smoothly. He recommended a chimney liner to help with the condensation issue and explained why. The job took longer than I expected but not by a terrible amount and was still reasonable. Our furnace was in bad need of cleaning which accounts for some extra time spent. That being said, his total came in lower than quotes from other well-rated companies. He didn't overcharge me for materials either. Jim was great. He was super nice, honest and explained things thoroughly, especially why he was doing stuff: a rare trait. He was patient with all my questions and seemed very knowledgeable. All in all, Doughty and Sons was well worth it.

I was very satisfied with the professionalism and the quality work this company did for me. They came right out and did the job without a hitch, ensuring that everything was tested and in working order right after they installed. They cleaned up as if they were never there, and although I don t remember what they charged me, I can say they were very reasonable and will use them again.

I called Mr. Doughty and he promptly returned our call. Because it was spring and we did not need heat he asked if he could come out the followng week, which was fine for us. He called monday of the next week and came out tuesday and fixed both problems. He reviewed with us that the problem with the heat was related to the pressure and instructed my husband how to fix it ourselves if it ever becomes a problem again.

Great experience. Easy to work with. Sorry I can't find the price I paid. It was comparable to other estimates.

When I called, I got their answering service. Ed called back within 15 minutes! Ed came and quickly diagnosed the problem. He replaced a part on the pressure control. Now we have heat!

I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The technician was knowledgeable, extremely polite and happy to spend the time required to solve the problem satisfactorily. On the phone, too, they are responsive, polite, and prompt to get back to the customer to arrange appointments, answer questions, etc.

ASKED ABOUT DOING OTHER WORK, WASNT SURE IF IT WAS NEEDED- COMPANY WAS HONEST, SAID WORK WASNT NEEDED.