1st Home & Commercial Services

Robert S.

I called 1st Plumbing based on my proximity and decent reviews.

I explained my needs to Shane over the phone and told him that I was going to need a hydrojet service and wanted to know what the cost would be. He replied that he did not know what the cost would be and he would need to send over a plumber to make an estimate AND the service call would cost $45, however, he did assure me that they did have a hydrojet service.

A few hours later the plumber arrives and tells me the hydrojet service is going to cost at least $600. So I say wow that's a lot, pay him $45 and send him on his way.

This is not a very honest business model.
Thanks for wasting my time.

Jennifer G.

I overtightened the water shut-off valve under the bathroom sink, cracked the PVC pipe and needed the pipe repaired. I had already removed the tile, so this involved cutting 1 piece of PVC pipe, adding a new section and the new valve. Called this company and explained what was needed. They indicated a $45 diagnostic/ trip fee that would be applied to the cost of the repair. Okay. Plumber arrived in the scheduled window. Looks at the pipe, indicates it will take about 30 minutes to fix...then pulls out a binder, flips to a page and indicates that he is supposed to charge me $480 (b/c he will need to pull off 1 more 4"tile), but that he will cut me a break and will charge $287. I confirmed that we were talking about 30 minutes of work and less than $2 in parts, which he agreed. So, the hourly rate for this plumbing company is north of $560??? He stated that everything is done on a flat rate, no matter the amount of work that is required. They do not disclose this over the phone. They do have a contractor rate of $135/hr, but you then have to pay an additional $45 for the trip (so $180 for the 1st hour). In my experience, an average experienced plumber is about $75/hr. This company charges more for labor than a surgeon. Needless to say, I sent him on his way and fixed the problem myself for a couple of bucks. Company gets two stars b/c the plumbing tech waived the trip fee when he saw how irritated I was. He seemed embarrassed at the cost and should have been.

William A.

I just had 1st Plumbing Services come to give me an estimate on what I thought was a simple task (remove a water softener from my house's input water line). I can do this job in less than 2 hours. 1PS wanted $429.34 to do what they estimated to be a 1-1.5 hour job. YIKES! When I complained about the excessive fee, they brought it down to "only" $388.34. I guess times have changed, but I didn't know that plumbers (with company overhead) now go for a rate of $250-300/hour. I paid my $45 fee for the service call, and cut my losses.

By the way, if you want a good independent plumber in Austin who works for a reasonable hourly charge, and charges minimal overhead (e.g. travel), then I recommend Gilbert at Blue Dragon Plumbing.

Joe V.

I called them, and two hours later I had a new gargabe disposal completely installed. You can't beat that.

Adam B.

I'm living in my first house (recently built home), and don't know too much about maintenance. I spoke with 1st AC to ask what I should do to take care of my AC, since we're switching.

I had a very pleasant experience, speaking with Jason. He talked to me about their maintenance program, & how this will prolong the life of an AC unit, which could save me $1000's in the long run.

He also mentioned that duct cleaning is really important, not only for your health, but also for the life of the unit. He also mentioned that seeing soot near vents is a big sign for a need of cleaning/maintenance.

Because my home was recently built, he said that we probably wouldn't need anything yet, but it would be a great idea to have them come out in the spring before it gets hot to start the maintenance program & ensure we won't have any issues when we really want the AC on.

I love the fact that he was educating me, & wasn't trying to sell me something that I didn't need. I will definitely refer them to my family & friends.

Adam H.

We met David and 1st Plumbing Services at the Circle C Food Trailer night. He came out and diagnosed and fixed our low water pressure. He was early, professional and a knowledgeable Plumber. Will use them again.

Updated: About a year later we called 1st plumbing to help with a garbage disposal installation, and the receptionist insisted that they come out, and we pay the $45 consult, even though we know what we need. Will try somebody else.

Sally J.

I called several different plumbers and plumbing companies trying to find service in repairing gas leak and water heater issues in my house. Either no one could come over for a week or no one answered my call or returned my message. 1st Plumbing Services is the only company who answered my call and got me a same day appointment. The plumber who came over was on time, professional, knowledgeable, friendly and most important, he fixed the problems. I have no complaints and I would definitely use them again.

Patrick C.

I recently moved to South Austin and was in need of a plumber to install a new kitchen sink faucet, new garbage disposal and to seal the new sink.
I was charged an upfront $45 fee for a quote. Understandable since it would be applied towards the invoice for the work to be done.


For this nominal amount of install, I was quoted $963.
I wholeheartedly agree that a plumber is worth $150-$200 an hour for labor but $963 for a 2 hour install is predatory pricing in my opinion.
I declined to have them do the work and had Clarke Kent Plumbing handle it instead.
I found them to be fairly priced and was satisfied with the work.

Shelley B.

I called this business because of the positive yelp reviews. My experience was not positive! In fact I feel very taken advantage of by 1st Plumbing. I was told on phone there would be a $50 service charge applied to work done. (Fine, no problem.) When they got here, there was also a $150 "trouble shooting fee". Told parts were under warranty but labor cost would be almost $500 and there would be another additional $150 charge to go get the parts needed. So $800 and service charge wasn't even applied to the total! I didn't authroize the "transport of parts" or the labor, but had to pay the $200 in service and trouble shooting charges. I then called someone else. They were here within an hour, had parts on the truck, and my entire charge was $138. And the best part? What 1st Plumbing said was wrong wasn't even the problem....

I contacted 1st Plumbing twice to see if they wanted to rectify the problem by refunding the $150 trouble shooting charge (and I would be fine paying the $50 service charge). I wasn't even given the courtesy of a response. You would think their professional reputation would matter to them, but apparently not enough to discuss the incident with an unhappy customer. I would continue to go without hot water next time rather than give them another chance.

Charlie S.

Main valve broke Sunday. They had people available then, or first thing Monday. It was great to have options. Showed up on time Monday morning. Very polite, fantastic job. It doesn't get any better.