BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PLUMBING

I used the angie's list $99 for $200 worth of services deal. I had the plumber clean a clogged bathroom sink drain and he looked at a leaky faucet and a toilet bowl that kept running, told me what was wrong and what parts I needed to do to fix them, and then left. We were both poor communicators. I didn't know if I exhausted the $99 limit or not, and he didn't tell me or let me know how much extra it would take to fix the other problems (nor did he offer to do it). I'm not sure what to make of that. I had to hire another plumber to fix the toilet and faucet with the replacement parts the first plumber told me I needed. I think I would use Farrell Brothers again but the whole angies' list $99 for $200 deal was awkward and didn't work out how I expected it to and I wouldn't do that again.

They did the job I didn't need, proved how smart they were and how foolish I was. Farrell Brothers taught me a lesson and I will learn from my mistake. I won't use them again. As for Angie's List I would be a lot clearer as to what kind of service their firms are providing so that a member won't get taken and or have a way a member can get out of a contract that is obviously not going to work for the member. I'm new to Angie's List, my first experience was very successful. I had a tree removed for a fair price. This was my second experience and I have been weary about having a second bad experience.

urnace.The check was through. The technician was informative regarding the results of his work and offered suggestions on steps I could take to improve air conditioning performance.

Everything went smoothly except that they had trouble retrieving the snake due to bends in the drain line.

Farrell Brothers was recommended by someone at work and they were terrific. They may not be the cheapest, but they are fair, punctual, and most importantly, they know what they're doing. A few months ago we also had them put in a water-powered back-up sump pump - we called other plumbers for comparison quotes and many said they had never installed such a system. Farrell Bros. did it and got it done slightly under the price they quoted and within just a few hours. I've used a half-dozen plumbers in the Capital District, over the past few years but these are the best. Now if only they did electrical work...

Efficiently and professionally

They delivered as promised and I felt as though they did a good job. I will definitely hire them again. They do meticulous work and are very friendly.

On time- friendly- profesional

I found Farrell Bros using Angies list. After reading many of the reviews I concluded (from the other reviews) the cost for a drain snaking would run (+/-) about $99.00. I purchased the $200 coupon for $99 thinking it would cover any more costs (if any). I scheduled the appointment, a 4 hour window, the tech called about 5 minutes before arriving. Once he arrived I explained the issue and showed him the drain I wanted snaked. First he had me sign a form which essentially says you owe $99 even before he starts...I thought it odd but assumed the $99 would go towards the cost of the job. He was very pleasant and went about checking the issue and proceeded to snake the drain. He also tightened 3 compression fittings on the sink that were lose. The total visit was just under one hour.He finalized the bill the total was $251.84 (the $99 service charge and $149 for drain snaking). So once I used the $200 coupon the "remaining balance" was $48 plus tax= $51.84.The total was I had been prepared for +/-$99.00. I didn't try to discuss the total with the technican I waited and called Farrell Bros directly. I just explained the issue to the Kim who had answered the phone. She was very helpful and said she would call me back after reviewing this issue with Randy. She did as promised and called back to say they would waive the $99 "service" fee so my Angie coupon would more then cover the entire job. I consider that fair and reasonable. Bottom line: I would call them again based on the service I received. BUT I would strongly advise everyone to ask, before scheduling any service, about any "fees" or "charges" you may incur not directly part of the job. Further it may be helpful to ask any contractors how much a simple job (ie drain cleaning) costs/averages assuming no unexpected issues. That way everyone would be on the same page from the beginning and would avoid issues such as mine. So bottom line $99 for snaking a drain in about an hour I think is fair, $250 is not.

Gas Water heater ingniter was not working probably. Would periodically cycle on and off three times and then need to be reset. Service person came and cleaned area where flame ignites. It took about 5 minutes to do. Has worked fine since.

The employees were at home when they promised to install the air conditioning and furnace. They were incredibly professional and provided great service. They patiently explained the process and performed the job in a timely manner. When there was a problem with my payment the office staff were very helpful in resolving the problem. I am now writing this review in my nice, cool, newly air conditioned room. I would highly recommend them.

Getting a hold on someone to actually set the schedule was a little frustrating, but once the tech came it was great. He was knowledgeable about the equipment and able to answer all the questions that I had. I had the tune-up done months ago and have been able to enjoy the equipment without incident so far.

On Friday morning, my spouse reported that the shower wasn't draining. Figured it was just being slow, as occasionally we'll have that problem, so we dumped in some Drano and left the house. When we returned Friday night to find that the 2 inches of water in the tub had not moved at all, we did everything we knew how to do - plunged the toilet and tub, dumped in more Drano, even ran to Walmart and bought a 25-foot snake and attempted to snake through every drain in the bathroom without finding the clog. By then we'd learned that the toilet was draining into the tub. This morning, a Saturday, I called Farrell Bros, after seeing good reviews on Angie's List. Call went to an answering service. Got a call back after a half hour, from Peter, who gave me the heads up that there'd be a $150 after-hours charge, and probably another $99-$269 for the work, depending on where the clog was. Said he'd be here in an hour to an hour and a half. Actually arrived two hours after that phone call. Got right to business. Attempted a plunger, then the toilet snake ("Maybe I can save you some money if we're lucky and the clog's close.") Then snaked through the tub drain, and still the two inches of water remained. Concluded he needed to pull the toilet, and when he snaked through the toilet drain he finally was successful. The wow factor of the tub suddenly draining beautifully was pretty awesome. While he zipped around the house, and I did my best to keep up, he answered my questions and shared some advice about using drain conditioners. This was the first time I've had a plumber come out for a service call, so I'm not sure what's standard for clean up after the work's done. Peter took his tools and kind of mopped up the water off the floor with a rag, but... the bathroom's going to need a good cleaning. Just so happened that while reinstalling the toilet, he attempted to remove the pump inside the tank because it was running slow (a chronic problem), but when he did it broke, so he replaced it for free. Nice bonus for me. Total time he was here was about an hour and a half. Everything's draining fine now.

The contractor was contacted regarding an issue addressed by them just over 4 weeks prior that manifested again. They were helpful in working around my schedule to send someone out again. The technician called on the day of service and asked what the problem was before arriving. I explained the issue and he immediately went into an unprompted dialogue of how this could be billable regardless of the last service. When he arrived he re-snaked the drain and sited numerous reasons of why we would be charged again and scenarios where maybe we wouldn't, the key being that we would be paying full price though. The visit lasted approximately 20 minutes. While I was favorable of the first experience with this company, the way the pricing was handled and the technician's overall demeanor would dissuade me from using them again. There are plenty enough plumbing companies in the area where I feel a more competitive, customer friendly one would attempt to work out a fairer deal. I will keep looking for someone we can use going forward when necessary for our home.

The installer was very professional and performed the install as requested. Highly recommended.

Went fine. We were having bacterial issues with our drilled well which chlorination temporarily addressed, but we wanted a long term solution (chlorine pump, UV light, etc.). The owner (Randy Howe) came the next day (a Thursday), tested the water and suggested a UV light unit along with a conditioning unit, both made by EasyWater. I had the two units installed the following Tuesday. No issues so far, and the water seems fine. I will have the water retested for bacteria soon (I submit samples through the Rensselaer County Health Dept., which in turn sends the samples over to St. Peter’s Bender Lab). The installing plumber seemed both knowledgeable and competent, and cleaned up after himself before he left.

The plumber did arrive on time and completed the work in about an hour. $400.00 for 25ft of 2" PVC pipe and about an hour of work seems like a very steep price. A PVC pipe joint leaked after the plumber left. He did return the next day and smeared orange goop on the leaking joint, which stopped the leak but does not seem like a quality repair. The hole drilled in the exterior wall for the discharge pipe was significantly larger than the pipe and the space around the pipe was left unsealed. The hole around the discharge pipe where it exits the siding was sealed with putty. Debri in the bottom of the sump pump hole was not removed before installing the pump. Not known is if or how much damage this may have done to my pump. I could hear bits of rock and concrete being pumped out when I turned on the pump. Insulation in the area where the hole through the exterior was drilled was pushed back but not put back when the work was completed. Update: Randy Rowe did contact me and was very helpful. I changd my review because they do indeed stand behind their work and they did it in a timely manner. Initially I said that I would not recommend Farrell Brothers but now I have no problem doing so.

When i first called and for the service, I was told what the general rate was. Once I decided to use this vendor, I purchased the $200 off coupon advertised on Angies List for $99. When I asked after the plumber was here, he said that they operated on a flat rate. It was $299 for the first shutoff valve before the meter and $199 for the second on the inside of the meter. It took him about 65 minutes to install both. He seemed to be in hurry. He also left solder all over my floor and walls. However, the valves work. I would have rather paid the normal rate. I think it would have been cheaper. I think that i got a raw deal. Way to expensive for such a simple job.

Very pleased with their service. We had a bad clog in the kitchen sink which is more concerning than it sounds as we have a slab and no basement. If a clog is bad enough you could be looking at opening walls and/or tearing up flooring to get to the source. The serviceman showed up in the time frame given and quickly identified the issue, while explaining in great detail what they needed to do and how we can best avoid the issue in the future. A 50' snake was needed to clear up the blockage. We used the coupon code from Angie's list $99 for $200 of service and had no trouble redeeming it. Additionally, a recommendation was made to correct the source of the leak in the sink (coming from a seal in the old faucet head).

They scheduled an appointment without any delay. The serviceman arrived when promised, was professional, polite, knowledgable and easy to talk with. He completed the two separate repair jobs and explained the cause of both problems. We were considering some other plumbing changes and repairs and he answered our questions concerning choice of equipment and a common sense approach to follow.

I am really happy with the product but more happy to have bought it from Farrell Bros. They gave me a warranty of 90 days, and around a month after the installation I realized that the product wasn't working properly. Well, they came next day I called them, inspected the unit, agreed that it wasn't working, and replace the whole system at no cost. This was key for me to decided to buy this system, considering that it is an alternative solution to the standard salt based water softeners.

Very professional and fast. Good work. Great job!!

Repair # 1: Cliff looked at the shower unit and told me he had to create access to get to the pipes. This meant cutting a hole in the bedroom drywall, but there wasn't any other way to access the area. He took great care with his work, and even used a brand new drop cloth to protect the carpet. It was a bit tricky for him to work around, as I was in the process of assembling a major piece of furniture, which couldn't be moved. (He gets extra points for that.) He asked if I had hard water, which I do, and he showed me the pipes and surrounding area, which clearly had mineral deposits, indicating a leak. He said that the hand held shower hose had been leaking and that the shower trim kit was improperly sealed, allowing water to seep down and affect the kitchen ceiling. He recommended replacing the hose with a fixed shower head, which I said I would take care of. He accepted the Big Deal coupon as full payment, cleaned up and left. It took me about a week or so to get the new shower head, and everything was fine. I didn't use the shower during that period. I replaced the shower head and almost immediately noticed a slow leak. I tried putting the old hose back on, and even tried leaving the pipe "naked" with no fixture, but the leak persisted. Repair # 2: Peter enlarged the access hole in the drywall. (By this time furniture assembly had been completed and access was easier.) Peter had difficulty in shutting off the water to the house because the valve was stripped, but he took care of that and proceeded. I'm not sure of the technical aspects that ensued as I was not in the room, but there were sounds of sawing, etc. He installed a new Delta shower valve and ran all of the connections to make sure there was no leak. He also installed a 14" wall repair plate to cover the drywall opening. The only additional charge to the original quote was for the cost of the shower valve, but this was offset by the Angie's List discount coupon of 11%, and the final cost was $426.63, including tax. Peter left me the Owners Manual, containing warranty information, as well as the shower head which came with the valve, in case I wanted to change it out for the one I had purchased. All of this took less than 2 hours and I was impressed with Peter's attention to details, as well as helpful information. I also asked him to look at my powder room sink faucet, as it had become loose. He checked and found that the plastic anchors (I'm not sure of the technical term) had cracked and fallen off, leaving the faucet to "float" and move around when the water was turned off and on. He told me that I could either get replacements and have them installed or simply buy clear adhesive and use that under the unit.To Peter's credit, he also asked me how old my water heater is (it's in the same area as the water shut off valve) and told me that there is a device that could save me from possible aggravation in the future. It's called "The Watchdog" and is a battery operated water alarm, which can be placed on the floor near the water heater and will detect a small amount of water and sound an alarm similar to a smoke alarm. I will be getting one of these in the near future. Overall, I was very pleased with my Farrell Brothers experience and wouldn't hesitate to use them again or recommend their service.

Project 1 - 2 of the installed shut offs were on the main water line coming into the house. The Town had to shut off the water line outside the house because the inside shut offs were so badly corroded that they leaked. The house was built in 1932. While at my home the Water Dept. offered to install a new meter indicating that the current meter was at least 40 years old. The plumber (Peter) installed the new meter while installing the shut offs. The new shut offs were installed before and after the meter in the event that it ever needed to be replaced or repaired. The brass water line feeding the boiler was very old, had corrosion at the joints and had a non working shut off valve. That was all replaced, plus a new shut off was installed to allow the cold water line feeding the hot water tank to be shut off separately. The current hot water tank shut off would also shut off the water supply to the kitchen faucet and dishwasher. Project 2 - In removing the original shower valve (very old) I broke some parts and had to contact American Standard to get new parts. It took 7 days to receive the life time guaranteed parts. Peter thoroughly cleaned the brass fitting before installing the 3 part valve system. Cast iron drain pipes had been replaced by another plumbing company about 4 years ago. The work included installing a new toilet drain flange. We recently noticed that the toilet was clogging on a frequent basis. When Peter removed the toilet he found that the flange was recessed about an inch lower than it should have been and that 2 wax rings had been installed to compensate for the difference. Some of the wax ring material had expanded over the drain opening and was blocking the flushing. So he completely cleaned the area and installed 2 extenders to bring the flange to the proper height. He used silicone to secure both extenders and installed 1 new wax ring. The toilet is now flushing consistently better. While turning the cold water supply on and off to install the shower valve, the basement shut off started to leak. Peter found that the brass shut off had a minor flaw. He applied teflon tape and reassembled the shut off to correct the problem. It prevented me for having to pay to have a new shut off installed. I find Peter to be very conscientious and genuinely concerned about providing a quality product. He is an outstanding representative for his company.

I felt like I was ripped off. He promised an Angie's List coupon for $200.00 worth of plumbing for $99.00. After he finished the toilet I asked him to do something else but he told me that the part alone would cost $200.00. I priced the item myself at $40.00 so I felt that this was not a good deal. I will not use him again.