Jim Dandy Sewer & Plumbing

I've been using Jim Dandy for routine sewer maintenance since 2008 when they installed a 6" clean out. Several houses have had sewer problems on my block--we have street trees with aggressive roots, and I chose to take preventive measures. The service has always been prompt and the prices fair. This spring there was some misunderstanding about the billing, an increase had not been explained to me. I wrote a letter and the owner Scott called and explained the new price structure, and his efforts to accommodate returning customers. I was totally satisfied with his response and the time he took to explain the details of my billing.

We'd purchased a new kitchen faucet to replace an old cracked one. We spent probably about 6 hours over one weekend removing the old one and installing the new one, but we were unable to get the joins sealed well enough so they wouldn't leak. We also had an old water filtration system under the sink that needed removing as replacement filters were no longer available. Lastly we needed the 23 year old water heater in our garage replaced with the new one we'd purchased. My call to "Jim Dandy" was answered quickly and professionally. The guy that answered was very friendly and knowledgeable. He asked me a few questions about what I needed done and what our current plumbing setup was. He asked when we'd like someone to come and didn't flinch when I asked for same day. He gave me several 2-hour time slots to choose from and even called later when an additional slot opened up. At my request he gave me a price estimate, but let me know it could vary depending on the time and parts needed. He then gave me the plumber's name, Ryan, and let me know Ryan would be calling about 30 mins before arrival. Sure enough Ryan called about 30 mins before the scheduled time to let me know he was on his way. He arrived on time, was very friendly and took off his shoes when he came in the house. He checked out what needed to be done under the sink and then set the old water heater up with a pump to drain. He spent maybe 45 mins working the sink leak by replacing the connections we were using and using some stronger Teflon tape. He also removed the old water filtration system and capped the source there. He also helped get the water flowing better from the tap. He spent the rest of the time on the water heater; taking out the old one, moving in the new one, making a couple of new connections which required cutting new pipe and some soldering. He had all the parts he needed and knew just what to do. He was very knowledgeable and experienced and could answer all of my questions. He was there exactly 2 hours and did everything we needed quickly, efficiently, and cleanly. He took the old water heater and all of the packaging, cleaned up his work areas and made it all seem very easy.

We have used them before on several occasions to do both drain and septic work. They are always professional, timely and consistently good. I sometimes find it expensive, but for the service they provide it is worth it. On this particular occasion we received same day service which was invaluable on a Friday. I have had at least 3 different plumbers come out, all have been great, both personally and professionally (the most recent was Averi and he did and excellent job).

Super PROFESSIONAL, PUNCTUAL, and FRIENDLY - Carl B. was super quick in completing the job - THANKS CARL! - and he even sold us on JIM DANDY's Environmentally Safe Drain Cleaner. We hope we get Carl again, if we call for JIM DANDY's help in the future.

Plumber arrived at 5pm to do a simple clean out of a blocked sewer line. He started with the clean out in my garage and kept on having problems with his clean out snake. The metal would unravel and he had to keep trimming off the end of the metal wire. He could only get the snake about 10 feet in. He hand feed his camera to about 90 feet. After wasting an hour trying to get get his snake to work he called another plumber to bring a new machine. We had to wait 30 minutes for the new plumber to arrive. Once the new plumber arrived they were able to find an exterior larger clean out line for the sewer and the newly arrived clean out snake worked great and they were able to clear out the blockage. My problem is that I was charged for the time when the first clean out snake wouldn't work. It shouldn't be the clients financial responsibility to pay for when the equipment is failing to perform. Also the plumber was unprofessional asking personal questions about people in the house and what they were doing. I only called this company because they had great reviews here. I would never want them near my house again.

The plumber who was initially scheduled to come to our house had car issues, so Jim Dandy promptly sent another plumber within the time frame they had promised. Sam was fast, knowledgable, and gave us his contact information so we could personally follow up with him if we had issues or more questions. The price was exactly what we were quoted over the phone. My husband and I were delighted and would absolutely use Jim Dandy again.

We ended up not being able to hire them because we needed them the next day, but they still stayed on the phone with me and gave me some insight into how to deal with my issue and were really friendly.

Following my initial review, the co-owner called in response to it. He was very genuine in his interest as to how the company could have served me better. I was impressed by his interest in receiving my constructive feedback and, therefore, improved my initial ratings to reflect his responsiveness and professionalism. If another plumbing problem were to occur in my household, I would call him first before searching for another company.

waste money and will NOT hire this company again

The service person was punctual, pleasant, responsive to needs and questions and efficient.

Great. They arrived on time as scheduled, discovered the garbage disposal was broken, found a quality replacement and completed the work on the same day I called. I'm also a landlord for the home and wasn't on site and they were great about contacting and working with me over the phone.

Called in am after water flooding through ceiling / came out that afternoon. Found problem , reassured homeowner. After homeowner decided to replace toilet, made plan to reutrn the following am to do so. On time / had all materiels / efficient replacment / cleaned up everything.

I had to hire another plumber to come and complete the work. Would have been nice to have received better communication. I gave them pictures of the shower head along with plenty of information prior to the service call.

The basement toilet and shower backed up on the first day of this Memorial Weekend. I thought it will be a quick fix, so i called my regular plumber and rent a 75ft easy rooter to start the project. 5 hours later, after running the rooter through both main cleaning access and the toilet, my plumber told me that i need to hire a professional sewer cleaner (but i thought he is the professional?!) anyway, the backup water is slowly getting under the carpet in the basement living room and one of the guest room, i had no choice but ran the carpet cleaner for another 4 hrs. That was the end of day one. Day two went by with no further problem. Just thought i may get away easy this time, the toilet backed up again on the morning of the memorial day. I started by calling the local plumbing professionals, and was told that most of them charges double working on the holiday (like 200 for the first 15 min, then 50 for each 1/4 hr). Finally i found this company --Jim Dandy, who only charges by actual hour worked with no double on holiday. I made an appointment right away and they were able to come the same day (thumb up). however, my smart a$$ boyfriend thought that he and his "experienced plumber" friend can get this fix cheaper. So i called Jim Dandy back to cancel the appointment and rent another 100ft rooter from home depot. 3 hrs later, after pulling out some small objects, they still cannot identify the problem. Three days and $500 later (all equipment rental and labor cost), my toilet is still backed up. Very much frustrated, I decided to call couple sewer cleaning companies i saw on the Angie's list, and Jim Dandy was the only one willing to come out the same evening and agreed to perform the job without charging over time. the technician Carl arrived around 7:40, very polite and went straight to work. he brought in all equipment (no need to rent anything from Home depot again), and identify the cause within 20 minutes. He then detected where the septic tank is and dig it out to confirm that it was full. He even helped to call the septic tank cleaning company before leaving. He promised to follow up with me to make sure that i get the right quotes before scheduling the pumping. It was total of 1.25 hr, Carl found the problem and helped me to search for local professional to come solve the problem. i cannot say enough thank you to him and Jim Dandy. My total bill was as promised (around 200 + tax). This company employs the right people and is doing the business right. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs plumbing job done. Like its name, Jim Dandy, job well done, Carl, Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I called Jim Dandy and was able to schedule an appointment for the next day to have someone come out and unclog my bathtub drain. The scheduler was very courteous and helpful. I appreciated that she offered to have the plumber call 30 minutes before arrival during the two hour time frame my appointment was scheduled. The day of my appointment a gentleman called and remarked that I had a late appointment and asked if I could reschedule for earlier in the day. The appointment was not late by my choosing so it seemed a little strange. I was happy to have someone come earlier though and rescheduled. Ironically, soon after the plumber called and let me know his truck died and he would be late. I appreciated his call and his follow-up call to let me know when he got his truck restarted and was on his way. Two plumbers arrived and both were very friendly and good with my dogs. The job really only required one plumber, so the other stood around and chatted with me. I'm not an especially chatty person so I would've been happy to keep working on my laptop. The job was completed in less than an hour and I was shown the clump of hair they removed which I could have done without. Jim Dandy charges by the hour so I was charged for an hour plus the service call fee (half off for Angie's List members). I appreciated the convenience of a quick service call, the quality of the work and the friendliness of the plumbers so I will definitely use them again in the future.

We had a slow drain somewhere between the kitchen sink that had been plaguing us for a while. Previous attempts by Roto Rooter had slightly improved the situation, but mostly pushed the clog down the line. The technician from Jim Dandy showed up on time, was able to explain the drain configuration to me and further my understanding. The snake itself was difficult since it needed a solid 50-60 feet, but they were able to get everything unclogged and draining well.

Saturday morning, of course, all drains started to back up. I made an effort to put a snake down the two inch drain from the wash tubs to the sewer line and determined that the clog must be beyond. I called Jim Dandy about 2:00 p.m and they said the earliest they could send someone was between 6 and 8 p.m. Fine, any time that day would be most welcome. Later about 4:30, Joe called and said he had finished his job early and was on his way. i moved all the basement junk out of the way. Joe had to disassemble his 300 pound equipment to get it into the basement and then put it together again for use. After about 20 minutes of work, he had the sewer clear of obstruction. He then put the camera down and we saw a 12' section of poor joints with severed tree roots extending inside and also a break at one joint. He was able to mark the area outside where some digging will have to be done, awaiting a bid. Joe was very professional, took special care to clean up his work area and was careful not to damage walls and woodwork as he moved his heavy equipment up and down the basement stairs. Although I called Jim Dandy on the recommendation of a plumber friend, I was pleased to learn at payment time that they were Angie's List providers. They exemplified all that I expect from such businesses and more. I will have no qualms about dealing with them in the future.

We have used Jim Dandy on several occasions. They are always punctual, polite, and professional. I recommend them without reservation,

I am so pleased with a job well done. He came on time and he first checked to see what supplies he needed. He got to work quickly and completed his work within one hour. He was polite, clean and well dressed. When he left I found no messes. I will definitely use this plumber for all my plumbing needs in the future.

They estimated the price, but it actually ended up to be cheaper, which I appreciated. I was having people over for the holidays, and this was an emergency. They worked very hard and very quickly to make sure my sewer was working in time for my holiday guests, which was amazing. They even came back after the holidays to finish up the yard. I've had no problems at all since they've been here.

The person that came in was able to quick point out what the issues were. The Dish Washer backup was due to a line that wasn't installed during my kitchen remodel that caused the water to flow down into my dish washer when it was full. The low pressure was a simple fix, just a matter of the hot water valve not being turn on all the way. Plus he was able to snake out any build up that was in the pipe which was causing it to not drain. The job didn't take much time at all, very quick, efficient, and professional. I'll be using this company for all my future plumbing needs.

The following was extracted and edited (some of it isn't nice for Angie's list reviews) from an email I wrote to Ted Toft, who'd come out and established the parameters and costs for the job. This email was written in October, 2013. On Friday, 10/4, your crew of 2 comes in and: 1. Breaks up 1/2 of the (concrete) panel at the base of the steps; 2. Jack hammers a hole in the garage floor. Nice work on both. BUT, there's no water in the hole where the city pipe joins the pipe on my property; the ground is damp, but essentially dry. 3. One of the crew opens the meter box, sees that it's still leaking, gets a wrench, turns a big nut, and the leak stops. THE LEAK STOPS by tightening a nut. Now, by this time we've got holes, we've got a boring crew, so we go ahead with the bore, and install the new pipe. Very nice, very shiny. But COMPLETELY unnecessary. The first guy who came out messed up big BIG time. I'm out major $$ for a job that didn't need to be done. (5/2014: maybe $200 - 300 would have worked, but $4800+, no) Just a big nut tightened (just look back in your records re: who was on the crew, and do talk with them about this). Now, you put the nice new line in the ground, but it didn't need to be done. My advice to Angie's Listers? Let 'em rooter your line, if the price is right, they'd done that for me before, and did fine work. eBut if there's a job with numbers in 4 figures, hold onto your wallet with BOTH hands, and get two other opinions. Do NOT commit to this crowd. At least the fellow who came out to diagnose my leaking meter connection couldn't diagnose a death if he was looking at a skeleton. Glenn Johnson, Seattle

My kitchen drain failed due to corrosion on a Saturday. I called Aurora Plumbing and then Paris Plumbing (both A rated on Angie's list) on Monday morning and was told there was a 4-5 day wait. I called Jim Dandy and they said they could come out between 1-3 that day. Mike called to say he was on his way around 2:30. He arrived promptly and quickly assessed the problem, including the faulty original installation, figured out a solution and finished the job in approximately half an hour. I was impressed by his efficiency and professionalism. I thought the cost was reasonable as well. I was very satisfied and will call Jim Dandy again for a chronic drain problem I've been having. Mike suggested that if I call back within 30 days, they would consider it a continuation of this job instead of a new job, which would save me the service call fee of $49.95.

Our only toilet backed up after 9pm on a Friday night so I knew it would be expensive as it couldn't wait for Monday. Called and was told they would be there within the hour, which they were. Showed the technician the toilet and the crawl space access but he decided to go directly to the roof vent to try to clear the blockage. Tried to clear but was unable to do so. After that, looked in the crawl space and noted direction of piping and said that due to turns in pipe, would possibly need to dig up and cut into pipe to clear. Was unwilling to pull the toilet and gave me info to contact the supervisor the next morning to resolve the issue. The next day I contracted another company who came out and pulled the toilet and cleared the blockage that was right under the toilet. I am unhappy that this wasn't tried by Jim Dandy - would have saved me the additional service call on a weekend plus the inconvenience of being without our only toilet overnight. UPDATE 5-5-14 I WAS CONTACTED BY THE COMPANY AND THEY WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND CONCERNED ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE. WITHOUT MY ASKING, THEY OFFERED TO REFUND MY FEE AND WANTED TO DO WHATEVER IT TOOK TO MAKE IT RIGHT. THEY GAVE ME MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR FUTURE NEEDS AND ASSURED ME THIS WOULD BE ADDRESSED INTERNALLY. I FEEL THEY GENUINELY LISTENED TO MY CONCERNS, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CUSTOMER. I MUST AMEND MY REVIEW AS THEY SEEM VERY COMMITTED TO GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RELATIONS.

I like them because they seem to be very punctual and honest with their feedback.