Best Businesses in California

From the first phone call, to the final payment of invoice, the entire team was so wonderful to work with. I had worked with a 4.5 star sewer company previous to finding Pipe Spy - that company didn't return my phone calls for weeks (more than once), then called me at 9pm one night to say they could start work the next day, but just a warning that it might come out to $4-12k - they couldn't be sure until after they got started....wait WHAT?! Luckily my husband had the sense to tell them we weren't ready to start with so little notice.

I thought it was just this crazy housing market and all plumbing companies were going to be jerks like that --- I was wrong!

In came Pipe Spy. They were easy to work with scheduling-wise (and super friendly), on time, and after taking a look, said they thought we might be able to pass the test without any work done since the pipes were plastic (something our last plumber conveniently never mentioned!) And guess what....we passed! Pipe Spy saved us $4k or more overall.

We had one small scheduling snafu where we didn't get quite enough notice, but the technician acknowledged they understood the situation and made due without requiring us to leave work to let him in the backyard.

So glad we worked with Pipe Spy - they were so great!

Really liked EVERYONE I interacted with.  My mother needed help with a light fixture and they were extremely courteous and did a great job.  They also identified a very dangerous problem with her outside electrical box.  I highly recommend that you call them for any electrical work you need.  The also recommended me to a great drywall company called Hole in the Wall to help the ceiling repairs after the fixture was put in. All in all, just an excellent experience!

I called Carl to snake a shower drain that wasn't draining. He was able to come the same day and fix it. He was very friendly and also solved a few other plumbing problems while he was over. Best $95 I've spent on my new place!

I just had the greatest experience with Answer Plumbing. They came on very short notice to fix my badly clogged kitchen sink and garbage disposal. Not only were they prompt, but they were friendly, professional, and very respectful of our space--I was at home with our baby! I'm especially grateful for Jarred, who walked me through what the problem was and how he was addressing it. I appreciated his kind tone and willingness to speak to me and help me avoid future problems. Highly recommend!

My building sent Albert after I placed some maintenance requests. Albert came super quickly (even called and asked if he could come early!!) and fixed two issues in less than 15 minutes! Would definitely recommend. Thanks, Albert!

Great service. Speedy and professional plus a fair price for the work done. I would recommend Cesar to anyone with plumbing needs!

Expensive $385 for simple camera inspection. Was hoping he would make a bigger effort to help find our problem with sewage smell. Another plumber found quickly.   He did quote me ahead of time but didn't seem interested in finding a solution.  Ultimately the sewer vent needed to be cleaned.

Max is awesome.

I was referred to Max through Kohler Heating. Max was great to work with--he was very responsive and asked the right questions.

I called him Friday morning and the work was complete by Saturday at noon.

Max, thank you, brother. Looking forward to having you come back for the next time we need work.

Adam

Issue for reaching out to an HVAC company: Furnace and thermostat had power, but heat/air wouldn't start. I received prompt and regular communication with Eric (via Yelp app) when setting up my appointment. Additionally, I received text reminders/notifications and a link to see the location of the technician (Zack B.) assigned to my appointment. ZB diagnosed the issue with our furnace and completed a thorough maintenance on it, too. He was on-time (started and finished within appointment window), professional, friendly, and did an excellent job explaining our system and his findings/recommendations. Great first experience with this company!

This guy was awesome!! We needed a faucet installed our back of our house and Derek came by to assess and complete the project the same day!! He was very responsive over the phone and kept me updated every step of the way. The worker who did the work was very polite and did a good job. Both wore their masks and were covid conscious. He also took electronic payment. I'll definitely be calling him again for any plumbing needs.

Bob came out a did a backfow test for me.  Not only was he prompt and friendly, he had some great advice for our heating system.  Most importantly is was very trustworthy.

Eugene is quick responsive, friendly and knowledgeable. He came to us on time and solved many problems for us properly.

Victor arrived at our house less than hour after we got in touch with him...We needed someone to fix a leak behind our fridge.

He was super efficient, friendly, and provided a lot of teaching on how things work. We will be using his services again for sure!

Go Alan Go Alan!  I called these guys out after another plumber gave me an estimate for over $2600 to fix my Takagi industrial water heater that kept having an alarm go off.  Alan spent 10 hours at my house over 2 days and wouldn't give up until he found the problem.  He was prompt, friendly, courteous and really wanted to figure out the issue.  My entire bill for his time, parts, repairs was $1100.  Can't give a strong enough recommendation for Alan.

Super prompt, professional, respectful and kind!

First off, I sent multiple quotes out and Awais responded to me within 30 minutes (ON A SUNDAY). Not only was I happy to have some hope for our clogged kitchen sink, but he was very very reasonable in price.

Which leads me to my second point, I HIGHLY recommend these guys. Once all the other quotes started coming in a day later, they were always double than what Elite Plumbing quoted me. They stuck with the quote after the job was finished as well.

The technician came right on time on the same day I sent my quote. His name is Mohammad and he is a really nice man. Let me tell you, I was shocked he took off his shoes in our house to do the plumbing work. This is uncommon as other plumbers usually wear their workboots inside the house (we live in an Asian household so you know how it is!). I don't really mind because I understand plumbers aren't there to satisfy everyone's culture, but Mohammad was on point.

He was very kind the whole time, even told us some tips on how to DIY our toilet if it ever clogs, what tools to use, etc etc. Me and my dad were very glad to have Mohammad at our house to fix our issue.

Should any plumbing issue arise, best believe we'll be going with this company again.

I kid you not, they ARE the best, give them a shot. The absolute best pricing, nicest people and most professional you can get. Mohammad did not give up and tested the drain thoroughly to ensure the clog was eliminated. I just want to say thank you again for a super awesome job!

Mejia's Plumbing Service replaced tubing that carried water to my ice box. Rene, owner also installed a small facet which will allow me to turn off the water supply to my refrigerator, if needed.  As soon as Rene completed the installation, I was able to drink water from the door of my refrigerator.  Additionally, after so many hours had pasted, my ice maker started making ice again.  I was very pleased with the excellent service of Mejia's Plumbing, in that, Rene presented himself professionally when interacting with me; he explained what he had to do to fix the problem; he completed the repair in a reasonable amount of time and he made sure that water flowed from the refrigerator prior to leaving.  If you are looking for a dependable and skilled plumber, I encourage you to contact the Mejia's Plumbing Company.  You won't be disappointed.

The best plumber ever. Someone who can see the big picture on a job and be honest with timing. Showed up when he said he would and got the job done in one day. Other plumbers told me it could take days if not a week or so! I would recommend him to anyone!

Highly recommend Sam and Victor. Our water heater developed a leak and Victor came in the same day to assess the situation. Found out the replacement and gave me a reasonable quote the very next morning, despite it being the weekend. By Monday afternoon, Sam came in and did an excellent and professional job. Quick responses, reasonably priced and great quality of work!

Mike Counsil Plumbing provided prompt, reliable response to my leaking water heater, which I knew would need to be replaced - a crisis situation, to a considerable extent.  My old one had not been installed up to code, and the new one is.  I was very satisfied with all aspects of the work EXCEPT THE PRICE & THE PROCESS OF ARRIVING AT IT!!  

The technician was very careful to keep and leave things as clean as possible, arrive on time, etc.  However, there is no transparency about the actual cost of the water heater itself or the other parts required, & there were only three  'packages' from which to choose.  The repair person was not able to clearly & convincingly explain the differences between the three packages.  My understanding when I made a choice, based on the employee's statements, was that the same model of water heater would be provided regardless of the 'package', and that the packages differed only in the length of their warranty -- and that the price differences were based on whether, and for how many years, annual servicing would be included.  

On this understanding, I choose the least expensive package, around $1800 or $1900, but the final total still ended up to be approximately $1K more!  The repair person could not provide a convincing explanation for the extra $1K, & the total amount was close to $3K!!!

The work did include having to run copper pipe thru the crawl space under my house so the T&P (temperature and pressure) relief line would drain outside of the house, per City of Campbell code.  Also, adding a pan under the water heater.  But $1K more?  

The technician did not offer any details about the model that would be provided, its advantages, features, etc. - & I did not think to ask.

At the time I went with Mike Counsil, I felt I was 'over a barrel' - either go for it, or spend $89 for the house call AND spend several cold, rainy winter days, or perhaps a week, without hot water -  to comparison shop & look for someone to do it less expensively - with uncertainty if a lower price would be found.

Later I thought, I should have just refused to pay for the house call.  The guy didn't DO any work except present the three options to me.  It was essentially a sales presentation.  

I am still struggling with the feeling of having been taken, & trying to research things to get a better idea of whether I have a reasonable gripe.  I understand the company is a large, fully licensed, accredited, business, presumably providing humane benefits to its staff, but $1K MORE than the amount listed for the package I choose?

I was also told my sewer pipes have pinhole leaks and that replacing the sewer pipes could be as much as $25 K.  I later read a review here on Yelp in which someone wrote being quoted an above $20K price for sewer work by Mike Counsil, then getting three other quotes ranging from c.$5K to 8K, choosing one of them and being quite satisfied.  How does this company get away with their high prices? by taking advantage of desperate, busy not-plumbing-savvy people.

*****
Addendum added 5/26/17:
After having this work done, I did some research & found that everyone to whom I mentioned Mike Counsil Plumbing laughed, moaned, & shook their heads; this is at least four or five people.  This company has a TERRIBLE reputation for overcharging, among those in the business.  I checked at Home Depot & was told no way should it have been more than c. $1800 -- the price in their presentation brochure, to which they then tacked on another thousand for no clear reason.  Someone else told me he has had friends work for Mike Council plumbing, & they are trained in how to jack up the price.  Despicable!  I am working on how to get redress for this gross overbilling, & may go to the Better Business Bureau.

Adding insult to injury is that they are a Google-approved, recommended Google Home Service.  -- I found them when Googling what to do when a water heater is leaking!  I haven't yet figured out how to communicate this issue to Google.

Looking closely at their website, there are four different phone numbers in the (408) area code; & they somewhat deceptively post 'reviews' on their own website, all of which, of course, are positive!  Looking closely at their Yelp Reviews, there are 65 negative, which despite the many positive, indicates some serious problems.  Mostly with price or reliability.

I had to replace a fiberglass shower that was leaking and as a result had caused major dry-rot damage and ruined part of a tiled floor.  I consulted various plumbers, many of who said they couldn't (or wouldn't) do the job. In & Out came out on a Saturday to provide an estimate, which was very helpful to me since I work in the city all week. They did not charge me for the estimate (3 other plumbing companies did) and were the only service that actually crawled under my house to check the extent of the dry-rot.  They offered a variety of options to remedy the situation, and thus far have done a very professional job of replacing my shower (in the end I opted to update the whole bathroom), so they are replacing the entire floor, painting the walls, updating the plumbing etc., they have shown up every day, worked most days until 6:00 p.m., and cleaned up everything nightly before they leave.  I had a situation one night, which turned out to have nothing to do with the work they were doing, but they still sent a plumber out and Manny showed up, fixed the problem and refused to be compensated telling me it was just part of their service.  I have been very impressed with In & Out Plumbing and would definitely recommend them to others.