Shafer Services

The technician detailed and priced out several options for dealing with the gas line and was very informative. He was done quickly and neatly. We will continue to use them.

They seem to be quick to respond. They provide professional service. They did a good job. The price was reasonable.

Our air conditioning had gone out and we were miserable because of the heat wave we have been enduring.. I found Schafer's listing on Anxious list. I called them on Friday afternoon. The receptionist informed me that the next opening would be on Monday. I asked if there was any way she could send anyone earlier. My little cat was panting and I wasn't any better inside the house. She said she would check. The Receptionist came back on the line and said someone would be at my house on Saturday between 10 and BUM. I thanked her and was very grateful to be getting service. My brother showed up at 9:na Saturday to wait for the Tech. He felt he could communicate better with him and he wanted to know what went wrong. We had not heard from anyone by 11:30AM. I decided to call and confirm the Appointment. The same receptionist answered . I explained the situation. She was very apologetic and advised that the Tech wouldn't be coming until onday at 10AM. I was very upset. She asked if I was alright and I said no. She was sincerely apologetic for the miscommunication. I hung up, The receptionist called again around 4:30 PM to advised that she wanted to do right by me and that Greg the technician was on h on his way to my house to provide service. She stated that it would take him about 30 to 35 minutes to get to my home. Greg showed up exactly at the time specified. He was friendly, polite and courteous. I was impressed that he took ownership of the problem and apologized for the misunderstanding/ Greg is an excellent representative for your company. He is knowledgable, a good communicator and does mot waste getting the job done. Gloria Reyes

I called Schafer services first along with two other competitors. Although all three companies diagnosed the same major problem, Schafer had the best customer service starting from the moment I called the office to set an appointment, then from the plumber doing the work and finally rounding out the positive experience was the plumbing service manager. Schafers prices were very honest and competitive. Even though Schafers prices were in the middle compared to the other two competitors ($50 more then the low bid and over $200 from the higher bid). Their customer service and honesty beat the other competitors hands down. They came out within days from when I made the initial call and they arrived on time as promised and they restored my plumbing like new. I have already recommended them to family and friends and plan to use them again in the future.

SOON AFTER I WOKE UP ON JUNE 28 I FOUND THAT OUR WATER HEATER WAS LEAKING. I CALLED SHAFER PLUMBING AND THEY ARRIVED IN ABOUT ONE HOUR. THE MAN WHO CAME TO OUR HOME WAS PROFESSIONAL AND EASY TO TALK TO. HE DETERMINED THAT WE NEEDED A NEW HEATER AND HAD IT INSTALLED IN ABOUT TWO HOURS. THE COST WAS SIMILAR TO THE COST OF THE LEAKING HEATER AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A LARGER HEATER INSTALLED. THEY ALSO CLEANED THE MESS MADE BY THE LEAK.

Bob, of the plumbing department, arrived promptly at 8:00 am and began checking out the plumbing. There were a couple of concerns I had and he checked them out right away and included his recommendation at the end of the appointment, along with the other issues he found. Brian, of the AC/Heating department, arrived shortly afterward and began going through the inside and outside units. There was actually a cooling failure we were experiencing at that time so he spent extra time to be able to actually do the review of the equipment. After he was finished he prepared a report for me to use in considering recommended maintenance and repair. He included the cost of each item and has advised me those items that should be done sooner rather than later and those that can wait. I have confidence in the recommendations given me, that they are truthful. I don't have any misgivings about their dealings whatsoever

usually don't post comments, but after we dealt with Shafer, I feel compelled to do so. Not only did they arrive at our house quickly (within two hours of us calling on a Saturday morning) but Joe was the best plumber I have ever hired. Extremely knowledgeable and courteous and quickly found our problem and took the extra time to make sure everything was working. Can't say enough good things and I will definitely use them again.

Connected gas line to dryer and fixed exhaust pipe on water heater.

Showed up on time....water heater was not heating water. My husband and neighbor tried to fix with a part from Home Depot. Still didn't work so we called Shafer as a reference from a friend. Very nice older gentleman showed up right on time. He indicated that the part my husband purchased was in fact correct it just "wasn't pushed in far enough"---exactly his words. So, basically it just needed to be pushed in. He then told me the tube on the part was too long and I would need another new shorter one...that he would furnish... this was the only size Home Depot carried. Turns out our HomeDepot part was about 10 bucks and his "part, labor and call" over $200. Total bill was $214. I was very unhappy with the charges and literally told him he was "ripping me off". He quickly added he flushed the heater as well. I told him I did not ask for or approve that. He then told me he would take off $59 from the service call.---I now owed $155. That's $155 for $10 part and someone pushing it in a little harder to move into the connection...this part is located in the front of the heater behind the small cover...not at all difficult to access. At first I appreciated his honesty that we had the right part and it just wasn't pushed in far enough. I was actually surprised that he was that honest...then he took advantage of the situation. Upon later research I found that the part we had would have been fine and the length of the tube did not matter so, a new part was not necessary. I understand service calls to ones home are expensive....however, if I wouldn't have stood my ground we would have totally been taken advantage of for $214. The repairman was truly a very nice man....I believe he was following protocol from the main office...add on and charge more. Shafer would have had my business for life .... if the repairman had given this honest opinion, charged for the service call and added on a minimal fee for pushing the part in....let's say another $25 for "pushing the part in" that would have been fair and honest...for a total bill of $85 or $95....the time to determine the part was not pushed in was less than 10 minutes as I had told him exactly what we had done in replacing the part in the first place..... As it was handled ....I will never call them back. I did receive a recorded message a couple of days after the service call from the owner.....thanking me for my business and going on and on about how happy they were that they could help us. I attempted then to speak with Mr. Shafer via phone and he was never available.

In the spring of 2010 we decided to replace our 30 year-old AC. We obtained bids from our former Heating & AC service company and Shafer. We had used Shafer's plumbing services on two previous occasions and the plumber, who made a very good impression, informed us that the company also had a complete Heating & AC division. Having both our plumbing and AC covered by the same company was appealing, so we them a shot. The sales rep was knowledgeable, professional, and very pleasant and quick to reply with answers when I called with a question the day after he gave me the estimate. Both companies bids were on the same brand of system, but Shafer's bid gave us 1,000 more btus for a little less than the other company. They bid also included some reconfiguation of pipes that had not been included in the other bid. The work was scheduled and the installers arrived on time. Our house was built in the mid 1960's and has the AC unit and the water heater located in a small closet right in the middle of the downstairs. It was hot, hard work in a tight space, but the installers kept a good attitude and completed the work as scheduled. Everything went along well for a couple of days when I noticed that the outside condenser was making a loud banging sound when it shut off. I reported the noise and they sent someone over the next day. They made a few adjustments which seemed to correct the problem, but with 24 hours the banging was back. It did take several visits by their techs and several different tests to isolate and correct the problem which was a faulty part that came with the system. Prior to the City Inspection, Shafer sent out a representative to double check the installation and operation of the system. He had two workers come out and tweak a few things, replace a section of ducting, and add a new roof vent. The inspector came and passed us with flying colors. It is now a little over a year later and everything is working great. We are quite pleased with Shafer's Heating & AC installation and the service we have received since.

This faucet was rather difficult to fix. They did it with a minimum of effort and time and did an excellent job. I have used them a number of times and they've always come out and performed service above and beyond. I am quite satisfied. I will use them again in the future.

Great. On time, efficient problem solvers.

The service call went very well! The two technicians made statements of approximate times and beat them all! Service was faster than anticipated which, in June in South Texas and dealing with air conditionong, is always good!

Monday evening, Memorial Day, and I hear water dripping in the master bath, on the floor and inside the compartment of our floating vanity. The plumbers who came out a few days ago charged $135 to say there might be a leak but they couldn't find it. I called that company this evening and got the answering service but no call back. After calling two other companies who advertised 24/7 service, but only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., I called Shafer. The manager took my information and said a plumber would call me back. Bob Archambault called back within 5 minutes, at 9:15 p.m., and told me he would be at my house in 45 minutes. It's now 10:30 p.m. and the faucet is fixed. Even better, we got an Angie's List discount on the dispatch fee plus a 10% senior discount on the service. We have a new plumbing company! Thank you, Bob.

They were very good, we recommended them to other people. We were happy with him all the way around.

All went well - I called a day in advance and told them what I needed done and they showed as scheduled the next day as promised. Repaired a leaking faucet in master bath and replaced an outdoor faucet that was leaking. They were professional and completed the work in a timely manner.

They do excellent work. I called them, and they came within a couple of hours and fixed my problem. When they came to fix the water pressure for the faucets, they came about 3 hours after I called them. Their repairs are excellent. They do the repairs within 30 minutes usually. I use them for heating and air conditioning too. They are quick, efficient, and guarantee their work. If something goes wrong later on, then they come back to fix it for free. I have a service contract with them, so when I call them, I go to the top of the list. If the air conditioning breaks then they will be out at my house ahead of other people. Their are experts at plumbing, heating, and air conditioning. I bought a water softener from them that is great. They took care of it right away and supplied me with what I needed.

I originally called Shafer because of the discount offered in Angie's list magazine and the high rating on file for them. I called Shafer because my AC/heater overflow pan water was running outside and was an odd rust color. It had not ever done that before so I was worried... They came out the same day and checked everything out. Was great service until now. the Service guy was really nice and explained that there was some type of coil or pump that had gone bad and they were unable to fix it without taking the whole thing apart, and that because my AC was so old (10 years) that they didn't even make the part anymore. And the part itself was quoted to be a couple thousand dollars because it was so difficult to find.... or I could just buy a whole new AC system... so they did the service guy did the whole " I'll give you a good deal on a new system with all the rebates", but I had to pay out of pocket almost 7k. So after two service calls which I had to pay the service fee each time for them to come out, the installers came in and put in the new system on the third time. Then working with the scheduler, I had to miss more work so that the city inspector could come to the house and find that the duct work was full of holes and wasn't secured to the fittings properly, running 25% less efficient that it was supposed to be, FAILED inspection. The original service guy swore he would come back and fix everything and he still has not, 3 months later. The men who represented Shafer were all very nice and professional, but the job is not complete and I am still out of an efficient AC/Heater system.

Chris and his team were on time to evaluate the leak I found in my attic that I noted was coming from a pin-sized hole in one of the T-fittings at one of the junction points coming off of the water heater. Once Chris evaluated the issue, was very knowledgable about Kitek fittings and the issues that have arisen, as he has had personal experience in his own home. He informed me that Shafer is the only company in town that has the connector pieces/couplings and that they are hard to find (read- expensive), costing approximately $90 each. After leaving the site for about 45 mins-1 hour, he returned with the appropriate parts (having to do a bypass as no T-pieces available) and he and his assistant, Chris, had the leak resolved within 30 minutes and the water on and tested within an hour. I was disappointed in the overall project cost, but most of that was because of the expensive parts needed (approx $360). Less than a week later, I again noted water dripping from the same closet register and went to the attic to inspect the leak. This time, the leak was originating from one of the couplings used to do the bypass. I called Shafer right away and as this was a fairly small leak, they came out the next day. A different Chris came out and noted that the pipes entering the coupling were not perfectly at 180 degrees and this can apparently lead to leakage. He was able to reseal the coupling and straighten the junction by placing a 2x4 on the decking and drilling the bracket through it and into the decking, leaving the whole 'bypass' portion flush so there would be no further issues. There was no charge for this return visit and again, repairs were completed in a timely fashion and to my satisfaction. I had previously used Shafer for a water softener install and while professional and curteous, I believe they are a bit pricey, but you know the job is done properly. (N.B.- I have a plumber in my family, unfortunately 2000 miles away).

I have a service agreement with Shafer. After receiving an estimate for a new toliet, I called to ask if there was a way to get a less expensive product since I am on a fixed income. The manager, Charles, walked me through the web sit for San Antonio Water System which offers a one time free toliet as a water conservation measure. He went out of his way to assist me with this and quoted me a reasonable price to install the toliet. Not only will this save me money, I am so impressed that he would help me with a solution that actuallly meant less money for his company! I highly recommend Shafer to others.

This company was responsive, professional, courteous. They make a great impression. They sent out two young men in a nice late model service van just three hours after being called on a Saturday. They also charge what I consider excessive rates. For replacement of five compression shutoff valves for 3 toilets and a pedestal sink, they would have charged $850 less 10% or $765 total, plus the $49 service call charge. I declined the repair and paid the service charge. Drove directly to a home improvement store. Bought the 5 brass 1/4 turn valves at less than $6 each, a $1 roll of teflon tape (roughly $35) total, returned to the house, and replaced the valves in less than an hour. This job required only two medium sized crescent wrenches Counting the trip to the store, I completed the work in 90 minutes. If Shafer Services had done the work in the same time I did, the rate would have been roughly $500 per hour. I consider that excessive, no matter how polite, professional and competent they were.

I was very impressed with their service. We had another plumber come out twice and the problem did not seem to fix itself and the company appeared to be sloppy so we switched to Shafer. Shafer brought a camera out, found the problem, and then dug up exactly where the problem was. They dug up and fixed it all in one day and then filled in the hole the next day, I was extremely happy with the work and the timing. We also have a 90 day guarantee on the work. They came out when they said they would and took care of business.

I woke up at 4 AM on a SUNDAY with water on the bathroom floor then realized that the MB carpet was getting wet. Went to the kitchen on the other side of the house that shares a wall with the bedroom and had water spewing from the refrigerator filter. Called Mr. Shafer, who talked to my husband directly and with in a half hour we had Chris - his great and wonderful plumber at our house as well as a water extraction company. Could not ask for greater service and the price for Sunday work was beyond reasonable (not free just don't have time to look up :). My husband and I are great fans!!! - Shafer has been wonderful all along but this was above and beyond. Flooring thru most of our house is havning to be replaced to give the extent of the problem.

The job went absolutely excellent. The techs that installed the softener were professional and quick. After we discovered the softener was no longer needed, the testing and everything they did to determine we needed a new one was excellent. The new softener is great. I have never had one this good. They walked us through picking a new one and gave us all the paperwork, including warranty information. I also have a contract with them for all my HVAC work. I pay a lower price and go to the top of the list if I need anything.

As always, an excellent experience. Technicial Chris Chamrad checked for leaks using a camera, located the leaks, and scheduled the crew to dig 7' under the foundation in back. The crew was very efficient and cleaned up the work area. Once the hole was dug, Chris came back and repaired the section. Then the digging crew came back and filled in the hole with flowfill concrete and dirt. From start to finish was about a week. They were slowed down somewhat with rain. Chris spent time with my insurance company justifying the need for the work and helped me obtain an insurance check that covered about 60% of the cost. We have used Shafer for a number of projects recently and have always been happy with their professionalism, neatness, and promptness.