ACME Plumbing Co.

When my usual Durham plumber was fully booked, I made the mistake of calling Acme Plumbing. Big, big mistake. They had the audacity to charge me $202.28 just to show up, then tried to rip me off with a ridiculous quote of $1,329.27 for a supposed “repair” involving a Single Handle Pressure Balanced Tub/Shower replacement, Shower Control, Arm & Head, Spout replacement, and drywall removal. What did the actual repair end up being? A simple tub spout with diverter replacement that my regular plumber did for $189 – less than 15% of Acme’s laughable quote. The fact that this company is still in business is beyond me. They’re either desperate for customers or surviving on overcharging naïve people who don’t know better. Do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from these jokers.

They were very good. On time and very professional!

I'm only writing a review because they hung up on me and were very rude on the phone. It was surprising since they rank very high on AL. Called about an estimate but was told they charge to come out to provide a quote. Told them we were hoping to get a ballpark because we already had a high estimate (not that she asked but, it's from people doing other reno work for us which will give us access to the bathroom plumbing) and were told we would have to send the manager spec sheets and photos and all the specifics and he might make an exception. She sounded very busy and irritated so I said maybe Acme was too big for our small project. She snapped that they had to charge for estimates because they were a small company and then she hung up on me. Bizarre. Too bad. Never even gave me contact info for the person to email about a ballpark estimate.

Great. Problem was solved very quickly

We had a great plumber by the name of Mike V. He completed the task at hand professionally and carefully, as well as making some minor adjustments to a DIY toilet tank lever flush installation. We appreciated his knowledge and efficiency. His cheerful demeanor and honest assessment of our problems won us over. We will be requesting him again.

Acme worked us in to their schedule to repair a faulty (and spraying) toilet cutoff valve. I was out of town, so the house sitter had direct access with the repairman. Luckily I have a whole house cutoff valve in my basement, so the house sitter could shut down water to the leaking valve before the Acme repairman arrived. I called Acme from Arizona and within a couple of hours the repair in North Carolina was completed successfully. The Acme staff was responsive, flexible, and efficient. I paid an $130 emergency fee - mentioned up front by the receptionist - but it was worth it to have the problem resolved expeditiously. No surprises. Quite satisfied.

Excellent experience. The scheduler on the phone was polite and efficient. The technician arrived promptly, explained all work - some I had requested, some he recommended based on what he found - and pricing, and provided a clearly written summary explaining all work done.

Excellent. Scheduling appointment was very good and quick. Eddie and helper Sullivan were on time, extremely professional, patient with all my concerns, fair and competent. Work was done efficiently. Highly recommend. Strongly suggest club membership for extra savings and priority scheduling. Pay for itself.

I had a cheap compression valve break and spray water in the bathroom. Of course it was a Sunday night. I decided to get all three in the house replaced to avoid a repeat performance. Plumber arrived early Monday AM on time and completed work quickly. Seems to be a good job. Was more than I was hoping to pay. Cost was a bit higher due to getting them in quickly.

The workmen were professional and explained everything they did. They showed me pictures of the parts of the plumbing that needed work, which I appreciated. The bill was easy to understand.

They fixed it & were very nice & friendly.

BEWARE! Acme arrived on schedule and completed two small repairs, a leaking faucet and a broken shower head. We were told we'd get discounted pricing and preferred scheduling if we purchased an annual contract. Based on Angie's list rating and the fact we had other plumbing problems to solve, we signed. The next issue we had related to low pressure on outside water flow, indicated by poor hose pressure and poor pressure from our irrigation system. Was told it related to two leaks, one inside and one outside our foundation. We approved the work and waited for our "preferred scheduling." Heard nothing for days so we called and got an appointment. They came on schedule and made the "repair," showing how full pressure flowed from the outside faucet. Only thing was, after they left, we tried the hose and the flow was still poor---turned out the problem was the hose nozzle, not the water pressure. Also discovered when the irrigation came on that the pressure there was also still very low. So the work--if anything was done--was worthless. Next, discussed sediment appearing in our toilets. Was told it was corrosion in our copper pipes and we should put in an entire new pipe system to the tune of some $5,000+. That suggestion was made off the cuff with no inspection of the pipes, no questions as to the age of these copper pipes, no analysis of the sediment. Next, spoke of wanting an auxiliary water heater that would kick in just for those few times when we want to use a very large bathtub in the house. Explained this is a rare occurrence and normally our 50 gallon heater is quite sufficient for just two of us. Even with guests in the house, we do not run out of hot water. Was told we needed two new 50 gallon water heaters that would alternate and that our existing heater is too old to handle the load (we've experienced no problems with it). Again, explained this extra heater is for very infrequent use and if need be, we could put in one new heater and use the old one for the auxiliary unit. Was again told we needed two new units working full time in tandem. Next, asked about re-hooking our water softener. They said they'd make an appointment to come back and do that work. Again, despite our contract, we heard nothing. Called and was told we needed to schedule someone to come out and "test our water." We are on a well and know full well we need the water softener...we have one, it just needed to be re-connected. I told that to the scheduler and that was the last we heard from them. As it turned out, we got someone else to show us how to reconnect the unit--found we just had to close one valve and open two others all in plain view -- it took about 30 seconds! I'd be willing to bet that Acme, after "testing" our water, would have been ready to sell me a new softener. In short, I think they'd sell me the Brooklyn Bridge and tell me I needed it to span the gully between our lawn and the street that sometimes fills with water after a heavy storm.

The entire job went very smoothly. Two of Acme's experienced professionals removed the old tankless heater and installed the new one (and upgraded the pipes and fittings) in one day. Another professional came the next business day and installed the new whole house filtration system for me. All of the work was top notch. I will definitely call Acme back for my future plumbing needs.

work completed on time. responsive. answered all of our questions during the work as well.

Very well. Quickly showed me the worn out air flow valve and told me I could save money by buying and replacing myself.

Perfect - He arrived on time, was very nice and professional, and got the hoses replaced without the need to repair anything.

Went very well - he also identified a problem with our whole-house cutoff valve, that I confirmed, before approving the work. The whole-house cutoff valve was probably original to the house, i.e. nearly 50 years old, and no longer closed completely.

Leak was apparently due to non-plumbing issues (faulty grout in shower enclosure). New tub spout/diverter was also needed, which I ordered online to match our decor and installed myself. I will also apply new grout.

The actual work was done adequately. The leak was repaired and the other tee was removed. The plumber was fast, courteous and knew exactly how to fix the problem. My issue is that this company overcharged. I asked the estimator, who came out to prior to the work being done, why the cost estimate was so high. He said Acme charges by the job and the work was very tedious and would take a long time. When I told him that didn't seem right, he assured me it was a large job and the cost estimate was correct. Because I had an active leak and the estimator seemed professional, I accepted the bid. He was not accurate. Here's how the job went: Travel time to customer site: 20 minutes Time spent discussing issue with customer and submitting bill: 10 minutes Time fixing the issues: 60 minutes Cost of materials: Under 20$ Bill: $574.00 (If the travel time is included, this is $370/hour. No wonder they charge by the job!) BTW: I understand plumbers are professionally licensed and are deserving of adequate pay. And companies need to make a profit. But Acme charged way too much and I won't recommend them.

Due to time constraints and the formerly established relationship I paid 30% of the estimated cost in advance for this second job. Within two days I was informed it would cost an additional $2,950 to finish the job on top of the $3,000 estimate I was initially given.. I am still waiting for the service manager to call me to explain before authorizing any additional work. Somehow, it seems fairly obvious that the initial $4,200 plus the evolved demand for $5,950 for other work is in excess of what it should cost for repairs to a substantially simple remodel project.

Terribly. Customer service manager believed his technician and did not offer any relief on the repair. Indicated I was threatening when I told him that I was going to give him low grades on Angie's List because of the treatment I received. WILL NEVER USE ACME PLUMBING AGAIN and will let all of my neighbors know as well.

Sparrow made two visits and raised thermostat and flushed tank, but missed the real problem, which was a faulty recirculating water pump at the end of the line. They recommended replacing the water heater ("anytime you get these popping noises [when the burner was on] it means your tank is failing").

Acme was responsive to my initial email and scheduled a service tech appointment within 1 week of my initial contact. The tech called 30 minutes prior to arriving, was prompt, professional, and courteous. He confirmed my initial assessment of the faulty PRV, and went to work on replacing it. He was done within 45 minutes and, best of all, cleaned up the work site and left everything as he originally found it. I will definitely use ACME for any future plumbing needs!

The work was well done, but very expensive ($320 to replace outside hose bibb, $295 for toilet tank rebuild.) I did feel like there was some pressure to sell "extras." I do like to support this living wage employer, so may hire again.

The team at ACME took great care and were very professional. I would hire them again.