Whipple Service Champions

Our bath drain was slow. I called out Bob's Remodeling and he told me I needed a new drum trap and it would cost $450. I decided to have Whipple clean the drain for $69 guaranteed. My husband met them and they said they couldn't clean it and the drum trap needed replacing. The plumber who came said it was a very extensive job: he would have to tear up the floor in the bedroom closet and dig out under the building for 10' to get over to the tub to replace the drum trap (cost for tearing up and replacing floor and excavation and plumbing work was $1900). We asked if it couldn't be done through the access panel that backs the tub and he said "no." So we agreed to the job because our tenant didn't have a place to shower. In about 3.5 hours he had completed the job through the access panel. We asked if he would reduce the cost since he did do it through the access panel and he refused. We appealed through our credit card co and dealt with the Whipple office for months (during which time they sent our account to a collection agency!). We had to get a bid from a similar plumbing company. When I talked to Manwell he said, "I did one yesterday and it cost the customer $450." However, Whipple would not honor the written bids from Bob's or Manwell. Finally they reduced our bill to around $1000. We now call them Whipple Ripoff Plumbing.

Once again, Whipple Plumbing arrived right on time wearing uniform and shoe covers. The technician was friendly, knowledgable, trustworthy and professional. He ran a camera down our sewer line, found the clog and cleaned it out. Later that evening, I received a phone call from Whipple to ensure I was satisfied. This is the third time I've used this company and their customer service is second to none! I only wish ALL companies had the same philosophies. I would recommend them again, again, and again! I LOVE Whipple Plumbing!!!

First, they were very inflexible about their scheduling. Don't believe their advertizing about, "You call today...We come today." That was not true. After waiting a week, my wife had to drive 30 miles, from a neighboring town, to wait for their technician, because they couldn't schedule a time that my son (the homeowner) would be there. They finally called, at the time they were supposed to be there, and said they couldn't make it. Very big inconvenience for nothing! They wanted me to reschedule, but I said no!

All we wanted was to have a drain snaked out. We had to make the appointment 1 week in advance. When the technician arrived he refused to snake the drain and tried to sell us a $2000 plumbing job instead. We called another service, who cheerfully did the work we asked.

It didn't go. They never returned my call for service.

Each plumber shows up in a smart, clean uniform, rolls out a carpet, literally, and does a competent job. It was clear to me that my plumber was also trained in sales techniques to negotiate the highest possible price for services. I was quoted nearly double what I'd heard elsewhere, and when I mentioned this, the Whipple man adjusted his bid downward accordingly. Had I not known as much as I did, I would have paid dearly for my ignorance.

I called them based on their radio advertising..they arrived put red carpet on my carpet so they wouldn't track in any dirt. The evaluated the problem, they gave me a written estimate with several options. They then proceeded extrememly professionally and took care of the problem, installed a new water heater. I have had them back several times and will use them forever!

I called them about replacing the kitchen faucet. When I asked about approximate cost, I was told that they don't give estimates over the phone. When the repairman arrived, he gave me the estimate which I thought was high, but gave the go-ahead based on the fact that I would be charged for a service call (approx. $50 then?) and he was ready to do the work. The work was done in a timely manner and a high quality faucet was installed - still working nicely and without leaking. When I did some checking afterwards, I found out that I would have been better off to pay the service charge and do business with someone else. I still could have gotten the job done for half the money.

He managed to repair it in a few hours (my husband had been trying for days). The response time for a Friday was excellent. The cost was a little high - but, it was well worth it for the quick response and friendly, professional service. He did a great job of cleaning up after repair was completed.

Contracted for a 94% furnace, but when I applied for manufacturer rebate, they showed serial number was for a 92% unit. I called numerous time for an explanation, but never got past answering service. They said they would pass on my question, but no one ever called back. I finally gave up. They did not level the pad for the outside air conditioner fan and condenser base. The large plastic pad sits at an angle and the condenser has rubber leveling pads between its base and the pad on the downhill corner. It looks like a home project gone bad. They have flat rates each thing they do and the rates have nothing to do with the time the job requires. As soon as the $649.00 pressure regulator replacement was completed, the pipes in my house started vibrating when the outside automatic sprinkler system came on. I called and asked about this and they had the installer call back and tell me it would not have anything to do with the replacement they installed, but I could try to turn the pressure down and see if it made a difference. That did not seem to help. I just had an outside hose bib, that froze during the cold weather, replaced by a competitor and they told me that the vibrating and knocking pipes were likely caused by the type of pressure regulator I had. The competitor replaced the regulator, replaced a split hose bib and fixed leaks on two other faucets for $265.00 total rather than the $649.00 Whipple charged for just the regulator after they were already on site for the $10,546.00 heater and cooler installation. The pressure regulator replacement took both companies about 15 minutes. I contracted and paid for a 94% efficient Rheem heater, but they installed a 92% efficient unit based on the serial number I had to submit to my utility for a rebate. They charged an excessive amount to replace a pressure regulator valve after they were on site for the water heater, furnace and air conditioner installation.

Very frustrating. We had a total of 5 or 6 technicians over a 3 week period, none of whom told us the same thing that any other tech had said. This experience made me very uncomfortable about using Whipple again.

I responded to a flyer mailed by Whipple for a Pro Series Pull-out kitchen sink faucet and a Pro Series(they said the best)garbage disposal with free installation. I called for an appointment and they came 3-days later. They were slightly late for their appointment(within 30 minutes)but they were very courteous and professional. They brought their shoe covers and floor mat, and they were very careful. They replaced the faucet and garbage disposal, and it took them over two hours for the complete job. The faucet was quite old so the bolts were rusted, which made for some extra effort. They cleaned up after the job, and took the old parts with them. The kitchen sink faucet was $249 and the 1/2 hp garbage disposal was $199, with each listed at twice that. I did have to pay extra for a special fitting and a soap dispenser for the sink. The promotion was to get the faucet and disposal at a great price in order to keep the plumbers busy in the slow winter months. The faucet has a reported lifetime warranty and the disposal has a 5-year warranty. After the work was completed, they checked all of my other faucets, toilets, shut-off valves, water lines, water heater, etc. for proper operation.

Whipple replaced the pressure reducing valve in our house 25 months ago for $800. It failed again this month. Unfortunately it failed 1 month after their warranty expired. So, we forked over another $779 because they would not honor the warranty. This is far more expensive than other companies, but when all the pipes in the house were vibrating from high pressures and I was home alone with a toddler and a newborn I felt I would do anything to stay safe. They did give us a 5 year warranty on this new valve as some compensation.

On the plus side they were one of the very few companies that would actually come on site and give me a full bid for replacing my water heater. (What ever happened to being able to get full cost estimates for free?) They came the same day that I called and they were on time. On the negative side, the bid that I was given was at least $1,000 out of line with the other bids that I got and $800 more than the final price I paid with another company.

The plumbing technician showed up on time, dressed in his Whipple Plumbing uniform -- a white shirt and dark pants. Before entering our house, he automatically put on shoe covers so that he didn't track anything in. He investigated our plumbing and discovered that it is not up to code and needed upgrading. This was the main reason our bathroom sink clogs so frequently. We were short on cash at the time and were expecting guests that weekend. Therefore, the plumbing technician attempted to clear the drain without replacing pipes and it worked. He professionally recommended that we address the issue as soon as possible and update our plumbing. I was impressed that he explored all options with me instead of presenting only the solution that costs the most. After the plumbing technician left, Whipple Plumbing called later that afternoon to follow up and make sure we were satisfied with the work. A couple weeks later we received a thank you card in the mail. These are very nice touches that demonstrate a high level of professionalism and customer service.

They were very good, very responsive, but Ive had similar problems repaired for half the price before. But they were good.

We were scheduled to have an estimate on a central air conditioner replacement at 12:00 noon on a Saturday. I made special arrangements to meet their schedule. At 1:20, they called and said they would be late and would be there between 1:30 and 2:00. Finally at 2:30 after they still did not show up, I called and told them I would do business elsewhere. The estimator did call and apologize but this does not get back a Saturday. The funny thing is their website states We respect your time. We provide flexible scheduling and we arrive on time, as promised.

They were great, they cleaned up after themselves, and they were nice and courteous. They were very quick and responsive.

One of the pipes in my sprinkler system broke, so we had to find the shutoff valve. It was broken and needed to be dug up in order to shut it off. I told the plumber that I could find someone to dig it up if it was going to be expensive, and he said it wouldnt take long so I let him continue. My mistake was not asking for an estimate. I figured it would probably be around $75/hr like most of the plumbers in town. It took him about 3 hours, so when he told me it would be $1800 I almost had a heart attack. Even brain surgeons dont make $600/hour. After much arguing, I was able to get the bill down to $600 which is still way to much for someone to dig a hole in the ground. I would never work with this company again! If you do work with them, make sure you get a written estimate!!!

The work was fine. However, in checking further, we found that their prices were excessive.

I simply called them to inquire about work to put in a new garbage disposal and do some other odds and ends. I was interested in knowing the cost of the garbage disposal as I had already priced the one I wanted else where. She said they could not give a quote over the phone and that someone would have to come out for $69 to give a quote. I told her what the price was of the one I wanted at Home Depot, and said she could call me back with the price. She said they did not do that and was not willing to be flexible in giving me any options without a house call. I called someone else on the list and he was great. I told him the price and he checked what he could get it for. As his price was higher than Home Depot he said I should get it and he would put it in. He will get a good review once done when we return in a month.

I wanted a plumber on a Tuesday, and they were able to accommodate my request. I was told a plumber would be at the house between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. the plumber arrived. He was courteous. He wore plastic coverings on his shoes every time he came in the house. He was fast. Replacing the faucet outside cost $396. It took Eddie not much more than 30 minutes to do the job. The second job was to replace the garbage disposer. Eddie was able to do that job in about 45 minutes. He replaced the disposal with a $70 model; they give a five-year warranty on their work and on the product. The total price for the replacement of the disposal was $317. There was a $59.50 dispatch fee as well. I felt that Eddie listened to all of my concerns thoroughly before he began his work. I was pleased with Eddie, but I felt that the prices were exceptionally high.

In late May, we hired Whipple Plumbing & Heating to do a 'Tune-Up' of our furnace and A/C. The technician came out and checked everything out, or so we thought. Gave both units a 'Clean Bill of Health'! Later this summer when we turned on the A/C for the first time, it did not work at all! Their technician (no longer with the company) had done nothing! And when we had their repair tech out (who didn't show up the first day and late the second....), he said the entire unit needed to be replaced AND that the furnace may actually be dangerous! Their sales rep. then came the next day and after 3 hours still hadn't given me a price. When I called them for a price quote they never called back. From start to finish: A disaster!

It was just as well this was a fixed estimate as the job took way more time than estimated. Although he had been shown where the water line ran the young plumber underestimated what was involved in getting to, removing and reinstalling the bib. The water hammer arrester failed to cure the problem of pipe knocking until a colleague was consulted and next day the plumber had to return with another solution, another hammer arrester and a special valve. The job was completed for the price quoted. They did try to sell me some fancy service contract and a new vent for the water heater (both of which I found very annoying and declined).

The plumber completed the work in a timely manner. He was very professional and offers quality work. The secretary and plumbers are of high quality employees. I truly appreciate their honesty and work ethic.