Thiesse Plumbing

Thiesse Plumbing is the real deal!  They get how to do business and do it right..  We used them last year for rodding out our basement to the street to excellent results. This after making the mistake of calling giant Roto-Rooter! If you're looking for the best no nonsense, honest, knowledgable, and customer service plumbing company- call Thiesse!  Will definitely use them again should the need occur.

I needed a new lever for my toilet (and the plumber was here for backflow testing anyway).  Walked up 2 flight of stairs, flushed the toilet twice and said we needed a new lever.  He went to the hardware store on Madison (he said he had to go there anyway), they didn't have the part.  Ordered the part for $14.75.  Came today walked up 2 flights of stairs, put in the toilet lever (10 minutes) and the bill:  hold on to your chairs.....$223.25  I don't mind paying a fair price.  He said they were union plumbers, that's why the higher rates.  UGH.

I have used them before, a little pricey but did the job.  I called them for major plumbing work.  They came out looked it over and seemed interested in the job.  After that I could not get them to call me back or talk to me.

The absolute worst. I would choose for my home to become an actual swimming pool due to an unfixed leak than use this company. There are truly no words to describe how horrendous this company is. Just. Don't.

Love these guys! Prompt, clean, and really know their stuff. He indulged all of my questions, and gave some great advice.

Thiesse plumbing is two blocks away from my house.  Since moving in three years ago I have had a few plumbing issues and since Thiesse is so close to my house and I pass by their office frequently, their name comes to mind first when I have had these issues.  I'm writing this review today because I have never successfully received any services from them and I think that says a lot about their level of customer service.  

So, as a disclaimer, I cannot talk about how good or bad their services are, or how reasonable or unreasonable their prices are.  All I can say is that it is, as far as I can tell, impossible to get them to come to my house in the first place.

Incident #1 - my sewage pipe was leaking into my kitchen through the ceiling.  The toilet would not flush.  I have a one bathroom house, so this is my only toilet.  I called on a Monday and they told me no one could even come look at it until Friday.  So I said no  thank you because I can't really go all week without a working bathroom.  

Incident #2 (a few weeks later) - we got the toilet working again temporarily, but we needed a larger fix to repair the underlying issue. Part of the sewage pipe needed to be replaced and I had a plumber to fix it but I wanted to get another quote to be sure I wasn't getting ripped off.  I called and asked for a plumber to come give me an estimate.  I was told a plumber would call me back to schedule.  I never heard back from them, so I went ahead with the repair with someone else.

Incident #3 (two weeks ago) - we have had some basement flooding issues and are looking to install a sump pump or put in some other basement flood prevention.  I called and explained what I was looking for.  The woman who answered said that she would have a plumber call me to schedule.  I mentioned that my husband and I both work full time and we would need the appointment to be either in the evening after 5:00 or on a weekend.  She said that the plumbers might be able to accommodate my request and she would have them call me.  It has been two weeks and they have never even attempted to contact me.  

I feel that overall I have given Theisse plenty of opportunities to redeem themselves and they just keep proving to me over and over that they really don't want my business.  So instead of using the plumber who is two blocks away, I will be using the plumber from 10 miles away who answers his phone on the first call, listens to my problem and offers suggestions, and then offers to come out to my house after 6:00pm.

I've had them do work at my home (faucets, toilet, easy stuff) and the prices have always been fair.  Have not used them for a major plumbing re-do but I would trust them to not screw it up.

We used Thiesse Plumbing one time, which was enough for us.  We had a flooding toliet back in May 2012 and they were referred to us by our relator, so we called them right away.  The sent someone out the following day, so their responsiveness was good.  However, the issues came into play when they didn't bring the necessary equipment to fix the issue, blamed us for it and required a return visit ($$$).

When our plumber indicated the tool he needed to complete the job wasn't available  I called the office to better understand the situation.  The woman on other end was condescending, patronizing and rude.  She blamed me (customer) for not explaining the plumbing problem correctly, questioned my knowledge of plumbing (which admittedly I have none, or I'd be completing the job myself:), and made an excuse as to why their equipment to complete the job wasn't available (in the shop).    Our perspective was that if a vendor comes unprepared to fix a problem, the customer shouldn't necessarily be charged for that mistake.  She once again blamed me for not explaining the problem (flooding toliet) correctly.    Both my husband and I had spoken to the office regarding the problem--which was pretty straightforward.

A four- hour plumbing job (which didn't need to last that long--entirely other story) ended up costing us nearly $600.   This happened over a year ago and at the time I was angry.   I wish I had written then, as I'd have remembered more of the specifics.  However, I recall enough to know I will never use them and never recommend them to anyone.  The customer experience is essential, allowing a customer to feel good about their interaction and experience with a company.....I can tell you this customer experience left a lasting and very negative impression.   I called my relator to convey these sentiments and she indicated she would no longer recommend, either.  She also noted that they had recently changed management?     Perhaps that's the reason for the decline in service?  Hard to know, but buyer beware.

We hired Thiesse to remedy a problem in our basement that was being caused by the city sewers backing up during heavy storms. They recommended installing an ejector pit, into which all the basement piping (floor drain, laundry tub, etc.) would be plumbed. This in turn would eliminate the open drains that the city sewer was backing up into.

After they did the work, we noticed backups in the main stack & immediately notified the company of the problem. They came out again & spent a couple hours rodding the sewer line immediately outside the area they'd worked on days earlier, then told us they couldn't find anything wrong but we should break open the main sewer outside the house, as it was likely blocked or collapsed. (Huh?) We declined this, since we had never had a problem with it prior to the work they did in the basement. We paid almost $500 for this rodding & diagnosis, by the way - this was in addition to the money we paid to have the ejector pit installed.

About a week later, I went into the basement & noticed another backup around the floor drain & water again leaking out of the joints in the main stack a few feet above the floor. This led me to believe the blockage was inside the house. My wife called Thiesse & asked they come out yet again to fix the problem.

When they arrived, they brought their sewer foreman with them - someone who had never seen the house or the work previously done. He proceeded to try to rod the line inside the house, but kept hitting an obstruction beneath the floor. He broke the floor open (this after we had already had it patched after their previous efforts) & determined the plumbers who'd installed the ejector pit had inadvertently filled the main line leading outside with hydraulic cement. His words were looks like we caused the problem.

They returned the next day & removed the clogged pipe, breaking out even more of the concrete floor in the process. Sewage finally flowed again, but Thiesse had the audacity to send us another bill for fixing the problem they had created! We told them in no uncertain terms we would not be paying the bill & they became very hostile, claiming WE had somehow caused the problem.

Our experience was among the worst I've ever had with a company & I would never, under any circumstances, recommend them. Buyer beware.

We've used Thiesse Plumbing a few times now for some minor repairs and issues around the house.  They have always been courteous and knowledgeable during service calls.  They also seem honest.  We have been happy with their work and would use them again if needed.