A Plumbing Hero

Jen R.

Start of rant: these guys will try their hardest to rip you off. If you know nothing about plumbing and have an emergency leak then that is the only reason you should use them.

I am a girl, and I did most of the major renovation in my home by myself. However, whenever service guys see female customers, they will automatically think that we are easy targets for their bullshit. It was a Sunday evening, and I wanted to find a place that was open-- of the 4 places in Fremont that I called, these were the first guys to pick up my call and they came in 2.5 hours. I wanted them to investigate a faucet hose leak from my new under-the-sink water filter. I had already purchased extra materials just in case the ones that came with the filter were defective. With the estimated cost, they are supposed to provide you with a diagnostic assessment. The guys pretended to inspect the hose with their flashlight, then quickly wrote up an estimate for $150 minimum repair. They said that was their NORMAL minimal price. I asked them to tell me their diagnoses and their answer ""I don't know."" Me: ""What do you mean you don't know? You're quoting a price for service, so what is your service?"" The guys ""we will have to look more closely after you agree to the contract. And, it's leaking because you are missing parts. You are missing a tube insert and o-ring."" Me: ""Um, NO, as you can clearly see the new tube insert and o-ring are already on the tube end here [holding up the parts] and they don't look broken to me, and I also bought a spare that is right here IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE."" The guys: ""well they must be broken because of the leak."" This is utter bullshit, and I feel that they are completely disrespecting me so I rudely tell them to leave my home and open the door for them to exit.

I then wait for one of my neighbors to come home from dinner-- he's an ex-handyman. He fixed the leak in under 5 minutes for free without having to purchase any additional parts -- he said that it takes experience to set a tight seal with this type of o-ring for this filter, nothing more. Also, he said not to follow the instructions, which stated to only ""hand-tighten"" the joints and then just use a wrench for 1/4 turn (the manufacturer was worried that some customers would be too aggressive and break the parts). My neighbor made many turns with the wrench, without breaking anything.

$150 minimum for ANY work is a bullshit price. When I had a tenant before, I had hired a plumber, who works weekdays only, who charged only $40 to fix a toilet and $90 to fix a dishwasher. If these guys at A Plumbing Hero were smart, they would have known to lower the cost to something acceptable so that could at least cover the gas for the short trip over.

Aside: If I could get away with charging ridiculous amounts of money for obviously simple work, I still wouldn't feel right cheating people the way these guys are. They must be rolling in dough if they're collecting $150 for every 5 min of work.

Kim F.

A Plumbing Hero saved the day and probably my marriage! (Ha ha!) At 10:30 PM on Friday night, my husband while trying to unclog the drains, got his roto tool stuck 50 feet down in the main sewer drain pipe under our house. Our house and pipes are over 60 years old. I was afraid the pipes were being damaged and we were arguing about it, a lot! I was worried so I went under the house into the cramped crawl space with a light to inspect the pipes...expecting I might find a little dripping..... That is when I found the worst disaster I never wanted to see in my entire life...right under my house! The sewage line had been leaking for some time with all of the water from the kitchen and bathroom shower and sink..due to a corroded pipe which had a hole the size of a golf ball. Water had pooled and it was muddy under the house and musty. I was worried and horrified and upset. It was very late so we shut down all of the water, left the roto tool and waited till morning. I did not sleep well...All the while my husband and I were not getting along well! At 8:30AM Saturday I called A Plumbing Hero. They were very nice and by 9AM they were here inspecting the problem! Victor is very courteous and professional. He assured us it was going to be ok. We had great confidence in him and his associate. He quoted us a good price and they went right to work. First laying down plastic and tarps to protect my floors. They fixed the damaged pipe beautifully installing a whole new section. They did the job right! They extracted my husbands stuck rooter tool and applied absorbant to the wet area. My house went from a terrible musty disaster, to fully repaired and fresh smelling. Victor also repaired a bad vent pipe and pressure relief pipe on the water heater. They were efficient and amazing! I am very critical of contractor crews because of my many past bad experiences, so please know I do not give this high praise lightly. We were so happy and impressed with the work and service that we will only use A Plumbing Hero from now on. We will be calling them back to repipe the older section of the house and for any other plumbing needs we have. I am very thankful for these men for truly saving the day! (And my marriage!) Very very grateful!

Sandy G.

Pump wasn't working again, breaker broke and pump needed cleaning. This time Victor came, but same incredible service. Came right on time, just like scheduled, between 11 and 1. Had to leave for a part, back in less than 30 minutes and the job is done! Professional, reasonably priced, exceptional service. I still, and again, highly recommend.

David R.

Victor and his crew are by far the best plumbers I have ever worked with. Not only were Victor's quotes competitive, but he was on time and exceedingly reliable.

So far they have:

Replaced a badly broken sewer line.

Installed a new hot water heater.

Installed a new toilet.

Replaced all shower and bath fixtures.

Fixed a clogging kitchen sink.

Each time they were able to get done in a timely manner and within their quote.

Jerry E.

Called for service on a Sunday (because no other plumbers were calling back and/or open). Spoke to a lady named Natalia who was really friendly and she said somebody would be right over between 11am and 1pm. At 12:30pm, a gentlemen named Benito promptly arrived within the promised window. He was super professional and kindly placed shoe covers before taking a step into our home. He asked questions (and answered our questions), surveyed the situation, and made a thoughtful assessment. Within a few minutes, we were back in business (without a trace, since he made sure to clean up after himself). Given the level of professionalism and quality of service, I was happy to spend the money (wait, did I just say that? LOL). A Plumbing Hero saved our day!! :)

Jeanne G.

Our kitchen sink was leaking and we called A Plumbing Hero to help us. They told us the plumber will be coming between 9-11 am and Joe came in around 0920am. Joe was punctual, reliable and trustworthy. At one point, we both got locked out of the house and Joe lent me his ladder so I can climb over the fence :D He totally went above and beyond his job description!

J W.

Hired these guys when the 40 year old gate valve on the water main to my house broke. They came out about an hour later and repaired it in short order. All in all the service was very good and FAST! My only complaint was it was a little high priced for the amount of work it took. I would higher these guys again as I think the quality of work was worth it. A larger job would involve extensive negotiation.

Wendie B.

I called A Plumbing Hero on Saturday at 3:00pm for a clogged kitchen sink, and Victor arrived at 6:00pm that same day. He was very polite and super-quick. Cost was $150, about what I expected. They also gave a 30-day warranty on their work. I will definitely use them again if I have any more plumbing issues.

Chris M.

I contacted them based on the 5-star rating on YELP. Sure, the customer service was top-notch and the plumbers who came got the jobs fixed, but the cost for the service was WAY higher than I would have expected. $350 to fix a p-trap and clear a clogged drain is pretty steep. They gave us a 10% discount when we complained about the cost, but they did say that that was their normal price for work.

Though it is normal to happen, a second plumber had to come the next day to redo one of the jobs as the pipe work had caused some gunk to block the pipe, but that was done quickly and at no extra charge.

So, quick and effective, but very expensive.

Mary H.

Let's start with the beginning ...

We had looked into several different plumbers here on Yelp, called three, and Natalia at A Plumbing Hero was the only one that actually answered the phone. She initially gave us an ETA of between 4 and 6 o'clock. Victor arrived at 5:45 and just left about 20 minutes ago (at 6:37).

Our plumbing had developed a massive clog all the way out by the street, under the house. It had caused the flushed toilet water to back up into the bath tub, and by the time Victor arrived, the water was about 3""-4"" deep.

When we asked for the quote to clear the line over the phone with Natalia, she quoted us at $149, when Victor arrived and realized he'd have to go under the house, he re-quoted us at $179. They honored the original quote, despite the extra obstacle.

We would definitely call A Plumbing Hero in the future. They certainly were our heros today.