BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PLUMBING

It all went well, my only complaint is that even with the coupon, I was charged a service visit (I did not read the fine print). Also, if the company has ti use any parts, the cost is hyper inflated. Any part is 2-4 times what you can get it for at a retail outlet. I am sure they need to make money, but to inflate the cost of parts to such a degree is not appropriate.

Christmas morning we discovered our gas water heater was leaking so I called the emergency number for Farrell Brothers and got their answering service. In a very short time, our call was returned by a friendly technician who answered all our questions. ...gave us a quote over the phone and scheduled an appointment for 9:00am the next morning. The technicians were at our house even a little before 9 the day after Christmas...removed leaking water heater and installed new gas water heater. The cost was the quote they gave us over the phone. ( I checked with three other plumbers on Angie's list early Thursday morning and Farrell Brother's cost was even a little less or very close to the other ones I called. ) They were very professional and prompt! I highly recommend them to anyone! I will call them again!

The plumber treated the job and myself as if he was the owner. He is an exception man.

It was not our plan to go through a full bathroom renovation before Christmas but a leak turned out to be something worse. We have used Farrell Brothers two other times for heating and plumbing issues so when we found out that they would be able to do a full renovation we signed up. Our full bath and 1/2 bath share a wall and plumbing so we decided to have both renovated during this job. I set up the contract with Randy and picked out all the materials before the renovation started. On the first day of the job I received a call that there was bad news (not surprising considering other things we've seen in our house since we bought it). The wall between the bathrooms was completely rotted and need to come down. So, that wall came out, the floor in the full bath was partially rotted due to years of water leaking so that came out, and the ceiling was coming out too since it was not in great shape. There was previously no access to the plumbing in either bathroom so they built that in. We have a window in the shower/tub of our full bath and it was not in good shape so that got replaced along with the framing of the window which was partially rotted. Everything was completely replaced in both bathrooms, toilets, sinks/vanities, flooring, lights. The heat run in the full bath was way too large for the size of the bathroom so Matt (the guy in charge of this job) cut that down to something smaller. This entire process took 10 business days. It was slightly traumatic since we do not have another bathroom or shower and had to beg/borrow/steal shower time with friends. It was totally worth it. The bathrooms look incredible, beyond my expectations. Farrell brothers was easy to work with. This was our first large interior renovation so I don't have a frame of reference but wish I could upload photos to show the difference.

Tech showed up on time, did the work, that's it - it all went well. I'd have Farrell Brothers back to do any plumbing work. Tech was very good and very knowledgeable. I'd never had the hot water heater drained before so wanted to have it done the first time by someone who knew what they were doing, so I could learn and do it the next time. Once the hose was hooked up, the tech suggested not draining the whole tank - just opening and closing the cold water supply valve 4 or 5 times (the goal is to stir up any sediment at the bottom of the tank), and then leave it open for 15-30 seconds to allow the stirred up sediment to drain out. Since our basement is dry, I had never seen our sump pump run, so I also wanted to test that, so the tech drained the hot water heater water into the sump pump hole so that the sump pump would turn on, which it did. Everything went great, and the tech showed me what he was doing and what I should do the next time when I do it myself. I also asked the tech to look at our kitchen faucet which he did. It was loose - I may have damaged or broken it the last time I replaced the washers. The tech inspected it and recommended replacing it, and recommended places to buy a new one if I wanted to buy a replacement myself. I asked a few other plumbing related questions and the tech answered my questions and made good recommendations. I was very satisfied with the work that day - I wouldn't hesitate to have Farrell Brothers back for any plumbing work we need in the future, including replacing the kitchen faucet.

We called them several times and they gave us the run around. They charged us for the initial service call and did give us the 10 percent discount. We would never call them again obviously. We felt we were ripped off.

The Farrell plumber corrected a major pipe clog in my kitchen sink. I was very pleased with the work done. Price is about average for plumbing work but the service was excellent. My (now-former) plumber, did not return my call from Thursday. So I was particularly pleased and impressed that when I called Farrell Friday morning, they worked to squeeze my call in for that very afternoon. A+

I live in a very old house and the plumbing has all sorts of turns and angles - the drains are hard to clear. I called Farrell Brothers after seeing their drain cleaning special. (I had already called a nationally known drain service who didn't do the job and left the bathroom a mess). The technician, Nick Casey, from Farrell Brothers came, and worked diligently to clear the drains. He left the bathrooms spotless. He was professional, pleasant and is a real asset to Farrell Brothers. Without a doubt, I would use Farrell Brothers again.

The repair for the leak itself was fine. The drain no longer leaks. But there were huge communication problems and the floor of the shower has spots that do not drain. Their first plumber tore out the floor of the shower and fixed the leak. Because the rest of the shower is tiled, he then needed to replace the shower floor with tile. But instead he told us that he was going to use river stones. Not knowing any better, I agreed to it. So he put the river stones in, told me the job was done and I paid him the agreed price of $1500. After letting the shower dry for the recommended number of days, we used it and found several large spots on the floor that didn't drain. I called Farrell Brothers back and they sent the same plumber back. He added some extra grout over the top which looked really terrible and obscured the stones. I called them back to tell them I was still unhappy, that the shower still didn't drain properly and they needed to send someone else to fix it. The second person (not sure if he was a plumber or tiler) dug out one section of the river stones and added a bit more grout in some places. He told us to let it dry for a few days and then use it. He warned us that grout is essentially porous and that river stones require a lot of grout between them. When I pointed out that it was his colleague that recommended the river stones, he backtracked. He promised to call us back but never did. He also claimed that the entire shower needs to be regrouted. After we waited and tried it again, the shower floor still has some puddles though they are not as bad. It fix the problem, the river stones need to be removed and the entire shower floor needs to be pitched at the correct angle. Through out the process with both employees, they did not call us back when they said they would. If they said they would call in the afternoon, they wouldn't call until the next day. If they said they would come in the afternoon, they'd come in the morning. The second guy showed up without telling us at all. I gave the first employee my access code because I didn't want to wait around for him one morning, and he proceeded to share it with the second guy without telling us. I would not recommend using Farrell Bros. I will never use them again.

Called Farrell Bros on the week-end due to old water heater failing. Decided to wait until Monday to get work done and save week-end call fee. At 7:30 a.m. Farrell Bros called me to schedule. Originally told they could do the work later that afternoon. Had to get info from old heater and call them back so they would have the correct heater when they came. When I called back with the info, they had been notified of a cancellation and were able to come in an hour. Their guy arrived on time, was courteous, explained what needed to be done and gave me cost estimate. I agreed and in around 3-4 hours had the new water heating working. Final price was about $12 less then estimate. Their guy worked steadily and was efficient.

I have had very satisfactory experience with them.

Well, Well where do I start. I have been a member of Angies list for approx. 4 months. My wife and I moved into a new house that was going to need some professionals in different areas and before this we were 4 for 4 with the great contractors that we chose from Angies list...not so with Farrell Bros. I needed my 3 old Honeywell thermostats swapped out. They were the old, round, gold color ones w/ the mercury inside them that you see in your grandparents house...lol and in addition I wanted 2 for the a/c. I was not sure I could do this myself as the new house had a gas boiler when all I ever delt with was a forced hot air furnace. I spoke to Randy the day before they came out and I wanted digital, non programmable w/ LED display as far as the 2 for the a/c he had programmable but were only going to be $5-$10 extra per unit which I said no problem. Two guys showed up the next morning smelling like a carton of cigarettes. It must of been a long drive from Albany to Rotterdam. Anyhow the guys had a few different models/makes from me to choose from which was great. Being that I was going to attempt this myself earlier in the week I knew kinda what the thermostats cost ( ballpark). I settled on the new style Honeywell, it was round like the old style, color was white, digital w/ LED perfect so I did not have to paint the wall ( not that the previous owners left any old paint) The other two I chose were basic...just what I was looking for. So, now I inquire how much to swap out and I was told $199 EACH for the 3 Honeywells & $229 EACH for the a/c thermostats.I said you want me to pay $1,060 ( that's right) to swap out 5 thermostats. Just so you people know the Honeywells that I purchased are $44.10 on ebay w/ free shipping, the other 2 are $25 on ebay w/ free shipping so I don`t know how Randy picked this number. I told the guys to stay right in the foyer because they may be leaving after I called the office to speak w/ Randy. I told him there was no way in h*** I was paying this ridiculous amount so we agreed on a new price $149 for the first one and the remaining 4 for $99 each which I agreed to. Imagine that I spoke up for 2 minutes on the phone and save $410 + tax. I know people are in biz to make money but I feel that I got " raped". I called somebody after the fact and they charge by the hour and not by the thermostat.These guys were gone in 1 hour. My bad I probably should of talked to 2 different businesses but I have been so lucky w/ prior 4 I did not see the reason. I will now do in future........

The deal from Farrell Bros. stated "$799 for a New Water Heater plus Installation", but later I was given a quote of $1,500 because installation was not included. The wording of this deal was confusing. I though the price of $1,500 was a bit steep, and ended up buying a new 40 gallon hot water heater at a local big box store for between $300 - $300 and had it installed for $235.

From beginning to end I had an excellent experience. The woman who took my initial call was friendly and knowledgeable about their services. She made an appointment on a date and time that was good for me. On the first visit, Eric cleaned out my furnace, and was very helpful in answering any questions I had about my furnace (as a first time homeowner, this information was invaluable). He took a look at the wet spot in the kitchen ceiling, informed me he was going to need to cut a hole to take a look, and went ahead once he had my approval. He immediately saw the problem. He let me borrow his light, and took the time to show me what was wrong, and why it was wrong. Again, after my approval, he cut a larger hole in a more accessible area so he could give me a proper estimate. The following week he returned with an assistant to make the repairs. I am pleased to say that he finished it several hours ahead of schedule, and the final bill came in a few hundred under what he had initially estimated. Eric was a consummate professional. He was friendly, exceptionally tidy, and showed me and my home a great deal of respect. If I ever have need of plumbing services again, I will be specifically asking for him.

I had a good experience. The service tech. was great, responsive to questions and concerns and thorough.

It was an Angie's List Big Deal that I purchased. It was fine. I've had several services done by them. They were wonderful. I've used them probably 7 or 8 times. I've changed over to them because I think they are extremely competent. They are extremely polite. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about them. One job was over $5,000 so I've spent big money with them and I am extremely happy. Their prices are higher but they are still acceptable. I will absolutely continue to use them.

They did a good job, were professional and I would recommend them.

\It took this company nearly 3 weeks to finish the work On the first day they left me with no explanation why the air conditioning was not working over a very hot weekend. There was no effort to communicate with me the reason for the delay. No communication from the company during the extended time of installation and I prepaid the entire sum. I will not do that ever again. In order to replace the boiler, the original salesperson said there would be no problem replacing my old unit with a new one and the available area was sufficient. Instead, the workers had to move my water heater (and turned up the heat on the existing water heater to scaldiing), and tried to sell me a new water heater for $900 more. The water heater was fine and now, the City of Albany Water service people came in to replace their monitoring device but Farrell Brothers have moved the water heater right in front of the monitoring device with no room to even reach the monitor. The replacement of the defective monitor may require the movement of the water heater AGAIN and I don't believe that cost of labor to move the water heater this time should be my responsibility, since it was Farrell Brothers who misplaced the unit during the replacement of my boiler. Their lack of forethought regarding the necessity of reaching the water meter has me facing more time off to allow the Water Department access to the meter. And remember the salesman swore there would be no problem in getting the new boiler into the space where the existing boiler was. I should not be facing this problem if the salesperson knew what he was talking about. There were additional problems with fitting the air conditioning exchange unit in the space where the old one was and the installers could only work in 15 minute stints because it was so hot in my attic where they had to work. Again, no one from the sales force or office told me what was happening and why the delays in completing the job. The only time the office staff or sales force contacted me was during the sales pitch but not on the follow up. My experience with Farrell Brothers has left a very bitter taste in my mouth and an uncertainty about the reliance of Angie List recommendations.

Farrell Brothers provided exceptional service and I've used this company more than once (a shower drain replacement, an outside faucet replacement, and also for a clogged sink) and they've always gone above and beyond and they warranty their work. I highly recommend using Farrell Brothers for your plumbing needs. I sent an email requesting service and I received a very prompt email and I scheduled an appointment via email to come to my house to determine the cause of an overflowing downstairs toilet and clogged kitchen sink. I was told the employees would call me 30 minutes prior to their arrival which allowed me to not wait at my house for a long time. Both employees showed up on time and were friendly & courteous. Both employees listened to my explanation of what occurred and Nick explained to me the possible causes and what they planned to do before they started working. Nick explained they planned to unclog my main clean out in my garage and to use a video camera to determine the cause of the clog. Randy Rowe, the President of the Company, showed up and he and his employees explained to me the cause of my problem. Randy and Nick showed me the video of my main drain connection and the sewer pipe and the video displayed the actual location of the clog. Randy and his employees explained what they did to correct the problem. Randy and his employees also provided very helpful suggestions regarding preventative measures to avoid the main drain clogging and the resulting overflowing toilet in the future. I highly recommend using Farrell Brothers for your plumbing needs.

Not very well. We bought a coupon from Angie's list for a deal for a $49.00 service call from Farrell Bros. After printing out the coupon we called Farrell Bros. for a service call. The lady asked for the coupon code and scheduled the service call for 2 days later, GREAT! The gentleman showed up right on time & I showed him the faucet that I couldn't stop from leaking. I had already changed the cartridges including seats and springs. He suggested replacing the parts again. I had a box of brand new cartridges sitting on the sink so we used them. No problem except it still was leaking. Then he said it was probably in the pipes behind the wall & would be like a $500-$600 cost "I'd just leave it leak, it's not that bad and your not losing a lot of water" (a 5 gal pail a day at least). We decided to leave things alone. He wrote up an invoice & said it would be $150 plus tax. I asked if that included the $49 service call and he said he'd have to call the office. He went to his truck & came back 10 mins later. He said the office never tells the techs about these coupons & we end up with the upset customers. Guess what my bill was after applying the coupon? $149 plus tax = $160.92. It's the same price with or without the coupon. Only the numbers get changed. Another item that kind of ticked me off, I was charged for the materials which were mine in the first place. Live & learn. My main complaint however is being charged 3 times for 1 service call. I'm owed $98 and am trying to work with the credit card company to have 2 of the charges removed. Thanks for your time.

Went great... Pete was very knowledgeable, performed both jobs very well and cleaned up nicely. The coupon from Angie's list saved me a total of $120 on the entire job.

Had a great experience with the installation technician. I was given a 2hr time window of arrival and he called me prior and showed up early - I was very happy with his timeliness. He completed the removal and install in a short amount of time. I appreciated that he explained why my old sump pump had failed and showed me how he installed the new pump. He handed me the owners manual and gave me some advice on occasionally testing the pump to ensure it's working. I was very pleased and it was a great deal!

The technician arrived on time and was very helpful answering all our questions. He inspected the complete plumbing system in the house and made some very good suggestions about solving an odor problem we were experiencing. Very professional and knowledgeable .

The grinder pump failed on Tuesday night. Called Farrell Brothers first thing Wednesday morning. Within an hour Randy showed up. He was very knowledgeable and his diagnosis was right on. By Thursday noon Peter finished installing the new pump. Compared to the old pump, the new one purrs like a baby. We're so happy! Can't say enough about Peter. He did everything right - punctual, called before arrival, cleaned up after the job, and did I mention top quality job? Hands down A class plumber. It's not easy to find a trust worthy contractor in the Capital Region. Farrell Brothers gained our trust by taking care of our emergency in a super timely fashion. They will be my go-to plumber from now on, for sure. Thank you, Randy and Peter!

Not applicable since service was never rendered and I obtained a refund.