McCarthy Services

This job should have taken 30-40 minutes if the plumber had arrived with the appropriate drain clearing equipment. It wound up taking 4 hours, including the time spent on making 2 trips to Home Depot for supplies and equipment. Once it was clear that the plumber could not free up the drain with his manual snake, he consulted his boss and proposed to cut the bath tub overflow pipe and use his hand snake via the plumbing access panel behind the tub faucets. But once underway, the plumber realized that he would have to reconfigure the drain pipes in order to proceed ( at an estimated cost of $600). I insisted that the plumber not cut or reconfigure any pipes. Instead I suggested that he try using a power (electric) drain snake through the drain in the tub. To his credit, the plumber purchased an electric snake and returned to clear the drain. All in all, it was a very stressful experience - one that could have been much more expensive than it turned out to be only because I insisted on another approach. UPDATE - ON FEBRUARY 14TH THE PROVIDER STATED THAT HE WOULD CALL ME TO "FIX THE ISSUE" BUT IT'S BEEN THREE (3) WEEKS AND HAS NOT CALLED. I EVEN FOLLOWED UP WITH A PHONE MESSAGE TO THE PROVIDER BUT STILL NO CALL. MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT McCARTHY'S COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE. :(

For the toilet tune-up, the plumber replaced an old flapper (among a few other things like adjusting the tank level). After he left, the toilet started running constantly. There was a tricking water sound 24/7 and the tank would refill every 5 minutes or so. Since it was our master bathroom, we had to start closing the door to the bathroom to even sleep. I called the company, which was very understanding and offered to send someone out again to take a look. I was put in a 1-5pm window for Monday. I received a call a little after 5:00pm telling me the plumber was still installing a garbage disposal in another town and wouldn't be able to get to me until probably 6:30pm. Since I had plans that evening, I told them I'd rather reschedule. But they didn't have any openings on Tuesday, so I would have to wait until Wednesday. On Wednesday, the (same) plumber arrived and took a look. He said he did some tricks to make it not leak as badly, but the only way to stop the leak altogether would be to replace the flush valve at a price of $258.00. I opted not to have him do the service because I wanted to do some research and get some additional quotes. The leaking did slow down for a few hours (only filling the tank every 15 minutes!), but any help was only temporary. I did find another plumber to come in a take a look for a much cheaper price than $258, and he has completely fixed the leaking/running. The problem? The flapper (that had just been replaced) was cheap. I will say, everyone I worked with was very nice from the people on the phone to the plumber himself. You couldn't ask for friendlier people. I will certainly give them credit for that, but at the end of the day, I felt the quality of the service was poor and for that reason would not use this provider again.

Great job! Knowledgeable plumbing technician arrived on time. He was very friendly and explained what he was doing and how to fix any leaks down the road. He finished quickly and did a great job.

I have 2 toilets that don't flush well. Although the toilets are old and parts need replacing the technician did something that he said temporarily would make the toilets flush better. One of the toilets is ok, but the other one was made worse by whatever he did. Now I am able to flush good once and then it won't flush again for another hour or so more.

We had a great experience with them. They did a great job. They were very prompt and very nice. They cleaned up really well when they were done. It was a big deal purchase. There was an additional cost but it wasn’t that much. It was probably about $50 more.

I believe the first plumber McCarthy Services sent out was not very knowledgeable or experienced. Since I have an old house I periodically have a clogged bathroom sink and bathtub. The plumber went to the bathroom to do the unclogging with just a hand operated snake and snaked the sink through the top of the sink and did not even un-do the elbow, (which is what all other plumbers have done). It did not unclog my sink. He used so much force while snaking the tub that he broke a whole in my bathtub's elbow pipe and water leaked into my antique light fixture in my foyer. I prefer to believe that this was not his fault as my bathroom pipes are old and perhaps it was a result of old rusted pipes. The plumber said he could come back the following morning, so I was left without a functioning bath since I only have one full bathroom. The next day someone from McCarthy's office said the plumber could not come back that day and replace the elbow but they did not offer to provide anyone else. I explained that I did not have another bathtub and really needed someone that day, which they did provide me with another plumber. This second plumber was wonderful, extremely knowledgeable, and efficient and did an excellent job. He also had to re-snake my sink through the elbow (of course no charge for this work). I had to have a hole cut in my foyer ceiling to get the elbow replacement done which was an unplanned expense. I would say the second plumber truly is a skilled person and if he were an independent plumber I would not hesitate to use him again. Needless to say, what has always been a simple plumbing situation cost me about $1,000, since I now had to repair a ceiling, painting and replacing a tub elbow. As I noted above, I am willing to say that perhaps the time ran out on my old tub pipes and this would have happened in any circumstance with any plumber. I called the office to speak with the owner because I wanted him to know what happened and also wanted to say that the second guy that came out was wonderful. We played phone tag with me leaving the last message asking again if he could contact me. I never heard back from the office. I am not a novice homeowner (30+ years) so I have seen enough plumbers come through my home for the same service and have never had any problem. Unfortunately for me I decided to try someone else in order to save a little money. I will go back to my original plumbing company.

They were prompt, efficient and courteous! They were able to change out a faulty part and I didn't have to pay any extra! Very impressed! ****UPDATE!***** Given that I am one person and have a 2 bathrooms, I rarely use one of them. I recently noticed that one of the toilets is not flushing properly. This is the first time that I had tried to flush it since the plumber had left (I had not changed anything since the plumber left). I would hope that McCarthy's would send someone out to check on the status of the toilet/flushing.

Provided an estimate for plumbing services. Estimate was totally exorbitant for the work. I felt like he was trying to take advantage of my handicapped situation. Maybe I was being paranoid, maybe not, but either way, the estimate was WAY HIGH. Another guy came over and not only performed all the services above but also he REPLACED the wax ring. Charged me $100 including the parts. No, he was not a licensed plumber, but rather a handyman by title. STILL, I felt like for the work needed, he charged me what I thought was reasonable. It took him less than an hour to complete all the tasks and he charged me about $100. For more serious plumbing work, I would consider using McCarthy again, because I have had them do other work here and they were completely thorough and professional.

The persistent noise and erratic water flow was quickly taken care of by the installation of the toilet accessories. Gus was friendly and very efficient with his repairs. The problems that caused me to call the company in the first place were taken care of. I was given a window of about 4 hours during which I was promised the service would be delivered. Of course, the service was not provided until the very end of that 4 hours--so, it would have been good if the time window for promised service was narrowed a bit. The good news is that McCarthy Services will give you a call 1 hour in advance to let you know that the provider is on his/her way. So, it would have been possible for me to go to work and then get back to where the job needed to be done in time to meet Gus. I should have taken advantage of this service. I did receive the 1 hour advance notice call but I was mistakenly over-optimistic that the service would be provided towards the beginning of the time-window rather than the end. So, next time, I will rely more on the advance call feature--the notice given was accurate and I would have made it back with time to spare to meet Gus and get the work done. It was a positive experience. The only thing I am waiting on now is to verify that Angie's List is going to refund me $100 for a McCarthy Service "Good Deal" that was mistakenly purchased before I learned that a "Toilet Repair" Good Deal was also available from the same company. I hope Angie's List comes through for me on this refund.

Excellent, no surprises, very polite and professional service providers.

Technician said drain too small for inserting the camera. But, he did a great job of cleaning the drain. I need not have suffered from a slow drain for so long even after dumping a lot of chemical "down the drain." I will definitely use them next time.

A pipe burst in my condo unit late at night during an unusual cold snap. The tenant was able to get someone to turn off the water to the unit. He called me the next day to report the breakage and I started calling plumbers to find someone to make the repair so he could get the water back on. McCarthy was able to come out the next day to repair the pipe. I was very happy with the office in scheduling the repair so quickly and in helping me get a copy of the invoice later; they are responsive, quick, and very pleasant to work with. The tenant is satisfied with the repair. The plumber has been very helpful in talking to the insurance adjuster who wanted some details about the situation so he could determine how to assess my claim.

Good work, successful repair completed. Found much bigger problem than I had anticipated but showed me the problem and it was obvious the work needed to be done. Honest and thorough. This was my second use of McCarthy so I qualify as a repeat customerand will be again when necessary. Best regards, Bob

Best provider at providing the solution to our old house problem. Proper venting. Will use again for the next upgrade of the ac. They spent all necessary time and additional manpower to get the job done. Very clean upon departure. Team was extremely professional and hardworking.

They were polite, prompt, and did a very good job.

It went very well. They were very responsive, knew what they were doing, personable, and fixed the problem. They were also very punctual and came on time.

Their prices are getting a bit high, but the work is always done well and the products they supply are of high quality. If you want top quality and are prepared to pay a modest extra amount for it, then these are the ones for you. If you want a cheap job, then look elsewhere.

They came out and they were good. They did multiple works for me and we've been happy with them. They have good price, service and they're nice people to deal with. I had good experience dealing with them.

Technicians arrived on time. They were very pleasant and professional. They diagnosed the problem quickly and got down to business. Total time for repairs to both toilets was approximately 45 minutes. I would definitely recommend this company to others.

Very nice guy, but think some of his figures were off for cost of new water heater. I will do a formal review later, this is more so because I ended up buying the deal twice by mistake.

It went very well, the tech showed us the two different kinds of faucets with sprayers and installed it in no time. It was expensive but is guaranteed for as long as we own it.

I have never been more pleased with the service I received. I have used McCarthy many times in the past and they have always been good. I got a plumber over here within 2 hours when I called, and Kenny was extremely knowledgable and professional. He diagnosed the problem right away and left to get the parts that he needed from the warehouse. He installed the new pump in half the time he said it would take and he gave me his card to call him if there were any problems with the installation of the pump . He took time to inform me about everything that was going on and told me other valuable information about how to clean the area where water had leaked to prevent mold. He gave me a company name to take care of the carpet waterdamage. He also told me about issues with my water heater which did not meet code standards that I needed to look into. All of this was over and above what I had hired him for. An added bonus is that I also got a senior citizen and military discount!! I will never use any other plumbing company again.

I have an older water heater so the tech explained that flushing it may cause more harm than good and recommended replacement, which was on the list of things to do. I just wanted the professional opinion about it. The tech identified several minor plumbing issues that could be resolved by myself without the excessive pricing for labor from the pro's. Things like toilet plungers and faucet tightening I can handle. The tech did identify the water main shutoff within the house, I was sure about it. He also explained winterizing the outside faucets. Didn't really think that it was consistently cold enough for that here (Northern Virginia). I had one of the outside faucets replaced as it was leaking. There is a zoning requirement here that requires it. I didn't like the 125.00 (+) cost for that. I have to pay for what I can't do myself. I can do it myself next time as I know what it is. | |Not a bad experience, I just don't like the excessive pricing for labor.

Things did not go well. My first appointment with McCarthy Services was Friday 11/8/13. My window for the plumber to arrive was between 8am and 12noon, a 4 hour window. I was told that they would give me an hour call ahead to let me know they were coming. This sounded great. By around 11am, I had not heard a thing and was getting antsy. I called McCarthy services and was told they would call me ahead of time and would be there before noon (as if I shouldn't be bothering them yet, at least that was the attitude on the phone). So I waited. At noon, no call, no show. I called again, the plumber was running behind (they don't keep in contact with personnel when they run on a schedule like this, for hours at a time?) he was delayed. About 30 min later, I called again and was told they tech was held up and they'd look into sending someone else (I believe it was almost 1pm at this point but may be a bit off on timing). Finally they called me back, making no sort of apology or showing understanding, and let me know someone was on the way, and it would be 15 to 30 minutes. I won't complain that the tech became lost and had to call a couple of times to find the place..it happens. It took longer than the estimated time to get to me in any case. The plumber was very nice and went right to work. Five minutes later, he told me the pipe was simply loose and he tightened it. I told him I felt really stupid for having a plumber out and couldn't believe when I checked it, that it was just loose.. embarrassing. So we chatted for a few minutes and he was nice enough to discuss plumbing questions with me. ~5 or 6 hours wait; 15 minute call; $89 cost plus a tip I gave; = a learning lesson. The next day I found that the leak was still weeping hot water. I called again. Again, no apologies or even friendliness (well, one person was friendly that answered, but she disappeared on me) when I explained. They simply said, when would I like them out again. I was told a 4 hour window was necessary again and there was no other options! Ugh. 11/23/13 was the second appointment. At least it was the weekend and not a wasted work day for me. The same tech arrived, again at the end of the window approaching noon I believe. I explained and he quickly got to work. This appointment involved taking a threaded component apart and applying pipe dope (sealant). He said that should fix it and was confident it wouldn't leak again. I asked if it just needed to be replaced, and was told no. Although we chatted about me possibly replacing the sink itself, and he suggested I replace the supply lines then (the ones he wasn't replacing at this time). OK, another 5 hours invested for this simple job I chose not to do myself. In the next few days, the leak continues. More than likely the supply line is damaged, but what do I know? I called McCarthy again. This time spoke to someone that seemed to understand that this wasn't a good way of doing business. She was helpful and tried to get me a "first appointment" for 12/21/13 (tomorrow). This was on 12/17/13. Her manager was gone for the day and she was off the next two days, so she was going to leave notes for the manager to take care of this the next morning (12/18). No call 12/18; no call 12/19... no call 12/20...so I called them back today around noon or 1pm and spoke to that same person. She was embarrassed and swore that she left notes for the manager and he didn't call me...and of course, he's not there now and won't be this weekend. She was going to speak to the customer service manager and call me back. Sometime later the customer service manager called me, and without apology or discussion, or being friendly even, she said they were going to send me the $89 back and confirmed my address. That was it. She said thank you and we disconnected. So due to my use of McCarthy services, I still have the same leak, I will have the same money in my pocket (allegedly...I don't have it yet); I wasted almost 11 hours in waiting around; I've been on the phone probably 14 times or more; and basically lost on this one. I should have done it myself. I will never deal with McCarthy services again. I recommend that you do not take a chance on them due to them having an attractive promotion. I do not feel that I have been adequately compensated for my time, but to be fair, I didn't ask for anything. You get what you pay for. I would not run a business that way (scheduling=fail; dispatch=fail; customer service=fail; fixing things=fail) but apparently McCarthy Services is satisfied by the way this turned out. ---------------------------------- January 14, 2014: No contact has yet been attempted by the Company (3 weeks since the response you see here). I did receive a check for a refund of the original deal amount. I will update if further action is taken, and will be trying another plumbing service in the meantime, for the same job (still leaking). ------------------------------------ April 2, 2014: I guess they were joking in their response, and pledge to contact me. They have NOT CONTACTED ME or attempted to, which is not surprising after reading more recent reviews on Angie's List. Customer Service = F AVOID.

ARGH. Save yourself a headache and don't use these people. I called them on Monday morning, and told them we needed to get this done right away (my parents were coming to stay with us Tuesday night, and we had no hot water in the shower.) They said they'd come Tuesday between 10am and 2pm, so I rearranged my entire day to be able to be home during that large window. When 2pm rolled around and they weren't here I called; they were delayed, but would still come that day, but couldn't tell me when. After calling them a few more times, they finally told me, at 3:30, that a technician was on his way. Wonderful. From Sterling, Virginia (an hour's drive). Anyway, that adds up to him showing up two and a half hours late. He was very nice, but told me what I already knew (the fixture needed to be replaced) and said it would cost $700 dollars, which seemed pretty outrageous. THEN he said, "Did they tell you there's a $39 dollar service charge for this visit?" No they did not. The technician very kindly didn't charge me for it, but the entire experience was a waste of a day and in the end, the shower still doesn't work. We are going to be a stinky crowd for the holidays.