Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Kansas City

Called for service and they did this inspection of my plumbing and sold me a $1,500 device for hard water sediment which did nothing at all. They inspected my water heaters, both of which were 4 years old and working fine. The guy said I will need new ones very soon and slapped one of their company stickers on them. Oddly enough, that evening we have very little hot water. When I looked at the heater, I saw that the temp had been turned way down. I turned it back up and they have been working fine ever since.  That was 4 years ago.  When I called to complain, the woman I spoke to said that their plumbers do not try to upsell, her word not mine.

Anne B

The technician showed up on time. He didn't seem very knowledgeable. I needed the cartridge replaced in our shower handle which I purchased and he wanted $359 to replace it. Sent him packing. That is outrageous and was told they offer no service under $300. They claim to be affordable. Hardly. Don't waste your time with this company.

Our sewer and main line backed up in our basement when my husband was out of town so I had an emergency and just googled to find Benjamin Franklin. After calling 3 companies they were the first to get me an appointment. I was super nervous because I didn't have a recommendation & all plumbing companies seem to have mixed reviews.

They sent out Kyle the next day for a $39 service call which was lower than most service call costs. He was super nice and explained everything. He cleared the line for about $250 and gave me some recommendations & was so courteous. He also offered to walk around our whole house to inspect all of plumbing and it was so informative. Since we live in a 90 year old  Brookside home we have a lot of things going on new and old he was able to tell me all about all of the basement pipes and all of the fixtures in our house and how to prevent problems but did not try to up sell me at all. I really felt he was concerned about making the things we have last & he was so nice. In the future I will always hire Kyle with Benjamin Franklin for our plumbing issues & updates!

Ben Franklin Plumbing told a woman in Lee's Summit it would be 1500 to repair two toilets that were simply running not leaking.

The woman unknowingly scraped together the money to pay them only to find after their repair they had cracked the porcelain on both toilets during their repairs and she now had a water leak.

When she inquired about having them make it right she was told that they fixed the issue they were tasked to fix and though their repair cause another issue they would not be fixing the leak.

This company is the bottom feeder of plumbing companies as they took advantage of the woman's inexperience on these issues by charging her $1500 for something that was a way cheaper fix than that.

She could have bought a brand new toilet for less than 200 a piece. I was very disturbed upon finding out about this incident and if I could give them less than one star I would!!!!

Our home warranty company sent Ben Franklin out to help with some issues. Well they get here then declined to do the job due to some other inside issues. After they left here a toilet kept running which isn't before they came. When we called about the issue they gave us the run around. They refused to fix the problem and my boyfriend who is deployed over seas received a very nasty email from their GM. This company is terrible and wouldn't suggest them to anyone!!!! I will be filing a complaint to the BBB

They charged me almost $1000 to determine why my driveway drain is backing up and resulting in water in the garage.  They $750 of it was to hire another company to hydro jet the drain to clean it out then they would put a camera down it.   They jetted it.  Didn't work.  It backed up.  Still charged me.  Then they put the camera down.  Told me my pipe was smashed in one place and broken in another.  But they got the camera thru and it was clear all the way to the creek.   $15000, $9000, $4500 were their est. to fix it all.   Once they left I dug up the pipe where they said it was smashed.  Nope. Perfectly fine.  First picture.  Then I dug up where they said it was broken.  It was.  Not bad but broken. Second picture.  Then I walked down to the creek to see if there was mud down there.  THERE WAS NO PIPE EMPTYING TO THE CREEK!  They lied about the camera.  I just need to attach to the exsisting pipe where it's broken and put in a French drain.  Once I dug up the broken part, no more water in the garage.  The water had somewhere to go.  So they charged me for a service that could never work, lied about the camera, and proposed 3 different solutions that would not have fixed the problem.  It was just a buried pipe so the water just backed up.   Thinking a professional should have figured that out before me.

I needed two new shut off valves and needed my faucet replaced.  Price quoted, $650 plus tax.  Told them to get the!*#× out of my house.  Still paid the $39 fee to show up.  What a rip off this company is.  Got everything done for $175 from a friend who does it on the side.  This company will rob you blind.

Do not hire this company. My home warrantee company sent them out to jet a sewer clog. They came out 2 days in a row, marked the clog (which was near the street, under a sidewalk, next to a streetlight, and on my neighbor's property) They quoted me almost $8,000 to replace a sewer line including tearing up the sidewalk and repouring it. I told the guy that for $8,000 I would need to get other estimates. He said they could finance me and if I agreed to finance it that night or the next day, that although they had 3 or 4 other jobs lined up, they could squeeze me in the following week if I financed with them quickly. I agreed to see if I could get pre-approved for the financing but I knew I needed to get other estimates. When I called to get a quote from Poor John's Plumbing, the guy told me right away that I probably would not have to pay for it. Since the broken line was within 12 feet of the easement, the city pays for all repairs. Not only that, but Poor John's Plumbing called the sewer department for me and had them out the next day to confirm that I would not have to pay for the repairs. Even worse is that the City said that they wouldn't have let anyone else fix the sewer because of the streetlight and other utilities near the clog. The City said that if I had let Benjamin Franklin start the work and anything went wrong, I would have been liable. So, in my opinion, either Benjamin Franklin is incompetent for not knowing that anything within 12 feet of the easement was the city's responsibility or they tried to get me to pay $8,000 for a repair they shouldn't have made. Also, they didn't like my previous review so they had their attorney send me a cease and desist letter threatening to sue me if I didn't take it down. Their attorney also called my employer. Apparently she said it was because I had used my work email to respond to Benjamin Franklin but it is my opinion that she was trying to get me in trouble at work. I believe this because this whole situation had nothing to do with my job.

I used to recommend Benjamin Franklin but can no longer do that in good conscience. We recently had a major blockage in our main kitchen line, and it was draining very slowly. We called Ben Franklin Plumbing because we had utilized their services a few times in the past at our other home in Blue Springs and had been happy with the service. The first plumber came and was not able to fix this problem. Fast forward several days later, they said they would have to charge nearly $6,000 to fix the issue which included drilling into our concrete basement floor, rerouting our kitchen line, and other major work. We of course were shocked by this and explained that we'd get a 2nd opinion. They then offered a different lower cost solution, stating that it would cost ~$2,700, but they followed that up by saying they didn't really recommend it, claiming it would not work. There was another possible middle of the road solution they offered for $3,200. The supervisor said he would send us a quote via email explaining the services needed, but that never came. (I even checked my spam folder...) We decided to get that 2nd opinion. I'm so glad we did. The other plumbing company, well known to the area, came out and quoted a cost of $1,600. They said they were very extremely confident they could fix it for that amount and basically acknowledged that they didn't understand why Ben Franklin was raising such a fuss over our issue. They acknowledged that it was a bad clog and believed it would require a good day's worth of work, but they did not think the radical actions that Ben Franklin had claimed would be necessary. We decided to go with the other company. The other company was able the fix the problem on the same day they showed up to do the work. They did exactly what they said they were going to do and fixed the problem. They then billed us for less than their estimate of $1,600, I believe because it took less time than anticipated. It has been several weeks, and the drain is still working like new. I am sad to say that Ben Franklin, a company who we thought we could trust, has broken our trust. It seems they did not have our best interest at heart. They have lost our future business.

I can't say enough how terrific thy are; on time, friendly & they fix it that day. I've done business with them for about 10 years & they've always been there for me.
Have to give a shout out to Miss. Betty; last time I called she took the time to not only do her job but make me feel better & a sure me it would be ok. I felt better even before they got here. Thanks!
Victoria

On Saturday another plumber was out and left us with no working bathroom sinks as water was pouring out of the hole that the 1st plumber made in the PVC pipe in the back bathroom.  (This contractor was sent by our home warranty company.). Th guy left us with black stuff everywhere the sink was covered and half wiped off, the floor of the shower was covered and so was part of the floor.  

I reached out to Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for an appointment after normal hours via Facebook.  The next morning they reach my husband and scheduled it for that morning.  These are the things I loved right off the bat:
1.  They were quick to schedule.
2. They showed up in a timely manner.
3.  They took the necessary time to look and diagnose the problem and showed it to us. (This did not take long but kept us in the loop.)
4.  They did not leave the bathrooms in a mess.

Yes, they are not cheap.  But they are quick, efficient, and proficient.

Did they fix the problem?  No.  We are just at the same place we were before the 1 plumber can.  The recommendation solution is to replace the sinks' pipes to the stack.  This is a long term solution. We had to go to a medical appointment that afternoon. Also, I really need to think about it a moment.  Our Home warranty company will not even talk to us about the cash option they emailed us about. They want to send another contractor.  

The company also replaced our stack several years ago. They did a great job.

Bought new house with home warranty. They were the company used by the home warranty company. Faucet leaking and two shut off valves leaking. First thing I was told I needed a water pressure regulator without even checking how much the water pressure was currently at and they wanted 500 dollars to install one.They rebuilt the faucet and just tightened the two shutoff valves to make them stop leaking. Tried to charge the home warranty company 600 dollars for new shut valves they did not install. I called the home warranty company to inform them of the fraud that was happening to them.

I am a first time homeowner and had only been living in my house for a couple weeks when I started to have problems with my kitchen sink. I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and asked them to come over and check out the problem for me. The technician that came to my house was Kevin. He was great. He explained that it was just my drain and that it could be an easy fix. Once he was done he cleaned up the sink and left everything nice and clean. My experience with this company was great. Everyone I had spoken to was so polite. I definitely be using this company again and recommending them to all of my friends.

And They Show Up!

The Post COVID-19 economy has become a challenge to deal with. The service industry has been hit with the combined forces of supply chain shortages, labor shortages, inflation, and the fear of new variants on the horizon. Combined, these challenges have resulted in a general decline in customer service and higher consumer prices across the industry. Not a very good environment for business or consumers.

Noticing a slow leak at the base of our guest bathroom toilet, I took a chance on my historic experience with Ben Franklin Plumbing and gave them a call. Having family coming in just a couple days, increased its repair priority dramatically! Having them answer on the third ring at 4:30 pm was comforting to say the least. Explaining my predicament and assuring them that it was only a slight emergency, they offered a next day 1:00 pm show up appointment, which I accepted as acceptable. Before noon the next day I got a call asking if it would be all right if they showed up within the hour! Yep, please, was my answer. 30 minutes later the doorbell rang.

Telling the technician that I thought it might be a failure of the wax ring at the toilets base, he said, Let me check - it might be something easier. Trusting his experienced opinion I said, Go for it! In about an hour he and his assistant isolated the true problem (failing seals at the base of the tank - a less labor intensive repair) and completed the work, including cleanup.

The final cost (including just over two combined man-hours), travel time for the 20 minute drive for the service truck, a two year warranty, and parts came to just over $400 including tax!  A very reasonable charge considering the combined efforts and the fact that we were on the verge of a significant Holiday weekend.  Considering that a less experienced technician might have gone with my initial guess at the problem and still not fixed it, I am more than satisfied.

Prompt service, friendly and knowledgeable attitude, professional work, and a reasonable cost considering the economics involved, Ben Franklin continues to be my go-to plumber! Thinking of other service providers I have dealt with over the past couple of year, the fact that they showed up prepared to fix my problem made this a win win.

Bill F at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is a joy to work with.  He knows his stuff, educates you, explains the job and the quote and does the work flawlessly.  It just doesn't get any better.

Over the weekend our waste line backed up and we had water in our garage.  This is pretty much a yearly occurrence because we live in an older neighborhood and have roots in our waste line.  In the past we have called Roto-Rooter and had a fairly good experience, but felt their pricing was pretty expensive ~ $250....

I decided to look online for another plumbing contractor that could do the work for cheaper and stumbled upon a Google advertisement that said 'Drain Any Line for $99, so obviously I was intrigued and gave Ben Franklin Plumbing a call.

I talked to the operator and told her about the $99 special advertised on Google and she said she would make sure the Serviceman would give me the discount.

The Serviceman came out the next day (Sunday), and told me the price was going to be $228 ($99 for the Service Call + $129 for Emergency Call)...I told him about the Google Advertisement for $99 and that the Operator told me the $99 was all good, but he disagreed and said since it was a Sunday, an emergency fee of $129 would apply.

At this point I didn't feel like arguing and just wanted to get my dang drain cleaned so I could take a shower and move on with my life.

When the Serviceman was done cleaning the pipe, I turned on the water to make sure everything was good, and noticed there was quite a bit of fecal matter on the floor next to the pipe cleanout.  In the past when Roto-Rooter cleaned our pipe, they always set a mat on the floor to prevent a mess on the concrete.  Needless to say I was not amused that I had to wash a bunch of crap off my floor when he left.

In summary, the price that I was offered was misrepresented, I overpaid and was not satisfied with the work performed.

I will not be calling Ben Franklin again.

OK. Got one of their $39 coupons for flushing out a water heater, so thought it might be a good deal, so decided to call this company.
Of course, and many a friend was right, the technician said I had to eventually do all of this plumming at the tune of $1162.
When the trainee flushed out my heater, he did not tighten it back, thus, I was informed by another super good company that warm water was streaming out.
As far as I am concerned, this was one of those subliminal manipulations. Don't do a job too good, because the customer will soon discover all of this water and be calling BF back...good stunt.
Those tecnicians knew what they had done...will never use this company again.
Pay attention, and be wise everybody.

Worst service ever.  The office manager Kathi was obviously does not provide service to minorities.  Services provided through my home warranty, yet a technician called my house saying I had to pay almost $400 upfront in cash (really?)

Stay away from these hicks.

Avoid this company at all costs. I have never used a plumber before but on this occasion i did not have the time to repair/replace a 3 inch section of 3in drain pipe that had a hole in it so my wife called Ben Franklin......That will not happen again. The plumber cut out a 3ft section of pvc pipe and replaced it, I had to help him to keep him from sawing thru my kitchen wall since he didnt seem to care about anything but replacing the pipe. He was here a total of 20 min and used $15.00 in materials for a charge of $1500. He puts on the invoice that he replaced a cast iron pipe. When calling the office to point out the error and get some money back, the receptionist stated that the charge was correct, the pipe material makes no difference in the price. Like a lot of other reviews on here....AVOID this company, with them its all about the money and nothing else. Plumber stated that they charge $2800 to install a hot water heater, amazing since they supply the water heater and probably 2 hour labor to install yet i get charged $1500 for $15 in parts and 20 minutes labor. Rip off, at those prices im kinda shocked they are still in business RUN RUN RUN.

Very punctual, competent, clean, and efficient.  Would hire them again.