Zuniga's Plumbing

I screwed up...

I put some stuff down the garbage disposal that I shouldn't have. Clogged it up. Needed help.

Here comes Jim from Zuniga. Jim was super professional, informative, and went the extra mile to fix the problem. I live in an old building and he had to basically rework the entire system to get me working again. I'm eternally grateful.

I really didn't want to have a conversation with the landlord. Jim hooked me up today and I will never call anyone else for my plumbing needs as long as I'm within range of Zuniga's.

If you can't tell, I'm a happy customer.

1st let me say how detailed Walter was with informing me on what was wrong. He walked me through everything with such detail. He gave me his plan and the best most cost effective way to execute it. Him & his crew came the next day, on time ready to work and cleaned all areas they worked in. Throughout the repair he kept me informed on what was being done. He took before and after pictures and was extremely professional. I highly recommend and would definitely call him again if needed. Thanks so much!

This company is always the most  reliable, responsive, honest and as straightforward as they come. Walter the owner will always make sure you can get back up and running. He is conscience of working around your business schedule to help you minimize your losses.

He will also give you options. Most plumbers will only give you the most expensive option and nothing else. He knows how to treat his customers well which is why I have used Zuniga plumbing for the past 15 years and he has never let me down. In my book he would get ten stars.

I hired Zuniga plumbing in a frantic panic after the previous plumber I hired went A-wall!  Walter was knowledgeable, provided detailed explanations on why problem areas occurred, and provided solutions at reasonable prices.  Most importantly, he is licensed and insured for a large re-piping job he was hired for.  I cannot thank him enough for the work he has completed and the hole he got me out of.  We signed a contract for the work within a few day and he was able to start the work right away and was always easily accessible by phone or text.  I would recommend Zuniga Plumbing for the simple fact that communication was always clear, transparent, and prices were reasonable.  

The plumbing jobs included a full re-piping of a 100 year old building and bathroom renovation.  The work only took about 2 weeks give or take and he was able to complete a second job for me within the same month.

We gave Walter a $10,000 deposit a year ago and the past year has been a mess trying to get him to pay us back for the work he never did.  We tried to be flexible with him and understanding but now he refuses to answer our calls or texts. He has promised us to drop off some sort of payment about 15 different times of which he followed through with only 4 times, paying us back a total $5,000, so he still owes us $5,000. He promised us that we would be repaid in full by the end of October then changed to dropping off a $1,000 payment the first week of every month and now...nothing.  

He may be a fine plumber, but he is not an honest guy in my experience.  NEVER PAY HIM BEFORE WORK IS COMPLETED! And if you do still hire him, let him know that he should repay the customers who he stole money from first...if you want to send payment for any work he does directly to us we can deduct it from the total the he still owes us haha!

11/30 Update: Walter said he would submit a $1,000 payment the first week of every month until he had refunded us. He then changed it to by the end of each month.  It is the end of the month and he has not dropped off a payment. So he has lied to us again.

12/7 Update: Walter is still not responding to texts or calls and has still not refunded us our deposit.

3/10 Update: Walter told us he would drop off a payment earlier this week but is not answering calls or texts now. He has promised that he would pay us back in full by the end of April.

4/30 Update: Walter has promised to repay us by the end of April. Expecting a check in our mailbox by the end of the day tomorrow.  Texted on 4/24 with no reply.

5/5 Update: Walter broke his promise that he would pay us back by the end of April.  When we spoke on 5/2 he said he would give us at least half by Friday (today) we still have not received anything and there has been no response to calls or texts today

5/6 Update: Walter did not drop off a payment for at least half of the remaining $4500 that he owes us yesterday as he said he would.  He promised and swore to god that he would drop off between $1,000-$1,500 on Tuesday 5/9

I would never use Walter for a large job.  He ended collecting over $30,000 in prepayment for a job I've been trying to get him to complete for 6 1/2 months now...

If you're foolish enough to trust this man with money, make sure you have everything in writing including firm prices, timelines, and consequences or be prepared for heartache.

He just sent me an invoice 7 months after starting the job with drastically different prices than what was agreed to ahead of time.  It looks like I have to take him to court.  Apparently, I'm not the first customer that's had to pursue legal recourse against Walter.

He will try and take advantage of you if you trust him.  Make sure everything is explicitly stated and written down or be prepared to have Walter Zuniga and Zuniga Plumbing exploit you.

*Edit:  Walter, your invoice that you provided 6 1/2 months after starting inflated prices nowhere near to what we agreed to and conveniently removed the water service, which was the first item paid for.  I also have acknowledgment from you regarding the water service that you aren't trying to complete, obviously.  Quotes from other plumbers will shed light on what you're attempting to do, which is rob myself and my fiance.  Dont worry, you'll have your turn to explain.

Called with a sewage backup at 11:30 at night, someone came out first thing the next day explained the problem, fixed it and put everything back in its place and cleaned up afterward. The price was reasonable and I was given a plan to remediate the problem in the future. The workers were mask and were very personable. I was very satisfied.

I would 100% recommend Walter and Zuniga Plumbing. Our 100+ year old cast iron stack pipe broke and split in multiple places. He and his crew diagnosed the problem behind my walls quickly, directed me to water restoration emergency services, and then removed and replaced the pipe that ran from attic to basement in 2 days. He did this on the weekend even though he said they typically do not work Sundays. This included removing walls and ceilings. He was always responsive by phone or text. He showed up when he said he would show up. He and his team were professional. They covered areas with tarps and swept up afterwards. He stayed in contact with the water restoration project manager so that we can get as much covered by insurance as possible. We paid half the project cost when work started and the 2nd half after work was finished. He even reduced the initial project amount because he didn't have to do something he initially thought needed being done. It was in the ceiling and I'm not a plumber so he easily could have still charged us that and we wouldn't have known. But he was honest about what he did and didn't do. Just the peace of mind that came from having a responsive plumber who came when he said he would come was worth having him do the project.

I only looked at his reviews on here after the project was finished today. I don't understand the bad reviews from years ago or people who warn his good reviews are from friends. I had not in heard of him until he was referred to me last week. Our experience with him was great and satisfying. I definitely recommend him and his work!

Saved me.   I had a pretty rough week.  Food poisoning, my HVAC went out, and then my sump pump.   I called Walter who made me his first client of the day.  He quickly diagnosed the problem, went to the store and got the new sump pump and installed it all in under 2 hours.  Had me back up and running in no time.  Really appreciate him and he definitely made what has been a terrible week better.  He was professional, kind, and even gave me some suggestions on how to keep my water heater and HVAC good and functioning.  I've taken his suggestions and already implemented them.

Walter described what his team would do in a careful clear way and gave me an informative and very reasonable estimate.  Sal, Jamie and Juan did a terrific job repairing three broken pipes and installing a new toilet.  
The cost was a very reasonable $2300, much lower than my other estimate.  The were able to do the work very quickly (and on a Saturday).  I am very pleased with their work and have already booked Zuniga's plumbing for sewer rodding.

Jamey did a great job of rescuing our toilet and plumbing from a fumbled spring-loaded toilet paper roller which fell in right as the toilet was flushed.  He tried his very best to auger the chrome roller out of our rather rare Toto Drake .  But then had to turn it in it's side to get the roller out just in time to rescue the to be thrown away tp roller from our building's sewage system.  Our toilet is not new but it looks and flushes like brand new now !  Thanks Jamey and Zuniga's Plumbing !!

Do not believe the fake good reviews. Walter is a THEIF and a COWARD. He caused severe damage to my property while excavating to install drain tiles. A new foundation costing me $50,000 had to be poured because of his negligence. Walter is NOT LICENSED.. Walter is NOT INSURED.. Walter is NOT BONDED. Do NOT give him any Money!!

I am a first time Yelp poster (no one cares what I have to say). As a first time home owner, I've had to deal with a number of unwelcome surprises-- the worst of which may have been my first water bill.

When the second bill arrived two months later, I knew something wasn't right. I am lucky to have a neighbor who has lived in the Avondale neighborhood all her life, and she referred me to her longtime plumber-- who referred me to Walter Zuniga.

Long story short-- my main water line was leaking. From the beginning to the end of the repair, Mr. Zuniga was accessible and professional. He went out of his way to make sure I understood everything that was going on with the repair, and ensured that the project was done in a timely and efficient manner. Walter arranged the permits and  He was incredibly helpful in dealing with my nightmare of an insurance company. He did not surprise me with any unforeseen costs, remaining dependable and ethical throughout the project and thereafter.

Months after the job was complete, Walter texted me out of the blue, noting that he had driven by my house and noticed that the dirt filled in from the excavation was not laying evenly. He proceeded to send out a dump truck to remedy the issue. He appears to genuinely value his customers' satisfaction, and has subsequently earned himself another loyal customer.

We were referred to Walter from another plumber who was unable to pick up our job, and I'm glad we were. The basement in our condo building was flooding, and Walter and his crew were quick to respond and were more than thorough in determining the cause. Our line was holding water, and no amount of rodding or jetting was clearing it. He knew there was either some sludge blockage or dip in the line, and he suspected the latter. He also looked at the fire hydrant in front of our building and determined when it had been installed - turns out the hydrant was installed around the time that flooding became an issue in our basement. That told Walter that the city likely had messed up our sewer line somehow when they installed the hydrant, and if he could prove it to the city, the city would fix it for free. Thanks to Walter's experience with the City of Chicago, 311, and the Private Drain Program, he knew the steps we had to go through to get the city involved, and he knew of another plumber with special equipment powerful enough to clear the line - all of which would need to be present at the same time at our building to look at the line. Walter orchestrated this himself.

Long story short, the city came out, the line was cleared, the city inspector saw the dip was the city's fault, and they are now scheduled to come out and fix our sewer line. And after paying Walter for several trips out to rod and jet the line that was still holding water at that point, Walter gave us that final jetting with the special equipment that cleared the line for free.

Highly recommended, trustworthy, and hard-working. Call this man.

I was referred to Walter through my water tank repairman and was very happy with the service received. I had a very small issue (broken flapper) and he took his time to show me how to replace it myself next time. He also took a look over both toilets to check their general condition and give me some maintenance advice. Overall the $65 service fee was money well spent, and I'd be happy to call Walter again in the future with plumbing needs.

We had a kind of crazy situation with a People's Gas inspection - we passed an inspection and then they claimed we needed a condo board to ask for a safety inspection when we're a SFH.

Walter responded to my text quickly, and Manny came by and checked all our lines to make sure we could pass any inspection they could possibly do. They not only did a great job of checking all our lines (which isn't easy, since our house was built in the 1870's) but also did a great job of helping us navigate the bureaucracy of getting everything straightened out.

Walter conducts his business with the upmost professionalism and responsiveness.  I called on a Friday evening with a plumbing problem that needed to be addressed ASAP and he was out there Saturday morning.  He stands by his work, is fairly priced, makes sure the job is done right, and to back it up is right by his phone should you ever need him.  I would highly recommend him to anyone.  He's a true professional.  Thanks again Walter!

Very good to work with!!! Gets the job done in a timely manner!!! I'll definitely use again.

Walter knew exactly what to check for my sewer backup issues. He found the source and cleared the pipe within an hour. Efficient, experienced, and friendly.  Grateful for the work to be done so well, and so quickly.

Walter was great with helping us with our water heater issue. He diagnosed the problem and helped us contact the manufacturer to get the part since our unit was still under warranty. Highly recommend!

I had some plumbing done by them about a year ago. My house still had an old grease trap that would clog a lot and the lid broke on it one day so I called these guys up. These guys are the shiznitz. It wasn't cheap I will tell you that but they removed my old grease trap and canceled it out. They explained how after the 60's houses were no longer required to have them. All in all, I have never had a clogging issue and I no longer have to put up with that very bad smell thanks to them.

To give you an idea of the smell, it was like a steamy plastic bag full of smelly arm pits.

They came in as a partner of my other plumber because he wasn't able to make it but they were fast, reliable and did a fantastic job! I would highly recommend them for any plumbing job!

This is my second time using this plumbing company and they did a good job replacing my hot water tank. Walter along with his helper, Ray Ray, were careful not to cause any damage to my floors when they removed the old tank. Also, his price was very reasonable too. I'm happy with the quality of the work.

He gave me a time to meet about a water tank issue I have.  He never came or answered any calls while I waited for him at house.  But he gave my number to some other plumber's to do the job.  Very bad way to run a business.

These guys No-Showed and didn't call.  I spoke to Walter on Monday and made an appointment for the next day (Tuesday) for after 5p. ( He picked the time, I was open to anytime on Tuesday).  I sent Walter a reminder text with our appointment time/address at 2p on Tuesday.  The text went unanswered so I  left a voice mail on his phone as CYA.  That too went unanswered.
It's very unprofessional not to call. It is Wednesday morning now and still no call.   I have 8 units in my building and I had high hopes that Zuniga's Plumbing would be my new go-to guy. I think not, I'll keep looking.

Absolutely the very worst plumber I have ever had! The man's name was Walter and he promised to be at my home the next day ( my brand new tenants had a plumbing problem), he never showed up at all.  Six or seven calls to him and I did not receive one call back.  Two days later he called and said he had a traffic problem and would see me tomorrow  Once again he never showed up so I called again and again, his machine always answered and I always left messages. This went on for days. So I decided to ask several friends to call him, he answered every time!  Just read the other comments by his other customers and I think that will be enough to dissuded you.

David and his crew were great the team fixed my hot water leak in a matter of two hours they were very polite and knowledgeable. Yes I would refer them to others

Walter saved my day. I had a pretty terrible bathtub clogging. I called around and everyone was booked. When I called Zuniga, Walter heard me out, explained that someone could come out later or the next day. I pleaded with him some, and he said to wait a few minutes and he would see what he could do. As promised, he called right back and told me that he could get a dude out in 3 hours. When I asked for sooner, he made it happen.

A guy named Manny showed up promptly, getting to my place before I did. He didn't seem annoyed that he had to wait a few minutes. He was quick and friendly and he completed the job. It seems to be working fine.

He only takes cash or check. I had neither, so Manny waited patiently while I loaded my 2-year-old and my old dog into the car and went to get cash. My invoice came back half of what another 5-star plumber in Yelp tried to charge.

Needless to say, I think I found a go-to company for my plumbing needs.

I gave Walter $5,000. down payment to do work in Brookfield Illinois. He never showed up to do the work. Walter never replied to countless emails and phone messages. I hired a lawyer to get my money back she served with a supena for him to appear in court he did not appear in  court . So the judge found in my favor BUT all you can do is put a lean on his property , which I have and wait till he sells. Be cautious I think all the 5 stars are from his friends.

I created this account to review Walter and his plumbing business. I am saying from the bottom of my heart thank you to him and his assistant. I had a major plumbing issue at a new building I recently purchased, I call him to have the water turned on, and BOOM burst pipes everywhere. These guys stayed until nearly midnight after and already long day of work for them, to fix every single pipe in the building. On top of that he charged me an EXTREMELY reasonable rate. I recommend him whole heartedly for any project you have on mind, hes honest, hard working, very very reasonably priced, and gets the job done. Thank you Walter for everything you helped with that night
-Jack

Called them on Monday. Tell them that I'm getting water in my basement and sumps don't seem to be working. Guy says he can come over Tuesday and takes my address.  Tells me that he goes to church on next block. Tuesday -  no call no show.  Wednesday call to reschedule. No answer. No returned call. Same thing on Wednesday. Thursday - worst rain ever. Basement smells like sewage. Shameful business practice.

Walter has done numerous jobs at my place and I was always satisfied..until lfew weeks ago when he was scheduled to come, failed to show up, I called him said he was on his way... It was 2 weeks ago..I must have called 10 times, to no avail...
I will not work with Walter again..

Mr Zuniga not only took my call personally, but attended to the water leak the same day within a matter of hours. The sink had been leaking so much water the area under the sink was overflowng with water. He arrived at the time frame he said he would and found out the problem was something got loose due to wear and tear. Well, he tightened whatever had to be tightened and fixed the problem ASAP. As if that were not enoug, he guy did NOT charge, stating it only took him 15 min to fix it. Seriously!! Great plumber and great work ethic!

Walter is awesome!!  I chose him as my plumber for my master bathroom renovation (it was a total gut job) because he came highly recommended by a contractor who works on our building.  He was one of two plumbers I got a quote from, and Walter's bid was more detailed AND less expensive!  I'm so glad I did.  I acted as my own general contractor for this project, so it was a complicated job to coordinate all the different contractors (plumber, electrician, stone/tile guy, drywall guy, carpenter, painter).  Walter was really easy for me to work with, a super-nice and fun guy to be around, was attentive to detail, and did a great job.  It is obvious the guy knows his stuff, and finally I can feel confident that I won't run into any more plumbing disasters (I was forced to redo my bathroom because of shoddy plumbing work by the developer).  He is not only my go-to guy for plumbing, but also our condo association's. (We needed him for some drainage work in our garage.)   I highly recommend him!!