AJ Michaels

I didn’t use them to get the work done. They quoted me $35000 for the job. They are a long time company in Baltimore. My impression about them was fine. They are kind of a larger company and so they are a bit more bureaucratic, but I ended up going with some other company.

Contacted and chose AJ Michales because of their years in business, but longevity can be misleading. Danny Eppard arrived to determine my plumming concerns and provide a written estimate. My impression of Eppard was that he did not know anything about plumming and was not concerned about my plumming concerns. Upon his arrival, I first pointed out to Eppard that I had called because my ceiling in my front entry way showed signs of some leaking going on in my bathroom. The ceiling showed water marks. Eppard took a look at the ceiling and opening behind the tub area in my bathroom above the discolored ceiling and saw no water, but did not say or suggest anything regarding the possible cause for the discoloration of the ceiling down stairs below the bathroom and totally disregarded it. I informed Eppard that I was concerned about a possible leak causing the discoloration, but he gave no response. I also informed Eppard that I wanted to replace the toilet in the same bathroom, that I could not unclog a sink in another bathroom and wanted to know why the powder room sink was draining slowly. Eppard advised the stopper in the powder room sink was installed incorrectly, which was the cause and that it would need to be re-installed. At this point I should have gotten other estimates, but I am sorry to state I did not. Two workers were sent. One person appeared to be in charge and the other was there to assist in the removal of the old and the installation of the new toilets. Both were young and based on my observation of their work performance did not seem to be plummers, but acted more like helpers sent to do a minor job. The clogged drain was unclogged, but by a third worker who arrived later because the first workers did not have the correct bit head to unclog the drain. The toilet was replaced, but was installed crooked, which I did not notice until a few days later. At my request, one worker examined the flange before installing the new toilet because I thought it may be the cause for my ceiling discoloration and was told it was OK. The stopper in the powder room was re-installed, but continues to drain slowly. Since the re-installation of the stopper in the powder room sink did not correct the drainage, I asked the second worker sent to unclog the one drain if he could run his snake through the powder room sink. He advised that if he were to do that, he would have to charge me $250 since it was not on the initial contract. I declined. So in summary, the stain in my ceiling continues to grow and I will eventually open the ceiling myself to determine if there is a leak and if so, contract another plummer if I cannot fix. The new toilet is noticably not perpendicular to the wall and my powder room sink continues to drain slowly. The only good thing is the drain in my other bathroom is no longer clogged. In my opinion, AJ Michaels is living off its' longevity and perceived good reputation, is no longer in the plumming business, but is now in the handyman business. I would discourge everyone not to use. I would have complained, but they did what was contracted for, not very well, but they did unclog the one drain, re-install the stopper and the toilet, but did not do what I thought a good plummer would do. That is, find out what was causing the stain in my ceiling and why my powder room sink drained slowly. As a final note, I did not report this on Angie's List until now because I believe at the time I did was not a member. I selected AJ Michaels from the Yellow Pages. 2/14/2011- In response to AJ Michaels' response if the discoloration of one's ceiling below a bathroom does not require opening the ceiling to see whether there is a leak does not concern the person sent to determine what is needed on the job, why call them back. I had a bad flange in the other bathroom years ago that did not show any water behind the tub area or from under the toilet. It surfaced when the water in the ceiling wore throught the sheet rock in the kitche ceiling and causee a drip. As for the powder room, I purchased some all natural drain enzyms and after one week of use, opened the drain. So much for AJ Michaels. If anyone wants to use their service by all means do so. As for me, I wouldn't call them to install a washer as it may cost me $500.

My main water line started leaking somewhere under my driveway. The company sent someone out for the estimate who gave me a clear picture of what was involved to replace the water line as well as what could go wrong. I got estimates from 3 plumbers; all were in the $3000 range, with AJ Michaels being the highest. However, the AJ Michaels price included the entire job regardless of what extras may be required (with the exception of damage to the sidewalk). They also offered a lifetime guarantee for the new line - as long as I live in the house. Everyone I dealt with showed up on time and was very professional. There was, in fact, a complication; they called a supervisor out for consultation and we decided how to proceed. The job was completed on time and to my satisfaction.

Serviceman came out, took out the panel on the condenser and ran wires to it. Within 15 minutes said the condenser was older, that it was dead and that he would notify the sales department to come out to see me. Sales department care and and gave me a quote for a new condenser and coil, close to $4,000. Called around and got another HVAC guy to look at it. He did the same as the AJ Michaels repairman, and then looked at he circuit box -- about 5 feet away. Within 15 minutes he told me the breaker switch was old and had blown -- he took the breaker out, connected the wires and the condenser fan was working fine. I bought a breaker for $13 at Home Depot, and the second repair guy installed it. System is now running smoothly today.

After years of great water pressure, the pressure became sporadic and went down, overall, by about 50% over the course of 2 weeks. The city determined the problem wasnt on thier side but could not tell me much else about why it could be happening. I called this company (having used them once previously) and asked if they could come out today to look at it. They were busy but said they could fit me in late in the day. They pleasantly surprised me a few hours later with a call indicating they could show up earlier than expected if that was alright. The plumber arrived and listened patiently to my description of the problem. After a few probing questions, and a look at the pipes, the plumber was able to diagnose the problem and was sure of the fix. Moreover, the plumber fully explained why the problem was happening and mentioned a few additional symptoms I forgot to mention myself that were definately occuring. The plumber hit the diagnosis right on the head! The whole job took just about 1 hour and my water preasure is great again. Although I paid a bit more than I would have liked to pay, I feel a got a quality job which was perfomed by a real professional. So the money was worth it.

The estimate was provided promptly and the price was very competitive. The installation was done promptly, when promised, and the installers cleaned the work site well. The duct-work was expertly hidden in closets and the attic. The installer had years of experience. The warranty is very good. The performance of the air-conditioning system is excellent. It has needed servicing only once in two years, when the thermostat malfunctioned, and that was promptly replaced, under the warranty. The unit is energy-star rated and economical. It is extremely quiet, both inside and outside the house.

He did a good job. He knew what he was doing. He gave prompt service and I thought his prices were reasonable. They fix the problem well. I thought he did such a good job that I took out a service contract with him.

They are responsive and thorough but very high priced. I don't remember their price but the last time we had any big work done by them was about ten years ago when they put in a new furnace for us. I would prefer to find an alternative that's less pricey. I would recommend them to anybody because they are local with the understanding that this is probably a company that's on the higher price than normal scale but they definitely know what they are doing.

I originally posted on Aug 7th, 2009 that the company did not follow up with an estimate of work (even after i followed up with a phone call) to be completed and graded the company accordingly with a F across the board. However, I did receive an estimate a day or two after submitting a report to Angie's List. Perhaps it was coincidence, or maybe they saw the report on Angie's List, but they did follow through with an estimate. In retrospect, the salesman seemed very knowledgeable, and there was a good chance I would have chosen the company if their prices were a bit more competitive and they had not taken so long to return an estimate.

They showed up on time and were very efficient. They were professional. I was very satisfied with their service. Their price seemed reasonable. My faucet works great and it has for two years.

They visited me before the job and gave me an estimate. They took the exact amount of time they said the would, so they were efficient. They were just great. I felt like their price was reasonable compared to other estimates we had received. We picked AJ Michaels because we felt like they would do good work and they did.

1) They were prompt. Our furnace died first, which they gave a fair estimate and replaced in a timely fashion. The water heater died within 6 months after the furnace. Since we were happy with AJ Michaels at that point, we went with them again. 2) We got the maintenance contract because we were pleased with their installation services and they seemed reputable. But they were often late... many times because they went to a wrong address (Avenue instead of Street.... which takes you about 20 minutes away from our house). I asked them to note in our files the commonly made error and to let the technicians know in advance. So their constant tardiness started to get annoying. Plus, they told us that they would contact us to schedule maintenance appointments... but every 6 months I found myself calling to schedule the appointment. At times, they had us already scheduled, but no one ever called to let us know when they were coming. Again, it was a bit annoying. 3) The technician was supposed to arrive between 8AM and 12 PM but he didn't come until 1:30PM.... partly because he was delayed on the previous job and partly because he went to Avenue and not Street. He inspected the rise and said that the rise was a bit off and to fix that issue, walls would need to be knocked down. He then continued to tell me that we would need to foot the bill. I explained that they installed the heater and that we were still under warranty. He then explained that they just replace the same size heater and don't usually check to see if the rise is correct... they assume that the previous heater was correct. I was not OK with that justification. After much back and forth, he called his supervisor. Their compromise was to replace the water heater for a smaller one (same # gallons just shorter and fatter).... they would return the heater to the manufacturer claiming it to be leaking (which is a lie) and install the smaller one. We would then be responsible for the labor fees. Again, I was not OK with that solution, since they were the ones who installed the heater. We trusted their professionalism and checking that the water heater was the appropriate size for the given space. Needless to say, we decided not to have them fix the solution. I was not OK with the ethics of their plan. Instead, I was able to find a plumber who fixed the problem manually and only charged us a minimal service fee. I will never again use AJ Michaels, and I will tell everyone I know to avoid them as well.

They did an outstanding job. They put up with my wife and she is very picky. Initially, they were the lowest bidder. I thought it was a fair price. Every time they would say what time they would be here and they were here. They were very professional, especially the carpenter.

The company called ahead to confirm the appointment. When the service man was running late they called to let me know and offered to reschedule. When I said that wasn't convenient they had the service man come after hours at no extra charge.

They didn't show up for the first appointment, unfortunately calling the morning of to cancel. The next appointment went well and they performed a little more work than required. The actual workers were polite and professional. The price was relatively good compared to other prices around Baltimore. They seemed to do pretty professional, good quality work that make the price worth it. I've used them twice and will call them again when my plumbing goes bad.

We purchased a house in March. The water heater hadn't been updated since 1987. After we moved in, it developed a hole. The hole grew, and leaked water all over the basement. We called AJ Michaels and they gave us an estimate over the phone. The estimate was for $695. They sent Joe and Matt K to replace the water heater within 36 hours. They arrived within the estimated service window and successfully replaced the water heater. They kept the mess to a minimum, and cleaned up when they were done. The cost was $35 more than the estimate because we needed a thermal expansion tank per Baltimore County regulations.

Everyone was satisfied, I would use him again.

I thought they were very efficient and clean. They wore protective booties over their shoes so they didn't track in mud. They were right on time, very professional, and did good work. They cleaned up the entire mess when they were through.

The technician arrived two hours early after calling to make sure it was okay to do so and anyone who has a broken a/c can appreciate what a blessing that was. The price was more than I expected but I don't really know what the going rate is either. I would use them again, but maybe do a little research on prices first. The technician did excellent work and explained how to do basic maintenance on my unit as he worked. He was very well mannered and efficient. He didn't milk the clock at all.

Seven months later, my ac didn't work again. They then said it was the antifreeze and then said it was a leak and were going to try to charge me another $1000 to fix it. It turned out it was just 2 switches.

I rearranged my schedule on Thursday so that I was free from 10:00 - 12:00. By 11:54 I had still not heard from anyone, so I called the AJ Michael's office. I spoke with a gentleman who at first could not find my record. He mentioned something about being very busy and jobs having to be "pushed." He put me on hold, and then was able to find my record once I gave him my address. He said that due to some "emergencies that came up" my job had been "postponed." He said that they "had not been able to contact me." He could not get anyone to my house that day, but had a few openings on Friday. He was not at all apologetic and could not give me a good answer as to why I had not been called to reschedule. It was an extremely frustrating experience, and I will no longer use AJ Michaels for my plumbing needs.

The technicians arrived and started up the boiler. They showed me how to oil the pump motor. Answered all of my questions about good operating pressure and safety mechanisms built into the system.

This was a positive experience from estimate to scheduling and work completion. I scheduled the initial estimate for some duct work for less than a week after my initial call (they gave me a 2 hour time frame). The company rep ran late on a prior appointment, though, so I had to reschedule for 2 weeks later (due to my schedule). This time he was on time, professional, and pleasant. Ive had 2 other estimates for this duct work, and this was the first company that explained that re-directing the duct work wouldnt be an effective solution and that it would be better to leave it as is. (Its an open hole behind the stove that blows air that was never corrected by previous owners.) While the rep was here, I asked him to take a look at the piping issue, which he did. The scheduler called me 5 minutes after he left and the work was done five days later.

Our water heater went out one night, and we called A.J. Michaels the following day. They sent someone out almost immediately and gave a bid before the day was over. Michaels gave the low bid, 20 percent below the highest bidder, who was another well-known contractor. Once we accepted the bid, the work was performed quickly and the new heater worked perfectly.

This was something of a scam from start to finish; no new toilet should cost $700+ dollars. They were rude and over-priced and now I have to get the toilet installed properly by another plumber.