Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Today I realized that my water heater had rusted out and was constantly running. I rent and I use my garage as storage, and this was just awful.

I called Benjamin Franklin to see about getting someone out to turn off the unit to stop the running water. This is an older unit without the blue valve on it, so I was clueless. A girl named Nadia answered the phone and was just... totally unhelpful.

I asked if they had emergency service available. She said they do from 5:45pm to 11:30pm. I asked if it was possible to get someone over to help me with my water heater, she said I had to wait for the 5:45 to 11:30 time frame. I asked if she had anyone available to help me outside of emergency plumbing, she said no.

It was very obvious to me with her canned answers that Nadia didn't give a flying fig about what I was dealing with or about securing my business. She had the empathy of a robot, and I can only believe that the person they have handling potential customers on the phone is going to relay how the company feels about their customers. No thanks!

We used BF last year to install 4 water heaters in our two homes,  the charge was very expensive compared to others, but the service and warrantee convinced us that it was worth it.  Fast forward to today and a simple toilet leak.. A call to BF and surprise!  They want to rebuild the whole toilet for $485!!  Pretty sure we just needed a new seal in the bolt.  Our reaction brought the price down to $375 or so.  Suffice it to say, we are out the $79 visit fee and we are repairing the toilet ourselves.  

We cannot recommend this company for simple repairs.

Labor Day weekend I discovered I had a slab leak under the house. Called three companies and they responded. They were efficient, on time, set up the crews, inspections, repair, digging etc. no complaints. I know plumber's are expensive so I was just happy to get it fixed and my home insurance covered 75% of the cost. I was content at this point.
Six weeks later, I've got water coming from under the house again. Same spot, same hot water line. Pissed but I had a 5 year warranty covering the work? Right? Think again. Called them they came out dug under found the leak a foot up from the initial repair that they even said could have been compromised from the initial work. Covered under warranty? No way. This leak had nothing to do with the first leak got you over a barrel because you have no water and a hole under your house. Another 10K they wanted. I had to file another claim and they want to know how? Now that they have gotten there money , it's like pulling teeth. They fixed it of course
Bottom line: Super expensive plumbing company that stuck it up my ass with their warranty bs! No sympathy knowing the second leak was related to the first leak just a bunch of car salesman rhetoric. I will never use them again and am filing a claim with the better business bureau.

I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to come out and look at a slow leak in my bathroom and possibly my roof. ( There are pipes in my attic). They guarantee they show up on time, which they did not, but that's not the disappointing part. They sent this very southern man to my house who was HIGHLY unfriendly and rude. He didn't introduce himself at all and didn't seem to want to be here. I showed him to the roof leak first. The plumber guy then asked me If the roof is leaking why'd you call a plumber? Really? Didn't I explain that before I called? I didn't have a good vibe with the company and after seeing the ratings I feel I'm not alone. I called in to talk to Chuck the manager and he was worse that the plumber. Very rude, and he said his plumber might have had a bad day. Oh well then never mind. After all he had a bad day. Worst Customer Service ever.  I asked for the owners name and he told me that the owner was irrelevant.  If you have a plumbing problem STAY AWAY from BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

The guy was nice and thorough, but I was very surprised by the cost. It cost $250 for him to tighten a packing nut around a gas fireplace key shutoff valve.  They charge by the service, not the time.  When he told me how much it would cost to fix, he didn't include the Travel Fee of $60 - another surprise once I got the bill.

Expensive and a total ripoff. I actually first called a friend who was a semi professional - he said that my leak may be caused by damage underneath the home. He didn't have the equipement so then I called Ben franklin guys. He comes in, charges a buttload, but finishes and fixes my toilet.

A couple of months later, my toilet leaks again and I call them - thinking it's covered by the warranyt.  It was only a couple of months. I call in the morning at around 10 am and they don't show up until 8 pm the same time. A different plumber from last time comes and tells me it's a different problem and that the warranty is covered. I'm extremely angry because the issue that they bring up was the issue I wanted them to look at originally the first time.

Then they have the audacity to charge me $170 for the visit (instead of the normal $70) because it was marked as an emergency.  I paid the money for the visit but didn't pay for them to fix it - I found another cheaper, better plumber. I called HQ the next day and they did return my money (they returned $100 but still charged me for a normal visit). However the credit took about a month to come back and this was only after I called HQ to make sure they refunded my money.

Funny thing was that their customer service actually called me to ask me about them scheduling the repair.  I laughed and deleted that voicemail.

Do not trust them.  Expensive. Poor service. Plumbers have no authority.

I was filling my pool up late last night and the outside spicket would not turn off. I looked on-line looking for a 24 hour emergency to see how soon someone could come out. Some charged $200.00 just to come look at it, others said to call the non-emergency fire department to turn off the water and wouldn't be there till the next day in the afternoon, others weren't available, etc., until I came across Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. They came out the the very first thing in the morning 8:00 A.M. and fixed it in an hour. I highly recommend Tony and Peyton. They were prompt, professional and kind. Also repair cost was very reasonable. This is the type of company you can rely and count on when it comes to any plumbing issues. Thank you B.F.P.

Called for a quote on replacing my 11 year old 50 gal hot water heater that is leaking.  On phone was told they had lots of options of hot water heaters etc... Well guy measures the stand tells me I have three options a Standard a deluxe and a premium. never was even told what brand it would be, could not tell me how much I was being charged for the hot water heater part of the insane quotes I was given. Standard was 1694 deluxe was 2875 and premium was 3915. Yup plus 118 to install a 20 dollar drain pan. Oh 998 if they install one I buy myself and they would not warranty their labor if they installed one I bought. So after refusing service because I can buy a basic 50 gal for 419 dollars I told him I needed to shop around as I do not need nor want them to come out and drain my hot water heater every year as a maintenance when they are labeled maintenance free and last 10 - 12 years without any ever. I was told that I will find they are very competitive to which I said Im about to find out. WELL LETS SEE.  I bought as 12 year (or what they call their PREMIUM) for 575 dollars and for 1088 TOTAL im getting that installed which includes the drain pan, and everything else that THEY wanted 3915 for. So for a savings of $2827.00 Ill save I think I can hire my own person to come look at it if needed in the next 10-12 years.  Competitive my rear end.  Do yourself a favor look up Lowes and Home Depot they use certified plumbers get the permits(inspection your city may have) and a basic install in my area was $389. The extra 124 I spent on the things I wanted changed out and extra parts that if not used they will let me return at the store.

Thanks but no thanks, Keep your triple the price(btw two other plumbers were high but none near these guys. These guys were the highest) Keep your having to make me schedule once a year to take time off to come look at a hot water heater, keep your GOOFY BENS Society Member nonsense.

The other day the coupling that connected the water main to the line going to my house cracked, flooding into the street.  Richardson Water came out and did their job, shutting off the valve and unfortunately leaving me without water;  they explained to me what was wrong.

I called Ajax-- whom I've had positive experiences with before-- but unfortunately they couldn't send anyone out until the next day.

Not wanting to be without water, I tried Benjamin Franklin Plumbers; the service tech arrived on time (that's the company's rep) but he barely gave the repair a cursory glance before robotically pulling out a pricing matrix.

He quoted me a ridiculous price-- $1,100 for the repair.  The city had previously dug out around the valve, so all the hard work was already done... all that didn't seem to matter if it didn't fall into the box.

When I said that that was way too much for a connector replacement, he replied We are a premium service.

Well, Ben Franklin just premiumed itself out of a job.  I paid the man the $59 home visit fee (he was there for less than 10 minutes) and he left.

So I went a day without water and Ajax sent Rob out the next morning.  He called about 30 minutes prior to alert me he was heading over, and had the repair completed in about an hour for $305.  On top of that, Ajax replaced the broken plastic connectors with sturdy brass fittings.

Ben Franklin - Premium or not, has ridiculous pricing.

(The guy they sent out was clean-cut, professional, and courteous-- it's not his fault for the totally absurd pricing.)

Total overpriced ripoff. Needed a board replaced in the tankless hot water heater and they charged a ridiculous amount for a diagnostic fee. Don't use these guys unless you like to throw away money.

I used Benjamin Franklin Plumbing several years ago and was satisfied. This time, I asked for the same plumber, but he had moved out of town. Still, I had a toilet stoppage, so another BFP plumber unplugged it, for which I paid $202. Two days later, it is stopped up again. I called immediately and was told that BFP  would send a plumber (on a weekend) and waive the trip charge. So far, so Good!  My roomie waited four hours but no plumber. During numerous follow-up calls I was told that,  1) The receptionist had not notified the plumber of our need for service, 2) Ben Franklin would not waive the trip charge as promised, 3) My husband (who had been driving all day) had canceled the call (!?!?!?), 4) A manager would call me within hours.

If anyone called, they did not leave a message. The following week, I called the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing office and was told that  We cannot provide service to you. What? Apparently, I am on a list now.

Used Ben Franklin last year and was pleased with the services.  Used them again this past week and will NEVER use them again.  I believe I was misled with the pricing and when I complained the Supervisor refused to do anything, not even a token offer to give me a $100 or $200 additional discount.  They clearly are not customer-experience focued nor do they care about client satisfaction.  Plumber came out and told me that the work would take most of the day, so my water would be off pretty much all day.  Gave me a price of $2200.  I asked if they do a military/first responder discount and they gave me a 10% discount taking it down to $1985.  I did some quick math in my head, 2 techs, $100/hour for each, 8 hours work, equals about $1600 plus 3 ball valves with markup - maybe $100-$150. Then add on the $60 service fee, an additional fee of $100 for overhead/management; $1985 doesn't seem out of the ballpark for an all-day job.  This was a Friday and they said they could come back Monday to do the work and would I like to pre-pay (never again), and I said sure, since I wasn't sure if I might be on conference calls when they wrapped up.  They showed up on Monday around 9am and were done by 11:30.  2.5 hours!!  The work was done fine and I was happy with the finished product, but I feel like I was misled and taken advantage of by him telling me it was going to be an all-day job.  If he had quoted me the final price of $1985 and told me it was a 2-3 hour job, I definitely would have gotten other quotes.  I called them afterwards to complain that I was misled and overcharged for a 2-3 hour job. After a lengthy conversation with Supervisor, David, he basically told me there was nothing he could do.  NO COMMITMENT to Client Satisfaction, no desire to try to resolve the issue, no offer of even a token $100 or $200 off.  Unless you want to be misled and price-gouged, take your plumbing business to someone else because BF doesn't care about client-sat, just the almighty dollar.

We contacted Benjamin Franklin Irving location last Tuesday regarding our shower water not heating properly.

One of their plumbers showed up Wednesday, walked in/ out of our home (no joke!) 11 times, disassembled our shower, said he would 'come back tomorrow' to 'replace a cartridge' and of course he did not.

6 days later, despite repeated rescheduled appointments, plumber is still NO SHOW - NO SHOWER. Not a fun issue to deal with during the holiday, or any time. We still can't get them to show up; not even the courtesy of an apology or explanation. Leaving us with an even bigger problem than when we started.

Completely unprofessional!

I called them to reconnect my sink after a remodel and put in a new faucet. They won't estimate over the phone. Guy comes out (he was really nice so those two stars are only because of him) $1100!!!! $250 to silicone the drain basket in the hole...nearly $400 to cut some PVC and move it over a little so the disposal would connect to the new sink hole....omg....called around and literally they are three times higher than anyone else. And since I didnt use them I had to pay an $80 trip fee. I swear they probably just drive around collecting those fees because paying that much is nuts. Call around!!! Dont make the mistake I did. I can only imagine if something big were wrong or needed fixed. To put that $1100 into perspective....my granite to purchase, fabricate, and install $2200.....

A plumbing issue came to light during a home inspection. We called three plumbing companies for quotes. The first quote was $4,500, our second quote from Ben Franklin Plumbing was $11,000, and our third quote was $1,800. I was blown away at the price difference, between $11,000 and $1,800. The third plumber was referred to us by a friend and also has great reviews online. After asking him (the $1,800 plumber) how another plumbing companies quote was so high, he just laughed and said, some people are stupid and will hire them assuming that is just what the repair would cost without doing their homework. We live in a pier and beam home and all the plumbing that needed repaired was exposed underneath the house. It's still not easy to get to, but with a little crawling, it is more than possible. It was fixed within 4 hours of him crawling under the home. The second home inspection passed with flying colors and big lesson was learned. Get referrals from friends, and be sure to read online reviews. I will never do business with a company that is only in business to rip off their customers, and that is what Ben Franklin appears to be doing.

I am in the use of BF Plumbing now...will have more to say once everything is settled. Going to give it a one star as I am hoping for the best. But until all is said an done. A final review will come. So be on the lookout to see where the final star count lands.  Till then, Let's start there.
Mark

Horrible experience.  Unfriendly and humorless automaton turned up.  Wanted $500 for a '90 minute to two hour job'.  $200 of that was for cutting out a 1' x 1' piece of drywall.  I asked if I did it myself could I save the 200.  Yes, he said, but I'm not waiting.  When can you come back?, I asked.  You'll have to call the office.  All may be true but his strident unreasonableness was deeply unpleasant.  And he clearly didn't give a darn what I did.

I needed the job done quickly so paid my $500 and a day later, I still feel sick about it.  I let myself be ripped off and I knew it while it was happening.  Shame on me.  By the way, the job took 25 minutes.

The only thing these guys have going for them is that they turn up on time.  But their business model is clearly; charge as much as we can get away with because we never get a repeat customer.  

Stay away from these grubby crooks.  They have contempt for their customers so if that's they way they want to run a business, that's their issue.

As a home owner and rental property owner I can tell you that Benjamin Franklin plumber is the only Plumbing company I can trust.  I have hired other plumbers in the area and not reliable and aren't as knowledgeable and professional as my plumber at Benjamin Franklin.  I will always call them for my 3 rental properties and my own home.  That's saying a lot.

I had an appt set for 8a-10a and they showed up 57 minutes late.  Work was completed quickly and they left.  Shortly after they left I went outside and found an oil slick in my driveway where the company truck was parked.  There was a large fresh oil stain with drips all the way down the driveway to the street.  With the amount of oil that was left in my driveway that driver has to be putting oil in the truck every few days so there is no way they didn't know that it was leaving.  Besides it was so much oil it would have been impossible to see as he drive off.  Contacted Operations Manager by phone and email about cleaning it up and have not heard back.  Will not use them again or recommend.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing came out to fix a backed up toilet/tub in our guest bathroom last week. While they did get water flowing again, it was not at a normal pace, and their plumber would not believe my wife when she said she felt there was another clog further down.

Here we are a week later, and despite almost no use, the toilet and tub are clogged again. The company will not come out unless we pay another $230, despite the fact they clearly did not do the job correctly the first time around.

Do not give this shady company your business.

Used Benjamin FranklinPlumbing again to repair a kitchen faucet.  They were very professional and on time.  The faucet works again and life at home is better.

As usual Benjamin Franklin service the best with communication, promptness, and great knowledge. Our technician David was awesome. He solved the problem immediately and told us why it happened and how to prevent it again. There is absolutely no reason to call anyone else. We don't hear in Lucas and my Mother in Florida raves about Benjamin Franklin there. 5 STAR all the way!

I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021.  A pipe in my house had frozen and burst during the extreme cold weather we just had.  They said the earliest they could come would be Monday, Feb 22nd.  On Saturday, February 20th, I sent them a message through their website to confirm that they would be here on Monday.  I got three text messages back - one saying they were receiving a high number of requests due to the weather and to call if it was an emergency, one said they would reply when someone was available, and one said they would look into it and give me a call.  They left me a voicemail on Saturday and I immediately called them back, but I got their answering service who could only take a message.  I left them a message, but never got another call.  At around 10 a.m. today, Monday, Feb 22nd, I called them again.  They said they had no record of my earlier calls or text messages, but they would check with their dispatch to see if they could get out to my house today.  I had not heard back by 1pm, so I called again.  They said they had no record of my call this morning and the earliest appointment they had available was Wednesday, Feb 24th.  By this time, I had no confidence that I would really have an appointment on February 24th, so I said no thank you and goodbye.  I am aware that they have been swamped by calls this week, but this is just ridiculous.  I won't be using them at any time in the future.

did a toilet replacement yesterday, they did $59 trip charge,$ 382 toilet installation ( I supplied toilet). The most ridiculous one is they charged me $532 for replace a 10dollars toilet flange!  And add a flange riser is $198!

If you go to lowes to buy a toilet , they will tell you the toilet price and installation fee. But Benjamin Franklin will not! They told me the flange is $532, and that is why I signed the contract. Because I don't know the actual price for a flange. If I know I wouldn't buy it! But after work done, I search the flange price online then found it's only worth $10!

After all I have to pay $1121 for a toilet installation. Hate myself should do research earlier before I sign the contract.

Do your research, don't waste your money. Besides money, they treat you like an idiot!

Very bad experience! Will never call them again!

Absolutely horrendous people to do business with. They wont give you an estimate of charges over the phone, they get here and want $400+ to replace a bolt on the toilet. Dont do business with these people, you'll regret it I promise you. Charged me an $80 trip charge for the pleasure. Stay far, far away from these people, seriously.

*Buyer beware*

We recently had a sewage back-up late one night in on of our bathrooms & we called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing out to determine the problem. The contractor who came couldn't determine the problem (because it was dark out) but gave us one of 2 scenarios. Since he could not fix the problem he advised that we did not use our water until he was able to come out again 2 DAYS later (he was off the following Monday). This was unacceptable to me because this was an emergency and should have been treated as such by the contractor and Benjamin. He pretty much left it in our lap to arrange an earlier time with Benjamin for a tech to come out if we could not wait for him. Meanwhile we had to stay in a hotel and eventually went with another plumbling company. On top of that Benjamin's services were twice as much as the second plumbing company we chose.

$1200 to install 3 drains in residential house is outrageous.
This was not an urgent request, this was for new install/new construction.
The person who came however, was professional and well skilled. I liked him. This review is not about the guy who came.

I had BF come to my house to look at a kitchen leak.  After showing a picture of the issues occurring in the crawl space they identified the issue and gave three options to make the fix.  One option involved getting a masonry person to the house that may save me money due to brick removal needed to get to the leaking drain.  Great experience with BF.  I will hire them to make the fix once the brick removal is done.  Upfront and honest experience.  Thanks, David.

We had several indoor faucets replaced today. The quality of service was outstanding. Johnny Bacon was the installer. He is very professional, Knowledgeable and is thorough.

Jerry C

We had a recent problem with our toliet leaking. They were able to give us an appointment on the same day we called. The work was done quickly and was not too expensive.

I had my sprinkler system pipes fixed and it was pretty fast and great services. Other than cleaning up myself I would recommend.

If I could allot 0 stars to this business, I would.  The plumber was 12-13 minutes late.  They have an on time guarantee that they pay $5 for each minute that the customer is kept waiting.  I have been waiting for my check for weeks.  The plumber arrived and smelled very smoky.  He was wearing booties, but I am not certain that he changed them when he walked in and out of my home.  I had a simple toilet repair. The toilet was stopped up (I usually use Drain Dr. who charges a reasonable fee and is in and out quickly.  I had a flapper (and the part  was sent from the manufacturer) that needed to be installed.  Before my arthritis, I could do this easily by myself.  In addition, I needed a new handle.  The plumber showed me the price list, and I was looking at over $250 in repairs.  Ridiculous.  This is a rip-off company.  I will not use them again.  I have called the office asking about the check.  They take my number, but I've not had a call returned.  

When booking the appointment, they refused to give me a price over the phone.  That should have been my first clue.  Anytime you see a TV spot advertising a business that offers a customer perk--it should be a warning.  I will probably take this to the BBB as deceptive advertising.  Run as fast as you can from this business.

The plumber was affable, but spent more time in the truck than he did in my home.  Smoking is a nasty habit.  He did not have a handle on the truck, so he told me he would have to go to Home Depot to buy one.  Then he told me the handle was delivered by another truck.

I don't think that it was the plumber's fault.  He was just trying to do his job for a less than stellar company.  I would call them the dysfunctional plumbers.