Spartan

Last year, my central AC went out.  I called spartan.  They had a tech come to my house when my roommate was there.  They said they looked at the unit and left me a bill for the checkup (about 80 bucks) and an estimate of about 5000 for a new condenser.  I couldn't afford, so I purchased window ac's and stuck with that.  On a separate project,. I had someone fix some gas lines and he said he could look at the ac .  He found the problem in 5 minutes ....bad capacitor .  Boom!  I was shocked and called spartan back for a refund because obviously the tech didn't look at my unit and tried to make a sale instead.  Very very dishonest of you guys... .taking advantage of people that don't know better.  I would give you guys a negative star if I could.

Best plumbers in DC.  I called them after the flooding rains this weekend due to an outside drain back up and was flooding my unit.  They had Melvin (super nice) out with a snake in 2 hours and saved me thousands in damages.  Lastly, the bill was very fair... a few hundred bucks for emergency service on a weekend.  Thanks guys.

Not impressed.  On Thursday morning, I submitted an email request for them to come out on Friday between 7a-12p.  They called me Thursday afternoon to confirm and said that the tech would call about an hour prior to arrival.  By 11:15a, Friday I hadn't heard anything, so I called to make sure I hadn't somehow missed them.  I was told that they were still working a job that was taking longer than scheduled, and that they would call as soon as they were finished.  It's now after 5pm and...crickets.
I called this company because I really wanted to support a woman-owned business. Now I have to wait until Monday before I can call another company to come out.  Guess I should have checked the Yelp reviews.

No shows.

They skipped out on FIVE HOUR window to come by and give me an estimate.

They never called, even after I got in touch and told their answering service I had been ditched. They basically screwed my day and never showed up.

Two days later they called to ask if I still wanted their business, but certainly didn't think to offer any sort of compensation for my lost time. Don't bother with them.

I've used Spartan plumbing several times and have recommended them to clients as well.  They are professional, show up on time, and do excellent work.  However if you need parts you should buy them yourself because their mark-up is outrageous. Their rates for labor only are reasonable though.

*review for Capitol Heights, MD area*

As I was planning to do a load of laundry which is located in the basement, I noticed water was dripping from the pipes.  

Aw, dammit!

I looked online for a plumber and saw Spartan.  I liked that you could submit a service request with options for dates and time along with contact information for them to reach you.  I thought I'd try asking for today.

Within 10 minutes, I got a call from Spartan.  After explaining my situation, they were able to come out the same day within a couple of hours.

True to their words, two guys arrived and inspected the watery mess.  The leak turned out to be from the icemaker of the refrigerator on the floor above.  They even went out to find a replacement.  They returned and replaced the supply line.

And the bill was decent.  At least, it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I'll definitely contact them should I ever have such problems.

Do not use Spartan!  We used them several times for small jobs and we found they always wanted to up sell us on everything...we finally cut ties with them last year when they came out to service our boiler and tried to convince us that is was emitting high levels of carbon monoxide and that we needed to buy a new boiler right now. (we have 2 electronic carbon testers in the basement and they were not going off)  

Needless to say we called someone else who came out and confirmed what we already knew - the boiler was fine and if it was giving off high and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide we would be dead.

I should have paid attention to the previous reviews but instead called Spartan to address the leak from my kitchen sink that was causing water to pool on my kitchen floor.  They were the only plumbing company that could come this week, before I was scheduled to go out of town.
They gave me the time slot from 11-2.  At 2:30, I called Spartan since they were still not here, and was informed they were running behind schedule and it shouldn't be more than an hour.  At 3:30 when they still weren't here, I called again and was told they were on their way over.  Finally at 4pm, I got a call from the plumber who told me he couldn't find parking outside, so wanted to reschedule my appointment.
I wasted a full day waiting around for them to show up, just for them to cancel on me.  It sounds like they do good work from some of the other reviews - the problem is getting them there to do the work.

Requested Spartan to snake main sewer line. They said they could not clear it. They also showed up with a broken camera and said they couldn't come back until the next day, leaving me without water and sewer usage for 2 days.  They claimed that my sewer line was broken and quoted me $38,000 to fix. I called another plumber. They snaked it and cleared the line. They put a camera down and said no issues with the line after they snaked it. If I trusted Spartan I would have spent $38,000 for nothing.

My problem was relatively simple (low coolant and a missing cap), so I didn't necessarily test out how good Spartan is with a more serious problem. But they got me an appointment just a few days out, called when they were on their way, showed up on time, diagnosed the problem exactly right, fixed it efficiently, and charged a reasonable amount (at least, reasonable for DC). Works for me.

Our AC went out and they responded quickly. The needed part took longer to come in than expected but the technician was nice, capable and responsive by phone. It took a week to fix my AC but we were happy with the service. Less than two weeks later the part that was replaced stopped working and we were without AC again. It took three tries to get someone out to tell us the part was defective and would be replaced under the warranty. Since then, no one has returned our multiple calls despite repeated promises. They sold and installed a defective part and now won't make good on the warranty on their parts service when there is no more money to be made. This is a shameful way to run a business.  We went from very happy customers to incredibly disappointed.  Stay away!

I had Spartan come to give me an estimate on a minor job.  Guy showed up as planned, looked over the job, and left.  A month later I still haven't heard from them about an estimate. I called and reminded them that I was waiting. No response. Totally unprofessional. If you can't do the job, why not have the courtesy to call and let me know?

I wait all day for the technician to come and then Spartan calls me at 5:30pm on a Friday telling me they are on their way. I rescheduled with them for Monday. Monday comes around they show up, technicians are friendly and somewhat knowledgeable. One of them does the inspection and tells me he will get back with a quote the next day, 7 days have gone by and I have yet to get a quote.

Having Spartan come out is a complete waste of your time. I had a service man come look at my heat pump because it had frozen over. Once it defrosted, I had a technician come out. My appointment time was after 2:00; no window just after 2. I called back around 4 to get an update on the time and was told after 5.

Once the technician showed up, he went outside (after complaining, what a day) for all of 15 minutes and told me my freon level was good, the defrost cycle wasn't cycling on (clearly), and it was most likely an issue with the control board. However, he couldn't fix it because he couldn't find the unit name on the heat pump. He recommended that I find someone else that was could recognize the type of system it was and they could get the parts needed to fix the unit. He was able to find the serial number and part number but not the brand name of the unit. The name of the unit was on the same sticker as the serial number and part number.

Since he recommended that I find another company that could od the work, I did just that. He did do me the favor of knocking $20 off the service call so I only paid $69 for them to tell me what was wrong with the heat pump but he couldn't fix it - what a joke.

Congrats to Spartan for finding a way to make money on the initial service call. However, if you actually need someone to fix the problem, don't call Spartan. I used Spartan for plumbing services a couple of years ago and they were great, which is why I called them again. Not sure what has happened but the service has definitely taken a major downfall.

I don't usually post review, but some of those bad experiences deserve a warning.

I made an appointment with this company, and I agreed to the 12pm-5pm time frames. They called me at 12:18.  I realized I missed the phone call, 5 minutes later ( 12:23) I tried to call them back. They explained that they were in front of the building and they had already left, they needed to reschedule. I told them I am home, my schedule from 12 to 5 have been cleared up. They said that they might come later or not, or I can reschedule for the next day (once again 12pm to 5).
When I heard that I was still calm , but the attitude of the person I talked to on the phone drove me crazy.
My problem is the person I talked to, told me about their 30 min notice. Nobody called me 30 min earlier to let me know they were on their way, and when I tried to explain the situation to the person on the phone he started to basically act with me like I was crazy, treating me like a liar, refusing to accept the facts and acting rude.

What is good with technology is that you can see who calls you and when and this is how I know exactly when they called me and when I called back. (5 min later)
I am not expecting them to wait for me, or call me a thousand time. But 5 min? Knowing they never called 30 min earlier to let me know they were on their way. They couldn't wait 5 min but I took the time to clear up 5 hours of my schedule for them.  What really pissed me of is when this person on the phone, instead of trying to fix the situation and find a way to make it works, basically treated me like I was lying.

There are thousands of company out there that does a great job, the only way to differentiate yourself in this market is to provide good customer service, something that this company obviously missed.

I called Spartan to replace the freon in my a/c.  My system worked, but needed a new line.  They refused to repair it and wanted to install a whole new system.  This company sucks.  Terrible company.

This company tried to screw my mother over.  She has used this company for many years bc they are local.....never again!  Her system was working intermittently.  They told her she needed to replace a valve for $1500 and/or replace her 12 year old boiler unit.  I thght it was a bit strange that she had to replace her unit given her last one lasted for over 40 years.  I called 2 other companies and they both agreed that the valve either works or doesn't work not sometimes and the unit is no where near needing to be replaced.  Not only that, they were so rude on the phone when we called and asked questions, seemed like we were bothering them.  It is supposed to be a woman based company but they have a long way to go.     I do NOT recommend this company ever! !

The guy they sent over was a scam artist.  As soon as he walked in the door, he started telling me how he does not work with my brand of garbage disposal and I need to buy one from him ($500).  He could not even find the water valve for the house and killed off his initial billing.  Do your homework and ask around before invest money in this establishment.

I recommend Spartan if you like to be lied to and enjoy waiting around for 4 hours after the end of the service window.

My window was 10-12 and at 10:30 they called me to say they were 45 minutes out.  I will cut the story short but I spoke to them every hour after that and he was always 45 minutes away.  At 3:00 I call, and the office is closed and I am transferred to the emergency service that has no idea about my appointment.  Miraculously, the plumber shows up at 3:45.  This is almost 4 hours after the end of the service window.  Service was fine but no apology or any acknowledgement of the inconvenience they had caused.

I will never use them again and I recommend if you value your time you do the same.

Friendly phone representative, and they were able to come out the same day I called to fix a plumbing issue. Courteous, fast and professional. You really can't ask for more than that!

Before I start let me say that the phone call alone was reason enough to say...NO THANKS! I called this morning to ask if someone could come out to take a look at my thermostat. The lady doesn't ask about the problem first. She starts right off with the prices and costs saying, it's $89 for the 1st 30 minutes and then some crazy price for additional time over the 30 minutes. If they use parts/materials....you guessed it.....more costs. I asked if these fees would be included if they do the work. NO. So, in addition to the pre-costs I would also add the cost of materials. This company sounds like they are all about the $$ and not service. I hung up and I'm still looking for a HVAC company that cares about people, as well.

I don't have a lot of experience with plumbers. We always try DIY first, so I don't have a great perspective on how much plumbers should cost. Spartan was prompt and came in a timely fashion and gave me enough info to know what to expect at the end of the visit. The plumber was professional and gave us good advice. He showed how our kitchen sink plumbing would be replaced. About an hour later everything was working like new! Received some good tips about how to avoid issues in the future. I was VERY happy with his helpful service.

I called Spartan to schedule an emergency visit to fix our AC.  A technician called right away but told me he cannot come until next day.  So much for emergency service they advertise.  He told me that he will call next day to schedule a visit.  No call, so I called back and left a message again.  He ended up never calling back.  Never using this company again.

We had a main line sewer failure. Spartan gave us a very reasonable quote for a big job.  They did an excellent job and helped us through the DC permit gauntlet. John was a great communicator about the job, timeframe, etc. which is rare in the plumbing industry.

I had an awful technician and dealt with poorly trained customer service. I scheduled a Saturday morning appointment, and they never showed up or called to say they were running late. So I called them and asked what was up. Customer service said that technicians were running behind and to call back in a couple of hours. I wait. Same thing a few hours later. I wait, same thing. I finally call again, and they are closed! So I call the emergency hotline, and they tell me a serviceman will call me. I get a call from a number, but I miss the call and no message is left. I immediately called back. No response. I wait 15 minutes and call again. No response. I wait 15 minutes and call again, and someone responds emphatically with WHAT?! I ask if this is Spartan Plumbing. He responds by saying that the he is really busy with other projects, so I explain my situation to him. The technician is not happy with my basic question of are you coming today, drops a few colorful f bombs, and hangs up. At this point, I am frustrated, so I call the emergency hotline and am told I have to call on Monday to set up an appointment. Customer service claimed it was my fault that the technician was not coming. Beware using this company, in my experience their technicians and service were down right awful.

They could not fix the heat pump at my DC rental property. Maybe they only know how the replace, not repair units.  After paying them more than enough money, I had to drop them and hire a real prefessional that order the necessary part and fixed the unit.  Sine the unit was less than 10 years old and other than the heating coils appeared to be in like new condition I didn't want to spend 2-3 times as much replacing the unit. I would never use them again.

They got the job done. It was clean a percise and they got it done in a reasonable time frame would try again.

On the plus side, the plumber was nice, quick, and installed a much better garbage disposal than my broken one.

On the down side, on Sunday evening they told me they'd call around 7:15 and have someone out by 8:30. Upon hearing this, I canceled my 8-10 window with another plumbing company.  I got up much earlier than normal, and did not receive a call.  I called them starting at 8:30 and they were not able to give me a time.  They finally called me at 3:15 to say that someone was on the way.  They don't understand that customer service is about managing expectations!  If they had said go about your normal day, we'll call you when we can send someone out it would have been fine.  But instead I was pissed off and cranky from lack of sleep. And the result is that despite the work was good, here I am writing a review on yelp with 2 stars.

I live in a Wardman up in Tenley. Our thermostat went bad and we needed a new one installed. I bought a new Nest and was prepared to install myself, but the wiring in the wall was old and short. I called Spartan on a SATURDAY and they came within 45 minutes and fixed the problem promptly. Excellent, courteous work.

Run away.  One person tells you they can do something and the other person says no.  Its not a serious operation and no one takes responsibility. Try someone else.

Worst customer service.  I dont know how they stay in business. The guy answering the phone is extremely rude.  He makes you beg to get someone to talk to you and schedule appointment.  Then no one calls back.  This is a wonderful going out of business strategy!

I sat at home for almost 10 hours today waiting for a plumber who was supposed to come between 8am and 2pm to replace a faucet. I called multiple times for updates on the eta, and was assured he would come. Now they are closed and only an answering machine will take my message. I have still not received one call from the company. ***Do not use them.*** This was a massive waste of my time... Unbelievably terrible customer service. Truly unbelievable.

I've never had such disrespectful or bad service from any company. We called to schedule an appointment for a few issues about a week ahead of time so that one of my roommates could take off work for the appointment. Our window was broad - 7:00 am-12:00 pm - so she took a half day. At 12:15, I called Spartan to see why no one had come. They said they were running late and were hoping to get to us by 5:00 pm. That's five hours after our window!

I was understanding and asked if they could push it to be after 6:00 pm so someone would be home. They agreed and said they'd be calling when they were on the way. No one ever called us or followed up. At 8:15 pm I called and was told that I was on the list. I asked if they even service homes this late. The girl was rude and unhelpful. She said she couldn't know that. I simply wanted to know if I needed to wait around any longer, but she said she'd have the technician give me a call. Never happened.

We wasted our time taking off work for them and they couldn't have given us worse service. Don't waste your time. Pick another company!

There's a reason there's so many terrible recent reviews - this company is terrible.

I called to schedule a plumbing appointment for a Saturday two weeks out, and was given a window from 12-5pm. Didn't hear anything from the company on Friday or Saturday morning confirming the appointment or with a more specific time, so called Saturday morning to make sure we were still on.

I was assured that I was scheduled for service, but they wouldn't give me a specific time and said the plumber would be in touch. So I proceeded to spend my entire Saturday afternoon waiting to hear something - anything - from the service.

At the end of my window at 5pm, I called to check if they had any status update. I was told they would pass along my number for someone to call me. Called back again, and this time they said they would mark my request urgent but still couldn't give me an idea even if someone would actually be coming at some point. I'm now sitting here having wasted six hours of my weekend, and have no idea at all if they're coming. There's been no update, no apology, and no help at all.

Don't make the same mistake I did and believe the outdated Washingtonian Best Of reviews. Stay away and don't waste your own time.

Well...I would like to leave a good review, as everyone else here did, but the simple fact of the matter is this; their plumber did not assess the problem with my leaking toilet when he first got here. He did his job quickly and I figured it would be fixed, considering these are professionals and I am not one.  Two visits later and two flaps later, the problem still persisted. I figured out what the actual problem was on my own, and told the company myself.  Instead of sending someone out for 10 minutes to fix the problem that the original plumber should have spotted the first time around, I got a call from the master plumber explaining to me that it would be a ten dollar discount on the labor (which is still pretty damn expensive). So I payed a fair amount of money...and still have the original leaking toilet. I am done with DC service folks.  This is the third poor excuse I have come into contact with for home repair in the two years I have lived here. I guess when the market is huge, there's plenty of room for half-decent service.
Overall, I would love to leave these guys at least 4 stars, because their customer service and the plumber who came out were all extremely nice, and that goes a LONG way. But I still have a leaking toilet, and it should have been assessed properly on the first visit.

Company is a scam and unreliable. They did not show up on two consecutive appointments and when they did show up, they told me they don't work on appliances and left within 15 minutes and charged me over $200. When I called to speak to the manger, they didn't have the work order of work completed. I hired another plumber of resolved the issue.

I had an appointment today between the times of 7:30am-10:30am (DC Location). When I called at 10:45am to ask what was going on, I was told that since it was raining, the technicians would not be able to come out. I did NOT receive a phone call, an email, or anything to let me know this. This is such POOR customer service. The receptionist only said she was sorry. To me, when you have poor customer service like this, you should offer the client some type of compensation because people take off work to pay your company for a service.

I told her to cancel my appointment because I would not be using their service.

Terrible service.  We had a water pipe break in an outside storage area and in the basement.  Spartan came 3 times to fix it.  They had no idea what they were doing. The repairman showed up without the right tools or equipment.  The remediation service working in the basement warned me.  They work they did was shoddy and incomplete.  Two weeks after Spartan completed  the work, the pipe started to leak again - such a major leak that DC Water notified me of excessive water use.  I had to turn off all the water in the house again. I called Spartan and made an appointment and the repairman did not show up or even call.  I would never ever use Spartan again and I would not recommend them.  Ed N. Washington, DC

If I could give them zero stars, I would.
Last Tuesday, June 17, I started having issues with my AC leaking water. I called this company at 4:30pm, wondering if someone could come out and take a look that day, since they advertise 24-hour service on their website, and I mentioned that I would be on a business trip the following day. I was told no problem at all, and that I would be called back as soon as possible by a technician. I heard nothing from no one. I called them back at 7:30pm, asking why I was not called back and if they could still come out - same story as above - I still heard nothing. The next day, at 7am, someone called me and said they could come out that day. Hello??? I told you yesterday I was going to be away for business, and I am still waiting for your two phone calls back from the day before. At that point, they tried blaming it on me, saying basically that since I had called them at 7:30pm (which was the second time I called them, btw) I could not demand that they come out the same day. Nice, for a business that advertises 24 hour service! Anyway, my AC is still leaking water, so I let this go and we agree to set an appointment for today, Saturday, June 21, at noon. Comes today, it's 12:30, and nobody showed up or called me. Once again, I called them back, and apparently, there is no record of me having an appointment scheduled for today. Which is BS.
Once again, nobody bothered to call me. Plus, the lady on the phone today, Tiana (sp) when I called at 12:30 to enquire about ETA of the technician, gave me an attitude. Really???And my AC is still leaking.

This is a completely unreliable company, disorganized, and with awful customer service. DO NOT CALL THEM if you need service because you will be largely disappointed.

We found Spartan via Google last year - may have (mistakenly) avoided if I had read one or two of these reviews.  This was the second time we have needed them and we have only had positive experiences.

They came out quickly to fix our AC unit (painfully located on our roof in DC).  Edgar was professional, friendly,  (importantly) thorough, and explained things to me, which I appreciated.  I will certainly be calling them next time we need HVAC work.

I've used Spartan a number of times, so this isn't a knee-jerk review based on one bad experience.  They used to be pretty decent, but their service has gotten increasingly worse and, lately, just awful.  

We got several estimates for a new central air system.. Spartan came in several thousand dollars higher than anyone else... almost double, in fact, the price/company we ended up going with.

On the last plumbing job, we asked them to install new shower fixtures we bought... they told us what we had was cheap and that we should use the standard fixtures they carry for a flat rate of 650 dollars.  We relented.  Two weeks later the fixtures they put in jammed up and quit working.  We've been waiting several days now for them to come and fix their crappy, extremely over-priced work.  Waited all day saturday for a promised visit and they never came.  Now halfway through waiting all day monday (they were supposed to be here between 8 and 11 a.m.) and still no word.

Oh, Spartan also quoted us 500 dollars to install a kitchen sink and garbage disposal.  Brookland Plumbing did it for 135.  Brookland was also on time, kept all their promises and did excellent work.

Save yourself a lot of headaches and money... don't use Spartan.

/sad to say our recent experiences with Spartan have been pretty awful. Last year they came out to look at our HVAC & diagnosed that we needed a new fan (expensive), When i asked if it might instead be the issue we had the previous year (a clogged hose), they said doubtful...but that's exactly what it was, not a broken fan. Our HVAC crapped out again this past week & this time they told us within 5 minutes that we needed a new compressor - a $5k fix, We were skeptical and got a second opinion.... turns out our compressor is completely fine & there was just an issue again with the hose (a problem they've fixed for us before!) & needing more freon.

We wont ever call Spartan again - a complete waste of $89!

I hired Spartan because it's advertised as woman owned.  I really wanted to like them.  The coils in my AC system froze over because of low freon levels.  The tech was nearly 5 hours late (appt was for 4 pm and he didn't get to my house until 9 pm, no one called to update me, instead I had to keep calling them to confirm that they're still coming).  To make matters worse, he overfilled the freon so that my system started to short cycle (turn on and off quickly) and he had to return that night to fix it.  He finished at 11 pm!  Unfortunately, it didn't fix the problem and my system continued to short cycle.  Called them back and manager said I would need to pay for the evaluation.  After I explained the situation, he said the technician was on the way.  Three hours later, still no technician that I finally cancelled.  Called them yesterday, the answering service responded with promise to get a call from a technician soon.  Three hours later, I called again and the answering service apologetically assured me I will get a call back as soon as a technician is available.  Call finally came...the next day.  Going elsewhere now to get the unit fixed because this company is so unreliable.  All I needed was freon, but now I have to figure out why my unit continues to short cycle after they serviced it (wasn't doing that before) and pay extra before permanent damage occurs to my unit.

I should have been suspicious when they wouldn't give pricing over the phone but I had nobody else ready to snake a clogged kitchen drain that was also affecting a bathroom one. Their scam is a $99 visit fee which is only waived if you go over $500 so they priced it at $495. Later I learned that $250 or less would be more appropriate. Bottom line, almost $600 for what I now know on average is less than $200. Avoid and find someone more honest. Their Senior Citizen Discount is also a joke.

I am highly recommending Spartan for all of your plumbers needs.  Yesterday, Anil came to give me an estimate on repairing some leaky pipes in my kitchen and basement.  He took extra time to answer all of my many questions, explained all of the costs, and agreed to work with my insurance compan to get repairs completed. Today, the crew showed up on time to complete the work.  The crew were respectful and took extra care with items stored where they needed to work.  I have used Spartan in the past and have never been disappointed.  I highly recommend this company to perform any w you need.

I called Spartan because I needed a sewer camera.  They put the camera down but did not really see what the problem was.  They then wrote a $10,000 main line replacement and the service manager was extremely condescending and insulting when I asked him to explain how they came to the conclusion the main line needed replacing without adequate images.
I called another plumber who came out and aggressively snaked the line and was able to clear the issue.  He had to work hard to get it done and it took several hours but he persisted in an effort to save me several thousand dollars.
I am thankful the Spartan guy was so rude because it prompted me to get a second opinion.

I've called them multiple times on several different  occasions (including a few emergencies) and it's been the same story - they promised to call back or stop by and were never heard from again.  This has happened quite frequently and I'm not sure why I continued to call.

My first recommendation is not to leave the toilet open when you're getting something out of the medicine cabinet above it. However, if you DO knock something into your toilet while it's flushing, call Spartan to get it out.

I called on a Monday morning and was able to get a plumber out to my house when it was convenient for me. They called 45 minutes prior to arrival as promised, and the plumber arrived in the window they gave me. That's pretty rare in the home service industry.

My plumber, Cleo, was courteous, professional, and worked quickly. He was even kind enough not to laugh too hard at my predicament when I explained.

In the past they would show up on time, do a good job, and charge a fair price. However, they have lately changed their billing practices, and now charge by the job, not by the hour, and the result is their prices have more than doubled. When we called to complain, they gave us a lecture on capitalism.

We are remodeling a small bathroom. Called them to cap off supply and drain lines, and install three simple shut off valves -- an easy job. Total cost of components from Home Depot was $28.91, and it took them 90 minutes to do it (total time in to out the door).

Their fees were:
Three angle stop valves -- $645
2 PVC cap -- $189
1/2 copper cap -- $278
(They waived the $89 dispatch fee)
TOTAL $1,112

I would expect to pay about $400 for this job.

After receiving this exorbitant invoice I contacted them using a different name, and asked them to quote this exact work. They said they would send a tech for $99 and the tech would review the job and provide the quote.

So when you call for their service, the tech shows up and gives you a huge price, and then stands and waits for you to agree to it -- after you already owe them the $99 dispatch fee.

I had Spartan do my plumbing work for nearly 30 years and they were always excellent. I recently tried to get an estimate for sump pump work, and scheduled an appointment. After failing to show up twice, they sent a guy over randomly one evening and charged me $90 to tell me I needed an estimator. I will never use them again. I do not recommend them.

Should have checked the reviews FIRST ! Called Spartan after basement main drain backed up,  basement toilet and shower backing up, not draining. Tech arrived promptly and worked about an hour. He removed toilet and snaked the drain about 20 ft to the street to clear the drain. The shower and toilet are less than 5 ft apart on the same drain line. Tech finished and stated work was guaranteed for 30 days. Charged $395.00. Fifteen days later, the shower backed up. Called for warranty service and was told the work was not covered. Remember, the shower and the toilet are less than 5 ft apart on the same drain line and the shower drains after the toilet to the street line. Tech re-snaked, worked about 20 minutes, charged $314.00 was told $295.00 on initail call. Won't be using this company again.

I was in a pinch like many of you.  I needed a water heater replaced.  15 years ago a friend and I installed the one I needed replacing so I am very familiar with my water room.   This time I decided to use a Professional company to do the work so I chose Spartan since Michael and Sons could only come 5 days later.  Service advisor told me job would be $3500.  I agreed as I am on the board for the community that I live in, so I had a great idea of what the job would entail.

The Techs were very nice but the end result was that I was left with leaky pipes and a new issue for over 5 days.   They came out 3 times and could not solder the copper pipes.  Service advisor comes out and says to me, Did you see them do it.   I said yes as I asked the techs why they were on the other side of the room across from the water heater.  So basically the service advisor told me if you didn't see them do it then it did not happen.  I pointed out to the service advisor how sloppy the job was and how all the pipe locations had been changed and all the support had been broken.  He said again, Did you see them do it.  I said no but the techs did say they broke because they were cheap and old but here is what got under my skin.  The place where the supports were broken were literally 5 inches away from the new locations and they REFUSED TO SHORE up the work.  Tried to charge me an additional 100 bucks and then proceeded to tell me,  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR welp I am disputing that sir.

If you are going to pay top dollar for this type of service be cautious because what you getting based on my experience a dude in a Home depot parking lot could do.

These folks come in your house and basically tear your stuff up and then say did you see me do it....  Go with a company that treats you like a customer and not some PERSON OF THE STREETS.

To be fair they finally fixed the leaks BUT I feel that by not doing a neat and professional job, years down the line something will break loose.

I called for emergency service about 3pm just to have to call back an hour later for service. When the tech finally did show up all he did was look at my broken shower handle and told me that the entire diverter would need to be replaced. When I asked was there anything he could do temporarily so I could turn my water back on he said no. When I asked would the 89 dollars for this call go against the repair, he says I don't know you'll have to call at 7am tomorrow. WORST SERVICE EVER!!!

I called spartan three consecutive days and every day they said there were going to call and come. I did not receive any calls, not even to tell me they were not going to make the appointments. I will not be using them in the future.

Can't say that my experiences were negative like some others here. My furnace stopped working on the coldest night of the year, and they were the only people who would send someone out later that day after 4:30 PM. Edgar was great and checked things thoroughly at 8pm, before determining the control board was bad. After he got hold of a good one he came by on a Saturday to replace it. Excellent service.

I can't recommend this company strongly enough. After using two different home warranty companies, both of which assigned awful contractor after awful contractor, I decided to look up a company myself for a sump pump repair/replacement. Wade from Spartan came out that same day, around 7PM on a Friday no less, to diagnose the issue. Then a week later came out to replace the sump pump and also fixed a low water pressure issue in the kitchen.

Look, I get that home warranty companies are appealing in terms of peace of mind, but after my experience with Spartan, and specifically Wade, I'm cancelling my home warranty agreement and getting a service contractor with Spartan. There are not enough companies out there today with professionalism, good manners, and courteous staff. Wade has been out to my unit twice, and both times, was extremely polite to my girlfriend and I (and our dog), explained what he was doing, helped us understand WHY he was doing it. He took what was an absolutely awful situation with our sump pump/home warranty company, and seriously turned our day around by helping out. We almost had tears in our eyes just from how nice he was compared to the multiple contractors sent out by the home warranty company.

Thanks Wade -- you've made us happy Spartan customers, hopefully for a very long time.

I have used Spartan Plumbing recently to fix a leaking kitchen fixture.  They turned on the faucet and saw that the leaks was coming from the base of the sprout. and promptly decided that the fixture had to be replaced.  My kitchen fixture was replaced by a cheaper version (I know because I researched the models), and the process took took the plumber 15 minutes to replace the fixture.  For the little bit of work that was done, I was charged $375.00, ouch!  In addition, my investigation revealed that the fixture didn't need replacing, it only needed an O-ring.  The plumber also documented time of work started 30 minutes prior to my arrival home to admit him .  
Anyway I called the plumber business, they refused to tell me how much they charged per hour for labor cost and instead told me that the $375.00 charge was a fixed rate for the new fixture relacement and the 15 minutes of labor.  All I can say is beware!!!!!

They hooked our gas line back to the house. It didn't pass inspection the way they installed it so I was without heat for 5 days in the winter. Then the inspector came back and it still was not installed properly so again another two day delay. Then they wanted to charge for the job even though it wasn't finished. DO NOT RECOMMEND. They also charge double the price of most plumbers and refuse to provide an itemized receipt. Not professional or competent.

Tuesday I experienced a main drain backup and was informed roots were visible.  In the past when I have had root issues at another location in DC, the techs were able to snake and clear the drain, removing just enough roots, to give me time to permanently resolve the issue.  But, in this case, by Friday the backup returned.  I questioned the size of the snake (auger) that was used, since the current techs did not indicate they pulled out any roots.

I called Spartan and spoke with a floor tech.  He informed me that usually after clearing the drain, roots could return in 4-6 months.  I told him that's understandable, but it's only been 3 days.  He also told me to get a camera down the drain, it would cost 400+ per hour.  This is in addition to $979 I was charged Tuesday (also requested the guts in two toilet tanks be replaced).  As I was telling him I would need to search around for a better price on the camera, he hung up while I was still speaking to him.  This rude behavior was unacceptable.  I called back and was transferred to a manager.  I told her as a professional who deals with customers daily, I know how a phone call is suppose to end.

I was further insulted when the Field rep called me and shouted at me saying so you want us to just come out and snake your drain for free every time it backs up.  As I stated before, I have supported Spartan company for years and never have I asked for a discount for being a consistent returning customer.  I informed him, this is where I cut ties with Spartan.

I ended up calling Roto-Rooter.  Didn't mention Spartan was there previously, nor anything about a root issue.  The tech snaked the main drain, excavated some roots, the line was cleared, and the camera is included in the price.  I also used a $75 off coupon.

Very poor service.  Was told plumber would arrive in the morning between 8-12 noon.  We waited the entire day and did not receive a call from Spartan.  When I called regarding the delay, they said they were short on staff.  I rescheduled the appointment for the next day and was told that that we would be the first job at 8:00 am.  We waited until noon and then decided to cancel.  It would have been helpful if Spartan had called to let us know of the delay; poor communication.  If you want professional and reliable service, I would avoid using Spartan.

I live in Washington, DC and had a problem with my toilet.  I called Spartan because I liked the reviews and also liked that it is woman-owned.  The plumber's first trip to my home was quick.  The problem was fairly simple- but my toilet required special metric tools (blame the architect-contractor who managed my remodel).  I was 30 minutes from the start of a dinner party and found myself w an unfixable toilet.  The spartan guy was gracious enough to provide a professional courtesy and not charge me for the visit because he did not have the right tools.

I called Spartan to schedule a new appointment (w the specialized tools)-- and also promptly began referring spartan's services to colleagues and friends.

On the date of the reschedule--  the plumber fixed my toilet in 34 minutes.  he told me 2 things.  #1  I would be charged in 30 minute increments.  so anything over 30 minutes is another $89.  w labor and parts, my bill was $199.  The second thing he told me was that  he was instructed to make sure I was charged for an hour-- to make up for the free service I received the first trip out to my place.

seriously?  I could have brought so much business to this company-- people are always looking for a good plumber and to support small businesses--  instead-- Spartan wanted to find a way to deceptively back charge me.  I had been an advocate for spartan.  no more.  

Spartan-- I hope the extra $89 is worth it.

Disappointing service. Had a tech come out to deal with a sink/ disposal unit that wasn't draining properly. The tech james told us the pipping was wrong and that he would need to install a 600 dollar disposal unit (red flag number one) as well as change the piping. We were preemptively charged 350 as the tech said he would be back the following morning to complete repairs (red flag number 2). The following day the tech did not show nor did we received a call that he would not be showing up (red flag number 3). As they had missed the the promised appointment i had to call them the following day only to find that they had no idea about the appointment. I was then promised that a tech would be sent out that day which would have been fine except that the tech had a flat tire and was unable to make the appointment (unfortunate). At this point i called again and spoke with a rather rude customer rep who talked over me rather than listen to the situation. I told them that i would pay their service cost for coming out and checking but that i wanted a differential refund or I would initiate a charge back on my card. The customer rep had the manager call back and at least he was reasonable and agreed to refund the differential amount and was surprised that James had charged us and yet hadn't return. Though the management at this company seem to be on the ball the actual customer reps and technicians leave much to be desired. I will be taking my business elsewhere in the future.

Spartan was recommended to us by our neighbors and we have not been disappointed. They diagnosed and fixed a plumbing problem over the summer that had left others clueless for years.  Just now they fixed our furnace -- a very simple fix, but they did it quickly and efficiently and taught me a thing or two in the process. Thank You, Spartan!

I called Spartan plumbing for two items:  1) Sewer line clean out and 2) air conditioning that wasn't blowing cold air.  To my surprise, this required two separate appointments.  Why can't one technician do both?
1) I agreed to have Spartan come out and give me a quote because they would not give me a quote over the phone.  When the technician arrived, he started to do the job with no intention of giving me a quote first.  When I asked, he pulled out a price sheet and gave me the price.  They obviously don't want to do this over the phone to suck you in.  The price was about $100 higher than other quotes.  But he was a nice guy so I took the bait.  He cleaned the sewer line in about 30 minutes... for about $400.  They offered a free sewer line inspection with a camera but that required yet another appointment, technician, etc. -- Really??
2) Spartan came out to check my AC because is was not blowing cool air.  After doing a pressure test, he found the leak in the capillary tube to the thermostatic expansion valve bulb.  He said it couldn't repair the leak, that I would have to replace the entire exchange unit in the air handler -- at least $2000 plus labor.  Then he recommend that I just replace the whole AC unit outside since it was 12 years old. Another $4000 plus labor at a minimum.  I said no thank you and I'll think about it.  I did a little research, bought a new thermostatic expansion valve for $25, had it replaced, and the system charged, for a fraction of the cost.
Spartan is out to make money by ripping off the customer.  Don't use them.

Terrible customer service. I was excited to do business with this company based on positive reviews from associates and was very disappointed. They did not call me back in 2 hours which seems strange for a plumbing company. The front desk operator refused to let me speak to anyone or give me the names of the manager or owner of the business. I am a commercial property owner who could have provided a lot of business but they were not interested in helping me with a property under contract. They said, We don't do contractors. I said I am under contract and in the due diligence process, part of this process revealed an unidentified pipe that I would like to evaluate. They offered a price which I would pay but then said since I don't own the property, they have a company policy against working with me. I find this ridiculous. If I will pay for their service and it is part of a pre-closure property inspection why would a company refuse business?
Customer service means finding a solution to help solve a problem not refusing to help.

I'm so glad I didn't listen to some of the reviews on here. We had an initial quote from Roto Rooter for $1200 and Spartan came in and did the work for a third of the cost! They were timely, gave me a courtesy call to let me know their ETA and did a great job with the work. Trent was very nice and professional and even ran out to get an extra part at their HQ so I wouldn't need them to come back a second time. Would definitely recommend!

At 4:00am this morning I woke up to a freezing home (19 degrees)!We tried to troubleshoot but we were unsuccessful. I was thinking oh no here it is Saturday Morning who would be able to come help us.   I called Spartan Plumbing and Heating at 8:20am . Juwan arrived approximately 12:30pm and now we have HEAT!! Juwan was very professional, knowledgeable, respectful and offered tips how we can properly care for our furnace.
Juwan is definitely an asset to Spartan Plumbing and Heating if we have and other needs and without reservation I highly recommend this company!!! You will not be disappointed.
Juwan, you are amazing. Thank you so much!!

Mrs & Mrs Gilbert

I live in Springdale, MD and last month my gas heat furnace just stopped working when the temps dropped in the 30's. I searched online for heating repair. I pretty much did a random pick and called Spartan. They came to my house that night and fixed my broken relay and charged me less than $100! I found a new service repair company!!!

I live in washington dc and needed my water tank checked out because I had no hot water.  My water tank is electric and is only 8 years old.  The technician identified the problem and made the recommendation to replace the upper element (the element is about 14$ at home depot). I told him to go ahead and replace it and his response was:  we don't replace elements.  I was confused by the fact that Spartan will charge people for an assessment but will not fix the problem.  It's like calling a plumber and when the plumber comes out he assesses the faucet, tells you it is leaking but is not able to fix it.  When I called the company they said that they do not replace elements (although that was the recommendation from the technician) but recommended that I purchase a new hot water tank.  I decided to call the company after the technician left and the Master Plumber, Don Littleton, recommended selling me a new hot water tank.  I had another company come out and they drained the water, replaced the lower and top element, and replaced the thermostat and was charged 100$.  My tank works just fine.  I would not recommend this company to service any household unless you want to purchase a new product from them and have them install it.

Update:  The condensation leak Spartan fixed on my air handler was leaking again a mere 3 WEEKS later...not impressed.

Spartan's after hours answering service was very efficient.  We were given the option for emergency service, which is more pricey, or next day service.  The next morning we received a call from the service technician. He quickly arrived and was able to assess the problem.  We needed to replace our hot water heater.  The technician  was able to replace the heater that morning.  No more cold showers hooray!  Somewhat pricey, but discounts are offered on their website.

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction review. I've used Spartan several times and they are friendly, courteous, and do quality work. Price-wise, they're pretty much what you'd get anywhere in the DC area.

However, 24hr emergency service is somewhat misleading. If you have an emergency after hours (I've had two this winter), chances are you won't get service that day. Both times I had an emergency, I've had to wait hours for a dispatch to call me to say they couldn't come and that I should call in the morning. The answering service you get really cannot give you any information. They merely page a dispatch with your info and you just have to wait for one to call.

Still, I'd rather stick with Spartan over roto-rooter any day. Roto-rooter's service is parallel to Comcast...and we all know how great they are...

I called Spartan plumbing to clear my clogged bathtub drain.  I had attempted to do it myself, but ended up breaking one snake and had no better luck with a second one.  My house was built in the 1920s and had old cast iron pipes that were completely corroded.  The plumber they sent wasn't able to clear it, either, and said they'd have to replace the p-trap in order to clear my drain, since it was indeed rusted shut.  We agreed upon a price and Spartan sent out two more plumbers the following day to do the work.  

They replaced the trap and associated piping, as well as snaked the drain.  Unfortunately, when they made up the bathtub drain joint, it leaked like a sieve.  They made a few attempts at grinding down the bottom mating surface of the joint, but it still leaked when made up.  They told me it must be a pinhole leak in the tub and couldn't possibly be their joint, since they cleaned it properly.  In fact, it wasn't even their problem, because they fixed what they were called out to fix--the corroded p-trap and clogged drain--and it was my problem my tub leaked.  In fact, according to them, I'd probably need a new bathtub, but they'd be happy to replace it for me...for a cost.

As fate would have it, I'm a mechanical engineer whose work focuses on piping, so I went to the hardware store, spent $40 on supplies, disassembled the joint, re-worked it, and reassembled it myself.  Success.  

F Spartan plumbing.  You might as well invite a conman into your house if you're going to call them.

Would definitely never call again. I called them for two issues one year ago:
1) Faucet was not working: the plumber said the faucet was broken and it was not an issue with the line, and that I needed to buy a new faucet then call again. After buying a new faucet, and asking someone else to install it, I still don't have water, because the problem was with the line and NOT the faucet. $500 on new faucet and installation wasted.
2) AC was not cooling enough: They said it low on Freon, and charged A LOT to refill (for labor and materials). Since then, I have had to refill again, with another company, for less than half the price. Totally overprices company.

Just call someone else.

Update in reply to company response: I did not call for air conditioning on a 90 degree day. I did not call for air conditioning AT ALL, as a matter of fact. I actually called for plumbing. I also did not call for same day service. I had a scheduled appointment window for the following day. In any case, none of what you said excuses a NO SHOW/NO CALL. That is never acceptable, under any condition. If you can't make it out, some communication is expected. I called twice to check on status and was told both times that you were on the way. You didn't even call the next day to apologize or attempt to reschedule. If you need more than this anonymous review, I suggest you check your records for a 5/23 work ticket on Bayshore Drive in Laurel OR read the review I have left with the Better Business Bureau, wherein ALL of my identifying information is listed for your information and response. Lastly, your recent Yelp reviews, outside of mine, suggest that your company is far from award winning in its present state of operation. Good day.

Very frustrating experience. After taking my time to walk Spartan's plumbers through my house to perform an estimate on some basic plumbing needs, I was informed the following day that because another company started the work, they wouldn't finish it. I called Spartan because the original company was too busy to come out. So, I was stuck and wasted my time with them. Didn't think it was worthy of writing this review until I saw other Yelp reviews showing a similar poor customer satisfaction track record. Good luck if you use them.

The actual plumbers seemed nice and capable. My review is about how the company is run.

If zero stars were an option, it would be my rating. Appointments scheduled with no show/ no call from the technician or company to notify. When I made contact with the company, each staff member that I spoke with was extremely unprofessional. Bobby, Wendy, Sherron and the unresponsive manager Chris. My deposit was taken on a service I did not receive and I was given the run-around on a rescheduling. Sherron was unnecessarily sarcastic and very unbecoming of what a company would want as a representative of their business. As a military veteran and current business owner, the service I received is completely unacceptable, and customers should not have to experience this level of ignorance. It's no surprise they have an overall rating of 2 stars on Yelp.

Worse than Comcast!  I hesitated taking an afternoon appointment block on a Friday afternoon but I had what I felt was a somewhat urgent toilet issue.  I was told they'd arrive between 12 and 4.  Having heard nothing, I called at 3:15 and was told that the repair person was in NW and I was next on the list.  And...nothing.  I went to their website, which had their closing time as 6pm.  I phoned at 5:40 and they had already switched over to an answering service.  It was quite apparent that this person was not going to be able to help me, although she promised she'd call the tech and that he'd call me back.  I sent them an email about the problem on Friday night.  I have yet to hear back from them.  No explanation, no apology, NOTHING!   Horrible!   Do not use them!

They came to work on my heating boiler. The pilot light was out.

They got the pilot light lit by cleaning the thermocoupler, and then the serviceman was out the door so fast that i couldn't even confirm that our radiators were all heating up...

sure enough, one of the radiators didn't heat up...

it's been multiple calls back to Spartan to try to get a service man to come back. Super annoying...

They seem totally confused and disorganized. I would not recommend them.

If someone named Jay answers - I wish you the best of luck, because you are going to need it.

Not only was I unhappy with Spartan's service but they also caused me some grief with my credit card company.  The plumber forgot to write down the expiration date of my card.  Someone from the main office left me a message asking for the date.  When I returned the call, the woman told me my credit card was declined.  I then had to call my credit card company to find out what had happened.  They said someone from Spartan locked my account because they entered the wrong expiration date.  I can only conclude the woman tried to GUESS my expiration date.  Seriously?!?  Did she think she was psychic?  She couldn't wait the 30 minutes it took me to return the call with my expiration date?  I'm not using Spartan again.

It took 3 calls and much wasted time going over the jobs I need  (they had to take notes to pass on to the plumber) before I could actually talk to a plumber. And not because he finally called me but because I decided to call one last time. Then I was told that they charge $89 for the 1st half hour to come and look and $75 per 1/2 hour after that. Seriously?
I'm surprised they are in business.

I emailed Spartan over the Blizzard weekend(1/22-24 '16) and they never got back to me. So I called them on Monday morning to ask for a free estimate for a system that may or may not be working. They told me that it would be a charge to work on it $89 for the first 30 minutes and some godawful number after that. I said all I needed was an estimate, I didn't need any work to be done. I explained that I am a real estate agent and that my client is buying a property and that the HVAC had not been tested because it is a water system and the water had not been on previously. I told the manager that the home inspector said that it was probably not working but I needed an HVAC opinion a) to tell my client if it is working or not and if not, an estimate for repair so I could get the seller (a government entity) to pay for it.

I met the technician at the property (he was about 15-20 minutes early) but unfortunately we found the water to be off at the property so he couldn't do anything. I called back later on to see if I could get him to come back out, they told me no problem and that they would call me when he was in enroute.

They called me back to tell me he was on his way but now they were singing a different tune. They told me that now there would be a charge for it since he had already been out there before. The manager kept saying that the technician wasn't going to be paid and she tried to twist my words around. She also started to get an attitude and raised her voice at me. She said that the fact that I wanted the technician to fire up the unit constituted me wanting them to perform work, and therefore there would be a charge for diagnostics. I argued that there was nothing to diagnose really, it's either working or it's not. It was all about being paid. What she didn't understand was that they WOULD have been paid once we got the estimate, either by the current owner or the new owner. It's called referral business and she didn't seem to understand that.

As I write this they have two stars with 35 reviews.

Horrible, this place employs violent thugs. I wouldn't want these people alone with one of my loved ones. Get literally anyone else

THE WORST. Came out on Monday and didn't do anything but tried to charge me a $89 service charge (which they conveniently didn't mention when I booked the appointment). Luckily talked my way out of that. I scheduled a follow up for the actual repair later that week - which they didn't show up for. I called and they said they had me booked for the next day, even though I originally confirmed the date and had my building shut the water off for the repair work. They tried sending someone over but gave their repairman a wrong address (sent him to Fort Washington instead of DC). The repairman then called to say he didn't have any of the right parts. A HUGE WASTE OF TIME - their staff is completely incompetent.

Fantastic experience, they honored my expired service contract (which I had not used due to Covid), were very professional, knowledgeable, and efficient. They cleaned up and gave me tips, and were friendly and of course mindful of social distancing and wore masks. Very happy with their service!

They never came!  We made an appointment, waited three and a half hours, and got a call from the crew that said they do not work on our system and would not come.  They would not recommend anyone else and did not even bother to apologize for this massive inconvenience!  Don't  use them!!!

Our landlords prefer to use Spartan.  Unfortunately, it is up to us to make the appointment, be home, etc. when they arrive.  Our A/C (they installed) was not cooling well so we called for a maintenance call.  They came out and said nothing was wrong.  A few days later the same problem, they came back again, no problem.  Clearly there is a problem because the air coming out of vents is not cold at all, but they just come spend a minute or two and say everything is fine.

I'll be brief.  This company has come out 3 times in 5 weeks to repair our air conditioner, and it still does not work and they refuse to acknowledge their shady faulty service to the extent that they actually try to deny one of the service visits  altogether even though we have an invoice, receipt and credit card charge to prove it.