Big Blue Plumbing

Does your plumber call you back within ten minutes of receiving an email on Sunday?  Paul Gerrard of Big Blue does.  On top of that, Paul and his colleague Jose are meticulously clean, courtesy and easy to work with.  We had two malfunctioning toilets and they replaced them very quickly and efficiently at a reasonable cost. Thanks guys for a great job!

Our hot water has been out so we scheduled service via big blue. My wife took time off from work to meet with the plumber but the plumber never showed. I had to call them to find out what the deal was and dispatch could not locate the plumber and so we had to reschedule. Over a week later, our second attempt to have service out has again been missed.  

While their technicians are great (especially Zack),  BB needs to better manage their scheduling as they're setting unrealistic expectations.  If you're an appointment based company and charge a fee just for someone to come out,  you need to make your commitments.  Missing two appointments, used up a PTO day, and still no hot water.. inexcusable.

My sewer main backed up, flooding my bathroom and den.....Yuck! It was 6 o'clock in the evening.  Got names of plumbers from Home Advisor/Angies List. Big Blue Plumbing called me an hour or two later and set me up with Manny for first thing in the next morning.
Manny was great. He quickly assessed the problem and told me he'd snake the drain and then put a camera down to see what the problem was. I'd looked up the average cost before calling and theirs was reasonable. I had had my sewer line outside replaced 10 years ago and the warranty had just run out. Manny showed me where the blockage was (tree root) and what it then looked like after he had cut away the root. Showed me the pipes from one end to the other and said they were in good shape. Gave me a bid for installing and pop valve (I think that's what it's called), but didn't try to persuade me for stuff I didn't need. Explained a lot of different things and answered all of my questions. As an older single woman it was refreshing to have someone take the time to explain things like I have a brain. Have scheduled him to come back for another project. Manny and Big Blue Plumbing are great!

(Update in response to owner) Here are two email threads documenting and supporting almost everything in my original review:
dropbox.com/s/fozvx7l7tz…
dropbox.com/s/hztindywde…

Note that the California State License Board explicitly said that Big Blue was accountable for damages with regards to the washing machine mishap, hence the $1k refund. Big Blue had outright rejected *any* sort of refund or reimbursement until that information came to light.

Nick at Big Blue came through again for me.  Initially this year,  he helped me redo a 2 50 gallon water heater system, when one tank went bad.   Nick offered good guidance, and was competitive  to the other contractors I had look at the  system.

Ended up with a single system  with a small tank,  and his crew was great at the install and cleanup...a 2 day job.

Had an emergency at a Duplex I am responsible for,  for my aging mother...a water heater began to  leak  Friday afternoon at 3:30...I was notified...not good.   The usual maintenance guy was  full for the day,  and another Water Heater  tech that was looking at it prior   was not able to service until monday.

Nick comes through again,  on Saturday!!   Was on site on time,   and did the job  quickly, it was a hose that needed replacement,  I could have  done it, but did not have the parts and was jammed.....A little more than many would price at,  but then,  coming in with less than 24 hours on a Saturday,  with Friday late afternoon notice....Kudos for that!!

Trust Nick  and his judgement.   He has pride in his work and capabilities.

He is on time, returns calls   ......initially,  I spent more time with him in screening.....he outwardly appears as the guy  that one gets in trouble with in high school...  Like my friend Glen...the Auto Mechanic.....who was great at all car issues...Nick   has pride in his work....and has proven to me he is trustworthy   more than capable   and a guy you want on your team.

Our water heater was leaking and they came within 12 hours to fix it and replace our 20 year water heater. Nate was our plumber and he was amazing. The owner of the company, Paul, also stopped by to check all of the work. Both also gave us some advice on another issue we have in our house with a leak in our bathroom. They gave great service and we really appreciate their work. Also loved that they texted us when the plumber was on his way as well as his name, picture and a little bio about him. We will definitely use them for the leak in our bathroom and any further needs.

Thank you to Ebony and Joe at Big Blue!  Have used this company for my house as well as our rental property.  Ebony super nice and organized on the phone as well as calling me to update me on Joe's arrival....communication is underrated!  Joe fixed the broken flush valve quickly!  Big Blue is a little expensive but when you take into account the convenient 1 1/2 hour arrival window, quality of work and excellent customer service it is worth it!!  Until the next time Big Blue!

I telephoned Big Blue Plumbing  on 8/27/18 to have shower fixtures installed, and made an appointment for 8/31/18.  That appointment was confirmed by email twice and once by phone.  
On 8/30/18, less than 24 hours before the appointment time, I got a call from Big Blue staff cancelling the appointment and saying they could probably schedule the installation on 9/5 or later.  I took PTO from my job to be at home for this install, and now cannot find another plumber on very short notice to install the fixtures.
Don't believe the 100% satisfaction guarantee on their website.
They don't mean it.

Marti W.

Customer service is sweet and helpful on the phone, however, they magically require a fee of $59 just for a technician to do a safety check to the area before even doing a bid for work. Sorry, not competitive pricing.

the best plumbing and heating company bar none. for nearly a month, we experienced intermittent hot water outages. we called two other plumbing companies who did nothing but waste our money. one of them, Leapfrog, after gladly charging us a handsome sum simply told us that they didn't know what was wrong and told us to call the boiler company directly. ridiculous. Paul and Zach, unlike other companies, were professional and knowledgeable from the start. they took the time and effort to understand our house's heating and water systems. after patiently troubleshooting everything, they found the root cause. we now have hot water and consistent heating throughout our house thanks to their work. these guys are busy and in high demand for a reason - they're simply the best and worth every single penny. don't waste your time with others who claim to be experts at what they do. Big Blue Plumbing are true masters of their craft. we'll be lifetime customers and proud advocates for this great business.

I found them super helpful for a bathtub issue! Fixed quickly and efficiently for a fair price.

My technician Joaquin came for my estimate he reviewed both things needed my tankless water heater in attic needed a pan with drain and a water pressure valve for the main water line .

Scheduled me for the next day to have repairs completed .

Joaquin & Javier
Respected my property made sure everything was protected where they needed to work .

Joaquin gave me options for where my drain line can run outside the house .  Since the drain line needed to run from attic down the side of the house .

Joaquin made My stressful situation feel way more at ease.

Thanks to Rasean and Carlos for the speedy installation in wet weather. Appreciate all the help!

I had a mystery leak coming from the upstairs shower. Manny was able to identify the source and fix it. If it was an easy fix I would go with another company but since this job took skills and someone with intelligence I went with Big Blue. The pricing is not on the cheap side but you get what you pay for. They are worth the peace of mind.  I know it was done right and they stand by their work.

Back in late September 2018 we hired this company to Replumb a Natural Gas line to the fire place, and install two wall mounted toilet. They sent an employee who left the gas line without pressure checking it and when the new fire insert was installed it leaked like a sieve! Both toilets leaked and one continues to not operate correctly.  

Upon calling to complain about this completely shotty work we were told they had fired the employee for similar work on other jobs.

Although Big Blue Plumbing did come back and try to fix all the shotty work.  Not once did anyone contact us I had to contact them and threaten them with action. Many phone calls promised were and not returned. I was told the owner was out of town and not reachable. (I'm thinking if this is true he won't have much of a company to return to.)

They did come and put a hole in a new finished and did a crappie job sealing to fix the gas line. It took weeks and additional phone calls to get the refund promised. They did send someone to repair the leaks and attempted to address the toilets which BTW where $650 a piece.

Flash forward to February 2019 and the toilet that was not flushing right exploded (fortunately tank water) soaking my Aunt. Run don't walk away from this company!!

Update 04/23/2019: Hired a new Reputable Plumbing Company and discovered that both toilets had been installed wrong. They stripped the mounting bolts, used old seals and had cracked one of the tanks during the install. Both toilets have been replaced. We have no hope on collecting any of the $2,000 in losses from this joke of an operation. We are also filing a complaint the state and hopefully they will loose their license.

Deceptive pricing.  I thought I had a simple job. Bought all my own plumbing parts, demolished and removed old faucet and sink. Just needed a qualified and reliable plumber install new bath sink, shut off valve, and faucet.  The $69 fixed fee to provide an estimate seems reasonable and would apply to the job. To my surprise and shock, they were going to charge for my own parts plus labor, well over $1,000 for one hour simple install. Do not use them unless you are a total nubbie DIY handy person.  Their profit is based on 200% markup on parts.

Stay away from them unless you have a fat wallet.

I wish all plumbers were like BIg Blue: they come on time, complete the work, look professional and are really nice guys- especially Harris.
Lately I have found them less responsive and very expensive

I called Big Blue on a Saturday morning as my hot water line had no water coming out. They quoted me $299 as a service fee for weekends, which I was fine with, especially being told it would be waived if work was done. Work was done within 20 minutes and a bill of $570 was charged. I am not a plumber, but taking the faucet apart and cleaning the valve for $570 seems  like highway robbery.
I'm a small business owner trying to stay open, but it would have better for me to close for the day and do the work myself. Lesson learned, please ask questions before work is done if you decide to use them. Had I done just that, I wouldn't have had the work done and and be about close to $600 bucks.
Maybe I should become a plumber.
The one star is for promptness only, they were here within 30 minutes.
Well Paul, thanks for snide reply, but I new it wasn't the water heater and I could have used another water source, next time I will do just that.

They are way too expensive. Don't  go with big blue plumbing.  I got a quote that worked out to be about $400 per hour for labor. They're plumbers not neuro surgeons. Crazy expensive.

Big Blue Plumbing did it again. I am a Realtor working with Buyers and Sellers who require inspections, estimates, and repair of plumbing service in homes they are selling or wish to buy. Today Nick from Big Blue Plumbing conducted whole house evaluation for young Buyers in contract for great starter home. Nick clearly explained and showed my clients the items recommended for repair (both health & safety priority versus nice to have),  replacement, or simply ongoing monitoring. s is my 2nd time using Big Blue Plumbing (they installed radiant heat in  my floors).  As normal, they were respectful and  careful with Buyers new home and wore shoe covers while in the house to not track dirt from crawl space...back into the house.  The Buyers were happy with his patience explaining what's needed..or not. Another GREAT SERVICE!!  Big Blue Plumbing  will continue to be my first choice for Buyer and Seller service.

I think Big Blue Plumbing is the best in the area.  They responded quickly and got me out of hot water.  Actually, we didn't have any water and they got it started again.  Really saved my life.

people were very friendly and did a great job.  left my garage very clean.

The 1964 original radiant heat boiler finally gave out.  I called several places for estimates.  Big Blue's estimate was in the middle of the pack. The main reason I chose them was because they followed the city of Concord's permit law, whereas the other companies said it was not required.  Even I know when working with natural gas pipes any modifications needed a permit is required.
All the work passed inspection and the house is warm with efficiency .  Thank you Big Blue!!

I was talked into buying a new water heater even though upon retrospect, the old one was in great shape.  They just pushed it so hard that I needed to replace it, even though I just needed to fix my piping under my house. The owner himself refused to accept that I neither could afford nor needed a new water heater to the point where he pushed financing on me that I later realized has the most insane interest rates I've ever seen. I'm still paying it off and this was a year ago!

Once installed, the water heater immediately failed. After being dicked around by the awful customer service reps by constantly rescheduling plumbers arrival windows - without even informing me! - I would waste a whole day waiting just to finally call and be told no one was coming. When, weeks after installing, they finally took a look at it, they basically just shrugged their shoulders and tried to say it was a gas pressure issue which is a lie because my old heater worked fine and my house has no problem with gas pressure. They just wanted to pass the buck because they already took my bucks, so to speak.

So months go by after multiple consultations from pg&e tech, the manufacturer 's tech, more plumbers passing the buck, blaming pg&e, blaming me and I just couldn't take it anymore.

Now I takes cold showers and have to accept that nothing gets a thorough wash. All because these assholes just had to upsell a useless garbage lemon water heater that I am in debt for, probably forever. I hope this company gets sued into non existence!

Value seems like it is just not there. After having my own issue, I found out a couple other friends did not have a great experience.
In my case, they simply were not able to give me a simple estimate for a routine tankless water heater flush. I have done it myself before but wanted to get someone else to do it, for sake of time. I called several companies and they were able to give me an estimate over the phone however did not have the availability in their schedule. Big Blue could not give over the phone estimates and instead gave me this $85 fee to show for a quote that would be removed from the final cost. I took the bait and they tried slamming me with a $761 quote... for a routine maintenance, non-intrusive type of job. Paying my fine for falling for there scam, but definitely not recommending them.

A very good experience with Patrick from Big Blue Plumbing of Alameda. Patrick removed old toilet and installed new toilet along with angle stop. The new toilet is a Toto that required special attention on how to install. There were no problems and very satisfied with the work performed.

Big Company with high overhead. They charge a site visit fee just to get an estimate. I am okay with that part.
However. their bid for the job was in the stratosphere.
$2,500 just to replace the pipes under the sink!
I know how much the materials are and I have seen plumbers do the exact same job at my friend's house in San Lorenzo. I know how much time it takes and have good idea about costs.

Totally ridiculous. They do the whole clean uniform thing, you know to show they are professionals.
Um, yeah. You pay a lot for that.
Hire a small outfit that has the guy or gal in a crappy truck.

You'll save a ton of cash.

Also, if you look at some of their 5 star reviews, you'll notice they are within one day of each other with similar names and similar sounding reviews.
Looks like review padding to me.

I almost never write reviews, but do diligence here. Do not hire them without getting other bids.
As others have stated, their markup is in the stratosphere.

Note to Paul G from Big Blue:

I would rather see a guy in a beat up truck with good tools and a lot of experience and a reasonable bid then a new shiny truck and polo shirt that has a 700% markup. Are you outfitting you're team with Izod or what?
And frankly you're assumption that somehow a solid working man in a beat up truck is on drugs is extremely condescending. You better unpack that.
You're company is the one charging over $500 for a faucet replacement and $92 for a $10 Ptrap.

Well organized and focused business.
I would trust them with any plumbing or HVAC job. Owner is present, focused, and holds all his staff accountable to give great service at a great price!

My friend recommended me to call Big Blue for a minor plumbing problem( toilet leaking) bc she had really good customer service.
I called twice and left messages with their service including giving my contact info including my address both times, only to be ignored:( for the past 3 days without even a phone message.
If you want a job done and need them to respond in a timely manner... This might not be the business to contact.
Reliability is key in a good business.
Really disappointing experience!

Your customer representative, Terri is courteous and professional with great customer service skills!  She is a big asset to Big Blue Plumbing.  If you want an honest and reliable service, I suggest going to Big Blue Plumbing and speaking with Terri!

Big Blue Plumbing did a fantastic job installing radiant heat in my home. Zack and the whole team were professional from start to finish. I recently had them come back out to do a 'tune up' on the system and Paul the owner was prompt, friendly and professional. I will only use Big Blue for any of my plumbing or radiant heat needs going forward and I recommend them to everyone who asks (or doesn't !)!

Our pipes were making a vibrating sound.  One plumber could not find a cause.  Big Blue Plumbing came out within a day and fixed the problem.  Thank you Giovanni who came up with a simple fix and didn't even charge us.

Our experience was unsatisfactory.  Paul is a likable charming guy who talks a great game, but we regretted hiring him for a project that was a for a whole house remodel (including radiant heating and an ill conceived solar water heating system), and had considerable expense in the years since. Beware that he was previously Pipeline Plumbing (went bankrupt) and Green Plumbing Technology.  Nice guy, and it gives me no joy to write this.
yelp.com/biz/pipeline-pl…

These guys are great!  Patient, kind, willing to accommodate all the changes I have been asking for.  They are doing a total remodel of my master bathroom and I have asked for a lot of changes.  Harris, in particular, encourages me go slowly until I am happy.  He got me a tile guy, Fred, who even picked me up and took me to a tile place so I could decide on a specialty color.  Can't wait for the final to be done.  I am sure it will be amazing

Plumbing end of the business is excellent.  Plumbers are experts  and work done neatly.  Business end of the enterprise is frustrating what with wondering when worker will arrive and billing is done poorly.

Super happy with Big Blue! I had to call them to work on my Navien water heater; from the first call, I experienced a great level of customer service. Paul was thorough, helpful and honest (I'm not sure what the problem is, but I'm willing to work on it) which let me know he wasn't just looking for a quick fix.

I also appreciated Paul taking time to really explain his recommendations, which, as a complete novice, I found extremely helpful.

They were prompt, sent text reminders with photos and background bios, and even my 74 year old mom was impressed! (No small feat, believe me.)

Gave four stars only because plumbing is expensive. However, the result was worth the cost. Will definitely use them again.

Work crew did an excellent job of installing a new waste line from the sidewalk to the City main in mid-street. Communicated well and patiently answered my many questions. Arrived early each day, set up, and began days' tasks quickly. Completed new line in one day! However, were delayed in closing up waiting for City Inspector to verify pressure test.
Cleaned up nicely after closing street, sidewalk and main drain at side of house.
Nick previewed project, quotation, and anticpated start and completion dates. Did have to followup once to get a callback regarding final schedule which was a bit frustrating. Thus, the 4 star versus what might have been a five star rating. Office staff who I spoke with several times were excellent and very customer-service oriented.

What can we do to make you smile? Is the scripted phone answer when you call.  It should be buyer beware. We had requested service for a pump B.B. installed 1.5 years ago that began to leak, pump was still under warranty. After 3 weeks of little pressure in our home due to B.B. lack of service or concern, we gave up. We even emailed the business owner and we still haven't received a response.  B.B. come out once and shut the pump down and now they did nothing more to resolve the leak.  Take your business elsewhere or you too will be frustrated and have water problems.

It's unfortunate when the first impression of a company happens when you engage in a LiveChat through the company's website. Mark was the representative who vacillated between saying he works for Big Blue Plumbing and is only the LiveChat representative. He was incapable or unwilling to answer a basic question: is there a fee to get someone to come out and give us an estimate on a project? He kept telling me he could have someone contact me rather than answer the question. Twice he shut off the chat in the middle of the conversation. It's hard to have confidence in a company that is so unwilling to be transparent and can't answer an ordinary question.

$69 to just give you a quote....

$69....SIXTY NINE DOLLARS...for a QUOTE....

When every other plumbing place in the world does quotes for free.

I have no idea what kind of business model this is, but it will lose by comparison to other places.

PASS!

Edit: the cherry on top is being condensingly responded to by the management that doesn't understand the concept of competitive bidding.

TL;DR - Dont pay to find out how much a job will cost.

Paul and West were very nice and personable and answered all of our questions about our water heater replacement. We discovered our 15 year old water heater leaking at 1 in the morning. They came in on short notice and seamlessly installed the new water heater after a short and professional in-home consultation. Everything was set up by noon. Great experience working with Paul, the owner!

These guys are expensive and sometimes booked up several days ahead, so your local handyperson might be a better bet if you just need something simple, like snaking out a stopped-up toilet. If you have a more extensive job, however, I highly recommend them. They recently replaced a whole slew of pipes in our lower story (our house's original piping, like its electrical wiring, was apparently done by alcoholic gnomes) and did an excellent and thorough job. They completed all the work in one day, to my surprise, and the price was reasonable considering the amount of work involved.

When I had a leak in my vanity sink valve, I knew that I needed help pretty quickly. I found Big Blue on Yelp and spoke to Ebony, the dispatcher. She made me the first stop the next day. The plumber that came was Anthony. He was on time and very professional.

He looked at my problem and assured me it was a quick fix. He educated me about why the problem was happening and what he would do to fix it. He advised me on a couple other concerns that I had in my new condo and took the time to write up estimates for addressing those issues. He didn't make up prices on the fly - Big Blue actually has an official price book that outlines their guarantee. Solid strategy to help reassure their customers that they are working with a reputable company that has the same high standards no matter which technician arrives.

I woke up today and found I had no hot water from my boiler system.  I called Big Blue after calling several other plumbing companies that did not know boilers?.  They sent out a nice gentleman by the name of Zach.  He asked me some questions about the history of the boiler and what was going on now.  I was thinking it was going to need to be replaced but Zach had found that it was just a bad sensor and was able to locate the part and get it replaced and had me up and running in no time.  Well definitely call them for any plumbing needs in the future.

Big Blue Plumbing provided the most professional, quality and timely service to my 80 year old mother on 5/31/19-6/5/19 whose main sewer line backed up and her home was getting flooded due to grey back water. I live in Southern California (400 miles away) and after one attempt to reach another local Alameda plumber (end of day on a Friday), I was graciously helped by Brittany who assured me that the company will send someone as soon as they could at 8:00 a.m. the next day. My mom was in good hands. Josh and Carlos were extremely engaging and patient with my mom and very communicative with me during the whole project. Attentive and willing to answer my questions as I managed from far away. My mom was comfortable and trusted them. We also appreciated the sms messages that notified us when the plumber was heading to the job and the app also asked to rate the worker on a daily basis. Five stars for a job well done from start to finish. Thank you BB Plumbing!

As recent homeowners in CA, we needed reliable plumbing service and Big Blue has come through 4 times since Nov 2019! Manny inspected our home thoroughly, made recommendations, installed a shut off valve, & returned to assess hooking up water source to our fridge. He was professional, personable, & knowledgeable. Nathan did great work based on Manny's assessment and he also went above and beyond to ensure I was familiar w/ how the shut off valve functioned. Manny and Nathan were great and provided wonderful customer service (thumbs up!) We trust these guys and it's completely worth it to join the Big Blue Customer membership in our opinion :)

Ask for RJ, I am unsure if he is the sales guy, manager, or technician but he does all the duties of these job titles. RJ was the first one to look at the job we had for his company and from the beginning he showed me and my in-law what a great guy he is and the pride he has in the jobs that the company does. He sent us some quotes, pictures, and clear explanation of what they would do.
Few days later he had some guys come over and do the job. He explained clearly to his guys on what to do and how to do it and well like any job there are some unexpected complications. The plumbers handled the complication very well and when the plumbers left I noticed the pressure on one of our bathrooms was extremely low and well we were not to happy.
RJ literally came out himself to make us happy customers on a Saturday afternoon, because we were not happy before he arrived. He solved our water pressure problem and had a great attitude the whole time. Thanks Big Blue on your plumbers and on having a employee like RJ wearing so many hats.
Also I got to meet the owner once and he had a great attitude and was very knowledgeable on the plumbing trade. Hope you provide the type of service to all your customers as you have to me and my in-laws.

Dishonest.  I had a leak in a backflow preventer and called to see if they were able to fix it.  The person I spoke with on the phone said he wasn't a plumber and had no idea what a backflow preventer was but that he would send someone out.  The  plumber who arrived had never worked on a backflow preventer so he called his boss to get direction.  The Boss told him that they were too difficult to troubleshoot and repair and that they whole unit should be replaced at a cost of $3000 (it's a $500 part, so they padded in like 4 hours of labor at what must be $600 per hour).   They charged me $90 for this visit which would be OK if they had any idea what they were doing (which they did not).  I called another company that specializes in backflow preventers and they fixed the problem AND tested the preventer in 25 minutes at a cost of $98.  Big Blue Plumbing is run by dishonest crooks.

Recently had a great experience with Big Blue...  Nick conducted a quick evaluation in no​ time at all, and then Manny came out shortly thereafter to do a super job.  He explained what he was doing, tackled the job swiftly, and in a snap my toilet was like new. Nice guy, great job!  Thank you, Big Blue!

CAUTION: Big Blue is a scam. They will not quote ballpark figures over the phone for plumbing jobs and they make you pay a trip charge to visit your residence/business. I was looking for a reverse osmosis drinking water system to be installed. I supplied the unit. They wanted to charge nearly $1000 to install it. The tech told me that this is their standard tiered rate for installation. Ridiculous!! They charged me $69 for the visit out here. There were other plumbers that HomeAdvisor recommended, but they were not available, only Big Blue was. They had a high rating and were available. This company seems to be making money trip charges. Buyer beware!!

Big Blue Plumbing were very respectful to the needs of our commercial kitchen. Oscar, Joaquin, Nick, Angel, and their crews are all awesome! Joaquin and his crew helped us out last week. Angel came through today and despite the struggles of our uncooperative floor sinks, he got them unclogged so we can operate. We appreciate Nick sending Angel out at the last minute. They are life-savers!

As a retired Plumber, I'm not easily impressed. I am with Big Blue Plumbing.

I had a horrible experience with this company.  Even though the technician was very nice and professional, the company management was unreliable.
They have rescheduled my appointment a few times at the ls moment.
They are highly overpriced. I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone.

Maybe their work is good; I couldn't get them to show up for the appointment they recommended (first one of the day, no earlier jobs to cause delays). Even after accepting their first rescheduling, they called 40 minutes before the updated appointment to move it to another day.

Estimate $275, repairs less than 2 feet $2000. And then said my sewer had another problem. I needed spend $7000 more and need decided immediately. Otherwise I need pay $9000 more if late decision.

Big Blue installed two water heaters last summer for my triplex. The service was good.  I don't think the price was too cheap, but the work was done great.  He missed one drain pipe out of two, and when I called the lady at the office, he came out the next day and took care of it. Good job, Big Blue!

Excellent evaluation and execution. Wonderful plumbers who are experienced and do a fabulous job diagnosing and repairing only what needed to be done ( while other plumbers wanted to bilk us by doing much more needlessly). I respect their honestly and problem solving. Harris is delightful and took away our stress. Highly recommend, whether it is a little job or a major one!

I called Big Blue Plumbing because I had low water pressure at the kitchen faucet.  Despite the fact that I continued to press the guy to look at this specific problem (which he refused to do), he instead decided that all of the galvanized pipe under the house needed to be replaced, even though there were no leaks - to the tune of $6300.  He told me several times that fixing the kitchen faucet wouldn't do any good.  Again, he didn't even LOOK at it. So the landlord brought out his general contractor and he quickly determined that I needed a new faucet.  Now I have a new faucet and the water pressure is great. This is an older house, and I'm sure at some point the galvanized pipes will need replacement but for these guys to come out for a very specific, minor issue and try to turn it into a major plumbing redo is just a SCAM.  The problem was fixed in a an hour for a couple hundred bucks.

I have been doing business with Big blue for several years now and is extremely pleased with their work. Yes I would recommend their services to Home and Business plumbing.

Big Blue to the Rescue!!

Last year I hired someone to upgrade the pipes in my house from galvanized steel to copper (my house is 100+ years old, & the previous owner didn't do much with it over the past 30 years).  He quoted me a price & said it would take no more than 2, maybe 3 weeks tops.

Well, nine and a half months & triple the estimate cost later, the guy I had hired decided that he would abandon the job unfinished.  He stopped returning my calls & dropped off the face of the Earth.

So then I called a REAL EXPERT; Big Blue.

I met with Paul to discuss the current status, we walked thru what work had been done (& done incorrectly, mind you), & then discussed options for resolution.  Now I say this with a completely biased tone, PAUL IS AMAZING TO WORK WITH.  He doesn't try to push things you do not need onto you; he doesn't try to sell you upgrades that aren't needed; he lays out all the options clearly & concisely so you can make the best decision for you.

And the amazing experience extends to the crew.  Jose & Costa were great, non-intrusive, respective of my home, kept me in the loop of everything, super careful, & always left things neat & tidy when they left.  

Long-story-short, it took Big Blue 4 days to completely re-pipe my house, replace my water heater, run new lines, address the issues with what the previous guy had done in the shower, & pass city inspection with flying colors.  4 DAYS!!!  These guys are incredible.

If you need a plumber, do yourself a favor & hire Big Blue.  You will not be sorry!!  :o)

I had posted a positive review for Big Blue back in 2020.  This is the first time I have, unfortunately, had to delete the positive review and post a negative one.  Our experience with Big Blue in 2020 was a postive one.  More recently we had a subsequent positive experience, and had for all intents and purposes hoped to have Big Blue as our go to plumbing service going forward.  Unfortunately, that is no longer the case based on our most recent experience.  Big Blue replaced a toilet for us fairly recently.  The toilet began leaking due to the seal under the toilet failing.  This was under warranty since the toilet was recently installed.  The Big Blue Rep came by and initially wanted to charge us for installing a new seal on the toilet until I explained that they recently installed the toilet and we should not be charged for this.  He called the office and this was agreed on.  However, a small angle valve on the back of the toilet was also leaking and replacing this was not part of the initial toilet replacement so we were informed that we would have to be charged for that. After the seal was replaced and the angle valve, we were informed the charge would be over $500.00.  The Angle valve, which sells at home depot for $9.94 and which took just minutes to install, resulted in a bill of over $500.00?  The replacing of the seal and the labor involved in that should not have incurred any labor costs since it was under warranty.   We have tried repeatedly to call and get an answer as to why we were charged over $500.00 for a $9.00 piece to be replaced in just a few minutes, and we have received no reply.  We were attempting to either get a reasonable justification for this or a reimbursement. I paid the amount at the time since my wife was having surgery the following day and the last thing I had to worry about was the toilet leaking.  After multiple attempts to work with Big Blue regarding this, and getting no cooperation at all, I have resorted to posting this and will no longer support this business.

We are in the process of selling our home and the city of Oakland requires a lateral sewer inspection. Long story short....we needed to replace the hook-up from the house, install required regulatory items, and replace the sewer pipe to the street.
Nick, RJ, and Cesar teaspoon Rivera were all very helpful in explaining the process and requirements.

All of this work included extensive digging in the front yard and street. Cesar was really helpful during the pipe replacement. He checked on the contractors to ensure the work was being done correctly and he even replanted a plant that had to be dug up. He listened to me and and showed empathy when I discovered my prize hydrangea would not be able to replanted due to the meters they had to install. He made sure everything was back in order.

There was quite a lot of dirt and debris left from the project. Crispin Orozco made sure it was cleaned up and back in the condition it was before all the work started. Crispin even replaced some of the garden mulch that had been lost in the digging process and evened out the wood chips around the plants.

Big Blue is our go-to Plumbing company. They do great work and all of the people I have met have been very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable.

The worst plumbing co I've ever used. And I've used about ten in the bay area.
Super expensive, almost corrupt prices.
Terrible quality.
Couldn't do a basic faucet replacement.
Avoid.

It was very hard to find out on Saturday, June 3, 2023 that the tenant of my 8-unit apartment property in Point Richmond do not have hot water at all. I met Patrick, Service Technician of Big Blue Plumbing and he suggested a solution after consulting with others in the industry. My tenants had hot water in exactly two days which I think was extra ordinary. Patrick Paul, Rodrigo the others on the crew were curtsies, knowledgeable and very kind to me. Patrick identified issues in the installation that needed to be corrected, and demonstrated outstanding logistic abilities in gathering the gear needed for upgrading the installation in one day only. The team culture of comradery and work ethics was remarkable.

I can't say enough good things about this company. They are professional, friendly, efficient, and hard working. We have a pretty serious plumbing situation that will require more work, but on day one the team came out and worked their you-know-whats off for about 8 hours. They explained everything to us clearly and gave us multiple options on how to proceed before starting anything. I have never had such a positive experience with any plumbing company before, and I would definitely recommend Big Blue to anyone who needs a plumber. Totally top notch.

As a property manager, I experienced my first gas leak at one of my properties.  After calling several leak detection companies, the homeowner was going to have to wait several weeks before anyone would be available.  I was actually referred to Big Blue Plumbing by another company because they understood my frustration.  From my very first phone call with Brittni, she was informative, helpful and understanding.  She was able to get someone on the job sooner than the others and even contacted me when they had an earlier availability.  I believe Nate was first on the job and he contacted me with updated information and explained what needed to happen.  Then came Nick and he did the same.  Of course, once they got into the project, it ended up being more involved than we had anticipated, but they constantly communicated and were understanding when we had to call Emergency Board meetings to get estimates approved.  I just can't say enough about the customer service and constant communications.  The homeowner was extremely pleased with both Nate and Nick.  When I asked him if he would recommend them, he commented that Big Blue Plumbing has been awesome - Nick and Nate were fantastic, professional, personable and very skilled - these guys are my new plumbers!  We were fortunate to find a local company that I can now add to my list of professional partners for all my properties.  Thank you Big Blue Plumbing.

We have had problems with our radiant heating since January (now almost June). They came out initially, did a few things and were to return to finish the work.  They have been a no show more than 12 times.  They don't even call to tell us they are not coming.  They were scheduled to come last Tues, never showed.  We called, they rescheduled for Wed morning, changed it to the afternoon but never showed.  We called again, they scheduled for today and again never showed up, never called. We have prepaid for all the work that has not been done.  DO NOT USE BIG BLUE!!!

I made a call last week about getting an estimate for work to be done on my housing cooperative. The lady seemed friendly and she was very helpful, setting up a date and time for which they would come out and inspect the house. She even waived a $69 inspection fee. So when Big Blue did not show up at 8am on Wednesday morning, the time I was assured they'd be here, I wasn't too upset; I just assumed they were late. By the late afternoon, I'd lost my patience. I feel it's good business to contact your customers if you are unable to follow through with appointments. My rating is a 3 star because I am unable to accurately determine Big Blue's quality of service (since they never showed up), and I don't want to tank their yelp rating. Regardless, we've decided to take our business elsewhere.

Experience with Big Blue started off nice, with a friendly receptionist. They shcheduled me for a time on the weekend which was great. Fast forward to the day of service, I got a call 2 hours before the appointment that my technician was sick. Not sure why they couldn't have sent a other one, so I called and asked. Turns out they use a call center and aren't even part of the business. In my view, this was a no show, and judging from the other reviews is commonplace for Big Blue.

We unfortunately cannot recommend Big Blue Plumbing after a frustrating few weeks of trying to get them to keep appointments they made with us to diagnose and fix a leaking toilet and faucets.  We have had three appointments with them, and each time they have called late to say they could not make it.  Twice, we had made arrangements to take time off work to be home for these appointments.  Further, the accumulated delays from our initial appointment has now been a couple weeks, and we now find ourselves still dealing with a leak and not having a plumber lined up.  We found them on Home Advisor - not Yelp.  We won't rely on Home Advisor in the future, as they obviously don't truly screen for customer service and reliability.  Choose another plumber!

Big Blue might be a great plumbing service.  But I didn't get the chance to find out.  I made an appointment a week in advance.  I scheduled the morning off from work.  And the morning of the appointment they called to move the appointment to the afternoon.  Since I only had the morning off the afternoon would not work for me.  They could have called me the evening before and I could have moved my schedule around.  But since they didn't I lose out on half a days pay and now I have to find another plumbing company and take additional time off.

Definitely not inexpensive.  They were very professional but charged just to come out and look at my system.  There quote was the highest I received.

Big Blue
7/16: Hired Big Blue to install replacement water system booster pump.  Failed to notice 220 voltage in home, pump 110 voltage - Big Blue had to send an electrician to resolve discrepancy between voltages.  We also discovered that the pump  could not be isolated form the main water supply.  Thee was no valve on the water intake side of the pump. This should have been a red flag that the company has incompetent employees.
1/13/18: Notice leak from pump and contacted Big Blue, client emailed photos to assist Big Blue in diagnosis of the issue. Client wanted Big Blue an apt to resolve issue to prevent a larger problem. Original appointment was for a week from contact, however client insisted upon a sooner appointment as leak was continuing.   (1/18) Big Blue sent out RJ and he turned off pump, said our pump was defective and we needed a new one.   He also wanted to up-sell us with a $5,000 water purification system.  Client checked other neighbors in the area, none recommended that as EBMUD water quality is good; one neighbor being a toxicologist.  Big Blue processed a $745 credit card charge (deposit) even though we emailed that we decided not to order the $5,000 water purification system within 24 hours (Saturday); and found we had to reverse a charge when we called the credit card company Sunday noticing it had been charged.  Emails were sent to document all of this to Big Blue.
2/2/18:  As of today, we are with minimal water pressure (15psi)  for a second story house.  
From 1/18/18 - 2/2/18 two weeks: Big Blue has had to:
1.  Look for the original invoice to prove to themselves the warranty issue
2.  Numerous emails and phone call messages to Karla (Receptionist), Zack (Service Manager) and an email to Paul (Owner) were sent to resolve and understand when the pump would be ordered and when the warranty / refund situation would be resolved - as Big Blue is the original purchaser and the refund would be given to them for warranty.  
3.  Our latest understanding is that Big Blue wants the client (US) to order the pump and if/when the refund is given, they would receive it and in theory, pass it on to the client.
This isn't standard business practice and the customer service is non-existent.  It is unacceptable that the client has had to pursue/follow up and request information without satisfaction.   The client has now had to order more durable pump and contact an alternate plumber to resolve the issue that Big Blue should have taken care of promptly and without conflict.  Obviously,  Big Blue doesn't care.  
We want them to compensate us what they paid for the pump ($874.67).

Added star for very pleasant receptionist.

Put quote request on home advisor site. Got vmail next day. Called back and they had no record that they left me vmail & could not find pics of my project. I texted pics of gas grill installation at request of receptionist and got following response. Sorry Sir were all booked next week. I didn't even tell anyone my timeline. Honestly is better approach. Just say Not interested in this job

BEWARE! Big Blue is a pretty immoral company. My landlady had has them work on the house multiple times and every time they are here they find a new essential project that HAS to be done and it always gets more and more expensive. Not only that, but on this visit they told her that her brand new water heater will have to be replaced after 5 years (despite the fact that she pays them to service it yearly). A water heater that only lasts 5 years is both defective and poorly maintained. With what they charged her to put it in, the assessment says a lot about their beliefs in the products they sell. She called another local plumbing company to come out for a second opinion (thankfully) and the guy said spending what they were asking to put in extensive new plumbing was superfluous given its age and location in our house. Maybe if the water heater was 10 years old, but not 18 months. In short, beware of their estimates! If it feels like they are taking you for a ride, they probably are.

Big Blue was quick, affordable and professional with our leaking faucet.

I had a water leak at the meter, and of course it was on my side of the meter; so the city told me it's on you to repair I looked in Angie's list and found a plumbing company, who came out just to tell me, I can't repair it today because it's too cold, and they wanted to charge over $600.00 for the repair. I politely excused that plumbing company. My last resort was Big Blue. The owner answered the phone and was very helpful. Nick arrived on Monday, later than expected but his honesty was very much appreciated. After, Nick assessed the situation and told me, well I can fix the problem for $448.00, but just not today. I felt the pressure rise in my chest but didn't allow it to get to my throat. I politely said, Nick the owner said you would be able to complete the repair, and I can't tell my mom after 3 plumbers (Big Blue the 3rd) that she had to wait one more day.  Nick then called his tech West, who immediately arrived and repaired the leak. West was so honest, I requested him to come out the following week to repair a vibration in the plumbing pipes. West arrived and did an outstanding job! He's young and extremely honest. He cares and takes ownership of his work. West was very knowledgeable in his trade and he keeps his word. It is so difficult to find honest people. Even the young ladies, who answered the phones were professionals and did everything they said they would do. My prayer for Big Blue is for them to continue with the outstanding customer service; not to become so overwhelmed and greedy that they lose the integrity of the company. Big Blue our honest plumbers for life!

I am an architect in Berkeley and know value in the trades when I see it and experience it. Big Blue replaced our broken sewer lateral and never complained when the job was harder (pipes deeper) than they anticipated. Great at details and communication. 5 star plus

We got a quote from Big Blue to replace our radiant hot water boiler. The quote was twice as much as other quotes and no response to why their quote was so much higher. We went with a different company.

Once again it was Big Blue Plumbing to the rescue.!!
This time it was for my brother's home, which I over see. I called the office to see if they would come out to my brother's home. I was initially and politely told his home was not in this company's service area. I understood and started to look for another company. Within minutes I received a call from Paul, the owner. He said that while my brothers home was not in the service area he was going to still send out Nate and Rashon ( if spelling is inaccurate I apologize). They arrived promptly and immediately addressed my list of things which included a running toilet, a transient sewer odor, and hung a safety grab bar. They didn't hesitate to climb under the house. While they couldn't find a leak Nate discussed options and gave me a plan of action in addressing this concern and any future occurrence. These gentlemen were professional, efficient, and knowledgeable.

I am a GC. I had hired Paul to plumb a small backyard cottage way back 10 years ago. We have recently returned to do more work, and found that the gas service line had corroded badly. I asked Paul if he would help replace it, and without any question he had his crew do it, nusing a trenchless system. I appreciate a subcontractor who stands by his/her work.

Finding Big Blue was one of the best calls I've ever made.
I knew I had a major issue to deal with, but I didn't understand the extent of it until Mike showed up and we began exploring the situation together.  He proceeded to work with me with as much communication, speed, and pro activity as I think was possible. Mike cared about my questions and schedule and needs and made an enormous situation as seamless as possible.
I was committed to hosting an event at the edge of the time estimate for the project and when it got down to the wire due to a late delivery of a component the owner, Paul, was there on a Saturday morning to support his team and me in working out solutions. But they did it! They got the work done all while being reachable, flexible, polite, and positive. So much thanks to Mike, Paul and Big Blue!

Unfortunately, I've had to use Big Blue twice in the past two years -- two different plumbing problems. Like most other contractors in the Bay Area, they are extremely busy. In fact, both times, they were the ONLY company willing to service our house the same day. And let's face it, plumbing problems tend to be emergencies, so I really appreciate them showing up so quickly!

I know other people on Yelp have complained about them not being very good with scheduling. I agree -- I have to call them before every service appointment to make sure they show up. But I assume they're dealing with some other homeowner's emergency plumbing problem, so I don't give them too much grief about it. It's my house; if I can't care enough to project manage the plumber, then it's probably not that important a project.

Big Blue is also kind of expensive. Given -- I haven't had the privilege to use anyone else since everyone else is too busy to bother with my emergencies. But compared to what pricing I can find on the web, it does seem a little bit high. On the other hand, how much am I willing to pay to have hot water tonight instead of next month?

This is a happy service recovery story and an endorsement of the way that Big Blue Plumbing conducts its business as well as how they educate the customer to support decision-making and value for the dollar.

As Fate would have it, the other plumbing company that I had had lined up to repair my Toto toilet fell ill and couldn't come to work on it. I contacted Big Blue Plumbing to set up an appointment, and all of the business systems worked smoothly (still best to call their office directly, when possible, and get connected to a member of their staff, IMHO). I had an email confirmation right away, a reminder on the day of service, and Manny arrived on time.

The job was a little more complex that I thought, but Manny was undaunted. He did a thorough assessment, gave me my options, completed the work within the time estimated, kept everything clean and made sure I understood the details of the repairs.

Big Blue Plumbing has a commitment to training and supporting their employees, not just sending them out in a van and hoping for the best, and guaranteeing their work. I would recommend them to anyone needing plumbing services.

I would like to tell anyone who needs GOOD,expert plumbing,BigBlue is for you.My husband is 89 now and can't do much to keep our house running smoothly.The water in my kitchen sink was barely trickling .I'd called other local Alameda plumbers in the past,with very poor results.They say it's your faucet,need a new one.We would pay their fee for new faucet,etc, A short time later same problem.I would call,back they'd come,make a slight adjustment  from under sink.A few hour later same problem.They wouldn't return my calls again. I saw Big Blue truck in front of neighbors house and called them.Im very grateful I did.From the first contact with receptionist ,I was impressed .She explained every question I had.Took her time ,did'nt rush to saycan you hold.One question ,important to me is if they clean up there messes?Im so tired of workers who just walk out and expect me to clean up after them.Ebony explained they always wear booties over shoes upon coming indoors.Magic words to my ears,yeah.And they never failed to do so.Danni came out next day right on time.She went under house and looked around First one to do so.She explained kitchen sink problem and gave us two estimated  quotes. Which we took.All employees were very polite and considerate.Always gave me a time when they would return.Cleaned up driveway and around house.I didn't have to lift a finger.Nick,Hermes,Carlos,Prado and Paul very professional .Thanks to all.
Helen M.

I called for an emergency service at 2:55am (water leak, broken handle, can't turn off what, flooding in him) after I found these guys on Yelp, which said they are a 24-7 service.

The woman on the phone was extremely unsure of herself. She said she would find me a plumber. Then asked me if I was a Big Blue Plumbing customer. I said it was my first time calling. She read out loud something that apparently popped up on the prompt-screen she was on. Then she said she couldn't help me: You have to call back at 7am. That's when we can send someone. Great, I'll call back when I'm swimming in my flooded apartment. Totally useless.

Very disappointed with their communication and service. We have a Toto toilet that was running. We called Big Blue and a man came to do the repair. He replaced 1 part and said that it might do the trick. If not we would have to replace the whole inside part. His fix didn't work so he ordered the parts that were needed. We went for 2 weeks not hearing a word. We called and were told that the part hadn't arrived yet. We waited another 2 weeks and again the parts weren't in yet. We're outta here. We cancelled Big Blue and called another plumber and told him what happened and he said that there is a supply place that carries all Toto parts and he would fix it this Friday for us.

Just had a very disappointing interaction with Big Blue.  I have a fairly urgent repair needed for a tankless water heater (which supplies heating for the radiant floor heating system).  They scheduled an 'evaluation,' confirmed it, and then two days later said,

Thank you for booking an appointment for evaluation with us. Unfortunately, after further discussion with our service manager this afternoon, it has become apparent that we do not have the availability to complete your evaluation this week, as we had first anticipated.

The soonest available date is Wednesday, (two weeks from now). All dates prior to this day are booked. If you would like to reschedule for this date, please contact me as soon as possible.

It is a courteous, form response which says:  we don't want to do this kind of work.  

I don't mind that, but I do mind that they strung me along.  I realize that not every plumber -- (in fact, a very few) -- have the expertise and willingness to work on new technologies, (like radiant floor heating systems and tankless water heaters).  But save the advertising and the promises, and be real, and just be an ordinary plumber.

A SCAM! They look for supposed problems and bid EXORBITANT prices. A reputable plumber fixed for $200 what Big Blue wanted $8k.

Manny and Nate were incredible!  They came on time and were completely upfront about everything they were going to do.

They explained clearly what they think the issue was and was willing to do whatever it takes to get my toilets up and running again.

While they were down checking out old pies on an old house, they also pointed out some other potential issues with the work my other contractor did, and gave me a heads up on how that might become an issue.

Great quality service and worth it for the price.  Rarely do you meet two people so well spoken and able to complete this kind of work.

i have done two big jobs with big blue plumbing, paid them well too much!! for what they did! the follow up's a joke! brittany is pleasant well scheduling you for a follow up !!!! but you
do not get a plumber who did the previous job on your place. you get the owner paul because he does not want to pay the plumber to come out to your house again!! he comes his self and tells you they did not do the job and he cannot help you, when clearly they did the job. what a joke!! this is the second time he comes out with a tool bag acting like he is there to help you
then!!! says it wasn't their job, when it cleary it was. and then has they nerve to tell me i need another plumber to come and fix this small shower device
i then tell him that his plumber did do this previous job he then
tells me he cannot do it !  they do no service the bay area anymore!! and good luck!

My toilet wouldn't stop running so I found this company on yelp.  The lady who scheduled my same day appointment was great.  I explained to the technician that my toilet would not stop running today and I turned off the water supply and also sometimes the water would start running throughout the day in the past.  He just looked at my toilet for several minutes and gave me a quote for changing the parts (a fill valve, a flapper, and a supply hose) for $523 or replacing the entire toilet for $1008.  I asked him if he can turn on the water supply and flush the toilet to see what really is going on. He said he can't; and he is not supposed to touch anything by company policy.  This really confused me.  How do you diagnosed a problem without even testing out my toilet?  In addition, the flapper, fill valve, and supply hose only costs about $30 at Home Depot.  And I am being charged $523?  This is ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul and his crew of Mannie and Josh were prompt, well informed, and thorough.  Paul explained the options for replacing my now defunct on-demand water heater, and Manny and Josh managed to install and get hot water to my unwashed guests in less than an afternoon.  I was informed of their arrival ahead of time, and kept informed as to any issue that arose.   Time will tell, but in terms of fixing the problem in record time, they get 5 stars.

Had to call these folks again as the relatively short connector from my house to the sewer line leading to the main gave up the ghost.  They came out at the time promised and said I needed a complete replacement as a cleanout didn't work.  It was expensive, but the work was done in a speedy fashion and the workmanship seems to be top-notch once again.

This company has customer service down to a fine science the engineer they sent out explained everything in depth and gave a fair and reasonable quote. I would use this service again.

Wow. The whole team at Big Blue Plumbing is professional and entirely pleasant to work with. These people love their work and it shows every step of the way. Furthermore, when outside contractors were needed, they have the best relationships with experts in each field, making every step of a messy project move along with ease. Thank you.

Dealing with Big Blue was beyond excellent.  Joaquin arrived and immediately grasped the problem and presented the most efficient, secure and economical solution.  The next day, Angel and his crew arrived to patch a pipe under a six-inch slab--jackhammer the slab, braise the pipe and replace the concrete--with a minimum of noise, dust and dislocation of our routine. He left the area cleaner than it was when he arrived. Today Joaquin came by to check the work and to present the invoice, which was very reasonable, considering the work that had to be done.

In short, we couldn't be happier with the work.  What ever these guys make, they deserve a raise, especially Joaquin.

They were 2 hours and 45 minutes late even though my husband kept calling, he was told to wait another hour. And then another hour. Very frustrating.
Finally the guy showed up but didn't come upstairs for another 10 minutes. So really, he was 3 hours late. If it wasn't for the coupon voucher then I wouldn't have bothered.

It's too bad because they seem to have stellar reviews from other customers--I guess they were just really busy today. Our clogged kitchen sink seemed like an easy fix, so whatever the hold up was, I guess it was serious enough to show 3 hours later. A bad first impression, so like I said, I'm happy we had a coupon.

We had a sewage leak that was fixed very quickly by Big Blue. I called late on a Friday afternoon, a technician was sent first thing Monday morning, and the problem was fixed by Tuesday morning. Harris and his team were extremely professional, friendly, and knowledgeable.
My only complaint is that Big Blue does charge a bit more than other companies (as compared to the bids for the repair work from several other plumbers). But no other company was willing to fix the problem so quickly. We were willing to pay extra for the quick service.
Overall, we are very happy with the work done by Big Blue and we would use them again in the future.

Big Blue expertly handled a shower/tub faucet system that I needed fixed in a tenant's unit. The tech arrived on time, diagnosed the problem, secured the replacement parts and quickly completed the job. Everything from the scheduling with their receptionist, to the work, to the final billing was professionally and perfectly handled. Great to work with!

This company is awesome! We had a rather difficult problem concerning a shower faucet that was made back in the stone ages and they were able to find a an obscure part and made everything good as new. I'm such a big DIYer that I'll probably be doing my own brain surgery next, so it was a big deal for me to call in help. My mom got a little hyphae with the service technician because she expected a new faucet, which was just her misunderstanding. Jack (the technician) was very patient and concerned that she be satisfied with their work. He enlisted the help of his office manager, Oscar, and together they helped her understand. The work got done exactly like they said and when they said. Well worth the money. Thank you Big Blue and Jack and Oscar!

My neighbors hired these guys to replace a sewer lateral that went under my yard. The initial communication was We'll have to dig a hole in front of your house to connect the sewer lateral. It won't affect you otherwise. Cool, no problem.

The first morning of work one of their guys was wandering around in my yard at 8:15am with some kind of beeping surveying equipment. If I had been wearing pants at the time, I would have run out to yell at him. Maybe the neighbors forgot to relay the we'll have to wander around your yard info, but no matter what, ring the doorbell first and introduce yourself before you go wandering around someone's yard.

Then two days later, they knock on my door at 9am Hey we goofed up, we have to dig a hole in your yard today. WTF!? I mean, I let them dig it. I'm not going to prevent my neighbor from having a sewer lateral replacement. But you're supposed to figure these things out ahead of time, so you can let people know a day or two (or preferably, weeks) ahead of time that you are going to be digging a hole in their yard. Or if you're not sure, at least warn that it might be a possibility.

If it was just one act of unprofessionalism I would have let it slide. Two is a pattern, and gets you a one-star review.

*** Response to Big Blue's 12/22 comment:

(1) You did not ring the doorbell before wandering into my backyard at 8:30 am in the morning. It's loud and I can't miss it. You say you knocked; it must have been quietly.
(2) You did not communicate with me directly before doing the work. The first time I heard anything from you directly was beeping from your detector in my backyard.
(3) I'm not sure what you mean by We did inform you there was a possibility that there may be some digging in the easement at the back of your property. The notice I got from my neighbors weeks ahead of time, by email, was neither your nor your neighbor's property will be dug up or affected in any way. The first I heard that digging would happen in my yard, or any possibility thereof, was the morning-of, when your person arrived at my door and said we made a mistake in measuring, we need to dig a hole in your yard today.

***

Not a review but a question. When are you going to finish my job? It was started on November 16th when parts were ordered. Still waiting!

Apart from some billing snafus I have been pleased with the service I have received from Big Blue.  They have assisted us with clogged pipes, faucet installations and pipe retrofittings.  

The people they send are always top notch.  Nick is who you want to request if you can get him.  I am a member of the Big Blue program which gives you priority service and cost discounts.  You pay a few bucks a month to be in the program.  With an older house like ours it is worth it. You need those discounts too because these guys tend to be a bit more pricey than other plumbers I have priced out.  But as the saying goes, cheap plumbing can get expensive.

This company is incredibly professional and their work is always 100%. Top notch company for sure. I would recommend them to family, friends, and anyone looking for professionalism, excellent customer service, thorough and above average work!

So I had used this company once before to do a simple snaking of my kitchen sink, I thought it was a little pricey but they were super professional.
Then a had a major leak, I called them and they sent out two guys who told me they were going to need to open the wall of my bathroom before they could even tell me what was wrong, and we scheduled a time for them to come back the next day. They gave me an estimate of roughly $600.00.
They never showed up and when I called I was told that everyone was on a big gas leak job and they would send somebody else the next day. Again no show, a day later I get a call that they were sorry but were busy with another big job. We rescheduled for a few days later... it's been a week now and they never showed up, nor called.
I found a different plumber who spent a few minutes investigating and found out my toilet wasn't properly installed, a simple fix to what he tells me was an obvious problem to identify. There would be no need to open any walls, and his bill was less than half the estimate of Big Blue.
this company looks professional, but I think they are shady as can be, and I'm SO glad they weren't professional enough to show up for this job as it ended up saving me a bunch of money to go with someone else!

After a second break in our water main in five years, we were referred to Big Blue by another area plumber who couldn't do the work. Lucky for us, Briana scheduled Harris to do reconnaissance on the job. Wow, what a pro! I don't know if it's even possible to love your plumber, because let's face it, you don't need a plumber unless something unpleasant is wrong, but I think it's fair to say we love Harris. He is honest beyond belief and takes pride in his work; it's also a big bonus that really knows what he is doing. Not only did he replace our pesky water main, he also found a way to do it that saved us from having to break open and tunnel through our driveway. It was more work for him (he tunneled beneath the driveway!), but the resulting job passed inspection with flying colors and meant minimal interruption to service for us. If you are looking for an A+++ plumber, ask for Harris.

Stay away!  I called Big Blue to come out and repair a leaking toilet and to repair a sump pump in my back yard.  Danni came out and looked at the toilet, and told me that parts for that toilet were hard to locate, and it would cost several hundred dollars to repair.  She recommended that we replace the toilet, for about the same cost (about $300).  I booked a time for them to install the new toilet, and starting looking for a replacement.  We couldn't find one to fit in the small bathroom, however, so ultimately I asked them to try to find the parts to repair the toilet.  At that point, I did a quick search on google to determine whether the parts were as highly priced as they claimed.  In one search, I located a youtube video that showed how to repair the toilet, for the cost of a $10 seal.  One more search, and I located a place in Oakland (fifteen minutes from my house) that had the seal.  I replaced it myself.  

I think its clear Danni was either woefully ignorant of basic toilet repair, or fraudulently recommended an unneeded toilet replacement to earn more money.  

She also recommended that my sump pump needed total replacement.  Unfortunately, that was done before I found out the toilet issue.  I suspect that sump pump replacement may also have been unnecessary, but have no way to verify it.  

I tried to contact the owner about the issue, once I discovered what had happened.  I politely suggested to whoever answered the phone that there appeared to be an issue with the advice they had given me, and so I thought they needed to look into it.  I also asked that they look into whether the sump pump replacement was appropriate.  All I received in return was an email which stated that as a reputable plumbing company they do not consult google for repairs.  Hardly the appropriate response when your employee appears to have engaged in fraud.

Find someone else, these guys will rip you off.

I first called another plumber recommended by a neighbor.  He was nice, but was unable to fix our problem on his first visit.  He promised to order a new part and get back to me.  I'm patient, but after waiting three weeks and being told it would be any day now, I called Big Blue.  A day and a half later and my problem was solved. They were prompt, professional, and extremely courteous.  They also cared that my inoperable kitchen faucet was a major pain in the butt for me (who enjoys washing their dishes in the bathtub?) in sharp contrast to the first any day now plumber.  Big Blue has now moved into the go-to slot for my plumbing needs. Thank you Big Blue!!!

Big Blue bought out the local HVAC we'd used for years, so when we had an AC issue, we called them. The tech was okay, the price was high, and the solution worked.

Months later, when we had another minor issue, another tech came out and took care of business. We liked her and felt she did a good job. She did, however, tell us that our radiant heating system was improperly installed and was on the brink of collapse, and offered to replace it and our water heater for $8500. We were worried by her report but couldn't afford such a major expense. She suggested we get a contract with Big Blue for $7.95 a month, which would guarantee that we would be prioritized for same-day service. Because of our concern for our endangered radiant heat system, we signed up.

When we did call them for a small plumbing problem several months later, they came out that same day to fix it, but their charge was so high--$180 for a 10 minute unclogging a toilet--that I was shocked. Again, I liked the tech and she was efficient, but I was not happy with the company.

Two days ago on a Saturday our hot water heater stopped working. I called Big Blue because of our contract. They called back and said unfortunately they couldn't schedule us until Monday. Of course, I cancelled the contract right away and called another company recommended by a friend.

The bottom line, though, was the new company's tech looked at our radiant heating system and told us it was installed solidly, and he saw no problem with it. It's difficult for a customer to know what to believe when experts tell us contradictory things. But I'm grateful I didn't just shell out an outrageous sum for something I didn't actually need.

Well that is a first, fired by my plumber!  
A year ago last February I had a plumbing problem that Big blue (Nick and an assistant (who was inexperienced)  and then Paul solved by adding a double ring to seat the fairly newly installed  toilet.  The contractor had not installed a high enough pipe. The new double rings worked to stop the problem. That stopped working recently  so I called Big Blue to schedule a repair appointment and pointed out that I didn't need an estimate as we knew wha the problem was. Had an appointment between 10 and 12, plumber Nick didn't appear so I called  and was told that Nick was supposed to be here, but had an emergency and would arrive tomorrow.   Then another call this time from Brittany that the repair was not under warranty, and Paul didn't think they could help us any longer, and perhaps we could find another plumber.   I fully expected that the rings had just compressed and was willing to pay for another repair.

I found the response to my request for help to be irresponsible, and unhelpful.

I made an appointment the next day to repair and replace my leaky hose bib on a rental house in Oakland. Rather than arriving between 1-3pm, the plumber arrived at 11:00 and called me for a $525 estimate for approval. I made a big mistake and approved that amount before asking how long the repair would take and how much the part was. The repair was done in 1/2 hr or a couple minutes longer. It required just screwing on a new hose bib with no shouldering the pipe. I typed a letter explaining that the charge wasn't reasonable for the work done.  Oscar called me back to say their work was done by the job and couldn't be estimated by the hour or length of time it took them to do the job or by the price of parts required.  I tried to explain that if I had known (because I didn't ask the questions) the replacement bib would only take a half hour to repair plus whatever the cost of bib was, I would have come to the conclusion that $525 was not a reasonable price. I don't appreciate plumbing estimates that aren't in line with the work required. I have 3 Oakland rentals that I was going to use for future plumbing work with Big Blue and will now find a more reputable plumbing company.

I have previously reviewed Big Blue, giving them a glowing 5 STAR.  This is a follow up review.

Big Blue has done work for us on a two large jobs (replacing water lines, gas lines, and sewer line for two seperate houses)a year ago.  When the technicians were working on a job they were professional, courteous, thorough, and informative.  The work has been done extraordinarily well and the job sites were left clean (in one instance the tech went above and beyond, cleaning up the site from previous plumbers' work) Their technicians are why they received a 5 star.
                                          HOWEVER
There is NO follow through.  Calls are not returned.  Appointments are scheduled and then seem to disappear from the system.  When I call to confirm an appointment, or to verify follow up issues, my information is taken and I am ALWAYS told I will receive a call back that day.  Two days later I call the office, explain what the issue is, that I was told I would receive a call and have not, and request to speak to someone present in the office.  For some reason only the technician I initially spoke to can handle my call but I am sincerely assured he will call me back.  I do not receive call backs.  I call the office again asking to speak to anyone.  The person answering the phones has been consistently pleasant, sympathetic and reassuring but I am again told everyone is out in the field but they will call me back.  I never receive call backs by anyone in the office or the technicians.  To be clear, my questions were not technical in nature, but either verifying quotes or asking about invoice discrepancies.  Due to those reasons we did not feel confident to contract with Big Blue on a larger remodeling project.   However we had a small plumbing job and I felt Big Blue could be counted on to understand the time sensitive nature of the project and be able to fulfill the schedule.  I contacted Big Blue, spoke with a technician, Paul, discussed the scope of the job, told him we do NOT need a quote as we would like Big Blue to handle the job (disconnect plumbing and gas in prep for countertop installation, and then a reconnect 2 days later)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             and arranged the schedule.   True to form, I received a phone call the day before the job was to begin asking me when I would like to be put on the schedule.  When I told this person I was on the schedule, they checked and no I am not on the schedule but they would have someone call me back to clear this up.  24 hours later, no call and I am unable to reach anyone in the office beyond an answering service where they will take my number and call me back.

Another side note, be sure to check any quote or invoices from Big Blue.  We found mistakes in both which would have resulted in overbilling.

MSK Plumbing seems to be on vacation until August ~20 something, and their answering machine referred me to Big Blue.  Based on MSK's reputation, I figured they'd only recommend somebody up to their standards that they trust.  Big Blue's info/website indicated that they're open 24/7, so I called for service (on a Sunday).  They had a really cheerful lady take a message and said that somebody would contact me ASAP, which made me feel hopeful.  Sadly, 24 hours later, nobody has called me (but luckily I was able to resolve my issue without them).  Such a complete and utter fail..

We had to replace the fill valve in our toilet. It was a tough install due to our type of toilet, but Giovanni refused to give up until the job was done.

Dealing with plumbing issues is the worst, but Augustine made a frustrating situation so very tolerable! We were so impressed with how knowledgeable he was and how quickly he completed the job! Thank you thank you thank Augustine for being so great! We have a plumber for life!

Terrible plumbers. Predatory sales techniques. Big marketing budget. Stay clear of Big Blue, they are totally inept.

^ Is the short version.

The long version:

They installed a hydronic hot water boiler/forced air system for my inlaws, and the owner Paul turned up and applied some pressure and his slimy sales routine to get them to sign up with him. My father in-law was early stage Alzheimers, we would later come to understand. Paul instantly gave both my wife and I chills when we happened to be there one time, and we completely regret not stepping in and getting rid of him from the outset. All our fears came true.

He got my in-laws to install this system and sign up for his ridiculous plumbing subscription scheme, then proceeded to do some of the worst plumbing we've ever seen and never be able to get this hydronic system up and running properly. Every time they were subsequently called there were ridiculous mistakes and shenanigans.

Even the basic plumbing was so bad. In particular one day, they broke more things than they fixed. We turned on the tap, water poured out under the sink. Went to do load of laundry, they had repositioned it so that the lid could no longer open. Went to make dinner, they had tripped the gas shut-off so we couldn't use the stove. Pretty much everything they did didn't work first time round.

On the hydronic side, they have no business claiming any expertise. I just finally found a competent hydronic plumber -- Albert Nahman Services -- and they diagnosed that Big Blue plumbed this system incorrectly from the get go. Completely bypassing the efficiencies of a hydronic system altogether. They're fixing it now, in one visit. Explained it to me in plain terms I could understand--check valves in the wrong places, return plumbed to the wrong place. I highly rate them so far.

Compare Big Blue, who we called multiple times to diagnose the system they installed. All the explanations they offered made no sense. On one visit they went around changing every mixer valve in the house, with nothing to show for it--the problem remained. Lucky for them, they didn't even have the guts to charge us for these calls when they tried to follow up about the invoice months later. They had zero response to our critique of their services and comped their fees.

The HVAC equipment they installed was also a complete joke. We had the system overhauled when we moved in and the technician who helped me with it laughed out loud at the state of it. Huge holes and air gaps around the furnace. Things hidden behind flaps of insulation. The sheet metal work looked liked it had been done by a preschooler he said. He took pictures to add to his personal wall of shame. Maybe I'll see if he can post them here.

It's not just him. Multiple professionals we've since brought in concur that this company has no valid expertise for meddling in HVAC when they're barely middling plumbers.

Somehow they got the City of Berkeley to sign off on all this and I'm completely confused how they managed it. And it wasn't cheap--they charged my in-laws tens of thousands of dollars for what I now understand is low-grade equipment installed by amateurs backed up by nothing.

As far as I can tell, all their attention and budget goes into draping life-size pictures of Paul on their trucks and equipment, and shooting cringey marketing movies.

Where's Paul? Who knows. I got a different answer every time I spoke to someone there. He never answered for any of this. Seems like he's done ripping off the older generation of Berkeley and is trying to retire on it. Doesn't seem like they can get anyone decent to work for them, and the working environment seems pretty unpleasant and dysfunctional for those that are there. They're forced to make excuses for Paul and the trail of incompetence he leaves behind.

Do not hire this awful awful company.

I wanted to find out how much a new water heater would cost.  First they offered an inspection for $60.  Then they criticized me for not wanting to pay for services I didn't want (inspection).  I said I want good value at reasonable price.  They said they don't offer that, only great service at high price.  After 10 minutes I got neither an estimate nor an appointment for an estimate.

End result - no estimate, no idea of how they stay in business.

Awesome customer service! I called to ask questions and the representative (Ebony) was extremely helpful and polite.

The technicians at Big Blue are remarkably hardworking and capable.  They delivered what they promised, despite some unexpected obstacles they encountered along the way.  I'm very impressed with their performance; they got it done and I would recommend them to anyone.

Today around 1.45pm at the Broadway 880 Northbound Ramp I was getting on in my BIg Rig when this companies work truck speeds up under cuts  me and almost caused a serious acccident.What a fucking ass hole of a driver and totally totally unprofessional.Your drivers need to learn how to drive safely it reflects on your company as being TOTALLY UNSAFE & UNRELIABLE.

Big blue was predatory​ and has pushed my older parents into getting work they didn't need and a membership so they had to keep coming back.  Then when they did do a big job for them, that was very expensive.  Every part of it needed redoing. I walked in the door and turned on the tap in the bathroom and the water just poured out under the sink, then went to throw in a load of laundry and they had moved the washer over so that you couldn't open it because of a bookcase in the way. Then try to turn on the stove to make dinner​ and that didn't work either because they had tripped the emergency shut off​ while working.  Oh and one day they turned up for work without the keys to their truck so they ended up using a tool to cut open the lock on the truck and I thought to myself aren't they worried that someone is going to think they are stealing​ that truck but no, that wouldn't be a problem since there​ is a larger than life-size​ picture of him on the back of the truck.

I found Big Blue Plumbing on a Yahoo search. From the start they were great. The office receptionist Briana was very courteous. She was knowledgeable of the different heating systems and set up an appointment for me right away.

Today Zack from Big Blue Plumbing came in to check on our unit. His arrival time was set up for between the hours of 8 - 10am. He called me prior to arriving, he got here at 8:45am., unfortunately our heat/air system is not one they service. However, Zack stayed and checked our unit, troubleshooting the problems we were having. He was able to let us know what he found he took several pictures for us (to further help us as we find someone who works with Hydronic heating systems.

Zack was very professional, explained everything clearly and left us with some help to make our search a lot easier.

Thanks Zack, you were excellent and we really appreciate your help and dedication to your work.

Gloria Schwenderlauf

used them for water leak outside our house. They took care of issue in a timely manner. I am writing this review after few months of repair to ensure that they did a good job and there is no leakage after that, Good company to work with.

Let me start by saying I have no issue with the plumber who came out. He was very knowledgeable, professional, helpful, and accommodating. That being said I will not hire this company. Their prices are outrageous so all of those five star ratings they have yeah for the amount you charge it better be great service. What killed the deal for me wasn't just the prices but when I set up the appointment I told the lady we had purchased new fixtures because some of our old ones had broken. She said that's fine we can install those for you. Turns out they don't do that for warranty purposes which is fine if it had been explained to me that way before. They have their own fixtures they like to use and install. Some simple things that don't seem big have a big price tag with them. For both of my toilets to have the internal parts changed was over $700 dollars that's just an example. Just to have someone come out is $69 dollars. If money is no object then this is the company for you but for the average income hard working family this can be a huge hit to your bank account. A few tasks can be several thousand dollars. They do offer financing. No thanks.

HUGE shout out to Ebony, Gio and Gary at Big Blue Plumbing. These people are amazing and genuinely cared how our plumbing problem was affecting our family. Due to the crazy heat wave, we had a plumbing disaster. They booked a next day appointment for me but kept me on stand by for same-day help. They called back to check in and update me. The best part was that they helped me temporarily fix the problem OVER THE PHONE so I could get my water back on. To top it off, they are Blue Diamond certified and carry a ton of parts on their truck. I will never call another plumber again. Thank you Big Blue Plumbing!!!!!!

When I called in for service for a clogged drain I spoke to Ebony, who right off the bat was helpful and informative on what I could expect from them during their visit.

We were serviced by RJ Mattson. Who was prompt and understanding of our loud and obnoxious pit bull which is a plus because some people are afraid of loud barks...

He quickly realized our problem was not just a clogged drain but that we potentially had a much bigger problem and proceeded to explain in detail what issue we were dealing with. He even offered to explain the issue with our landlord which was very helpful. After all he is the expert, he could explain it much better than me.  

The visit was relatively short being we weren't prepared to handle the repair cost immediately.
But with the visit being short RJ was kind enough to offer to take the $67 dollars they charge for a diagnostic and put it towards the estimate total. We will be using BBP without hesitation!

I had used Big Blue in the past, so I believed that they were reputable. Even my general contractor believed they would do good work.

When I called them to help me with a leak in my boiler for my radiant floor heating system, they replaced one cracked part, but also turned off the water to my system. Because they turned off the water my system was not working. When I called them back their technician, Nic, proceeded to tell me that my boiler motherboard was inoperable and that the entire boiler needed to be replaced. Additionally, he offered me a quote of replacing the whole system upwards of $10,000 as in his words my installer was not a plumber and had done the entire job wrong. (this is actually incorrect)

*Side bar I was without heat for 3 weeks during this whole debacle.

I ended up having to call the original installer, who, after looking at the system, explained to me that the water had been turned off and that my system would not work if there was no water going to it. He was enraged that a seemingly reputable company would try to con me in such a way.

If your work is straight forward, and you know what you need, go for it. I've had good experiences with them in the past. If there is a question about what the problem is, I might find a different plumber.

They did not charge me for the repaired part, after I made them aware of this whole saga.

Love, love, love Paul and his customer service! Yes, he might be a little bit more than the competitors but it's SO worth it on the customer service side. He knows his stuff inside and out and is willing to take the time necessary to educate you so that you are very clear on all your options.

I had a unique need because I the previous had installed a radiant floor heating system. Although I didn't use it, I wanted to maintain its integrity for resale purposes. Paul Gerrard (owner extraordinaire!) came out to do the estimate. He spent over two hours explaining everything to me which I really appreciated because I like to be extremely educated on every project I take on. He explained my three options and was very thorough in understanding how the radiant floor unit came into play. He was the ONLY provider that discussed how a tankless water heater would work (or not) in coordination with the radiant floor unit.

After receiving three other bids (some of which were cheaper) I chose Paul and Big Blue because of his knowledge and his customer service. It is so hard to find a contractor for projects these days that you can truly trust that they will do what they say. Yes, I paid more than I would have with another provider but I really needed to know that the project was going to be done right the first time and that I was very clear on how it worked in my current setup. Paul made me feel very comfortable. Hell, he even offered to allow my engineering father who was questioning every part of the project, to call his cell with any questions! He sold me with that. The team was meticulous and Paul was sure to oversee everything from beginning to end. We are happily enjoying a much needed extremely hot shower thanks to the tankless water heater!