Norblom Plumbing

This is the second time I have used Norblom Plumbing and they are the BEST!! Today, after clearing the toilet, he showed me what I could do to fix my other leaky toilet. So, I wouldn't have to pay for a plumber! And, he pet my dog while writing up the bill. What a great way to start my day. :-) My previous experience with Norblom was just as great. Some drain pipes from my sink were not draining and I had already spent $1000+ on plumbing with another plumber that just made the problem worse. For $600, he fixed all the bad work and replaced all the pipes that needed replacing. He then showed me a crack on my garbage disposal that would continue to leak if I used the disposal. There was NO pressure to fix it right away and he told me I could look for a good price on a disposal and call them when I want to install it. So, I am using my disposal sparingly and catching the small drips. Maybe Santa will bring me a garbage disposal. :-)

Overall it was a very good experience. The plumber was able to give me some tips on how to adjust the upstairs toilet, a comparison on how this model works vs others and options to consider if I ever decide to replace it. Since we had some time left in the appointment, he took a look at the plumbing in the basement and gave me some observations. The plumber was a good communicator and was very educational for me as a new homeowner. The plumber was able to give a handoff to the drain technician when he arrived to get him up to speed on some items we had already discussed. The drain technician was very good at communicating and showing me what he was seeing or not seeing in the main drain. He also gave me some tips on what to watch for if I had a drain issue inside the house and how they would fix it based on the plumbing set-up in my basement. I would definitely call Norblom Plumbing again in the future.

In mid-October, I noticed that my older hot water heater was leaking and gave Nordblum Plumbing a call. I spoke to Amy (who was very friendly) who gave me several price quotes and set-up an appointment for a plumber to visit my home and assess the situation. I spoke to her several times as I learned about various water heater solutions and she patiently gave me multiple price quotes. Eventually, Andrew (the plumber) came over on October 16 and recommended two potential solutions. Unfortunately, both of those solutions either required me to lower the recovery time of my hot water heater or move the hot water heater to a new location. Regardless, I had planned to make a decision on one of the two options and move forward. However, like any savvy shopper, I called two other plumbers for a second and third opinion (and quote) before making a final decision. To my surprise, the second plumber told me that he would strongly recommend AGAINST the original proposal by Nordblum because of potential safety concerns. Basically, he told me that a standard height hot water heater would not vent properly and could cause carbon monoxide build-up in my mechanical room. He recommended a short-sized hot water heater, quoted me a price, and departed. I called Nordblum back that same day to ask what their opinion was of the second plumber's assertion as well as get an apples-to-apples price quote for a short-sized hot water heater instead of the previous quotes they gave me on the standard height heaters. This time, Mike picked up the phone. Mike and I immediately got off to a poor start. After less than 30 seconds of talking, Mike basically said he wasn't interested in listening to me for very much longer or hearing about my situation. He said he could simply ask me a few questions and would easily be able to tell me what my final solution should be. When I tried to give him more background (since I had never spoken to him before), he said that if he spoke to me much longer, he would simply have to charge me more money because of how much time he was spending talking to me on the phone. Realize this is less than 5 minutes into the call. Sure enough, when I finally (and exasperatingly) agreed that he could simply quote me on the short-sized hot water heater, his quote came-in significantly higher than the second plumber's price quote. Not sure if it was standard pricing or because Mike indeed felt the need to charge extra for his phone time. In the end, I understand that companies need to be profitable and that time is, in fact, money. I also understand that I did ask a lot of questions of Amy - I admittedly like to be very thorough in my research. However, I found Mike to be unprofessional, arrogant, and flat-out rude. I eventually called Nordblum back again on Nov 8th after a couple of weeks to re-engage. Unfortunately, I got Mike again. After giving him my name and address and reminding him we had already spoken, Mike promptly said his company had spent 'too much time talking to me' and he decided to pass on my business. I asked to be transferred to his boss (the owner) and left a voicemail expressing my frustration. It's now been 5 days and I have received no call back from the owner or anyone else at Nordblum Plumbing. I had originally planned to use Nordblum, but the experience with Mike soured me on their level of customer service and willingness to spend time helping customers fully understand their options before spending a couple thousand dollars. I'll definitely be calling the second plumber back to install a new hot water heater. Unfortunately, I can't confirm or deny Nordblum's high ratings on Angie's List for 'quality of service', because I never did hire them. However, what I can unequivocally say is that I give Mike an "F" for professionalism and am truly disappointed at the lack of call back. And although both Amy and Andrew were great, it only takes one bad apple to spoil the pie. My detailed grading attempted to reflect my actual experience with Nordblum Plumbing - both good, and very bad. UPDATED ON NOV 13, 2013: I was happy to see Norblom respond so quickly to my review. In order to reciprocate, I wanted to respond to Norblom directly. First, my overall rating of 'D' was indeed biased heavily towards professionalism. An overall rating is not necessarily an equal sum of its components. If a service provider has a great price, but a customer has a terrible experience, should that customer be obligated to put equal weight on both? In this case, I do think a 'D' rating was warranted, but tried to recognize that there were also bright spots to be found. In addition, I do feel very justified in saying that I felt as though Mike was simply rude and unprofessional to me. Whether Norblom chooses to refute that statement or not, it's a fact that one of your customers felt as though that was the case. And in this case, customer perception is reality. In addition, it was NOT after Mike decided to decline the opportunity (which I was admittedly surprised about), but after Mike decided to tell me that he had already spent too much time with an inquisitive customer after only 5 minutes or so on the phone. That said, Norblom is correct that there are two sides to every story and thankfully Angie's List is a place where members can have a voice. This is just one member (whether the service provider agrees or not) that would definitely not work with Norblom in the future - even more so after the trite response below. Other members can take that opinion for what it's worth. On another note, Andrew (who was the service technician that visited my home) did indeed spend over an hour in my home. However, he did not spend another 1 hour as implied below speaking with me on the phone. The summation of 4-5 hours of phone time is a gross exaggeration. In the end, I do think Norblom spent an above average amount of time with me. However, I tend to think that going the extra mile on customer service is the kind of company that I would want to do business with. Perhaps Norblom has a different opinion of what going that extra mile means and that choice is certainly theirs to make.

Very good. Uneventful (which is good). He just replaced the faucet - was professional and cleaned up afterwards, so I'm quite happy.

Andrew did a great job for us and really set our mind at ease about the plumbing. Would definitely hire them again. Spent nearly 3 hours with us and gave us the Angie's list discount.

This is second time that Jim from Norblom Plumbing has done work at my house. It was once again excellent. A-ratings all around.

My house is almost 100 years old, so it's not surprising things periodically go wrong. I used Norblom Plumbing awhile ago to replace a leaking hot water heater. While the hot water heater was filling, the plumber that day looked over at a waste pipe near the ceiling and said, "How long has that been cracked?" Apparently for some time, and that could have been a major mess if not corrected. So based on that experience, I called Norblom again for my new problems. Toilet number one started to spray water sideways inside the tank when it was refilling. Apparently the old brass ballcock had finally sprung a leak after many years of faithful service. Jim quickly replaced it with a new plastic part, and I was surprised to see him discard the old arm and float because he said they weren't needed anymore. That repair happened so fast, I decided to mention a problem I was having with my bathroom sink. When I turned the cold water faucet, the flow was great. When I turned the hot water faucet, the water came out at less than half the volume. I had been told by another plumber (not at Norblom) that it was probably due to corrosion in my galvanized pipes and might require opening a wall to get to the problem. Facing that expense and mess freaked me out, so I lived with the problem for several years. Jim said he wanted to try something, and fiddled with the handle on the supply line under the sink. Immediately, the hot water flow matched the cold water flow. After grumbling every time I used the sink for years, it was definitely magic (Jim, did you ever go to Hogwart's?). The problem in toilet number two was caused by a chain that got caught under the flapper with every flush. He shortened the chain and solved my last plumbing problem. Why call anyone else when they can handle everything?

Overall service was excellent. Call was answered promptly and politely, and they were willing to take time to answer all my questions about scheduling and pricing. They offered to have someone swing by immediately, which was very nice. I preferred a next day appointment, and they gave me an appointment with a half-hour arrival window. He showed up on time, surveyed the issue, followed the drain line to the basement to get an understanding of the potential scope of the problem, went back to his truck and came back in with the right tools. Less than 5 minutes from when he knocked he had the pipe open and the snake was 20 feet down the line. He took care to keep my kitchen clean, and took some extra effort to check my other drains in the basement that don't get much use, just to make sure I didn't have any uknown issues. Entire process was painless and fast. From the knock on the door to the processing of my payment was 28 minutes. There is different pricing for plumbing vs drain cleaning, so be sure to ask up front about costs. They were forthcoming and th. Angie's List coupon was a big help, and they made it easy to use. I would use again, and definitely recommend.

Timely, polite, quick, knowledgeable.

Andrew showed up within the promised window. Very pleasant and professional. He didn't waste anytime getting to work and he seriously hustled up and down the stairs for parts, tools, etc. Only took a 1/2 hour from start to finish which was very nice. I will use Norblom again the next time I need a plumber.

Great! Jim P. called to let me know he was running behind and asked if I would like to wait or reschedule. And he wasn't more than 30 minutes behind schedule. He was there with the sole objective of installing a gas hookup for a new gas stove where none had been before. He introduced himself and offered to put on paper booties before stepping into the house from the entry. Even though he was there for a single plumbing purpose, he patiently attended to several other questions I had for future plumbing projects. Jim redirected me to contact the person in the company that would best help me with my projects and then asked to begin his project. He was professional, friendly and competent. He not only took the time to explain what he was doing and why, but also waited for my feedback to make sure I understood what he had stated in plain terms - A clear communicator & plumbing professional! No problems with the new gas stove hook up the next day!

He was on time and he listened to my concerns. He replaced the stem washer to my outside spigot and made sure that everything was shut off correctly for the winter. He also showed me what to do if I needed to shut off water in case of an emergency. He was very nice and polite. I would use Norblom Plumbing in the future and I would recommend them.

Norblom responded promptly to my Angies List inquiry - within a few hours. Two others never responded. They came out and gave us an estimate at our convenience. The work was done promptly at the price we agreed on. The Norblom staff were extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with.

It went great! I called at 8:30am and they were there by 11:30am and fixed the problem right away. The person that answered my phone call listened to the symptoms and detemined that it was likely a drain pipe issue and not a plumbing problem, so they sent out Zach, who focuses on the drain issues. Sounds like this is a lesser rate so I appreciated them sending out the person with the lower rate first. The person on the phone also recommended I print off the Angie's list coupon, I didn't even mention it but she told me to make sure I printed it out so we could get the discount. He fixed the problem right away! The whole procvess was painless and I would definitely use them again.

He was here an hour after I called and resolved the issue in less than 45 minutes. He had helpful hints and was friendly and courteous. I would highly recommend Norblom plumbing for drain cleaning services and will use them for future plumbing jobs.

I woke up in the morning to a series of puddles on the basement floor. After determining that it wasn't a crack in the foundation, I figured I'd better call a plumber. Norblom was recommended by a family member so I called and they came out the same afternoon. The main was backed up to the stack and the first plumber repaired the issues with the stack and sent out Zack to clear out the main. He arrived the same afternoon and cleared out to the front of the house, where he determined that the clearout to the main outside was inaccessible (I just bought the house 3 months ago, who knew?). A third plumber came out the next day and installed a clearout (for less than the original quote) and Zack returned the next day to clear the main to the street. At that point, he found that the main was bellying, so there is more work to do, but the work Norblom completed was quick, professionally handled, and at a fair price (they offer a 10% discount on labor for repeat business). Will definitely use again.

Excellent. I called and left a message late Sunday night. They called me back first thing Monday morning and were out later that afternoon with a new hot water heater. It was installed quickly. They took away the old one and we were back to normal. Thanks for the efficient, friendly service.

Awesome!!! I called Norblom Plumbing early this afternoon (Friday) to replace my water heater. CenterPoint Energy had been out to diagnose the problem but couldn't install a new one until Monday. I went to Angie's List and found Norblom Plumbing. They would try to get here tomorrow. I got a call back within a half hour to say that there had been a last minute schedule change so someone would be out today. Jim Peterson showed up first, followed by Matt Felty, who delivered the new hot water heater and took away the old one. (The 75 gallon tank required two people to move because of the weight). I was so impressed with the service! They were very professional, thorough, considerate and gladly answered all my questions. They showed the utmost respect for me and my home and cleaned up afterwards. Jim even reminded me to use the coupon from Angie's List. I knew the price was very fair from having called a few other plumbers initially. It was a very pleasant experience! I will always call Norblom Plumbing from now on and will highly recommend them to my friends.

Everything went very smoothly. I had a slight leak in the pipe right before the water meter. They scheduled water shut off with the city so I didn't need to worry about it. Quality of the work was excellent. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Mike came out the same morning we called asking for service. He arrived 5 minutes early. Our existing kitchen faucet was a real bear to fix.--- We had tried with parts we ordered on the previous day -it did not go well. So the first thing we asked Mike was take look at what we were working on. He agreed saying he'd rather repair it if possible but after his exam he he reached the conclusion that the faucet had seen it's better days and was time to replace it. Getting that faucet out proved to be very difficult-- it took a lot of time. It wasn't Mike's fault, it was just such a poorly designed faucet! The new faucet went in so easily. Mike cleaned up and worked up the bill applying the Angie's List coupon. He also went over all the aspects of the new faucet so we would know how to change out cartridges and filters in the future. Mike is a really nice guy and will have him back in the future if we have any plumbing needs. We've found our plumber!!

They did a great job, were respectful and efficient.

I can't really speak one way or another towards the quality of work that this company performs. I called seeking information about getting a quote. I was told that I'd have to pay them $45 in order for someone to come out, look at the job, and then give me the quote. The $45 would then be credited towards my bill should I choose them to do the work. When I have any work that needs to be done on my home, I always get quotes from several companies and then choose the one I feel has the best balance of quality and price. If I had to pay a $45 penalty to every outfit that didn't win the job, then what would the point of shopping around be? I've never had someone tell my that I have to pay _them_ in order to get a quote for their work.

Everything went well from beginning to end. I chose Norblom Plumbing as a result of all the positive reviews on Angie's List. When I called for information, the various water heaters, sizes, and warranties were explained clearly. As I decided to proceed with purchasing the water heater and installation from them, I felt like the gentleman I talked to on the phone was looking at the decision from what would be best for my situation. Because my old water heater was leaking slightly, they were able to schedule me for the next business day. I don't have any doubt that if it was an emergency, they would have worked out some way to take care of it even sooner. Mike was my plumber and he called to let me know he was on his way. He was great to work with. I asked if I could have a few minutes to clean the floor after the old tank was out. He kindly moved the tank out quickly giving me plenty of time. His work looks great and he left the area neat and clean when he was finished. Mike also brought to my attention that CenterPoint Energy had a rebate I could apply for and explained what information I would need. I am extremely pleased with Norblom Plumbing, would use them again, and would refer my friends to them.

It took about an hour and a half and he did a couple of other things for me while he was here. Andrew was polite and helpful.

We are selling the family home now that our parents have passed. The water pressure was low. Fearing we'd have to spend thousands to repair the line from the street, the estimator from Norblom said replacing the bad valves and galvanized would do it. It did. Now, I could water Dad's lawn and the neighbor's, too, if I wanted to.