Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

On 6/1/2022 a technician shows up for a water leak under my home, the tech was friendly, on time, and professional, in appearance. I point out where the leak is, after 30 minutes he says the main pipe is probably plugged which created additional weight, possibly stretching supports and as a result the shower drain pipe had been disconnected. He said he would write up a quote, and I was shocked to find it was for 10k. I refused service but asked for a detailed write up for what needed because I was paying an $89.00 Regular Service Fee (29-89) and another fee, MISC level 1 1 which was $97.00 for god knows what. Here is the write up I received from the technician.(More commentary below) "END TASKS*/ upon arrival customer had leak in crawl space and shower has disconnected the reason this disconnected is due to the weight of the sewer line this line is full of water and when wisher is ran it backs up out of this line causing a leak this line has fallen in ,multiple spots and is sagging in multiple spots this is abs piping. I gave options to repipe both bathrooms and then after run camera to locate septic tank. The reason customer is not backing up into house is because everything comes out this shower drain. I gave customer the options for repipe he did not want to continue with any work there is not a cleanout outside for me to camera this line and cannot locate where line exits home for ability to locate septic tank. Options were provided customer did not want to proceed with any work inspection fee was charged. Repipe and camera locate septic Camera Locate Septic Tank from Clean Out 1x $369.00 2 bath/kitchen/laundry drain only L1 1x $9,552.00 Deposit on Ben Society Agreement 1yr $99.00 Start date: 06/01/2022 Subtotal: $10,020.00 Discount: - $315.00 Tax: TBD $9,705.00 I asked how long this work would take and was told 2-3 days. Simple math tells me I could pay a guy 100$ an hour for 97 hours, or 2 full weeks and then some at that rate. I thought to myself, ok, he does not want to do the work so he priced himself out. I am ok with that, but the business owner should be made aware of what is going on and cut these guys loose because there are plenty of other options out there. I am also shocked at the lack of detail for pricing, for 10k I need know specifically what is being done, on a line by line basis. After all, I paid almost 200 dollars and I would like to think I am owed that much. One last detail, I did call in and spoke to "Angel" who said she would relay my concerns and that someone would be calling me back. I am not holding my breath.

They said it would be a fee to look at the problem but wouldn't quote me how much it would cost to run a camera down the pipe. NO TRANSPARENCY. I'm not paying a company to drive out and verbally tell me something the office/management knows. I've also seen many reviews that they overprice. This is their scheme. IT SHOULD BE AN EASY RESPONSE. WHAT ARE THE RATES FOR RUNNING X AMOUNT OF LINE WITH A CAMERA. HOW AWEFUL ARE BUSINESSES BECOMING?

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As far as the quality of the service they get an "A", but they were a bit overpriced.

They came out and looked at my toilet issue. My water bill has gone up $3 a month since they left in May. They came back and took pictures in June stating he would discuss the issue with his boss. I have called several times and no one has returned my calls. I called and spoke with Kelly who handles the billing. She said she'd speak with her boss and have them reach out to me. I have heard nothing back from them since September 13th.

My first frustration was when I was presented with a bill for $750. Remember that I supplied all the toilet parts and the tech was at my home less than an hour. The second frustration was when I checked to see if the faucet was installed correctly after the plumber left. I plugged the drain and the sink would not hold water. The third frustration was that the faucet was leaking under the cabinet. I called the tech back (I had his number from when he called to say he was on the way). He was back in a flash and said he should have checked his work before he left. I thought that was a given. Now the toilet does not run continuously, but it sprays from the tank. I chose not to call Benjamin Franklin back to fix, even though their work is guaranteed. As for the Benjamin Franklin trucks at the neighbors, it just so happens that the owner of the company lives at that house, according to the tech.

30 minute job, non emergency, easy fix double the price it should have been. I believe they took advantage of a 88 year old widow. When I called to question the price, I was told essentially "it's already been paid for, so tough luck".

Benjamin Franklin's technicians performed outstanding service, installing an entire new and superior tankless hot water system, replacing our inferior and dangerously flawed tankless system that no longer performed. The lead technician was up front regarding the reasons for replacement, the cost of replacement, as well as less expensive alternatives. After we decided to replace with a new tankless system and because of the price point, the lead technician suggested time plan payment alternatives which was very helpful. The day of installation, the crew arrived on time as promised and suggested that the unit be placed on the outside of the house instead of underneath in the crawl space, allowing for easy access for maintenance and trouble shooting as well as for safety. An excellent suggestion since the old tankless system had been installed against a wall in the crawl space underneath our bedroom floor which the lead technician noted, would have been bad for us if the corroded pipes had started leaking gas! Anyway, the entire job was completed without a hitch and again right on time as promised. The new system has been working perfectly for six months now and we could not be more pleased! I would highly recommend Benjamin Franklin and their technical crews to anyone with plumbing issues - two thumbs up!

The plumber (Blain Clement) that came out was great! Did all the necessary work in a very short amount of time. I figured he would be there almost the entire day, but he was in and out within about an hour. Promised to be here at a certain time and was at our appointment time within 2 or 3 minutes.

too much money and poor workmanship

As much as I remember all items were repaired/fixed within minutes. I was initially given several options of how things could be fixed,one option regarding the toilet being extremely costly, I went with the least expensive, which was still pricey. The repairman was very thorough and professional. I have no problems with his work, However, Ben Franklin is extremely expensive and they always seem to have many solutions, at least one which will be more costly than the others.

We thought we needed a new water heater but it was just an expansion valve! that was a relie. they were fast efficient and fair. I thought the pricing was a little higher than others but they came right away.

This was a night call to Benjamin Franklin. Nathan arrived promptly and fixed the problem quickly and professionally. This work was under our toilet warranty. We asked him to come back the next day to check on something and again, his response was first class. Very polite, very knowledgeable. Everything was cleaned up afterwards. We have always used Ben Franklin for our plumbing needs and have never been dissatisfied. Would always recommend them to others and trust them to get the job done well.

The whole house plumbing inspection I was satisfied with, but they refused to do the other part of the deal with the water heater flush. Which was the only reason I bought the deal. They said it was too old and they might brake it. Even when I asked them too even if it broke, they still wouldnt do it. I was very displeased with the overall service.

They did a pretty good job. I don't know if they over charged. They had to replace an extra pipe in the floor. I was very satisfied with their work.

Had some issues scheduling - they postponed because of another service call - but came the next day, precisely at the correct time, and waived the weekend service charge. He looked at the fixtures we had and the issues with leak. Gave us a quote which we thought was rather pricey. Work was performed in a timely manner - premises was left clean. He was very informative - helpful with exploring slowness of water supply and drainage to basement bathroom where he had been working. Found the problem which was a minor issue - and fixed it without further charge. We are extremely pleased with the service and friendliness and will definitely use this company again and will not hesitate to recommend them to others.

Got a call from the water company that their meter reader had found a leak while doing the monthly check (and had turned off the water to prevent damage to the yard). I called Benjamin Franklin plumbing at 3:00pm and they had someone out at 4:30. The repairman had to dig a 2x2x2 hole at the meter to gain access to replace a section of PVC pipe and a coupling. The water was back on by 6:00. The repair was done professionally. Very satisfied and I'll use them in the future.

first came to potentially fix the faucet we had in kitchen...after looking at situation recommended a completely new faucet..came back a day later and installed the new wolverine faucet.

See above. What I have to add here are the results of my seeking a second opinion (from a local Angie's List plumber who did not see the need to go in for any "Big Deals," as, according to him, he is "busy enough already." He took a look at the Anode Rod and declared it to be "looking normal." No need at all for it to be replaced. As to my kitchen faucet, I was told the installation of a new one would run to $90 but no more than $100. I asked him to please choose and provide a suitable faucet with a decent life span -- and my total for the faucet and installation was $200. Reason why my evaluation of "Benjamin Franklin" is not more positive is that I felt misled by exaggerated diagnoses and exorbitant prices. Sad to say, my faith in those "Big Deals" has been somewhat diminished . . . according to the opinion of a friend, those "Big Deals" seem to attract companies who, for whatever reasons, are either not busy enough or too greedy.

Arrived quickly, all my sewage had backed up through the tubs and sinks. He came and quoted me $1700. Said he was going to have to dig up the water lines, cut a whole in the pipe, attach another pipe to come straight out of the ground and fill in hole, then he could run a snake through it and take care of what was causing the backage. He said he was a hard, dirty job, and would take a long time. When he was describing this it sounded like he was going to dig up the whole water line, I signed an order stating I agreed to this price, then he pulls a small shovel out of the truck digs a 2 x 2 ft hole about 2 ft down, cuts a hole in the existing pvc pipe, sticks a 2 ft pvc straight up in this pipe, glues it, fills in the dirt, runs a snake and done. The reason it took him two hours is he kept sitting down on porch smoking. Since this was news years, he knew chances are I would not be able to get anyone else out there, so he charged what he wanted. Later I had a plumber come over to give me an estimate on replacing water line and show him the pipe sticking out of ground, and his price for that only was $400 total. Beware of this group

Water supply line to house burst in the front yard, sending a geyser of water over two story house. Single plumber from company arrived earlier than promised the next morning and quickly provided several options for solving problem: 1) Replace section of water line with break 2) Replace water line from water meter to break and add pressure regulator (our water pressure was over code-level). 3) Replace entire line and add pressure regulator. Originally chose option 2, but when line was unearthed was found to be sub-standard plastic line with several older patches. Entire line was replaced with copper and pressure regulator added. During job, improperly repaired section of broken sewer line was found. This section was replaced and clean-out valve added . Plumber was knowledgeable, gave us several options and was frank about developments as the day went on. He worked very hard all day to get our water and sewer back in working order, including digging the entire line by hand (trencher was not available) and getting the work inspected and the trench covered by the end of the day. Very happy with the speed and quality of work. 20 year warranty included. Obviously not happy about having to spend this amount of money for a repair. It is infuriating to pay to repair the substandard work that was apparently done or endorsed by the house's previous owner. However, with no other estimate to compare this price to, I cannot knowledgeably comment on the price, so have marked it N/A. With that qualification, the price does NOT seem excessive for quality, speed and amount of work done.

Plumber arrived, spent about 80 minutes checking pressures, buildup, etc. No repair work performed (or required). Gave us an estimate for future work that may be needed. Thought estimate was pricey.

After I made my Angie's Deal purchase, I figured I'd have to wait, since they probably sold a lot of these deals. October passed, then November, then December. So I called to check with Benjamen Franklin and they acted like, well, if you don't call us, you don't get the deal. I paid my money and expected them to deliver without having to call them. After all, they had my information and my money. I'll never do another Angie's Deal again. The guy came out on Jan.10th, 2012 and basically spent the whole time trying to sell me a pressure reducing valve which we'd already had replaced by someone else. He wanted $264.00 for that and tried to sell me an emergency shut off valve @ $179.00 for something else. I just wanted what I paid for, a plumbing inspection and a water heater flush. He reluctantly did the service and I sent him on his way. I guess he thought he could wear me down, but I didn't have the money to spend on anything extra. It was very uncomfortable and I would never use them again.

The next plumber to show up looked where homeowner was told the problem was - showed the homeowner the roots and said it could be fixed the next day for $1500. Homeowner call Benjamin Franklin to ask for explanation and talk to manager - this took 3 days. The manager was helpful in saying that if they had fixed the problem they found they would have done a full inspection when they were done and found the roots and fixed that as well, but that he would refund homeowners money for the services that were performed. Disappointed in that if I had picked this company I would have paid for 2 jobs to be done, maybe they problem they fixed will need to be fixed eventually but for now I just wanted to get rid of the roots!!

I couldn't have been happier. The receptionist was great, the repairman was wonderful, and the job was done in a timely manner from first look to cleanup.