Hawaii Kai Plumbing

Their quality of work is ok but KEEP track of their labor charges. I know they overcharged but I let it go. I'll let somebody else complain to them.
They bill you later so it's easy for them to add more time. Clock them when they come and call their office
as soon as their done. It will be worth at least $50 that you save. Sad business tactic for quality work.
I'm not using them anymore even though I live in Hawaii Kai.

Our sink and shower both had leaking drips that were annoying.  Hubby tried to fix it and had bought all of the parts, but couldn't quite figure things out with shutoff valves, hot or cold leaks, and removing a plate from the Grohe shower.

Mark did an excellent job for us - called on Monday to ask if he could come in, he was available the next day so we booked him to come at 9 am.  He was polite, wore a mask, and easily fixed both problems for us in about 2 hours. I originally called for an estimate because we've had some bad experiences with plumbers who charged exorbitant fees - he asked for a picture so he could give a rough estimate, and then gave us a ballpark figure that was reasonable.  Based on that, we booked him and are very happy with the work he did.

The 20 year old shower plate had to be removed to get to the pipe and it was stuck, stuck, stuck!  He had a few tricks to remove and loosened the plate without cracking it. Had it cracked off, we were looking at replacing the entire shower fixture - about $1000!  He got it off, replaced the part, and it took about an hour on that.

Mahalo, Mark!

i left two voice messages to call me back.  no one called.  in my 2nd voice message, i mentioned the work they did for me a few days ago figuring i was increasing my chances of getting a return call -- but no.   if you have an emergency (or near emergency), don't call these guys!

We had an irrigation head burst and found water flooding the side yard.  Mark came quickly and got the pipe capped.

As a business owner, he was efficient, was more than fair for an emergency call, and got the job done.

We'll be using them for our plumbing needs going forward.

TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!
I called and scheduled an appointment for last week Thurs, then they called saying they cannot make it because They're so busy so they rescheduled me for Mon. I took off work Mon to be at home to wait for them and they called me that day, at the appointment time, saying they cannot make it...So I just took off work for nothing. Then they tell me they can come the next day. So I managed to take off another day, time comes, they are LATE.

ALSO in the past
I have had the same types of problems before. I am at home waiting for them to show up and they do not. I have to be the one to call them and ask where they are to find out they are not coming since they are so busy once again. (Shouldn't it be their responsibility to follow through with scheduled appointments and also THEY should be the one to call and let me know if they cannot make it ahead of time) Ridiculous. OH, and when this happened I called and the lady that answered the phone yelled at me/ cursed me out and was extremely rude to me. She also hung up on me. THEREFORE I WILL NEVER EVER USE THEIR SERVICES AGAIN. AND I WILL TELL EVERYONE THE SAME.

They gave next-day service for a non-urgent problem.  Mark diagnosed the problem immediately, and although he had to run out to get some supplies that he didn't have in his truck, he fixed the problem.  Mark is very friendly, and he took proper PPE precautions while in our apartment.  His prices are quite reasonable.  I definitely recommend this company.

Another job well done by my friends at Hawaii Kai Plumbing. Had an issue with my toilet getting clogged. Called Mark and they came the next day and fixed my toilet.
Do not waste your time with anyone else just call these wonder folks and fix your issues the fast and reasonable way.
Mahalo Mark.....

I have used Hawaii Kai Plumbing for years. They are always professional and reasonable. I recently had an issue with one of my toilets. Long story short, Mark did what he had to do to get the job done right!!   I highly recommend HK Plumbing!

Needed to have a water heater installed. After getting the runaround from some other plumbers, a friend recommended Hawaii Kai Plumbing. I'm glad he did. Mark and his crew were easy to schedule, showed up on time, and did solid, professional work. His price actually came in below his quote, which was a pleasant surprise. I would strongly recommend Hawaii Kai Plumbing for reliable, professional work at a good price.

Hawaii Kai Plumbing has always been very reliable, competitively priced and fast! They are a great crew and are our go to plumber! We are lucky to have them in our neighborhood!

Called Hawaii Kai Plumbing  at 8am and was told by the woman answering the phone that they had an opening that same afternoon at 1:00 PM.  So I left work after only a half day to be there for them. Here it is now after 3:00 PM.  No one showed, no one called, no one answers their phone.

Called Thur for a water leak and got a Friday, 2 pm appointment. It's now Friday, 3:30 and still not here. Even worse, no phone call, email or texts letting me know he's gonna be late. I called twice and no answer or return calls.
I can understand people running late or jobs going later than expected. But with technology nowadays, how can you not notify someone that you're running late??? Total lack of professional courtesy.
Unfortunately, this is a pattern and consistent with other reviews on this site.

UPDATE: he showed up at 3:45 pm. No explanation and even worse, no apology.

We have used Mark and his team over several years, and they have always done their best to respond as quickly and as efficiently as possible, even staying into the early evening or as late as necessary. Our last job (10/2013) found them during a very busy streak, and Mark made sure to call to advise me that they were not able to make it on the day we had been scheduled. Since he was familiar with that particular bath, Mark diagnosed the problem over the phone and was able to give me an estimate.  We were able to reschedule and are now very happy with a new shower system.  Mahalo nui loa, Mark, Chris and Tim!

I agree with who ever answers the phone.  Not good and does not return phone messages. But Tim is wonderful and very professional. Followed up and did a great job.  Was on time and went out of his way. Tim and his Dad, Mark, just need to get another person to represent them on the phone.
Whoever it is is ruining their image and business.

Called and made an appointment the same day.  Had a leaky spigot.  They were a few minutes late.  The work was done quickly and the cost was fair.

I would use their services again.

There appear to be two similarly named Hawaii Kai Plumbing companies.  We have used Hawaii Kai Plumbing, LLC (808) 395-3911 several times and Mark and Noemi and their team have always performed with excellent results.  We are homeowners with separate rental units, and Mark has always been responsive, timely, and fair in pricing.  They also installed our solar water panel/heater as well as a separate gas water heater, and have timely responded to clear clogged drains, and recently replaced corroded galvanized plumbing with copper piping.  They have been efficient, respectful and very helpful with advice and even doing little extras without charge. So, fair pricing, responsive, efficient, respectful and cleaning up after their work are what has us calling on Hawaii Kai Plumbing, LLC for more than one job.

The plumber did a good job but then charged me $200 to replace the fill valve and the two bolts for the tank.

His labor charge is a little high at 1:20 an hour but what really surprised me was that he charged me $16 for two bolts and $50 for the fill valve. I asked him why it was so high and he said it was because they have to stop the parts. I informed him that the fill valve cost under $20 at City Mill, which means his wholesale cost is around $10. So he was marking at up by five times. The two bolts for which he charged me $15, or about $3 at City Mill.

I asked him to take $40 off of the bill because the markup on the parts is so ridiculous.

I gave him three chances to do this and told him that I would leave a bad review if he did not charge a reasonable price for the party. He did not care at all so here is the review.

Well let me say this : when I called to make an appointment the lady answering the phone said and I quote: We don't go to Waimanalo
Not sure when last heard this remark 1978 !? Wow

OMG!  The lady who answers the phone sounds like she's from another planet!  She can not talk intelligently about ANYTHING!  She only wants to know if I have called around for other quotes and what they said.  I asked to have the plumber call me back so I could tell him what I need and she said, oh well, right now we are very busy.  ??????  How do these people stay in business????

Mark said he would be here to fix my leak --- he was a no-show and didn't call either. Very poor!

I read a number of Yelp reviews about this company and perhaps the negative reviews were written by people who haven't been in Hawaii for a while.

I can understand how someone might get upset over a changed appointment but the reason may well have been a serious problem that someone else was having and the person who was going to do their scheduled (non-emergency) job was sent to help someone like me.

I tried to do what should have been an easy Toto toilet seat install that turned into a goat rodeo. I wound up with a leak, frozen feed valve and water coming through the kitchen ceiling!

I told the lady who answered the phone that I needed someone right now and explained briefly that I had the water to the house turned off but it was still dripping a little.

She sent Tim within an hour and he did a completely professional job in less than an hour.

The bill was very reasonable. I was completely surprised.

Great service, Good people.

I used to use Hawaii Kai Plumbing all the time when Tim was working however he is not longer with the company.  They have two inexperienced workers on the job now and they did not seem to know what they were doing.
Will be using another company from now on.

Mark Llarenas is the Owner of Hawaii Kai Plumbing. He completed two projects: 1) In Wall Shower Replacement - Water supply was not flowing through both faucets. T&G wood panels behind the shower were removed. New diverter openings were made on the shower side. Replaced all T&G panels and screwed them in place.
2) Below Floor Sink Repair - Cold water supply line was clogged due to corrosion and rust. Replaced both cold and hot water lines and improved water flow to existing sink.
Rating is for high level of carpentry work in the wall and under the floor. Improved the piping under the house beyond the existing layout. Communicates well and discusses possible options with Owner. Is clean and neat. Is careful to save existing fixtures and not demand that everything be replaced. Hourly rate is higher than other plumbers, however, this company is suitable for complex repairs in walls and below floors involving both plumbing and carpentry, thus eliminating the need to hire another trade. The co is very experienced with T&G single wall construction and houses with crawl spaces where plumbing lines run.  Recommended for similar jobs.

We had the misfortune of our sewer line breaking. I called Hawaii Kai Plumbing they were here within an hour and diagnosed the problem expeditiously. If anyone out there needs competent plumbers call Mark and his staff at Hawaii Kai plumbing. Professional Ohana kine company. Friendly personable people. Mahalo, Mark,
Tim, and Jared for all your Kokua.

I wish I could give it -10 stars. My toilet was clogged and called to have someone snake it. The lady on the phone Noemi? I think her name was so rude and she made it sound like I ruined her day. Her husband Mark came and snaked my drain and fixed other parts that I wasn't aware needed fixing so when I got the bill I questions it. Noemi yelled at me the entire phone call and made like it was my fault. All I said was it would've been nice if he just let me know what he was doing and that itd be more than what he quoted me in the beginning. She is the rudest person I ever talked to. I would avoid this business at all cost just because of the wife. Not worth the hassle to work with her. Noemi is down right rude and disrespectful. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH HAWAII KAI PLUMBING.

Worst run business ever.  I called last Thursday to have a plumber come out, and this older woman tells me they are pretty booked, but they could come out the following Thursday, which is today, between 9:00-9:30am.  I really didn't want to wait that long, but I decided to wait.  Today, I called her at 9:15, and she tells me that she forgot about me, and it would be a few weeks.  Who does this????

We have used Hawaii Kai Plumbing for decades.  They are so fast and do good work.  Same day service if you really need it.  Nice family owned business

Unprofessional. Scheduled an appointment  with me at 9am Saturday, and called to cancel at 840am? 20 min prior. I dont live on the place so I was already mobilized my day around the appointment. Inconvenient, unprofessional.

HORRIBLE! RUDE! HARRASSING!

Unfortunately I found the customer service to be substandard, and their receptionist was RUDE and kept calling me back HARRASSING me when I didn't want to schedule service.

1.5yrs ago I had plumbing work done while I was not at home.  I paid the invoice over the phone, but when I arrived home that evening I could see that it was not repaired well.  I called about 3 times to have someone come and fix, but no one ever would.

Ok. My bad.  Don't pay before checking personally.  It's done.

However today I need to find an appliance repair man.  I searched Hawaii Kai Plumbing and Appliance.  When I called, the woman said Hawaii Kai Plumbing; so I asked if Hawaii Kai Plumbing and Hawaii Kai Plumbing and Appliance were the same company.  She said yes, and I said Well, thank you then, never mind. and hung up.  She called me back to ask if I had just called, and then wanted to know why I did not want to use their service.  I told her very nicely that I'd had problems in the past, and I will find another company.  She then called back AGAIN, and when I asked her not to call again she told me to stop calling her.  She said I started all the trouble by calling them in the first place! I had to hang up on her.  SO RUDE.  Well, now I will tell everyone NEVER to use this company!

Got a new washer dryer today and the installers couldn't install it cuz the old hose was corroded on.  Called Hawaii kai plumbing and they got to my house in 10 min!  He got the hose off and charged a reasonable rate.  If only the installers were as efficient, I waited for them all day.  Thanks Hawaii Kai plumbing!

I called and they confirmed that they would be at my home at 2:00PM.  At 2:15 PM they called and cancelled. They said it was a courtesy call.  

I don't think so...I left work to rush home to meet them at 2:00 pm.  I lost 1/2 day pay and when I said something the woman cursed me out.  

If you are reading this I would urge you to shop else where.

I am very disappointed in this business. I was referred by a neighbor friend who said they charged less and did a good job.
I scheduled non- emergency appointments twice and was stood up both times. I had to make the call to find out when they were coming, and both times I was told Oh, we are short today, or Oh, we forgot -my son is busy now going to school- you can call someone else if you can't wait. I was told I could call someone else a few times - what happened to apologizing and trying to appease a customer???
I work full time during the week, and I made special arrangements to be at home two times.  I inconvenienced my co-workers in the mean time to get this done.
They said I would have to wait another week again the second time.
They were booked all day tomorrow when I asked if they could come tomorrow. I feel a good business would re-arrange their schedule by priority and accommodate stranded customers. I was also told they would have to charge extra to come out on the weekend. I would think that would not even have been mentioned that since I was inconvenienced twice. So much for customer service.
Very disappointed, and I will not be not be calling them again.

Unfortunately will never use them again. My faucet broke after they repaired it. Very upset. This is inexcusable.

Called and got an appointment for a relatively simple job, but had to wait three days. Then when the day they were supposed to arrive actually came, no one showed up, no one called, and no one returned *repeated* calls by me to find out when or if they were coming.

Do not use these folks if you actually need them to honor their appointments or to return your calls when they never show up. Wasted three days that I could have spent finding someone who actually is reliable.

Mark and Tim gave us the best service we've ever received for a home repair project. We had a major leak in our underground water line. We knew we had a problem after 2 astronomical water bills. A family member recommended Hawaii Kai Plumbing.

Tim quickly diagnosed the issue + provided a solution. Mark gave us a very responsible estimate and gave us several options along the way. These guys are so respectful and the epitome of a family business with aloha.

They actually care about their neighbors and understand community. They performed the 3-day job exactly as agreed upon, plus they returned when we had a small issue (which they said may happen) and fixed it. We paid exactly what they quoted and are so happy with the job. Other family members and friends have had the same positive experiences with these guys over the years.

It's never fun to shell out money for an unexpected home repair. But it is so much easier when it's a company like this. Also, it was really cool to see Mark and Tim teaching their apprentice, Justin, on the job!

Mark is a massive flake, spoke with this donkey the night before at 9:45PM on the phone.  He said he would show up at 9AM in the morning.
Didn't show, didn't call, didn't email.  Wasted my time waiting for him.
Big time loser who does not care about your schedule or respect your life.

I have called Hawaii Kai Plumbing for several jobs at my house and my sisters apartment across the street. Easy to get an appointment. Super friendly local. Really accommodating. They keep the price low by only doing what's needed. They have fixed four toilets, and replacing three rusted faucets that should have been replaced long ago. Sometimes they get busy but I can wait. They stand by what they install and always follow through. I would definitely give them a try if you aren't already a regular customer.

Mark was very responsive to my plea for help -- returned my call quickly, sent his very skilled fellow right over (within 20 min) to assess and try to fix the problem.  A bad pressure regulator that was playing havoc with our hot water heater!   It was Thanksgiving eve so they could not get the part until Friday, the day after  -- and they did it and showed up and did an amazing job.  The pipe connection was old and buried in some cement repairs, so he figured out how to work around it and made a new connection that was so beautiful, I called it a work of art!  PLUS he configured it to insure that if any additional work needs to be done, there would be no problems with the way the pipes were configured.  He was thorough, skilled, professional and courteous - and on time.  Did a careful job, but was still efficient.  He checked a few other areas of concern to be sure that they were covered.  I'm sold on these guys.  This is the second time I've needed help and they've shown up on that day and done a fine job.   Mark and his team are great!

I scheduled them for a job on June 3, 2011.    They did not show up when scheduled.   When I called to follow up, they told me that they decided not to work today because of the rain.   There was no apology, and when I asked them why they did not call to cancel, they said that they were planning to call me.

There is some truth to review written on 1/26/2014, in that the person answering the phone does not always give a polished, professional impression.

However, we've had them do various jobs over the years and have found them to be COMPETENT, HONEST and CORDIAL.
I trust these people for a job well done at a fair price.

It's unfortunate that the previous reviewer had a negative experience.
(cultural differences may partially explain the misunderstanding)
My experiences with this company have been only good.