Baker-Elman Plumbing Company

My hot water tank went at 10 am this morning. I definitely didn't think I could get anybody to come out quickly as I imagined all the plumbers were busy with frozen pipes. Within 30 minutes a plumber arrived, gave me an estimate and by 4 pm they had replaced my heater and some of the pipes. I couldn't imagine getting better service- Baker Elman you are the BEST!!!

I don't know how to score the stars because the work was fine, but the prices were crazy. Is this what things cost nowadays, or were we taken advantage of? We had three faucets to replace, and we already purchased the faucets. everything pretty straightforward. What would you expect it to cost, maybe $150-$200 per faucet? Try doubling or tripling that! The total price was $1300 which they discounted to $1151 by selling us a membership. Two men were here for under two hours, and all materials were supplied by us. So more than $575/hr for the two of them. Our fault for not asking for a quote in advance? (But Patty K's review below indicates that wouldn't have helped,) We just expected a local company to be reasonable...

Ever since Baker-Elman Plumbing joined with Accurate Heating (they are now called Accurate Baker Elman) they have devolved enough to lose me as a customer. When my dishwasher started leaking I called them to find out how much it would cost to look at. I was quoted $175. The plumber came, looked under the dishwasher and also looked up at the pipes from the basement. Total time spend was about 15 minutes. He told me we needed to replace the dishwasher. Fair enough. Then he asked for payment of $275! I told him I was quoted $175. He said he couldn't leave without getting paid $275, and that the extra $100 was for driving to my house--which is in the middle of Newton! The very reason I originally got a quote in advance was to avoid hidden charges. He said he understood why I was unhappy, but that I should complain to the office -- his job was to collect that payment. I complained to the office, and they eventually agreed to reimburse the unexpected (and unwarranted) $100 charge after I told them that I would write a bad review about my experience if they didn't. I'm still waiting for that reimbursement several months later. Hence this review.

Dishonest company that wanted to sell me a completely new heating system on the lie that my boiler was irreparably broken. Ion came out for an emergency visit over a weekend when we had no hot water and was able to tell me the system was in bad need of a cleaning as it was overrun with soot. I paid for the emergency visit, and was grateful to have the assurance we were not in danger, but no actual work was done. Ion then no showed on the scheduled appointment time the following Monday, and I had to call the office, where it was confirmed that my visit was never added to the calendar.. I am giving 2 stars because the ladies I spoke to in the office - Kathleen and Lisa - were courteous, patient and lovely to deal with. Ion finally came out Tuesday, with one other person. He started to vacuum the boiler and quickly brought me over to show me white specks in the soot, explaining that these were shards of metal from what has to be a broken heat exchanger and said he will see what they find when they complete the cleaning. I gave them space to work. In about 90 minutes, the techs tried to turn on the boiler and it released smoke again. At that point, they came upstairs and told me that there was nothing else that could be done for the boiler and a complete heating system replacement was my only option. I asked if Ion was 100% sure and clarified if this was due to a cracked heat exchanger, and Ion confirmed it. Within minutes, he was measuring spaces in the wall and telling me about forced air system options and the rebates and financing I could receive from MassSave. If Ion would have followed up with the estimate that night, like he said he would, it would have been likely that I would have hired Affiliate Baker Ellman to do the work right away - that is how desperate I was to get hot water back. I am a single mom, it is COVID times and one of my children is too young for the vaccine. Ion and I talked about these factors, and he seemed sympathetic, but also quick to take advantage. Fast forward 2 days, Ion still had failed to provide any written estimates, and I had done my own research and was ready to move forward with a propane install. I called a different HVAC co and instead of just proceeding with giving me an estimate for propane install, the technician got curious about the boiler and after looking at it, confirmed that the heat exchanger was indeed intact, and that the cleaning that was done by Affiliate Baker Ellman was only partially done. The system was still filthy (pics attached) and I had paid Baker Ellman a total of $600 to date. Worse, the heat exchanger info was blatantly incorrect, because it was explained to me by the other tech that in the case of this, water would be leaking from the boiler, and Ion never even turned the water off. I tried to speak to Affiliate Baker Ellman and request a refund of the non-emergency visit, but was ultimately mansplained and talked over by the supervisor there, who basically denied that the heat exchanger info was communicated as it was, as if he was here when it happened, or a homeowner like me with no knowledge around HVAC would be able to make up a story about a heat exchanger. I am disputing the charge with my bank and have a complaint on file with the Attorney General's office. Please be careful and check in on any older folks and single moms you know - companies are taking advantage!!!

Update: another HVAC company completed the cleaning and successfully fixed the issue!! I will be working with them exclusively going forward.

I found these guys through Angie's list. They were responsive and came out and unclogged my shower drain when they said they would.
The only thing I had to chase them for was the bill, LOL! I reminded them to charge me last night and got the bill this morning. Their pricing seems very fair to me.
I will definitely call them next time I need a plumber!

I just had my faucet replaced.  The technician was David. Very knowledgeable. The work was very quickly done.  I would highly recommend them, especially David M.

One time they couldn't come immediately, not sure why, but thats unusual.

Generally they are excellent. Been a customer for 5 + years, in Brookline.

The team at Baker Elman fixed my hot water problems in two different areas and did a great job. Highly recommend.

They are overpriced. Most plumbing services charge $180 and hour. They charged $550 an hour to flush and clean our furnace but never fixed the problem of a delayed kicking on.I will never use them again.

I can't believe that people complain about plumbers when they can contact Baker-Elman. They are unbelievably competent, reasonably-priced and show up when they say they will show up: in short they are everything that many plumbing companies are not. Every employee I have encountered from the front-office staff who takes care of customers to the tradespeople who come out to do the job exude competence and care for their clients.

Two winters ago when our old boiler had problems, Baker-Elman came out to fix it, replaced a part for a $150 or so, and reassured me that the old boiler would more than do its job for the winter when any other plumbing company would have immediately tried to upsell me on a new boiler. This year I took advantage of gas company incentives and finally decided to upgrade to a high -efficiency boiler and could not be more pleased with the work that Baker-Elman did.

Great experience. The person who answered the phone provided great customer service. She smartly had me take a photo of our toilet so the plumber would have the right parts for the service call. I was scheduled for a same-day visit, and they had an earlier time available so a plumber was here within 2 hours after my phone call. The plumber was professional. The price seemed totally reasonable. Thrilled with the entire experience.

This place is exceptionally reliable. My condo's management office recommended this place when my shower's hot water lever broke. Calling to make an appointment was a breeze (I forget who answered the phone but she was very patient with me and pleasant). Right after making an appointment, I received an automated text message for confirmation, and another one the day before the appointment as a reminder - which means this place has a system. Connor arrived within the promised time window and fixed what I've asked for. Communicative, professional, punctual, quality work - what can one ask for more from a contractor? Should I need any future plumbing fixes, I will use Baker Elman again. Highly recommend.

Able to get an appointment the day after my initial call due to only having one shower in house.  Arrived on time, personable and professional. Great detective work in finding a leak from our tub/shower combo that ending up leaking through our garage ceiling.  Found a crack in bottom of our fiberglass tub. Was able to refer us to a company that could potentially fix the crack in the tub. If unable to be fixed, we will work with Baker-Ellman again in coordinating having a new tub put in. Have used Baker-Ellman in the past and will continue to use them for any plumbing issues.

These guys are great. I used them recently to install a sink and a pump in my basement so I could continually drain my dehumidifier into the sink rather than having to dump it out 3+ times a day. They were super professional throughout the entire process: gave us lots of information and were responsive during the initial consultation, showed up exactly on time for the installation appointment, did the work well and quickly, and charged a fair amount. I will definitely use them again for plumbing work. It was also great of them to service East Boston (where I live) from Newton (where their HQ is).

I'm basing this off of just one visit, and a simple job at that, but I'm really impressed so far. I had another plumber out here to do a simple kitchen faucet install, and after quoting me $400 and then saying he couldn't fit under my sink, he left. I called Baker-Elman and they were really pleasant on the phone, setting me up with an appointment a few days later.

The plumber showed up on time, was very nice, and did a great job. The whole thing took just over an hour and cost me around $160. I will continue to call Baker-Elman for any future plumbing issues. These guys are great.

This review is only on one visit, but have to say I was very impressed with Baker Elman from start to finish.  I had my hot water tank replaced, from when I called to schedule the appointment to when the work was completed everything went smoothly.  When scheduling the appointment over the phone, the person I spoke with explained in easy to understand terms what they would be doing and the cost (very helpful for someone like myself who knows very little about hot water tanks).  I also needed to have my bathroom sink stopper fixed, when I emailed to see if they could take care of that as well I received a response within minutes saying they could.  A very satisfying experience across the board.

This is the best case of a multi-generation business becoming too big for its plunger-so they do all they can to suck jobs not to their liking out of their system: 1) the we're booked til' (name month 3 months ahead of whenever U call, 2) have a secretary just follow orders and lie about prev. customers/giving references to non plumber outfits (e.g Drain Busters, etc) and telling you they can do tasks without telling you it is actually best left to someone with a license, 3) have absolutely no loyalty if you're not in their affluenza burb area (which is also disjoined as SHaron and Newton for locations.  
    My parents used them in the early 1960's, when I was a child...we had a sticker on our H20 heater, which is why I remember.  They came over once, to change a water heater, but spare me their prices for warranty on it being graduated scale...I think they would more likely be doing business with me if they cleaned up the Challenger explosion  Nevermind my individual experience...hope you have fun convincing them to come out themselves rapidly if you have an emergency.
    Baker-Elman=stale cookies in the office, Elmer's glue level of customer service-can't say they aren't technically adept though.

Amazing plumbers and team. One aspect of this team I appreciate is that there is a professional team dedicated to scheduling the work that comes in and communicating with homeowners- this makes all the difference in the world in terms of expectation setting and not over promising. When the plumber comes out he or she is on time, courteous, gives information and options, and respectful. Thank you for all the jobs you've done for me so far- drain clearing, boiler repair, hot water heater replacement. Every job has been top notch.

I do not know anything about plumbing, or whether or not performance-wise this company does a good job, but I do know one of the employees is a creepy wacko.  

After my boyfriend let the guy in, he left for work and I was home alone with the employee, who hit on me (inappropriate much?).  When I told my boyfriend, he called the place and spoke to the owner, who explained he understood, since he had numerous similar complaints.  Seriously?  

The fact they continued sending a weirdo pervert to people's homes after getting complaints makes this business one-star worthy.

Baker-Elman offers the best of both worlds - the professionalism of a big company and the care of a family business. Top to bottom, every person in the office and every service tech has been terrific. Don't waste your time with other companies.

Thrilled with their service - the men who came to install my tankless water heater were so wonderful. They did a great job, less than competitors, cleaned up, conscientious, and loved my dog. 5 gold stars!

I called them on a Friday because my water heater started leaking and was flooding the basement. Steve came within a couple of hours, and immediately rearranged everybody's schedule so he could send one person the same day and make sure we had hot water in the weekend. Drew came only a few hours after my first call and installed the new heater with competence. No extra charge for the emergency. I was really impressed... and thankful!

This company got Best of Boston 2008 for a reason.

It all started with the kohler kitchen sink faucet slowly leaking at its hub.
The company answers the phone. They are nice while doing it.
The plumber came out within a day (they have emergency service too).
They have a lot of good info online as to services available, and they are LOCAL to the burbs west of boston inside 128.
When unable to fix it that day due to parts needed, he showed me the exact part numbers, and kohler shipped them to us free. Better yet, Cheryl personally came over to the house, found some parts in her warehouse to try to fix the faucet faster, and it worked. I gave her the free replacements.

David Elman called the house to tell me updates. It got fixed the day before thanksgiving.  My wife was losing it until then. Um, it didn't cost a lot for 3 total visits (can you guess what we paid? Less than 1 roto rooter, for sure)

No, I don't have any vested interest in this company, I'm trying to help the average homeowner, because its tough out there!

I can't recommend this company enough considering the sea of unknowns in metro boston. Call them before anyone else!

Had a terrible experience with this company and will never be using them in the future.  They are unreliable and poor communicators, to the point where I got stuck waiting for a long time and no plumber ended up coming.  We scheduled an appointment so I planned to be home during the agreed upon time frame.  They called and emailed saying a plumber was on the way.  More than hour later, I called to find out if he was lost or had the wrong address and they said they sent him elsewhere.  They were extremely rude during this phone call.  I was literally waiting by the door for over an hour so the guy wouldn't ring the bell and wake up my babies, and they decided to change their plan based on what was convenient for them, not the customer.  Terrible business-people & communication, very disappointed, not worth my $$.

I've been using Baker-Elman for years. Great prices.  Honest.  Reliable.
Can't beat them.

I have used Baker-Elman for several years and have always had absolutely superb service.  They will come on an emergency basis, show up as scheduled, do excellent work and clean up after themselves.  I've worked with many plumbing companies and this one is the one to call!!

Unreliable and late for scheduled appointment, then didn't end up solving the issue. I went with another company instead to get my issue resolved because this company is incompetent. Do not use them!

Great service yesterday.  We live in a condo with a unit below ours.  The seal on our toilet broke and was leaking water into our neighbor's unit below. We needed fast service so that it wouldn't cause too much damage. We called and someone was at our door within 45 minutes. They did a great job, the plumber was professional and the job was done right.

I have used Baker-Elman three times.  Once to install a new furnace and water heater, once to fix the heat in the dead of winter and once for a urgent pipe leak.   The furnace and heater installation went very smoothly and on schedule.  The two urgent calls were handled within hours. My experiences with Baker-Elman have been fantastic and I have recommended them to others.

We were living out of town and hired Baker-Elman from afar to fix a number of plumbing issues in our condo here in Boston. When we got back to Boston and into our place, we found that things were either not fixed according to our specifications or not fixed at all. We asked them to come and fix the things that were still broken, despite us having paid B-E for the fix, and they agreed to come but charged us full price for the fix of the things they were supposed to fix in the first place! We also found out that they seriously overcharged us for some new fixtures.

Keep your money. Pay someone else.

You'd be better of flushing your money down the toilet then hiring these guys.

I had a 2nd floor shower leak.  I called Baker Elman.  It took them 3 hrs to do the following:

1) Cut a 4 FOOT by 2 FOOT hole in the bathroom wall

2) Bash a 1 FOOT by 1 FOOT hole in the ceiling below the bathroom

3) Break a shower fixture (brass finish), and put on one with a different finish

4) Break the caulking on the fixtures

Note, nowhere do I write they actually fixed the leak, because they didn't.  Instead, they said, well the leak isn't from the pipes as far as we can see.  btw, here's a bill for $300.  Sweet.

Did I mention that they cut a hole the size of a small child in my wall????  

To add insult to injury, they said they would replace the broken fixture, but that if I wanted them to do it that they would charge me for having to come out again.  Sweet.

Save yourself from having to hire a second plumber (and handyman) to clean up after these clowns.  Avoid at all costs.

These guys have saved me more than once.  Neighbors basement flooded - Baker Elman was out there within 3 hours - fixed the neighbors issue and helped me diagnose and fix any impact on my side.  This has happened more than once.  

When I call them, they return the call.  When I'm freaking out, they come to my house and calm me down.  When I have an emergency, these people are there and will help you.  There is no single, more reliable plumber in Boston - period.

Excellent service.  I had these guys over to give an estimate for an oil-to-gas boiler conversion, and they fixed a drain and shower temp control for free.  Really nice guys, and very professional.  Highly recommended.

Despite the bad reviews, I went with this place based on a personal recommendation.  Turns out I should have trusted the yelp reviews.  More was broken than fixed. They took care of it in a fair way, but I didn't trust them to come out and fix the work. I hired someone else.

Fantastic service. Pleasant from start to end of transaction, from the first phone call, to inspection, to installation.

Our hot water heater broke in the middle of the night. Next morning we called at 8 am and had a call back within the hour, and a new tankless unit by the next day. Could not be happier. Recommend to all.

I was very pleased with the work they did replacing the galvanized pipes for our kitchen and bathroom sinks.. Both of the guys were extremely polite and professional, explained everything that they were doing, and did an INCREDIBLE job cleaning up! The basement area where all the debris had fallen looks impeccable (better than it did :). The whole experience was great - responsive office (great email contact which is what I prefer), multiple visits before the work was done, and they showed up on time and completed the work quickly. Will definitely hire them again!

Service was good, the plumber was pleasant and seemed knowledgeable. But the charges were $250 to replace a pair of washers (I couldn't get the faucets off myself). Worst thing... $70 charge for parts - l already had the exact manufacturer replacements and knew how much they costs - $10. Otherwise their work was good (though this was not a technically challenging job).

Just a quick update - the furnace issues were finally solved (apparently another faulty part was affecting the autofill.   I had sticker shock when I received the bill, but the owner was willing to apply a moderate discount due to all of the headaches.   I adjusted the rating a bit higher, due to the owner's concern for all of the problems I encountered.  However, I still feel that the service is inconsistent.

We called Baker-Elman to help solve our problem--- our shower in the master bedroom could not maintain hot water despite the house being equipped with two large water tanks. The 1st person that came spent some time, changed some parts he thought was responsible only to then remove these parts because he was wrong. He then called on someone more experienced who came by. After 3 different people coming out, no one could sort out the problem but mentioned that the recirculating line was connected in a funny way. Perhaps this was the problem but they needed to think about it. The left, problem not fixed, and sent us a fairly large bill. At that time, we had a bill but no thoughts and needed a solution. They came and spent more time finally to say that they would turn off the recirculating line which would cost us water but may help with the problem. Add another bill and still no working solution. At that time, they said that it may help to add a pump to the recirculator. They quoted us a large price for that work (in addition to the money they were already charging us) while noting that they were not sure they knew if this would solve the problem.

We called a different plumber. In contrast, the plumber was upfront with costs. Said they would charge $160 for diagnostics and not waste our money if they did not know what the problem could be. We did not provide the new plumber with information from the previous plumber. Within one visit and one person, they felt that it was in fact the recirculating line and that placing a pump would solve the problem. They gave us an estimate that was much much less than Baker-Elman quoted. They came, did the work, and we now have great hot water.

Baker-Elman essentially charged us nearly the same amount that the ENTIRE work cost us with the other plumber but all they did was scratch their chins. We sent them a note and tried to negotiate a lower payment given that we ended up with absolutely nothing at the end of their work. They responded that we gave away the solution and we mentioned that we absolutely had not. Without further discussion with us and despite our paying them a significant amount already, they filed a complaint in small claims court for the extra few hundred dollars we had asked them to lower their bill for. We basically paid twice for the work--- once with a group that had no idea what they were doing and did nothing and the second time for the actual solution which was quick and efficient.

The 2nd group was much more professional and upfront about costs. Baker-Elman was not. We weren't asking them for charity but we were asking them to be fair given that they should have been up front with costs and that the work was beyond their scope (i.e. know when it is time to give up).

Baker Elman is terrific!  Within a month, they helped us with a garbage disposal, clogged bathtub and broken dishwasher.  They return calls promptly and are always on time for their appointments.  The repair people are courteous and incredibly helpful.  I highly recommend them!

came quickly and on time, correctly diagnosed and fixed the problem. best of all, i sent them some photos and mp3s to look at listen to so they could diagnose the problem before they even came! reasonable prices too.

I cannot say enough positive things about this place.  I bought a home 3 years ago and so have had an opportunity to have a lot of plumbing issues go wrong. I first dealt with several plumbers who would show up late, do a shoddy job, and not return calls.  When someone recommended Baker Elman to me, I was hesitant to go with a bigger company because they would be a little more expensive... let me tell you... these guys are reliable, punctual, and do a beautiful job getting my plumbing issues fixed.  Not only that, but they are friendly and bend over backwards to make sure you are happy with their work.  The company is larger so it has someone answering the phone all the time, able to tell you when the plumber will be there, and you are never left hanging.  I HIGHLY recommend them for any plumbing needs!  A wee bit more expensive, but so very worth it.

I came home one day to find our hot water heater leaking all over the place!  I googled Plumbers near me and thankfully Baker Elman came up.  I called, explained what was happening, and the woman over the phone told me exactly how to turn it off so that it would stop leaking.  She then informed me that we would have to purchase a new one, she knew if it was leaking it had to be replaced.  I received a quote and they were going to squeeze me in that day.
I decided to call around and thought I could find something cheaper, so I cancelled.  What a mistake!
What I found was noone was cheaper and if they were it was maybe $100 less but came with NO warranty (Baker-Elman had at least 6 years, more if we wanted).  So I called back and although I am sure they had to be annoyed with me for cancelling earlier in the day, they rescheduled me for the next day.
They showed up on time when they said they would, and the 2 men that came in did their thing, cleaned up, and were gone within a reasonable amount of time.
Everyone there was very professional, friendly, and reliable.  I will for sure use them again if the need arises.

Stupid water heater stopped producing hot water.  Called Baker-Elman and they came in just a couple hours.  The plumber was very businesslike.  He got straight to work and replaced the control unit.  Would definitely call them again for any future work.  No complaints here!

As advertised by the other comments. I just used them and the service was great, the workmen professional and timely, and the costs were extremely reasonable.