Help Plumbing Heating Cooling and Electric

When they arrive, they are very professional, well dressed, and respectful. However, their prices are way out of line and their suggestions were things that were not neccessary.

I chose them because they were advertised. They seemed to be awful expensive. They got a club where you pay 19 a year. Basically, you get a checkup for your furnace and your air conditioning unit. I never had any issues since they’ve done the job. Their work has been fine. Everything that they’ve done for me has been fine. I can’t say any bad about it. It’s just that they are expensive. They did a good job.

This is the second home I've owned, and the second to have the hot water heater go out. My last experience, the tank went out in the middle of the night and gushed water into my basement all night. This time, the heater sprung a very slow trickle of a leak, but with this home having a finished basement, as soon as I noticed it, I had visions of a flooded basement and costly remodeling repairs. So I called Help immediately. I took a vacation day and arranged an appointment for the next morning. The young man showed up, assessed the situation, confirmed that my 15 year old hot water heater needed replacement, and also advised that I needed a new regulator. He did a good job explaining the role of a regulator and while I was somewhat skeptical, he was able to convince me of the fact that it was bad as well. So what's the damage? Almost $4000 for a new 75 gallon hot water heater and new regulator! At the point in time when he quoted the price, all I could think of was what if, after arranging yet another vacation day, having yet another plumber come out to quote a price (since none will do so over the phone), would I find a better price? Could the trickle leak become a geyser while I shop for a bargain? How long could we live without water if I shut it all down while shopping around? I signed for him to do the work and paid the outrageous bill. I will say that the young man who did the work was polite, professional, and did a really nice job, and cleaned up after the job was done. He called in another guy to help him get the old one out. He covered my hardwood and carpet all the way from my front door, down the hall, down the stairs, through the finished part of the basement, to the door of the unfinished part. He used shrink wrap on the carpeted stairs. He didn't get so much as a drop of water anywhere along the way. I'm pleased with the quality of work that was done, but I can't help feeling that I was completely gouged as far as the cost for the work. He sold me one of their "club" memberships so I could take advantage of the member savings, and get a furnace and air conditioner tune up as part of the deal. Even with the discount, the total was nearly $4000, over $3000 of which was the hot water heater alone. I'm still trying to find the gold plating. After using the tune ups that I have coming as a "club" member, I won't be calling Help again.

It went good, I had some complaints but they came out and fixed them right away, one man did a little extra.

After arriving one hour late (beyond the four hour window alloted) for scheduled air conditioner service, employee performed cleaning but focused more on inspection and then noticed air conditioner was low on coolant. A second employee (the closer?) came the next day and said my air conditioner was very low on coolant and that it was leaking. He said, based on his "experience" that the air conditioner would break within two weeks. He also said that we were at great risk that a damaging freeze of coolant on the furnace could (would) also damage our new furnace. He then said he would offer us a good price on a new air conditioner, the first quote at $8000 and the second one at $6000. "Which one do we want," he said. I felt it was fairly high pressure but refused to commit. He seemed irritated by this. I then solicited two other bids from reputable companies on Angie's List. Both gave me a price of $3000 on an equivalent air conditioner and one honest contractor even suggested I wait until the unit literally breaks ( that is, that the furnace wasn't at great risk of a freeze). He said if the leak is slow, my current air conditioner could run for years longer. Anyway, I didn't replace the unit and it's now been about four to six weeks later and the air conditioner is working fine. I'll replace it when it breaks whether it's next week or in the next five years.

We had wiring issues in our addition. He ID'd the problem and fixed a major mistake the contractor had made. I also had them replace some of wiring that runs from the box to where the power companies hooks onto our house. Not sure what it is called but it had been damaged by tree limbs falling it and the wires had been exposed to the elements. I've also used Thompson for an AC and furnace replacement and to replace our water main shut-off valve. I've been 100% satisfied. Probably not the cheapest but they are very good and dependable.

Now called 'HELP' instead of 'Thompson'. The service man was pleasant but over booked. He attempted to clear kitchen drain but made it much worse. He wanted to return the next evening with a ladder to access the problem from the roof vent as he had no ladder. The next evening he was again over booked but called late and said his supervisor advised him to instead of climbing to the roof, he should instead remove our kitchen cabinets and cut a large hole in our wall (to clear the stopped drain as this was easier). This is our second experience with HELP/Thompson overstating the work and expense required. They must see us as easy targets.

They did an excellent job. I don’t have any problems with anything they did. They were extremely reliable.

I called when my basement flooded after a heavy rain - at the steps, there were at least 3 inches (later found out it was up to 6 in some spots). They indicated that they would not be able to help unless there was LESS than 1 inch of water - I would have to do that before they would come out because that amount of water would damage their equipment. I called another plumber who did the job.

Cut the copper pipe, untstopped drain, replaced with plastic pvc pipe...looks really bad. Should have replaced with the copper pipe.

Booking an appointment was quick and easy. HELP is known for their yard signs that they leave out front after visiting. The scheduler was kind enough to ask my permission to place a sign. I've never received service from HELP before so I didn't want to endorse them to my neighbors before seeing results - so I asked them to refrain from putting a sign in my yard. Very respectful to ask, I thought. The technician arrived promptly, and did the diagnostic work I had expected him to do. My A/C is genuinely old. It was installed in 1990, and I bought it with the house in 2003. It shows signs of being serviced previously(replaced capacitors, bypassed time delay circuits, etc.) After diagnostics, HELP said that the refrigerant was low, the condenser was dirty, the capacitor was bad, the contactor relay was on its way out, and the compressor was pulling extra current (indicating future failure). I was disappointed that the analysis was so grim, because the A/C was still cooling "well enough", but I have no reason to believe that any of their tests were inaccurate. Following the quick report, the main technician said he had to call-in a senior tech to review the situation and confirm the recommendations. We waited for that tech to arrive, and once here he reviewed the work and they started pricing out my options. In retrospect, the "senior tech" emphasized sales every bit as much as tech. In the end I had three options: $1000 to replace the electronics and charge. $3000 to replace the compressor. Or an unknown amount to replace the entire A/C unit. I that every line item on the estimate was extremely high. Getting even a ballpark estimate on A/C replacement requires a separate sit-down session with the "senior tech". The pitch on the sit-down session also involved some high pressure sales tactics Me: "I'm not really sure we want to go through that right now for this. I'll need to go over everything with my wife." Tech: "Is she here? Can you talk now?" Me: "She's here, but I'd rather sit down with her later." Tech: "Let's get you on the schedule. We're really busy right now, so it's best to schedule it. Give me a day." I managed to avoid being forced into booking an A/C sales meeting. In the end they didn't replace any parts, they didn't charge my A/C, they just inspected it, wrote an estimate, and then left (eventually). On their way out they put a sign in my yard. I was disappointed. I was more disappointed when I went into the backyard and found a HELP advertising sticker placed on my A/C condenser. Disappointed more when I found another HELP advertisement sticker and a HELP advertising magnet on the return air duct my furnace. What really set me off is that I found one of their HELP advertising stickers on my water heater! They weren't even here to service my water heater. I bought it 4 years ago and had it installed by Home Depot. My complaints about the stickers may not seem like much, but I found all of these advertisements distasteful, and not asking for permission was also disrespectful. I have to live here and look at these things every day! If you let these guys in the house they will put stickers on any appliance you let them see whether they do any work for you or not, and they'll do it all without asking your permission. I paid my $69, but wish I hadn't. Marketing - A High Pressure Sales - A Overall Organization - B Pricing - F Repect for their customers - F

I never received a response from HELP. As I stated earlier I contacted a different company who responded the same day and they got the work. I'm sure the response will be they don't show my contacting them but I assure you I did.

The valve broke and so I couldn't get the water shut off. It was running as if you had a faucet left running at about 1/4 of the way on. They had someone out within 1/2 hour. It only took him about 20 minutes to replace the valve. It was copper tubing so he cut out the bad valve and replaced it with a new one after shutting the water off near the road. It was a Friday, and some plummers that I called would not promise to come until Monday. Thompson promised to get someone out as soon as they had someone available. I can't imagine what I would have done if they hadn't come so quickly. Excellent Service!!!!!

The technician acted more like a commissioned saleman than an AC technician. He looked over my unit, performed a so called test, said the compressor had no power, and it wasn't worth a tune up because it needed to be replaced. He then started costing out for me what a new ac unit would cost, and all the discounts I'd get for being a club member. It then dawned on me when that the technicians who came a couple months earlier to tune up my furnance and examine an issue with my hot water made the same pitch. The one told me my hot water heating problem couldn't be repaired because it was too old & that I needed a new hot water heater, and the other recommended that my furnance get replaced. On the matter of the furnance, when I balked at replacing it, they told me there was a small part that neded to be replaced for $300, which I now feel stupid for having paid without a second opinion. I called a different company, and it took them all of five minutes to fix the issue with my hot water heater, and I have not had a problem since. In sum, Thompson will reeally push you to invest in new equipment that, in each instance, I had second opinions and found ot be in good working order or easily repaired. Also, I tried to get out of my club membership, only to learn it was a one year agreement. I guess I missed that fine print. Please learn from my mistakes, avoid this company, and seek out those rated highly on Angie's List.

I had originally called Thompson for a tune-up in Nov. of 2010. At that time the technician mentioned the unit may need replacement parts totaling $1187.00 including labor, plus a "Club Membership" of $19.95 per month. The servicemen seemed courteous and professional and doing a good job. I called for a winter tune-up on September 12, 2011. Charge, $146.00. I had him back on the 26th, at which time he suggested more parts and labor for $461.00. with joining the "club" which I did. In October 2012, I had a problem with my old thermostat and installed a new one. I had some difficulty with it and called Thompson for assistance. The serviceman spent several hours trying to resolve the issue. On January 4, 2013 I had a noise in the system and called for service. After working some time, the tech. recommended having the supervisor come and assess the situation. The main problem was the heat pump was icing up and I was concerned that it would happen when I was not home to catch it. When the "supervisor" came, he recommended a whole new system for $10,729.00. I was hesitant to do this since the current one was less than 4 years old. I checked around and found another service company who came, checked the problem, was familiar with the heat pump and knew that the faulty part was still under warrantee. He called the local rep. and picked up the parts, repaired the unit for $295.00. That was in January and it has been fine for four months now. I had the distinct impression that Thompson was trying to take advantage of me.

I think we'd called due to bad odours coming from the heating system. The techs themselves were very courteous, clean and had a professional manner. They inspected the ductwork ( said they did this with a camera ) and we were told they'd found a dead rodent - a mouse or something. Not surprised at that. They then went on to do a heating system check and said that the hot surface igniter was going to fail at some point and needed to be replaced. Then they informed us that the inducer assembly was faulty in some manner and that it needed replacement { hmmm...odd...the heating system seemed to function alright, just didn't smell right } Shame on me for not taking the time to learn how HVAC systems function... You know, you're in a hurry - school called and kid has 104 and needs to be picked up, etc., etc., and you are presented with this list of things... Assuming that the above items were in fact faulty or did show symptoms that they were going to be faulty in the future ( which would have to be the case as the HVAC system was functioning at the time of inspection...I suppose...) our main complaint is price; we found out later that we paid two, in some cases three times the rate others charge. I hate that...but caveat emptor. On top of that, they charged $600.00 for taking out a little mummified mouse and sanitize the ductwork (not a ductwork cleaning, just spraying something around where the mouse had decided to RIP). I don't know how much other HVAC companies charge in such cases, but I do know now that they would've had to have found it in the pan or at worst the main part of the trunk that feeds into it, which is something they'd have had to have come across when they first started the job. No labourious search operations with Navy Seal cameras needed here, folks. So that amounts to $600.00 to open up the pan next to the filter station, scoop out mummified-Mickey and spray some sanitizing solution in the pan ( I don't recall them going down in HAZMAT suits with autoclave equipment ). Seems excessive. But they ( and we ) are free to charge what the market will bear...the onerous is upon us to make it an informed market. Which is the reason for this review.

Thompson plumbing answering service was prompt in returning our call Sunday. The service tech was very helpful in instructing us what we should do to minimize the leak and any dangers from the leaking water heater. The service was very professional and timely. We were satisfied with the work performed.Our only hesitation would be with the price of service .Checking with other friends they felt the price was too high even with the "club membership" we signed up for.

They were timely on arrival and checked the faucet that needed to be replaced. While turning off the water, they made notes of other plumbing they suggested. They suggested lots of add ons but I only replaced the faucet. They replaced the faucet quickly and efficiently.

Thompson does good work - professional, courteous, punctual, tidy, and competent. They have serviced my heat and A/C for many years and have never had to return to complete a job. They are not the least expensive company around, but they are well worth the money, in my book.

The air conditioner was freezing up and not cooling. Thompson had a special promotion for a $69 service call. Thompson came quickly and checked the freon pressure etc. They also did diagnostics on the fan motor, etc. They said we needed to replace the motor capacitor because it was "marginal". The price they wanted was outrageous compared to what it would cost to buy the capacitor on the internet and install it myself and the capacitor could not explain the freezing. They cleaned the plenum and left. The AC continued to freeze up so we called them back. They wanted to charge for an additional service call, but we pointed out that we had already paid and they had not fixed it. They came back and did a very thorough diagnosis finding that the evaporator had a number of leaks and needed to be replaced. They gave us a quote for a new AC, but we got a much better deal elsewhere. The diagnostic service call was inexpensive, but their service and their new AC would have been very expensive.

The workers from Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling are prompt and responsive.

I called to talk to someone about hot water heater replacement, such as the types they install and a cost estimate. they would only give me this information by coming to the house and charging me for a service call.

I purchased the furnance special and thought I was getting a little more than what I actually did. The technician that came to my house was very professional and knowledgeable, but I'm not sure he did much of anything to my furnance other than look at it and explain to me all the various parts that were going bad. At the end of the appointment, he basically suggested I needed a new furnance and they made a pretty hard sell to have me buy a new one from them. Overall, I think the company is good, I was just dissappointed in the deal I bought off of Angie's List. I really didn't get much for the money I spent.

They quoted me almost 600 dollars and I already own the faucets. It was just for the installation. I told them I did not want to use their services and I asked them to leave and he continued to argue with me for about five minutes before I said "It's time for you to go" and he actually cursed at me and said "I am not leaving until you let me finish my work". He actually stood in the hallway in my own house and said "FU". I could not get him to leave my door. I told him I was going to call the cops. He was nuts.

Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling did 2 jobs for me. They did the work very well and I was very pleased. The only downside that I had with them was that later on, I had a problem with the toilet and they said they wanted to charge me a service fee of USD 50 and I told them that the job had to be done, I didn't want them to just come out and look at what has to be done but to come out and do the work, and they wouldn't do it, I was a little upset about that but the work that they did do was good. I would not use them because of this incident.