LaPensee Plumbing * Pools * Air

It all depends on who you get!  The first plumber didn't fix the problem but it worked for a week.  The second plumber figured out the problem by asking good questions. He was a problem solver. I got a second bill. I called
La Pensee and explained the situation.  They asked what I thought was fair.  I told them I would pay half of the second bill.  Olivia said she would get back to me.  She told me no, the first plumber was good, my bathtub was done wrong and the best they do was reduce the bill by $25.00.
Since I am not willing to take a chance on WHO YOU GET, I will use a different plumber.  Sad because Jimmy Noe, second plumber was excellent.
Another neighbor experienced a similar situation.  First plumber no, second plumber yes.

We use LaPensee Plumbing for all of our three homes plumbing needs. They're very professional and always on time. They're service is excellent.

Did not take accountability when a mistake was made.  The plumber did not do it right the first time and instead of an apology for my inconvenience for having to take a half day off to wait around again for the plumber so we could have running water, I was sent an $80 bill.  When I called to ask it be voided and explained the situation, they said they would look into it.  Long story short, they are not voiding the bill saying oh, I was only charged continued time and parts.  The plumber was here 5 minutes to fix what wasn't right, not the 30 minutes I was charged for.  Who knows if the parts he used were what he should've used.  WILL NEVER USE AGAIN!!!!

I am a positive person who normally does not leave bad reviews. But I am so disappointed in LaPensee who we have used for years as our service. I called on Friday after noon 4:45 because my bank flow had water pouring out of it.  A man did call me back within 15 mins. But he would not come out to service my house. Said there was nothing he could do until Monday morning. He was trying to save me money as well to make me wait. I told him I did not care about the money, there was too much water coming out, I would be happy to pay. But he said no he needed the back flow company to help him and there was nothing he could do.  I hung up the phone and called Casey's Plumbing 941-739-6582 who told me how to shut off the street valve until he got there. $179 later pipe unclogged and leaf stopped. My main complaint is if you do not want to do Saturday calls and help people do not offer the service. I will never use LaPensee again.

I called LaPensee Plumbing to set up an appointment to fix a broken dishwasher. The woman that answered the phone was cheerful and helpful. When the technician showed up to my house he was prompt and professional. They fixed the dishwasher within minutes and best of all, the price was very reasonable.

The company used to be good but not anymore.they are expensive and nickel and dime you. I called them out twice for the same problem. The first tech did nit do a thorough job and the problem came back. They charged me twice even though I argued against it. The office staff is not competent either.

Good company gone bad!
Used LaPensee for over 15 years since I have owned a home in Anna Maria.
Just recently the service has turned to crap.  The techs they send out now are not the regular crew but a new batch of opportuners that pray on holiday rental home owners.
Had them out numerous times for the same problem.   they claim they rodded out the pipe but do not do the work when they come out.  They sat in the truck and sent a bill for $360.
When I had a guest arrive 2 days later the problem was still there .  They had no problem sending another bill as well as a mysterious problem that needs to be fixed at a cost of $1800. and the problem was not fixed.
I hired someone else and behold there is no such issue!?  they fixed the original problem for $200. The sad thing is Lapensee made up the mysterious problem.
Well,  still getting a bill for the work not done.
Very disappointed with the new way they do things.. I heard the good plumbers moved to another company on the island because they were disappointed with the way things were being run.  
I have since found a new GREAT plumber that does not rip me off.

Ok,  The pool service,  They pool guy left the hose run in the pool for 2 days before my dad saw it and turned it off.

Finally the girls that answer the phone,  Could they be any more unprofessional?
When I talked with one girl there she was very rude and condescending. She insisted being paid up front for work not done yet. She also did as if it would be a HUGE hassle to run a credit card. I never had suck a rude person that was working for me?
Needless to say I will never go back.

Not exactly the best followup... I had an issue with a small bathroom and was referred to LaPensee. Chatted with them on the phone, and even with it being in season here in Florida, they were able to get someone out the next day -SWEET.  Overall it didn't seem like a big job from the issue explained to me by our HOA, but I'm no plumber. The first thing they told me is because they don't know me they will need to get a credit card on file and proceeded to tell me the reason why they needed to do this, even without me really questioning why or being upset, but no biggie. The property is a rental with tenants so I wasn't able to be at the site to confirm the issue and approve the work. I've worked with plenty of vendors (obviously not a plumber) that once they access the issue they call and inform what they found and how much the job would cost- reasonable right?. Well, not LaPensee. I got a TXT that my credit card had been charged? No call. After seeing the charge, I called them and spoke with my service lady, that I clearly must have caught her in the middle of something, because she said she was just about to send the invoice (in a rush). When I asked what had been done at the site, she said I would see that on the invoice, I proceeded to ask her for a recap so she read it, I asked a few questions, obviously, she had no time to discuss and when I said that I never received a call about the issue, she said they don't have time to call everyone and update them on the project? Really? I would think there are people like me that are trying to get work performed long-distance. Right?  She knew that. So how did the job get approved to move forward? Never had a tenant's approval fly with a vendor when it was going to cost money? I wonder how much they would have been willing to charge me without calling? I'm assuming the problems been fixed? Not sure how to rate the value when I never had the chance to assess the problem with them?

I just wanted to acknowledge what a professional company you have. Starting with a pleasant women that answered the phone  I wish I could remember her name. I asked her but my mind was spinning. She explained everything from time a technician would arrive (which was on time) to how much it would cost.

Bob the technician was awesome.  He explained what was going on and really made me feel very confident and relaxed knowing it would be fixed.. KUDOS. Highly recommend!

Want to share recent experiences with LaPensee Plumbing.  This weekend, my neighbor had a clogged sink pipe that we couldn't get unclogged, called LaPensee and the were there in less than 2 hrs and fixed the clog.  Today, my air conditioner wasn't keeping up.  Called LaPensee and there were here and fixed it and gone in less than 2 hrs from when I called them.  The technician was outstanding.  Super nice guy, no BS about it being old and ready to be replaced (which it is).  He just patched it up and air blowing ice cold.  When it comes time to replace it...calling LaPensee.

I would give 0 stars if I could. All they cared about was their big contract at .the time. Waited a month for service,  they couldn't understand why I was upset, and then refused to do the service.

I had a problem with my Noritz water heater and Earl from LaPensee Plumbing came to my home to assess.  He immediately found the problem and contacted Noritz Warranty Center to explain the problem and they agreed to provide the parts in a few days under their 15 year warranty.  Earl was really great in that he fully explained the problem to me and expedited the parts replacement with Noritz.  I would recommend LaPensee to my friends and neighbors because of their professionalism and honesty.

Customer beware they came to my home could not fix the problem and said they would call in a couple of days to see if it got better. No call but the bill came. The shower item was billed at 200% of street price and the time billed was excessive given the plumber couldn't figure how to solve the problem. When I contacted them they did not seem to care. I guess the customer or level of service is not important to them

Called this company 4 times trying to get an estimate.  They were not responsive and very rude when I explained to them that I had to reach out to them 4 times.  Glad I didnt contract with their company.  I can only imagine how awful that process would have been.

Very bad experience with this company over the replacement of a pool timer.  I received a quote to replace a pool timer and gave the approval to go forward.
I met with the tech at the beginning and throughout this process and he never indicating any issues or surprises.
One week later I received and invoice from LaPensee that was significantly higher than the quote I had received.  I called the office and the manager informed me that she had forgotten to inform me but the tech had to replace other parts resulting in the significantly higher price.
The invoice does not indicated any other parts other than the timer that was originally discussed.

Never again!

LaPensee came highly recommended so I called them to set up an appointment for a new pool estimate. Russ, their construction manager showed up, took some measurements and we discussed a few options. Russ assured me he would have something to show me in a week or so. Several weeks passed by and I heard nothing. After a month I called and spoke to a woman in the office that said he has been busy, (he was working on 4 whole pools!!) but would get back to me later in the week. NOTHING!! Not sure what the problem with Russ is but if he can't handle 4 pools, I certainly don't need him working on mine. Very unprofessional. Maybe they are better at gluing PVC.

Great pool company . All the workers are courteous and friendly . Joe P. came by to fix an issue we were having with our pool . Problem fixed quickly and he stayed a bit to make sure everything was running properly. Highly recommend this pool company .

Drove up to buy a new kitchen faucet and schedule LaPensee to do a list of assorted plumbing repairs at our Sarasota home. The store had no customers, but all the staff of about a half dozen people were too busy eating lunch to help us. We waited patiently. Eventually they sent us from department to department, each with a different staffer. Each wanted us to repeat our account info and, although none of them had name tags, they quizzed us about whom else we'd talked with. They wanted info from our cell phone, but their internet connection was too weak to receive an email!!! And the last one, Lisa, who kept taking off her mask, told us to stop talking and listen to her! We got our deposit back for the job that would have cost a couple of thousand dollars and left! We'll never be back.

LaPensee has maintained our vacation rental home pool for 10 years, and with hundreds of rental guests we've seen it all... Sand, suntan oil, hair, hurricanes, algae, torrential rain, mechanical failures, you name it. Through it all, LaPensee has kept the pool operating and the guests happy (even though they caused some of the problems).

Special thanks to George, the quality control supervisor, for his hands on work on our pool, and Anne back at the office for smooth, efficient and friendly communications.

We needed to replace our hot water heater. Got an estimate from LaPensee over the phone, including a few additional items that might be necessary. Technician arrived on time, did the job professionally and effectively... and, even with one of the add-ons, came in at more than $1,000 LESS than our regular plumber would have charged. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Don't use them!! When they are contracted to assist with a bathroom remodel and they send several guys to do what needed to be do. And at least three of them have to return at some point and time to fix a mistake that they had caused!!

I called LaPensee to check out the black flow as I received a call from a neighbor it had been hit and had a small leak on November 11th, 2021.  I called them as they are the ones I pay yearly to service.  They never contacted me back with a estimate before they fixed.  I did not receive a an invoice via email until January 11th, 2022 in the amount of $846.77.  I Emailed them twice to dispute the $700 charge for labor with no response.  My tenant, which is a plumber said it was an outrageous charge as no digging up had been done and about one hour of labor should have been billed.  With no response to my two emails I called them on March 10th, for status.  Their reply was invoice stands as is.  Very disappointed in their professionalism.  Unhappy Holmes Beach home owner.

My wife and I are satisfied customers for plumbing, pool maintenance (weekly), LP gas-line work and backflow valve inspections since 2015.  The technicians are professional, courteous, and proficient.  They show up on time and work quickly.  Quality is superb.  Given the professionalism, the company also is a good value.

After we were told all our plumbing needed to be replaced we called LaPensee and they canine and assessed and it turns out the piping is fine and the leak could be fixed. We will only use LaPensee from now on. They are honest and professional and trustworthy

We have used LaPensee many times in the past and have been happy. However, it seems now that they have new technicians that don't want to work and their customer service has went downhill. We hired them to do a backflow test as we have for the last 3 years and they tried to charge us to do nothing because they said our backflow with 3 foot total clearance was inadequate to do the backflow test. Upon calling, they then said that they would need to charge us again to come back out and actually do it and we're rude/adamant that the clearance was still inadequate unless the entire bush (gated community HOA bush I cannot remove) was removed. Would not recommend at all.  ​

Miserable experience. To sum it up, I called to get my tile work repaired three months ago, because they had built the pool. First guy comes out, says it isn't a repair, it is an install issue. Okay...two weeks pass and I call back. Another guy comes out, says it is an install issue, and that he'd get back to me. Another few weeks pass and I call back. Third guy, apparently the construction manager, comes out. Tells me he is going to investigate. Another few weeks pass. I call back, am told that certain people have been let go, etc, and they would send somebody out asap. Dude comes out, says he'll get a quote within two days, whatever. 4 days later, i get the quote and it has three different numbers on it. I gave up, absolutely not worth the effort. I'll never consider using them.

We have used LaPenses many times in the past and have been happy. However, it seems now that either they can't get enough help or the office staff is very inefficient. I have been trying since December 31 to get a date scheduled to have pipes replaced from house to street. It has taken numerous calls on my part to move the process forward....getting the camera scope, getting the estimate, getting a contract, getting a permit pulled...no steps have been moved forward without me calling and saying we are we on this?  Its now 2 months later and no work has been done yet.  They have however had enough time to cashed my check for the work.  I will get through this process and switch to another company

I called to have a valve and faucet fixed.  The person on the phone said it was a cod and he would be onsite between 1-3 that day.  No big deal that he was late, but he entered with just a flashlight and his cell phone.  After a couple of minutes he took a picture under my sink and said it was his professional opinion, I needed a new faucet.  He also assured me all the valves were open and no leaks.  His first quote was $200 for the faucet w/sprayer plus his time.  He left to go back to his truck and returned 5 min later with a basic faucet w/o sprayer $130.  During his absence, I checked all the valves, the one that leaked, was not open.  When he returned I asked him to check the one valve that was closed...it began dripping. By this time, I was becoming more and more concerned with his professionalism.  I told him I was not interested in spending that much money on a faucet that wasn't what I wanted.  I told him I was getting ready for a large renovation; kitchen/2baths and would rather buy what I want and have them return, would I be able to put the Service call towards the installation.  He said he would go back to his truck and return with an answer.  5 min later he returned and said the company would be willing to do that.  He said I owed him $115 for today.  I asked why and he said $90 first 15 min and 25 for the the last 15.  And I still had a leaky valve.  That was the last straw, I told him how unhappy I was with this service and gave him my credit card.  While he left to go back to his truck, I called the company.  I spoke to a manager, and she said she was sorry no one had told me what the rate.  I explained that he spent more time going back and forth to his truck w/o ever bringing in a tool and I still had a leaky valve.  She said she would send him back to fix it, I told her he was 5 ft from me and had no intention on fixing anything but was real quick to take my money.  Be careful when using and watch how far they park from their destination and how much time is really spent fixing anything.

Had a leak and LaPensee came out on a Friday night and charged me  and after hours fee of $245 to tell me to hire a leak detection company. I had the leak detected and then I called to get a quote to fix the leak and they only quoted me first hour and every 15 minutes after that. Would not give an estimate. I would strongly recommend you shop elsewhere. I was told they would not do an estimate. Why I explained I had 3 other companies willing to come out and give me a quote, she stated it was only hourly labor and parts. Not very customer friendly in my opinion.

Really pissed off with the Plumbing and Back Flow Divisions!!!!....let's discuss the Backflow Division first. - had my backflow inspected as I have had before - we've been with them for many years. They take payment usually before the activity. I gave them my card number and they told me the fee is $25. I asked when do I get the results sent to me and the woman there said when you get the Paid invoice they attach the report which is sent to Manatee County. I get the emailed invoice and it shows a balance of $40 with no report attached, so I immediately called and I got someone who said all of a sudden with NO NOTICE that they've raised their prices, didn't charge my card originally for the $25, but they decided to instead feel they had to rip me off for what $15, and now they do not send the report anymore. You must be kidding me.....this is what they do to a long time client?????...I mean really?????..what a Rip-off industry this is just for that, which brings me to the Plumbing rip-off recently. I needed something done and they were in the area anyways....charged me $150 for the first half hour....the guy was here 3 minutes and I knew they charged that, but that has to be excessive, so I started to ask questions since as the lady said whether they are here for 1 minute or 30 it's $150....when the guy was finished he just left when I was asking questions!!..let's face it I had 27 more minutes to ask this guy anything, so i feel they owe me 27 minutes of credit since the guy just left after HE felt he was finished. This is just total BS... with both divisions.......don't use them or expect to be ripped off or be prepared to hold the guy for 30 minutes with inane questions or issues whether or not there are any!!!! I am editing this review to state that after all this time Lapensee Plumbing hasn't had the decency to respond, apologize or say anything about this, but what could you say when your totally wrong!!!

I've used LaPensee twice for home plumbing work. The service guys have both been great, so no knock on them. But the hourly fees LaPensee charges ( $89 per hour with an on the top Service call charge of $78) are overpriced, and forget about the charges for materials and parts.

They claim they mark up parts at 40%, but I just got off the phone with someone in billing and caught them giving me two different numbers for their costs when they purchase parts. The first actual number was a markup of 90% and when they called back to confirm their billing amounts, their markup cost went down to 40%. Convenient.

My advice: if you use them ( I won't) keep track of the time they arrive and when they leave and have an assortment of plumbing fittings to ask them to use. Do some research online for your project and buy a few things yourself. Check your bill carefully and ask for the price they pay for each part they are billing you for. These guys will charge you whatever they can get away with. Good luck.

User Beware! These guys will change unnecessary parts. The service tech was completely wrong in his diagnosis which was confirmed by another local company. I would reccomend that you never call these guys.