Star Cities Plumbing & Heating

I checked a couple different plumbers regarding an issue. I selected these folks, since they offered a free estimate. I called repeatedly trying to make an appointment, and got nobody--and nobody called me back even though I left several voicemails. I finally got in touch with them today, the day I'd been trying to schedule them, and they weren't available until Wednesday and had an extra $150 fee they hadn't told me about before.

The phone tree for these folks is labyrinthine and leads me to believe this is a decentralized, disorganized company that's just trying to milk money out of people. I imagine that's why some reviews of them are very positive, and others are not. I'd recommend you go with a more forthcoming company.

Unreliable!!! Made an 9-10 am appointment almost a week in advance by phone and stayed home from work to wait for them. Started leaving messages at 10 am to if the plumber was coming.... 15 phone calls/messages/emails and 6 hours later I finally gave up. Never heard a word from them.

The pump in my office pantry that pumps out waste water gave out. The plumber recommended by the building engineer wanted a crazy amount of money (kickbacks involved it seemed) so I made calls to a few other places. Some could not do the work because they didn't have the insurance requested by the building manager (we're talking about a midtown commercial office building). Star Cities sent a plumber over within hours and I got an estimate  the next day (Friday) quoting a reasonable price. My only hesitation was that they wanted 75% of the price up front. I was concerned that I'd end up waiting around for a long while to get the work done if they were already paid that much in advance. Well, happily I was wrong. The same plumber was back exactly as they said (Tuesday) and got the job done right the first time.  Also, Natasha is super pleasant to deal with on the phone. This was an all around great experience and I highly recommend this business.

Robert  provides a consultative service - meaning, he doesn't just give you one answer to solve your issue. If there are options, he will lay out all your options and clearly delineate what's involved and when/why to go one route over another.  And he will also give you his honest opinion about what he thinks you should do even if it's the least costly. He quote fair prices and one is comfortable with his work and solutions.

Reason Robert doesn't get 5 stars is b/c when he seemingly gets busy, he doesn't return calls - even to say he can't take the work...which is what professional thing to do.  So while I was happy with work Robert did and his feedback was truly valuable when deciding on course of work and solutions.   What was disappointing was the follow up and eventual drop off when he got busy.

Believe the 5 star reviews, we couldn't recommend Robert and Star Cities more highly! We had some plumbing issues relating to our toilet that needed to be solved and after having a few horrible experiences with other companies, we came on Yelp and found Star Cities. The initial person we spoke to at Star Cities was super polite, knowledgeable, and sent us in the direction of Robert to get the work started.  Robert was prompt, reliable, efficient and got the job done and well. Star Cities' pricing was competitive and you certainly get a high calibre of work done for what you pay for.  You're definitely in good hands if you work with these guys!

My call was taken right away and he called me back immediately.  He couldn't come that day but arranged to come the next.  He arrived on time.  He had to snake out the pipe leading into the wall.  He was highly competent and professional but $290 for about  1/2 hour's labor and no parts seemed on the high side.

Reliable, efficient and reasonable.  Thanks to recommendations on Yelp, I called Star Cities Plumbing when I had a problem with the diverter on our shower.  Robert arrived within a week to provide a free quote (some companies charge you just to provide a quote!!!!!!) and was able to return in 2 days to carry out the job.  Could not be easier.

Natasha, Hans, and the owner, Robert are the most professional, and respectful team I have ever encountered in this industry. They were extremely reliable and attentive. Robert clearly and patiently explained my issue and the step by step process of how to resolve the problem. Their prices are very fair for NYC. I spoke to no less than 14 other plumbing companies before I confirmed my appointment with Star Cities. I would unquestionably hire them again and recommend them to anybody who needs and wants excellent service.

Robert is a real professional.  He responded to my initial voicemail within minutes and after exchanging a few emails my appointment was set a few days in advance.  After dealing with two other plumbers who don't return calls, show up late or not at all, etc. it was so refreshing to work with someone reliable.

He provided a fair quote to switch out a bathroom vanity sink with a new one I'd purchased after looking at pictures of my existing plumbing and the new pedestal I needed installed.  Note that his quotes are set for a job including materials, not the usual time + materials situation you see with most contractors.  Again, he knows what he's doing and the transparency is a breath of fresh air.

The morning of our appointment he showed up 20 minutes early, focused on finishing the work, got it done within the expected window (this included a quick run to Home Depot for supplies), and left the bathroom looking tidy.  Robert was polite and answered questions about other work I might need to have done in the future - I wouldn't hesitate to call him again for those projects.  While it wasn't included in my initial quote, he was kind enough to call helpers to bring the old sink down the stairs of my walkup building.  Thanks for a job well done!

Really great work! Would definitely use again! They came and gave an estimate first and then came back to do the work. Explained everything and professional service.

Star Cities only has one plumber, that is Robert. His price quotes are the highest and his troubleshooting inspections always result with replacing everything instead of correcting the problem that he caused.
I used him once, paid through the nose and will never call Star Cities again.

We had an issue with the gas line at my restaurant. There was a pin sized hole somewhere in the line and it was leaking out. Damion came down and within hours the hole had been found and the leak fixed. Not only was he professional but his great attitude kept everyone at ease through this obviously stressful time. I don't generally Yelp but couldn't pass this one up. If i could give 10 stars, I would. Excellent company and Damion could not have been better at what he does. Highly recommend.

Robert has helped with two plumbing issues over the past month.  He is very responsive with text and phone and a pleasure to work with.  On one of the projects, he resolved an issue that the building super said couldn't be done and in the process saved the owner additional expenses.

I've had bad experiences with plumbers and contractors.  Who hasn't?  Those who don't return calls, say they have insurance but turns out they don't have insurance etc....

With Robert, the required insurance and admin paperwork required by the condo was provided expediently.  We agreed on time and he showed up on time.  Everything was just smooth.  Highly recommended.

Thank God for these guys! Fast and effective! Highly recommend!

I have no idea how I could add more superlatives.  I have had such bad experiences in my 30 years in NYC.  Robert was amazing in every way.  He was always on time.  His work was incredible and the price reasonable.  And he made certain i was satisfied.  I recognize that I am meticulous.  Robert exceeded my highest expectation.  I hope I don;t need a plumber anytime soon but i will always use Robert.

I cannot say enough about the excellent work Star Cities did.  They were knowledgeable and could handle the entire project from finding the problem to doing all the work necessary to fix it and re-build my bathroom - demolition, tiling, waterproofing and doing the carpentry.  Excellent work, reasonable price and completed on-time. Thank you Robert!

It was a basic leak. The hot water valve was broken. That's all. These guys tried to make it seem more complicated than it was. Told me they had to smash the wall and completely put in new components. Quoted me at $3150..give me a break. The free consultation is the trap they lay to get you to trust them...

I would give Robert and his crew 10 stars if I could. They were always on time, courteous, did absolutely beautiful and thorough work, took such care with my home, and went above and beyond to make sure everything turned out just the way I wanted it. They redid two bathrooms - including tiling, tub installation, and radiant flooring. I couldn't be happier or more grateful that I hired Star Cities.

I first started using Robert from a recommendation from my management company. He has been prompt and very professional the two times I've had to call him. The first was for a noisy heating pipe that he was able to fix that two other companies were unable to. He also repaired my heating system and the final price was half of his original quote. It's hard to find a reliable/honest plumber and I would recommend Robert and Star Cities plumbing.

Service was excellent and very fairly priced.  Will definitely use again.

UPDATE:  We did use again - called and Robert came that day.  Amazing, polite and professional service.  Highly recommend!

These guys are absolutely amazing.  Hands down the best experience I have ever had with any kind of contractor, anywhere, and I've used lots of them over the years.  The service and professionalism and communication and attention they provide are the kind you'd expect from the guy you know in a small town; I was so pleasantly surprised (shocked, actually) to find someone like this in Manhattan.  If you ever need plumbing work done, do yourself a favor and call these guys!  Seriously!

We found out that our shower was apparently leaking and causing some issues in the unit below us, so we needed a fix.  Since we hated our bathroom, we decided to gut the thing and start anew rather than trying to patch things up.  We spoke to an unbelievable number of contractors.  Many would make appointments to evaluate and give an estimate and never show up.  Those that did show up would give astronomical quotes.  I mean, this is New York, but come on, renovating a bathroom shouldn't eat up 25% of my take-home salary.

We saw an ad on TV for a site called HomeAdvisor, and Star Cities was one of the places they referred us to.  We emailed Star Cities and got a very prompt reply.  They set up an appointment and kept it.  They showed up on time (a few minutes early, actually) and took the time to explain what needed to be done clearly, assuring us that it was not as bad of a job as we thought.  We loved Robert, and waited for their quote.  The quote came quite quickly -- much more quickly than we expected -- and we were pleasantly surprised at how reasonable it was.  Robert was the best plumber we'd met, and gave us a good and fair price.  Needless to say, we booked him to do the work.

They started the work just when they said they would (a few minutes early, actually).  Over the course of a couple of weeks (we did this around Thanksgiving), they completely changed our bathroom.  They tore out the tub, the walls around the tub, the toilet, and the floor, and installed a new tub (which was very hard to do I'm sure because we have a very weird and VERY tight space), a new shower body, new floors, painted the walls, installed a new toilet, and everything.  They even installed a new shower door.  The shower door wasn't part of the work order, but when we found one we liked, be bought it and brought it to the apartment.  We asked them to install it and told them we'd pay for the installation; they installed it and didn't charge us.  It was not an easy door to install (a weird Kohler barn door thing).

We were actually so impressed with the work they were doing, we decided to ask them to demolish an old closet and build a new one, as well as hang crown moulding around our entire apartment.  They gave us a good quote and worked with our budget.  The closet and the crown moulding are absolutely gorgeous.  We'd thought about using the handyman at the hardware store next door for that work, but he never gave us a quote, despite our constant reminders.  Robert, however, gave us a quote quickly, and did an amazing, amazing job.  I'm so glad we didn't go with someone else on the closet, because they gave us exactly what we wanted.  It looks so much better than we imagined.

After they finished the bathroom, we noticed a problem with the hot water (not enough water pressure).  I sent Robert a very panicked text late at night.  He promptly replied, showed up the next day, and fixed the issue.  Apparently some detritus got in a pipe.  I was very pleased with his follow-through.  Even though the job was done and he'd been paid, he made sure to promptly address the issue.

When it came time to get the final invoice there were no surprises.  The deal was we pay a 75% deposit.  The balance of the invoice was the other 25%.  No sneaking things in, no saying things got complicated, no nothing.  Straight up what we expected: we owed the last 25% that we didn't put down in the deposit.  Star Cities is honest, does quality work, and does the work for what they say they will (and on time).

These guys were such a pleasure to work with.  I hope I don't have any more plumbing issues that need fixing, but if I do, I know where I'll go.  If you need plumbing work done, call them!  You'll be thankful you did.

Star Cities was extremely professional in handling my plumbing needs, and did a wonderful job addressing the issue we were having. Robert was extremely helpful and provided a very clear explanation of the problem we were having, and how it could be resolved. Very friendly service all around.

I would absolutely recommend Star Cities to anybody looking for a plumber in the NYC area.

Find another, more professional plumber. Sadly, they don't respect your time. I used them once before and they were fine. Tried a second time and had a morning appointment scheduled far out in advance. I was told they had a bigger job so they needed to move me to the end of the day. I obliged and rearranged my schedule. Was given a window of 4-7pm. Called to confirm at almost 6pm and was told they needed to push me again until between 7 and 8pm. Got the runaround -- and he said, what do you want me to do? Come another day? Star Cities, I've already rearranged my schedule for you. I have a job that I left early to meet YOUR schedule. Don't ask me to do it again. You wasted my time. Never again.

Star Cities was fantastic! Not only do they have the most competitive estimates, they are extremely reliable, trustworthy, responsive, and professional. Robert led my bathroom renovations and was simply fantastic. They made what could have been a stressful experience an easy one.
Their team is amazingly friendly and they did a great job at a very fair price!