Watson's Plumbing Heating & Building Services

Outstanding service: prior to Watson coming to the rescue, I used a plumber recommended by a good friend who had used that individual previously to great result. Part of our house had low heat in part of the house. When that crew was done we had no heat at all and the boiler would not start. I paid him for his time and sent him on his way.
Several exorbitant quotes later, I called Watson. The young man who came assessed the problem as the thermostat (within 5 minutes)Which apparently was disconnected by the prior plumber. The entire job--including the trip to retrieve the part-- consumed 1hour and was a fraction of the quoted price from the plumber who wasstumped.
Watson is my plumber of choice!

Unfortunately, Watson's Plumbing is a very corrupt business. While the plumbers' services were adequate, the invoice was borderline fraudulent. The plumbers disappeared for roughly 8 hours, supposedly to buy the relevant materials, and then charged us for the full 8 hours at roughly $129 per hour. The location where the plumbers claimed to be buying the materials is about a 1/2 hour away from our apartment.

When we called to dispute being charged for these 8 hours, the staff at Watson's Plumbing was extremely rude and non-responsive. They ultimately agreed to shave off only 2 hours off of the 8 in which the plumbers disappeared.  Beware of doing business with them.

I had steam filling up in the crawlspace and heard hissing. After shimming 15 feet into a tight and damp space, I realized the pipe was pitted and needed to be replaced. I called Watsons and explained to Tiffany that this job would unpleasant and in a very tight space.

O'Neill and KJ arrived assessed the situation and agreed to a solution. They somehow brought a sawzall into the crawlspace, cut out the section of pipe, measured, and went back to the yard to procure a replacement. When they arrived with all the couplings and materials they got back to work installing brining the big wrenches in to ensure a tight fit.

Both gentlemen were constantly thinking ahead, anticipating problems and working through scenarios.

As an owner of a 100 year old building, I know things can go wrong and this problem was one of the more serious issues I've seen in many years.

Maybe four hours of work, but a massive relief when we put the boiler back on.

Thanks again.

Beware of Watsons Plumber Richard Robinson. January 2022 he diagnosed a bathroom ceiling leak in my unit with 100% certainty without even opening the ceiling. In my opinion Mr. Robinson failed to conduct a fair accurate assessment. Mr. Robinson also made false statements on the plumber report. I complained to Watsons Plumbing about this issue & was completely ignored. They do not care about customer satisfaction. Please do not utilize Watsons Plumbing.

I meant to update this review earlier. Watson himself returned my calls that evening and immediately came to my apartment after I briefed him on what had occurred. He apologized (and obviously addressed the plumbing issue).

So we rescheduled the job from last Friday to today, with the same estimate as last week, 8-11am.  This morning there was no confirmation call so we called in to verify that someone was coming.  We received confirmation after calling in and so the waiting started again.

Around 9am we were told that the technician was running into traffic in the 70s and should arrive within 30mins.  Then around 9:35am we received another update that the technician was still on the way and should arrive in 30mins......ok.  Then at 9:45am I was asked for photos of my faucet and told that the technician should arrive shortly.  At 10:45am, still no technician and no call.  At this point we call in and get told that the technician probably won't make it till after 11am, possibly after 11:30am.

So, appointment cancelled.  That was their second chance.  If you actually want a job done, then you may want to stay clear of a company who doesn't show up..........twice.

When I first moved to Harlem I noticed a lot of their trucks driving around. At first I thought they must be very popular and a very good business. When it became time to renovate my kitchen i called them to install a new kitchen sink.  Within a few months it started to leak. Initially they wanted to charge me for the repair but then they did something to it to stop the leak.  3 years later it started leaking again. They sent a plumber over(unlicensed) who quoted me around 300 to fix it.  I ended up getting my super to repair it.  The super also told me the whole fixture was in danger of collapsing. He said one of the washers was missing,  one was installed backwards and one had cracked due to over tightening.  He also said there was no tape on the seams.   One does not expect problems with plumbing to happen that soon after being installed.

I am a health care worker writing this email in the middle of the COVID crisis -- as you might imagine I am very busy at the moment so if I am taking the time to write a review then I must consider this to be a pretty egregious issue, which as you can see from the email below is indeed the case.  

We have lived in the same house in Hamilton Heights since 2008 and we have always used Watson Plumbing for any of our plumbing needs. For example, in Fall 2019, we called Watson to install a new kitchen faucet and to reset two of our toilets and they did a great job. So, we did not hesitate to contact Watson for the relatively straightforward work of (1) replacing the flapper mechanisms in our toilets; and (2) unclogging some drains. We fully realize that this work could have been done by an experienced handyperson, but we had previously  had some great experiences with Watson and we did not hesitate to call them to take care of these relatively simple problems .

Boy, were we wrong.... What a disaster. To make a long story short... They sent a clearly very inexperienced person who spent most of his time chatting on his phone rather than replacing the flappers on our toilets. When he could not figure out how to replace the mechanisms in one of our toilets, he tried to talk us into getting a new toilet! Can you imagine - instead of replacing the flapper he told us we needed a new toilet.

When I complained to the compandy, they sent the supervisor as well as some more experienced technicians.  However, 8 hours later - and 8 hours that they charged us for - we still do not have functional toilets. In fact, here we are now in a house with 2 college kids back home and 2 other adults and in a house with 4 toilets only 1 which is working. AND we paid $1000 for their incompetent service. I would like to emphasize that BEFORE Watson came NONE of the toilets were running yet now 3 or the 4 toilets run continually after their service  -- so now we can use only 1 toilet. We had to shut the other three toilets off because we got a letter from the City indicating that the water flow is excessive - so this is not our imagination the City is also concerned.

We called Watson back twice to try to address the issues yet the problems persist. And of course, we cannot call a real plumber at the moment because we cannot have anyone in the house during the COVID crisis.  And by the way, I am not sure what they did to snake the drains, since the same drains are now clogged again - so, clearly, they did not even snake the drains properly.

Having said all of this, I would have chalked it all up to experience and had planned to call a competent plumber when the COVID crisis is over but APPALLINGLY they sent us a bill for the visits that they came back to deal with their incompetence - can you imagine the gall of that - plumbers who after three visits cannot change a toilet flapper competently and then try to charge us for it....Can you imagine...

Quick, reliable & didn't break the pocket. I had an emergency heating issue on a Sunday after 5 pm & Watson's responded immediately, was there within an hour & got the job done. Highly recommend.

They were at my apartment an hour after calling them for help. Did a speedy and thorough job fixing my leaky sink. Plumber was very nice - explained the source of the issue and talked me through what he was going. Price was above what others quoted, but it was a job well done so it was worth it.

Good plumber   Be careful of the bill.  They will try to charge you more than the submitted quote.

THANK YOU, Watson's! I was distraught over our plumbing emergency and Sean, the dispatcher, was very polite in scheduling a service appointment for when I could get back home from my office.
The two plumbers who showed up were in uniform. They arrived, introduced themselves, asked me to describe the problem, looked it over, got parts from their vehicle, fixed the problem completely, cleaned up, explained how they fixed it, took my check, and left.
It was a great experience with excellent service. Exactly what I needed, on time and within budget.

We needed to replace gas meter pipes in an apartment due to a change in the code. I reached out to Watson´s Plumbing because they are close by our building. Joseph Holmes the dispatcher seemed to be responsive and made a good first impression. However it turned out this impression was wrong. After exchanging several emails and sending photos he said he will send someone to check to job onsite to be able to give us a quote. This appointment was supposed to happen on a Friday and was confirmed by Joseph. Unfortunately nobody showed up. Our tenant also reached out to Joseph. His answer was this fell through the cracks. Our tenant even sent him more photos and a video so that Joseph could give us a price. Still nothing. Nobody ever got back to me or the tenant again. After having lost 1-2 weeks trying to work with Watson´s we decided to hire another company which was super reliable and did a great job.

There's nothing more annoying than waiting on someone that's not coming. They said they were going to show up and didn't. Then I received a call stating that they will arrive the next day between 3p and 5p and show up at 5:15p. As if that wasn't bad enough the plumber shows up with no tools to fix the tub issue. Is this the twilight zone?? If it wasn't because my management company has a contract with them I would never ever use this company. Get it together Watson! Make sure your crew is prepared at all times and jobs. Oh and punctuality is important too, people have jobs and waiting around for the plumber isn't it. Now I have to wait another week. Frustrating!

I have had excellent service with Watson's on 2 of my buildings. On one occasion, my tenant had a ceiling leak and Garcia the Tech found a defective shower spout in the apartment above. He repaired it and did not have to break the ceiling in the apartment below and he saved me a lot of money. They come on time and respond to their customers. on another occasion, I had a burst water main and although Watson's does not handle it Mr Watson himself came to the job site on a Saturday, he had recommended a fellow plumber that did and they handled the DEP notice promptly and completed the job cleanly.
I can't say enough good things about them they honor their work. Great Office Team in Erica, Regan, Shereeta. thjey are always respective of me as their customer.
Jeff C.

These guys have the worst customer service.  Every time we call them, their go to response is we can't do that, then we remind them they have done work for us before, but they can't find the records, even if it was only a few weeks before, always much more of a hassle than it needs to be.

To make a long story short, Just don't do it.  3 days after measuring my bathroom I'm still waiting for the estimates of what my project will cost after Kevin said he would email me the estimate and after i followed up with a call.  That just a red flag that tells me how this work is going to be, me chasing them down to finish it.  No thanks.

Looks like great reviews from people who have used the services. I just spoke to two women on the phone who do not sound sure of anything they are saying and can hardly understand me. They can't give me a price for the service call because the office doesn't do that. Even when I said, I know the plumber has to see the work before we know the total cost, but you must have a service call price and hourly rate, she said, I think its about $160.

No stars! This company does repair work for the city of NY. He charges astronomical prices and is a rip off. Claims to have done work but is questionable what was actually done. No detail billing. No breakdown for charges. Just a large bill. Stay away, run the other direction.

We had a mishap involving a flush in progress and a slippery lady's speedstick....and in a split second all modern conveniences are down the toilet.

One local plumber, a Jose Martinez (boo hiss) promise, promise, promised to come back that evening if the first guy he sent couldn't remove the object with a snake/augre, but was a no show and seemed to change his diagnosis - suddenly he insisted we needed a whole new toilet! He was suddenly busy eating dinner at the time he'd agreed and confirmed he'd come back, but said he'd be glad to come back some other time!

So we called the second recommendation on our list, and they responded right away, found out the situation and showed up nice and early the next morning. They fixed the problem, by taking up the toilet and fishing out said lady speed stick, replaced the perfectly intact toilet and that was that. A very reasonable charge of $295, for an hour of work for two men with all the necessary technical know how. And of course no new toilet required.

Thanks Kevin from Watson's, you and your assistant rock.

(Again, boo hiss, Mr. Jose Martinez at (646) 210-8731, you are a very unreliable and dishonest non-professional.)

Watson's recently replaced our broken thermostat in our [OLD] house.  Then this morning the boiler seemed not to be working.  I called for a service repair and the dispatcher recommended turning off the system [thermostat], leaving it off, then turning it back on.  It's working now!  Their recommendation saved us a service visit.  I greatly appreciate this simple trouble shooting -- saved us and them time, and us money.  You guys are a class act in my book.  Keep it up!
Elissa

DISAPPOINTMENT. DO NOT CALL THEM.  We have a 40 unit building.  Contracted them to install a new boiler.  Nothing but a nightmare since.  As we speak carbon monoxide alarms are going off because of their faulty installation.  No Hot water over and over again.  No heat over and over again.  Had another plumbing and heating company come in and we are now being told to seek counsel.  I have also reached out to this company when the installation was first taking place to work on some buildings in the Bronx.   The repairs done were not repairs but band-aids.  Had a real company come in and show the faulty work that was done.  Two separate locations - same end result.  Difference.  One cost over a 100k.  Complete lost and totally frustrated.  Poor representation of a local business.  Shame on you Watson.   Never again.  Please don't make the same mistake.

Moved into an apartment a few months back. ALL the pipes in the bathroom were leaking, the toilet was put in so poorly that I though it could never be fixed.  FINALLY the landlord sent Watson's over. They were on time, fast, efficient,and professional. They did an amazing job. The plumbers they sent, Ivan and Errol are SO nice, and so smart and I can not say enough good about this company and their employees. i HIGHLY recommend them.

1. Scheduled an appointment for 9:00 AM. They called and said they'd be late. I really appreciated the heads up.
A lot of other guys don't do that
2. Did the job, explained the job, cleaned up after the job was done.
3. Didn't mind that my 5-year-old son tried to help. Really nice guys.
4. Fair price.

So happy to have found a great plumber in Harlem. Extremely nice and knowledgable. Sent some quickly and had great communication. We'll definitely use them again and continue to recommend them.

I can't say enough GOOD things about Watson's Plumbing. Needed my toilet unclogged and kitchen faucet replaced. I was given a 3 hr window, they were there in 1 hour from the call time. They were professional and courteous. You can tell when a company is good when they start laying paper down and covering up where they weren't working so not to create any messes. They finished in an hour and half, the toilet was flushing with some power finally and I got a great new pull out faucet. Prices were way more reasonable then I thought they'd be. I have recommended them to ALL of my friends. Thanks Watson's!

Christmas eve 4:45 pm a friend came over.  I was worried that the drain in my small front yard was plugged with leaves.  It was a pool of murky brown water. Then I saw my ground floor tub was filthy, not draining.  We went to the basement; it looked like the seventh ring of hell with filthy water seeping in.
I called Watson's.  A young man, Eugene, arrived.  He worked in the murk for two hours.  The bill was minuscule compared to the work that had to be done.
I am still overwhelmed by their service.  More than a present for Christmas

I am writing to specifically give Mr. Garcia of Watson's Plumbing, Heating & Building Services the highest recommendation without reservation for services rendered.
Mr. Garcia arrived at our home to trouble shoot our plumbing challenge at stated time by the dispatcher Sean.
Mr. Garcia was courteous, engaging, respectful and demonstrated a tremendous fund of knowledge and professionalism as he asked ALL of the appropriate questions regarding our challenge, took the time to evaluate/inspect the various plumbing entities in our home and then stated very clearly what he thought his assessment of the challenge was, what his plans would be to try and solve the challenge and subsequently began doing the work in a complete and thorough fashion to ultimately bring resolution to our challenge. He asked that I do a run through of all the potential areas that could lead to a similar challenge to ensure ALL plumbing systems were in full functioning order.
He then took the time to explain the potential etiology of the problem and provided possible preventative measures for our consideration to minimize the re-occurrence of the challenge.
He asked if I had any further questions, concerns or challenges that he could assist with, did a thorough cleaning of the work area and stated to please reach out ASAP should there be any challenge after he left.
It is with great pleasure that I ask the leadership at Watson's Plumbing, Heating & Building Services to recognize Mr. Garcia with the highest level of recognition offered by the organization and to please share this review with his co-workers and he has set an extremely high bar of expectation for customer service that should not go unrecognized.

THANK YOU MR. GARCIA! Please continue to model your exemplary work ethic for us to ALL benefit from!!
BTW and PS, Sean was also AMAZING during the process!

I had a tub that suddenly wasn't draining.  And the plastic drain snake that I tried wasn't getting deep enough to address the real clog.

I phoned Watson's because they aren't too far from the apartment.  They agreed to come later that day.  The plumber was a little later than originally scheduled.  But I had told them I'd be in all evening and later was OK, so I can't be too upset about that.  

He came, did the work, cleaned up, and was finished without any problem.  The tub drains perfectly.  And the price was exactly what was quoted to me on the phone.  

So all in all - same day appointment, good work, and price as advertised.  I can't really ask for more.

I called Watson's to unclogged my toilet.  Sure enough the plumbers were here in 20 min. Plumbers came in introuduce themselves showed their ID and start to assessed the problem. They gave me a decent price and fixed my toilet. Thank you so much guys !

NEVER hire Watson's. Their work caused a gas shutdown and a DOB violation they've refused to fix. We now face a fine of thousands of dollars from the city. We hired them for simple work in our new coop. We chose them due to good reviews and the fact that they were licensed master plumbers. To resolve the DOB violation, Watson's must provide several permits. They have refused to do so for over a month and rarely take our calls or respond to emails or texts. On top of that, the plumbers who came out were careless and messy. In hooking up our washing machine, they damaged our new kitchen cabinets (we did receive a small refund for this) and left a huge mess in our kitchen. The bigger problem is that they never pulled the necessary permits to deal with our gas line. This has resulted in months of headaches and phone calls met simply with ineptitude, inaccessibility and ignorance. Not to mention the month without a stove, or the stress over helping our management company try to nail down anyone at Watson's to get the necessary documents for our DOB violation. Please, chose a different plumber!!

Given that I began calling around for a plumber late on Tuesday, I did not expect too much.   I called Watson to help with a delta faucet leak that I could not complete myself.  Although Watson was busy, they did call me back and the did try to accommodate.  To my surprise, they were able to come the same day and they did a great job.  I would definitely use them again.  Thanks Watson!