Bell Plumbing Heating Cooling & Electrical

Frankie V.

I solicited estimates from 4 air conditioning companies. I needed a new A/C installed and 2 Humidifiers. The estimates arrived at 4100, 4500, 4800, and 11,400. Bell did not have the estimate done on time. It was 2 days late. They are also the Company that was more than twice as expensive as everyone else. I did compare Apples to Apples.

Jonathan B.

I called Bell with what I thought was a minor problem with my kitchen sink. A few days later a Bell employee fixed an old pipe for $920, a steep price since he failed to mention it did not include repairing the wall damage he created in two rooms to find the problem, so I paid another $350 to another contractor to fix that mess. It also did not include unclogging the sink's slow drain, which cost another $130, a ""discount,"" Bell assured. The Bell employee who came to snake my drain brought a very small tool and said he didn't hit anything, but he said the water was draining, so he collected my check and left. However, it turned out the clog was farther out, and the pipe was merely refilling with water then slowly draining. A professional plumber should have suspected that.

My complaint was immediately referred to Gary Bell. It took nearly a week to talk to him, which happened after I waited on hold until he answered. ""There are no guarantees,"" Mr. Bell said. He said if someone came back to re-snake the drain, I would have to pay for that. ""But I'll work with you on the price,"" he said. Then I couldn't get him to quote a price for a second snaking. He said I should talk about that with the technician who comes. I politely said ""no thanks,"" expressed my disappointment in Bell and hung up. I called Roto Rooter. Someone arrived an hour later, unclogged the drain in about 15 minutes and charged me less than Bell's ""discount."" Grade Bell an N for ""nickel-and-dime you to death.""

If you're thinking of hiring Bell, remember what the owner said, ""There are no guarantees.""

Jenny A.

I had my first experience with Bell when I found sewage-scented water raining down from the ceiling in my downstairs bathroom. Of course it happened to be on a Saturday afternoon, but since both of our bathrooms feed into the same busted drainage pipe it was vital to get some help out ASAP. I called Bell and they said they could have someone out after 4pm, and at 4pm Jim arrived at our door. He quickly took a look at things and determined that he could fix it, but he didn't have the correct size pipe in his truck and the warehouse was closed for the rest of the weekend. As we were despairing about not having toilets or showers for another 48 hours Jim made a quick call and found one of the warehouse guys who was willing to make an extra trip out with the needed parts. Outstanding! Jim fixed things up so that we at least had functional toilets for the night, and then he returned on Sunday and finished up the rest of the job.

Any company that is so willing to go above and beyond to make things happen is definitely worth 5 stars. The price was reasonable, especially considering the extra attention and that it was a weekend. Our house was built in 1928, so nothing is ever straight-forward, and Jim stopped before doing anything extra and made sure we were ok with the additional costs before proceeding. In the end, the work was complete, neat, and as promised. We will definitely call Bell again for any plumbing needs!

Leslie M.

My problems started when a painter noticed a gas smell in my house. I called Xcel Energy, who showed up at my house when I wasn't there, tagged my meter and shut off my gas. I'm a single mom with two kids. We had no heat or hot water with very cold weather coming. I called a general contractor friend who recommended Bell Plumbing and Heating. He said they are a very reputable firm and would have a lot of crews on hand who might be able to help me quickly. I called and spoke first with Linda, who immediately offered her help and sympathies. As with most HVAC firms, they were slammed due to the cold weather. Pat, the manager, agreed to meet me at my house the next day at 7:00 am (he was booked the rest of the day). A team was out that day and spent the next two days discovering 8 gas leaks. Everything was fixed promptly. Everyone associated with the project was respectful and kept me posted. Even though they had to cut through drywall, they cleaned up afterwards. I can't say enough wonderful things about Bell. I felt like I was in good hands throughout the entire process. It was an expensive problem and I'm sure I could've found a cheaper solution, but I know that the work was done to very high standards and I won't ever worry that the work was doesn't right. Not to mention the very quick response and incredible concern shown by everyone there. I am a huge fan and extremely grateful for the quality employees at Bell.

Don L.

I have used this company over the last 20 years. Not anymore after my treatment today. They called me at 1pm on my cell to let me know the tech was headed to my house. I immediately left work and went home. The tech apparently had arrived and informed my 14 year old daughter that he can't work in a house with only a minor. Of course I know this. The tech left and said that I needed to reschedule. I arrived home 10 minutes after he left. After speaking with dispatch I was turned over to the owner Gary Bell. Gary said that he stood behind his tech and that he wasn't coming back until after 4pm. This may not seem egregious to many of you, but I have a job. I asked Gary why they called me to come home and then left without calling me. Gary said there was nothing more he was willing to do. I am also a small business owner and when I mess up I move mountains to make it right. Bell Plumbing and Heating wasn't willing to go the extra mile for a long time customer. I guess that's how they roll.

Tracie B.

Apparently I have cooties. This fact did not become obvious to me until my husband and I spent twenty-plus minutes walking around Bell Plumbing & Heating in search of a kitchen facet to replace our current failing facet. If a retail business has reception type desk with receptionist sitting behind it one would logically assume that you would be ""received"" and offered assistance. Silly me, the receptionist was obviously there just to look good, not to really do anything for a customer.

Perhaps we should have had one hundred dollar bills hanging out of our pockets...maybe then someone would have helped us in our desire to send big bucks on a fancy hunk of metal. Finally, after wandering around looking at every kitchen facet they had and rather loudly saying, ""Gee, I wonder how much this one costs?"" I looked at the receptionist lady and asked if we could get some help. This is when it really got good.

""Oh...sure,"" she said, looking over at some guy sitting behind a desk. ""I can help you,"" he said. ""What do you need,"" he added (without even getting up from his chair.) How rude it must have been of me to expect that he would get up, introduce himself, shake my hand, ask us our names etc. Must have been a great game of Solitaire we were interrupting - he must be waaaaaay over quota for the month.

We told him that we were looking for a replacement kitchen facet because our current Grohe was starting to fall apart. ""Ahhh, you have a Grohe,"" he could have said, ""Do you want to stick with Grohe, or look at another high-end facet."" What do you like about your current facet, what don't you like?"" ""What's your price range?"" Na, he didn't ask any of these questions. He just pointed out a few facets, and gave us some prices. When we found a facet that we really liked, he told us that they didn't have it in stock and that it would take at least four weeks to get it.

Now, unfortunately I don't look anything like Julia Roberts but I was really starting to feel like her character in Pretty Woman when she was snubbed at the pricey Rodeo Drive boutique. ""That one won't fit you, and it's verrrrry expensive."" ""Just leave.""

So we did.

John B.

I wake up this morning and it's 52 degrees in the house. The thermostat sets back at night, but not that much! Nothing I do at the thermostat makes the furnace wake up. I go downstairs and can see the pilot is on, but beyond that I'm lost. Uh oh, it's 6:30am Sunday, it's January, and my furnace is broken. I resist the urge to strike it with a large heavy object.

I call about a half dozen firms that advertise 24/7 emergency furnace repairs for standard rates. Yeah, they'll all come out; no they can't say when they'll be here but it will be no sooner than mid afternoon and maybe as late as early evening. The only one who will make an appointment gives me a window between 5pm and 7pm. No thanks, it's cold in here.

I remembered that about six years ago Bell Plumbing and Heating had fixed my central A/C for a reasonable price. It's still plugging along. So I called them. Yes, they work Sundays for double their normal rates. They can be here in an hour.

Right on schedule, a really nice guy named Jeff is in my basement and 15 minutes later I have heat pouring from my vents. He even let me look over his shoulder, and patiently explained to me what was wrong, and how the part he was replacing worked. Total bill - $238.00, including the $15 part. Not cheap, but less than twice what the other places were going to charge me just to come out and diagnose the problem. Plus, I didn't have to spend my day in a jacket, gloves and hat waiting for the furnace guy.

My wife has stopped complaining about the cold, and my dog is sleeping peacefully next to the vent in the den. Life is good!

John M.

After having several contractors bid on the installation of my clawfoot tub, I had to deal with lots of missed appointments, no call backs, and people being late even when i was trying to give them money!
The installation required some creative movement of the existing drain and supply lines. The location of these was in a very precarious spot and several people told me they may have to tear out walls and ceilings in my finished basement to get it done.
I called Bell and Pat Hughes came out and talked through an approach that made the most sense. The quote was higher than everyone else, but the warranties on my tub and fixtures was only good if installed by licensed plumbers, which Bell plumbers are.
I felt good about going with Bell but was still holding my breath after being burned on a previous project that never ended, never completed, and the contractor left me to try and track down his workers to show up myself.
Bell had crew manager call me and tell me the installation would take 3 seperate trips and would take 3 days. Each day someone would show up at 9. Fast forward...
Their guys were early every day, completed everything on time and moved a 350lb tub in without so much as a scratch to a wall and even hauled off my own materials that I had.
I can't tell you how happy I am with their service, timeliness, and their respect for leaving no trace.
I would recommend them to anyone for any remodeling project. The extra $$ will save you headaches and may wind up being cheaper in the long run.

Ginger M.

We had an excellent experience with Bell.

Called on Monday about a couple TOTO toilets we were interested in. They were in stock, and we were able to schedule delivery and installation for Tuesday, the next morning.

The plumber arrived just when he said he would. Took 3 - 4 hours to install both toilets, and they look beautiful. Very professional service. Very satisfied. Would gladly return to Bell for plumbing service.

Mike T.

I bought a water faucet from their to replace the one by my front door with.
After contacting another company and having them scheduled to do the replacement.
The salesman at bell was upset I wasn't using them instead but I bought the replacement faucet there anyway instead of home depot.
The plumber I hired sweated in the new faucet only to discover when we turn on the new water faucet it had water pouring out of a defective seam in it.
The on site plumber replaced the defective one with a new one from his truck.
Then took off the brand new one from bell and showed me where the seam wasn't properly sealed and where it was leaking from.
Contacted Bell Plumbing about a refund and was told we don't give refunds and blamed the other plumber for the seam not being right and that he broke the faucet and we were trying to cheat Bell Plumbing.
So much for doing the right thing with a defective part I contacted my credit card company and now we leave it up to them to help correct this problem.
I tried to support a mom and pop company in the age of the big box stores and this was how I was treated.
Do yourself a favor don't buy or hire these guys for any plumbing needs.
You will avoid alot of problems later on down the road.
I usually can't be bother writing about problems but these guy really ticked me off and I want everyone else to avoid the problems I encountered with this company.