Waldman Plumbing & Heating

I've used Waldman Plumbing and Heating for years. From when Mike would send his best guy to help my mom with a water heater to when Jeff did a full plumbing renovation on my house. They are professional, quick, clean and problem solvers.

I use them all the time for regular plumbing but when I used them for a renovation that required substantial work on plumbing, heating and gas they excelled.  The job required both renovation and tying into existing systems.  They removed two old boilers and replaced those two with one new, super efficient one that costs less to run to heat more space than a single one. There was ongoing communication about what type of boiler and heating units we needed with Jeff and Tim was meticulous in his installation.  Problems that arose were addressed quickly, creatively and professionally.  They were helpful in moving a stove that without their help would still be there.  They integrated gas pipes into a location creatively with a mind towards future upgrades and keep records and photos of the locations of pipes behind walls to facilitate future work with minimal repair.  Jeff understands the value of communication and he is very up to speed on the latest products so that the best and appropriate materials are used. He is aware of costs so he is able to suggest lower cost items if they exist.  Plumbing is now sophisticated, complex and expensive area of home repair and Waldman Plumbing and Heating is up to the task.

The guys they send are top notch in terms of knowledge, professionalism and cleanliness (down to the booties they put over their shoes) and  I highly recommend them for all plumbing and heating jobs.

Stopped using this service many years ago after getting ripped off on an exhaust exchange. Found out later after paying $5000 for a exhaust exchange out the back of my house that the reason why there were issues with my furnace had a smaller pipe going into a larger pipe and putting it out to the chimney and apparently it was leaking from there, I know the business was really good when the father Ranett he was a great guy and took good care of the customers so they always came back son took it over and I think that's probably why you see three stars on there now. I'd rather try somebody who I don't even know then risk getting ripped off again by someone like that, beware stay away and be ready to pay through the nose for something you may not even need

Outstanding help and service.  Waldman installed a high efficiency boiler for us as part of a gas conversion.  They arranged all of the work, the pipe work was clean and elegant, and the boiler runs like a tank.  They've been very honest about service - recommending I hold off on items that could have been easy up-sell opportunities.  We've had them out for service, which has been fast and reasonably priced.  

Prior to the replacement, Tim was the first to diagnose the cause of several hallway radiators which ran cool.  Two other master plumbers said we'd have to tear out all and re-do the pipes.  Tim figured out the radiators on that side of the house were actually running on a thermostat in the basement.  

Appreciate their excellent work and integrity.

I generally not so critical of service companies because I was a partner is a service company for 30 years and no matter how much you train your employees with a goal of having happy lifetime customers , you just can not please everyone all the time.  

We had three plumbing issues at our house that needed addressing and I just did not have time with my work schedule to deal with them so my wife called a few plumbers who were busy and ended up with Waldman because he could come out the earliest and we are headed to Florida for the winter in two weeks.

A nice young man came out and saw the three jobs, took out his IPad and calculated an estimate.  We figured maybe $500-$600 for the 3. He quoted close to $1,700 and threw in something to do with their service club which would give us 10% off any additional work for a year.  I should have paid his $75 estimate fee and sent him  packing at that point but we had him do one job which was to stop a leak in the downstairs bathroom sink.  I suggested the elbow trap be replaced.  He said no that the pop up drain needed replacing because that is where the leak was.  He replaced that, the elbow, and then told my wife it needed to be snaked for another $240. We were already at $700 plus. I came in the house and my wife was crying. ( she holds her own and does not cry). She told the young man to leave our house. We still have the same leak. I will snake the drain myself. I installed the faucet upstairs in 2 hours that he quoted $500 to do because it was a BIG job.  The owner did email the next day justifying the work his plumber? did and saying he would come back to fix it in his defense.   We are done with Waldman and should have checked the yelp reviews before we had anyone come out.

First off, you have to pay $150 just to have them walk in the door.  I needed a water shut off valve replaced next to my stacked washer/dryer.  After talking to his boss twice, I was quoted over $600.  That didn't sound right to me so I said no but had to pay the $150.  I just had another plumber do the job for $200 which included the parts and he also switched out my water hoses.  I can only assume that because I'm a woman they could pull the wool over my eyes.  Wrong.

FAST, COMPETENT, BUT SUPER EXPENSIVE.
My mistake was that, I had someone call me plumber.  The company arrived  the same day, right on time.  They had a kitchen faucet in stock and provided the estimate. If I had an extra day available I would have paid the service call and looked for another company.   Andy was very competent and professional.  However the price was more than double what anyone else charges.  I have used expensive plumbers before but this one is far and above.  When anyone quotes you a flat rate to the job and does not itemize the parts and labor, then brace yourself.   The following week, I spoke with Marcy in the office and although she was nice, she explained that is how they provide estimates.   No problem,  I have learned a hard lesson that if it is not an emergency, shop around.

They failed to deliver a quote. After multiple back and fourths with them, I've given up on expecting a quote for work.

Normally, this would be fine. In this case, I was charged $49 for them to come out to the house. After they looked around for about 30 minutes, I was then told an additional $150 was required to finish the quote. So after giving them $200, they still haven't delivered a quote in months.

Very unresponsive.

They were very nice & came out to service my Rinnai furnace when it stopped working but they were expensive. Also, the furnace stopped working a couple of weeks after the servicing. I was concerned this may have been connected to the servicing but they told me that my furnace was finnicky and it was probably something else. Since I'd paid a lot of money for the servicing I wasn't too happy about that so I had another plumber come look - they told me the reason the furnace 'flame' had shut off was that it had not been properly cleaned during the servicing. Now here I am barely six months away from the original 'servicing' and I have a message on my Rinnai saying that it needs to be serviced again - that's crazy! I'm going to call Rinnai as I cannot continue to have this furnace serviced every 6 months - it's ridiculous...

They do good work BUT they are VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE! And yes, they will not quote a price or even an estimate over the phone. If you just need to clear clogged drains or toilet tank gut replacements I'd look elsewhere.

I used this company a few years back. I wasn't impressed. They never did diagnose my problem. But by far the worst was the prices. There is no need to charge these prices. There is nothing reasonable about them. In simple language they are outrageous. There is a reason they won't tell you a full price before the job...you would run fast. I always read the worst reviews first. They are the most honest. Have you ever seen a company and their relatives write a bad review about themselves. I found a few suspect reviews on Waldmans site. Anyone who said prices were great is either senile or a family member.

[1/25/2019 UPDATE]
This is a final update about my experience with Waldman Plumbing & Heating. Upon learning of my issues, the owner Jeff Waldman called me, and we went over all my concerns. Their technician, Tim (extremely nice and knowledgeable), came out first thing this morning and resolved all three issues. 1) He replaced the faucet I wasn't happy with, with a higher-end model that better matches the sink (and no more knocking noise). 2) He replaced the section of pipe under the basement sink that had a hole in it, due to condensate from the gas heating system. 3) He installed a condensate neutralizer on the gas furnace. I learned that they all come with them now, but when they installed my system (2011), it was one of the earliest installations and they weren't including it. In fact, only last year did it become an actual requirement for gas system installations (though Jeff tells me they've been doing it for a while).

Suffice it to say that I am *thrilled* with the service I received. Let's face it -- even with the best company, s**t happens. A true test of quality service is when there's a problem or something you're unhappy with. And I have to say, Waldman passed that test with flying colors.

(See original review below for the complete story)
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I've used Waldman Plumbing for as long as I've owned this home, 11 years now. I knew they were more expensive than others, but felt they did exceptional work, and I'm willing to pay a little extra for peace of mind. However, I had a kitchen faucet emergency a few days ago, and a few things are bothering me. The technician, Rob, was very nice, and I believe his work, though quite fast (a bonus for some) was good. Well, except for an occasional thump from the faucet when I push the single handle too quickly, maybe? Doesn't seem quite right.

Here's the thing: If I'm going to pay $770 for a kitchen faucet and two shutoff valves, I do expect service beyond an ok standard. For one, and I realize this is minor in the scheme of things, he ran out and purchased a polished stainless steel faucet which, I now realize, doesn't match the sink's finish. He didn't mention the finish when he quickly showed me what he was going to get.

(1/12/19 - I'm editing this review, after a call from Jeff Waldman, the owner)

Did I even need a new faucet? Apparently, faucets that are more than 10 years old (mine was probably closer to 15) are typically replaced, since if you just replace washers on an old faucet, they'll likely fail soon after that. In other words, it's seen by plumbers as not worth repairing. Maybe I could have replaced the washers myself - IF I could get the parts off. I was going to attempt this, but hadn't gotten to it when the faucet had other ideas. However, judging by how long it took me to turn the old shut-off dial (about 20 minutes, with a wrench - good thing it didn't break off entirely), that's a big if.  

Regarding the leak in the basement sink, which may have been due to acids from the condensate tube from their gas system that was run to the sink, eating a hole in the copper pipe -- jury's still out on that one. I was told that they add a component to the system that neutralizes the acids before it hits the sink. Maybe it needed to be changed during regular maintenance and wasn't done. Not sure. It does seem suspect, as the hole is on the right side of the dual-tub sink (where the tube was).

Jeff was very nice and spoke with me at length about my concerns, and it appears that he will investigate further and there will be some type of resolution. I will edit this further, if need be. I have no desire to be vindictive. I may be somewhat defensive, due to, shall we say, difficult experiences with contractors. It's always good to be vigilant!  

I do stand by my belief that contractors should provide all included documentation or at least empty boxes of whatever is installed in people's homes. And while an argument can be made that charging by the hour doesn't take into account technicians that do good work but at different speeds, I at least believe that parts and labor costs should be broken out, with a full list of parts (and part numbers), in the interest of full disclosure.

John tried to scalp me! After using them for years I won't recommend them or suggest that any one should use them. Bye Bye!

Would not quote a price on phone to disconnect a dryer so I should have known this is a bad sign.  When plumber got here did not have a price and had to call the boss who no doubt wanted a description of the house to see how much he could gouge us.  The price was $155 for the 5 minutes!  Ouch!!!

They have done a lot of work for me over the years and I couldn't be happier with their promptness and quality of work. HIGHLY recommend Waldman Plumbing!

Everyone from Michelle in the office to Pete the plumber were excellent!
Accommodated me on the same day, even though it was the first day back after a holiday weekend.
Were Extremely Fair about the price.
All the work that has been done by  them has been top notch.
Would not hesitate to recommend them to friends.

Ellen long keller

This is a scam operation.  They won't give you a rate over the phone and say the have to come in person to give you a quote.  Once they show up, they tell you they need to charge for a 'diagnostic' to give a quote.  That costs $258.  Very dishonest.  You should avoid.

The best is rarely the cheapest.
If you have plumbing trouble and need attention now - Waldman is 'The Man'
I have used the company for years , and I have not been overcharged for any service.

Horrible experience...or should I say, lack of experience with this company.  I called at 9:30am for service and explained my issue including the make and model of my wall mount that was not producing hot water. They stated that I would receive a call back for service today. I did not call another provider because I was told they would provide service today. I called again at 11:30 because I had not received a call from a service provider.  I called again at 12:30, still no call back. I called again at 2:15 after waiting by my phone all day. I asked to speak to a manager.  An answering service called me and asked if this was a call about an air conditioning unit. (I never reported an issue with air conditioning.) I told them it was about a hot water heater. I then received a call from someone in the office telling me that the owner likely doesn't have service because he is in New Hampshire and they do not service water heaters. Everyone was perfectly nice but this is an extremely inefficient, frustrating and unprofessional way to run a business. I waited all day for a call and service to be told that they do not provide this service. Called another company after my final call with Waldman. They were able to honestly share that it may be hard for them to find a service provider but they spoke with me within 10 minutes of my original call.  I would never use or recommend Waldman to anyone.

$75 to show up. $782.05 to replace two leaky faucets. I understand that those are fun bernanky dollars but still, the ¢0.05 just doesn't make sense. I don' t think they need my business, or any business for that matter.

I recently purchased a new gas stove and needed a local licensed plumber to install it. I did the usual google search and there was Waldman Plumbing and heating. I called the number at 6:00pm which said they were opened until 7:00pm and after giving my information I was told she would page the plumber and he would get back to me. I never got a call back. I then called the next day and it was like I never even called. I had to give all of my information again and was told again that she needed to page the plumber and he would get back to me. Shortly after, I got a callback and explained my need for a stove install and asked what the going rate was. The guy on the phone told me he would have to come and look at it. He could not even give me a ballpark figure. I explained that I get home late during the week from work and that I would like to make an appointment on the weekend. He then explained that he only does emergency work on weekends so that was out of the question. I then mentioned that I would possibly need a turn off valve as well because the one I have appeared to be an older style valve. He then told me that he couldn't really help me at all. Really? He didn't even refer me to someone who could. Maybe my job wasn't big enough or worth his time to line his pocket? Maybe he didn't want to deal with an older valve? Who knows but I was left searching for another alternative. I now have a licensed plumber coming tomorrow to install my stove and for only $100! Just because someone shows up first in your online search, it doesn't mean that you should go with them. I would stay away from this company. No customer service at all.

This company cancels appointments with no advanced notice!  And takes new appointments before longstanding ones. They cancelled my appointment an hour after they were supposed to be here.  Will be finding someone else!!!!!

I made the mistake of having this company replace a hot water heater...and it cost me.  Admittedly, it is my fault for not doing more research.  The plumber was great, very professional and did a nice job; however, I paid $1200 for a lower end 30 gallon tank.  When I was given the estimate, I was told the tank was expensive because it was a low boy tank to fit in a crawl space.  It took the plumber about 1.5 hrs and when I came home and researched the tank he put in,  I realized it retails for about $350.  I wanted to figure out how they arrived at over $1200, so I called and asked for an itemized bill.  I was told the owner would have to do that because they do not typically  break down costs on bills.  When I finally received the bill, the  break down was remove and replace 30 gallon tank and the total cost.  Clearly, I got screwed and will not be using them again.  Lesson learned.

Gave me a price of $242 to purge my system. Did what he could. Treated me fair. Gave me a $82.00 credit. Jeff the owner is a fair and honest gentleman. Would use him again.