Service Specialties Inc.

We called to have a backflow installed in our bathroom so it would meet Fairfax County Code.

The technician, Patrick, was right on-time. He did a thorough job, explained the operation and maintenance of my systems and answered all of my questions. Best of all, he didn't try to upsell me on anything! Honest and professional. Would definitely recommend SSI and will definitely use again.

All went as planned...done very quickly and easily.

He had to replace a computer component under warranty for us. We've worked with them before and they always do wonderful work. They're awesome about brainstorming solutions, and they don't try to upsell. They have service plans available if you want to go that route. They've even pointed out some other wonderful companies for us. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

This was a $99 big deal purchase. They came and said it was going to cost more than that so I eventually went back to the manager and complained so they changed the price back to $99. The original price was good.

I purchased a deal for an outdoor faucet replacement. Unlike other Angie's List providers, SSI does not contact you and expects you to contact them. So after finally getting in touch, they scheduled a plumber for a 12-5 window. They called and said he was on another call and he finally showed up at 6:30PM and it was too late to do anything. I was irritated as I had to stay home to have this done and could have gone to work. So I was told by the plumber they would call to reschedule and they didn't. So after several attempts they rescheduled for 5/31 and no one showed up...against after staying home from work. After repeated attempts to get in touch with them about this missed appointment, they have not returned any correspondence and it looks as though I have missed two days in the office and thrown $99 down the drain (no pun intended). Do not uses this provider as they are impossible to reach, not prompt, unprofessional, and take your money without providing a service in return.

The outlet is at the front of the house and protrudes through vinyl siding: any melting would have been problematic. The plumber looked at the pipe from the inside but approaching it from there offered no advantage, so he applied the torch very carefully to the pipe on the outside at the faucet. The only evidence that something was done is the shiny, new faucet. A skilled, personable provider, a good price, and a successful outcome: altogether a good deal.

Fine as far as I can tell. It was just done yesterday. The guy was good - very professional.

Rob did an amazing job and was very personable. He replaced my old faucet and pipe and even made sure it was placed to my satisfaction. He was very helpful with other plumbing suggestions, was neat and clean and exceeded my expectations. My dogs loved him and he was great with them. I would highly recommend Rob and this company for any plumbing needs!

They showed up on time and fixed the leaky faucet in the backyard. I thought it was expensive but the job was well performed.

Arrived on time for a 7:30 appointment which was perfect for my schedule. Took care of the contracted job and also assisted with another job on site. Facet was replaced and the area all cleaned up. We now have a functioning hose bib in our front yard to support our flower beds. After completing that job I was able to have him add an extension to support my wife's watering needs on our back deck. This was done with an inexpensive and innovative design that he took care of on the spot. Now my wife no longer has to run down the stairs to turn the water on and off to take care of the plants on our 2nd floor deck. Very happy with the Angie's list deal for the hose faucet replacement, and doubly happy with the professionalism and responsiveness to other needs. Highly recommend this company.

Rob was great. He was punctual, professional, timely, knowledgeable and patient in answering all of my questions. And he got along great with my dog who can be a real handful for contractors. After the job was completed he had time to give me a quote on a gas hot water heater replacement as well. Would highly recommend him as a service technician. Have to be completely honest and state that the 12 April visit was the second one scheduled. Through a miscommunication with the dispatch office the original appointment for 1 April did not materialize in the originally scheduled timeframe of 12 - 5 pm. I did not get the one hour lead time phone call from the office prior to 4 pm that day so I called them at 4:30 for a what's up buttercup? They told me they were just about to call me that the technician had some unexpected delays on the current job and would not arrive until 5:30 - 6:00 pm. That timeframe did not work for me but when I was able to speak to the technician, we decided upon a mutually agreed upon time for 12 April and everything went like clockwork from there. All of the persons I did speak with from the company were very pleasant, conscientious and willing to make things right so I just chalked the whole thing up to a simple miscommunication. Life happens and I did not take it personally.

Everything was discussed and went according to schedule.

They did a good job. I wish they did a better job connecting the faucet to the house with putty (that's why I gave them a B for quality), but the faucet does work great with no leaks, it just is a bit loose.

Rudy Lilly was my account executive and was wonderful to work with. He established a contract for periodic maintenance and we are using that as the basis for our ongoing service.

Punctual arrival, finished in under 30 minutes, explained what was accomplished, and provided a walk-through inspection of all inside plumbing. Very thorough and professional. Outstanding service!

SSI was on time and prepared to perform the job we'd hired them to do (change the outdoor faucet). The SSI employee completed his work and spoke with us about some common concerns homeowners may have about homes the age of our home. At our request, he checked some of the items, indicated all was in good repair, re-tested the faucet he had worked on and departed about two hours after he arrived. SSI is on our short-list for future needs.

Like other Angie's List customers, I purchased the advertised Angiie's list deal of "$99.00 to replace your old, leaky or broken outdoor hose faucet. Free comprehensive plumbing inspection also included." And like other customers, I did not end up receiving that service. The manager eventually called and made it right, but I would still, overall, likely not use this service again. The technician, Robert, showed up and when I showed him the outdoor faucet to be replaced, he looked in the interior of the house and immediately told me that they could not perform the service because the inside of the house had drywall and SSI would not do drywall repair. I looked at the "fine print" of the deal (afterwards), and there is no mention of needing interior pipe access, or any caution concerning drywall. Oh well. So Robert explained that instead of replacing the faucet, he could rebuild it. That would cost $157, and I couldn't use the Angie's List money towards it. Instead, I would pay SSI $157 and then have to contact Angie's List to get my $99 refunded. It didn't feel right, but I wanted the outdoor faucet fixed, and he was there ready to do the work, so I consented. Well, the service took 20 minutes, although I think for some of that time, Robert was in his service truck. When he was done, he had me turn on the water. The faucet leaked from the top, and when I pointed that out to him, he said that he would tighten a connection. After I had paid and Robert left, I turned on the faucet again; it still leaked from the top. I have to say, Robert was polite, but gave off the air of somebody who really couldn't care less. He told me that a lot of people haven't been able to use this Angie's List deal because of the drywall problem. I called SSI to express my dissatisfaction. The woman there was very polite, and reviewed notes on the service. She said that Robert put in the notes that the faucet was old and corroded, so it could not be fully fixed. I told her I was disappointed in my service and was under the impression that a $157 faucet rebuild would leave me with a functioning faucet. Also, Robert never told me that the faucet was too corroded to work. I asked for a refund and she said that she would talk to her manager. One business day later, the manager called to apologize. He was very nice and offered to refund the purchase price. I thought that was very fair. Overall, though, I think that they could have been clearer in their advertisements. It would have saved me (and SSI) a lot of time.

What the technician presented to my renters was that the job was to small for him to do. He told me over the phone to replace the kitchen faucet I had was $62.00 for the deal I paid for and $681.00 to replace the kitchen faucet. I felt this job was extremely over quoted.

He was knowledgeable, friendly, professional and explained everything to me and why the Big Deal I purchased would not really fit the repairs that were needed. He needed to rebuild my entire outdoor spicket/ faucet in order to keep it from freezing. So far everything looks fine.

Everything went great. Called and showed up as stated. Professional.

Great service. Quick and transparent.

I would consider using them again, but I am left uncomfortable about this service. The person sent seemed very professional. He said he had to replace the faucet tubing from the inside and I let him cut into the wallboard to reach the entry place. (The cut off handle was about a foot to the side of where the faucet tube came through the wall.) When he saw how the tubing was cemented into the wall, he said he would have to crack through that to install the whole new setting. I was given the impression that this would be very messy, he did not say if he would cement the new pipe back in, and it looked like he would have to solder the new tubing to the shut off valve tubing, etc. Because I've had the experience of a frozen pipe bursting at a seam, that scared me. He said he could rebuild the faucet from the outside instead, but the Angie's List special would not cover that, and could not be used as credit. The new price was $157 instead of $99, even though once he found the correct parts on his truck, it took him very little time to remove the old faucet and replace it with a new one. This is what I thought I was paying for to begin with, so why was it more? He could only say that it was not the same thing as the Special. Why? I paid him and he had me sign my name to his smartphone or iPad -- it was to acknowledge completion of service, I believe, but I am embarrassed to say I could not actually see what I signed. That was stupid of me, and maybe I should have asked him to sign an acknowledgment to me. I can't help but question myself about how to protect myself from a potential bait and switch... (Also, the first time we scheduled the service, I was only given the time "between 12 and 5." I called them a little after 4 because I had not heard anything and was told he would arrive within the hour. He did not, and I had to leave . The man called about 5:35 pm and asked if someone was home, and I explained no. They were good about rescheduling.)

SSI called and said that the plumber would be at my house within the hour. The scheduled time was between 8 and 11:00 AM. He arrived within the time stated and after a discussion on the type of faucet I elected to have the frost free installed. The plumber, Robert was extremely professional and went right to work - no wasting time. He did a great job and was extremely professional and customer oriented.

The office was very responsive, addressing a question I had about coverage of the Big Deal before I purchased it. They were flexible on modifying the scheduled service appointment that I need to change due to personal reasons. Once the plumber arrived, right when they said he would, I found that the Big Deal should not have applied. I thought I had clarified this in advance, so I called the office. Sam realized she had misunderstood the question I was asking and took full responsibility for that error, which led me to believe the Big Deal would apply (the question was whether the Deal would apply given the fact that the pipe was not easily accessible from inside due to being behind drywall). Even though the accessibility issue would apparently have normally resulted in an additional charge, they stood by their response to my question and did the complete job for the Big Deal price. I really appreciated the high level of integrity displayed by SSI. They could have conceivably said "you missed the exception in the fine print", but they did not. That willingness to acknowledge their contribution to the misunderstanding means a lot to me and speaks highly of their professionalism. The plumbing work itself was also exceptionally well done. The plumber was well skilled, efficient, friendly, and courteous. Even with the need to work inside our carpeted family room, cutting an access through the drywall and doing the necessary unsoldering and then soldering of the copper piping there in order to change out the faucet, the plumber was very careful to make a cut into wall that is easily patchable, and very careful to keep the area where he was working clean. Again, a high degree of professionalism. I very much appreciated all aspects of the service I received from SSI.