Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Daniel O.

We found a spot on the ceiling beneath a bathroom. Plumber came out on time and soon and was professional. Said spot was a patch and unrelated to plumbing. Still, suggested tightening toilet above it, putting new wax ring, bolts, supply line, flush device in tank with flapper, and em shutoff. $649 for one hour. Seems very pricy. Company said they charge by the job not the hour and $649 is correct. Maybe that's right but it seems exorbitant. Would not use again.

Sandy S.

UPDATE: I was finally contacted after posting this review. The manager from Benjamin Franklin called and apologized for the problems that we had occurred and said they were planning a meeting to address this issue. He also told me to send him any receipts that we would have to fix the issues (painting and cleaning) and they would reimburse us. We did the initial clean-up to stop the contamination right away but we couldn't paint the basement till later. We sent our receipts over a month ago and haven't heard nothing (01-01-2020).

I had a clogged kitchen sink (disposal issue). I made an appointment since I couldn't be home that afternoon so they came the next morning. The guy who showed up, went immediately to the basement to our kitchen clean-out which was directly below the kitchen sink on the wall. I explained to him what had been happening. We'd lived in this 25 year-old house only a few years. After laying down a sheet on the floor, he got a bucket and some rags and started to twist off the cap on the clean out. A few minutes later, that cap came flying off in his hands and water & gunk came shooting out of the hole. It shot out on the technician, the walls, the floor, everywhere! I didn't expect that and he said that he put too much pressure on the line when he was releasing it (I don't know, that just what he said). Grabbing the bucket & wiping himself down, he got things under control and started to get his machine ready. He put the auger in the pipe. To make a 2 hour ordeal short, he had to go down the line twice and he put his camera in twice to get the job done. The technician was very nice but what I was left with when he drove away and the means that it took, to get my sink unclogged was very ridiculous. I will never call them again. I paid my bill in full (over $300 ) and now, I have to repaint my walls and steam vac my floors. I don't have the original paint as this was painted before we moved in. The technician's magic spray and the Magic Erasers that he said would work, didn't. I'm stuck dealing with a mess, that they created. It's very frustrating that this company creates this kind of a mess and expects their clients to clean up after them. I'd never call them again, I'll call anyone else. I was very disappointed even though I did get my sink unclogged. (9-20-19)

Amanda K.

Had a leak under my sink so I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. They came out and spent 45 minutes start to finish (including diagnosis), took out one metal pipe and replaced it with PVC. They charged me $329.03 for 45 minutes of labor and a few PVC pipes. Then sat in my driveway for the next 40 minutes on their phones until about 5:30pm. The work done was fine, but the prices for the time spent and materials is extreme. Will not be calling Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for any future needs.

Ronald P.

Exorbitant prices. They gave me a quote. I honestly had little choice because they were the only ones who had an opening in the afternoon and I had guests staying with me, I had to get it done.

The guy was nice, courteous, I want to make sure that is clear.

But, they charged 260 dollars for about 5 minutes working to clear the basement drain. He said he was going to camera the pipes as part of his spiel but that never happened. He tried to talk me into buying some sort of chemical to keep my pipes clean. I refused, telling him that I was already in shock of what he was charging me.

I was nice but I made it clear that I thought that price was just over the top. He told me ""thats why I'm giving you the bottle of cleaner for free"" and then more explanation about insurance and licenses and other things that supposedly other ""drain cleaning businesses"" don't have to pay for as part of their business expenses. It seemed apparent that he was going well to over explain what he was doing or what extra mile they were doing for us, but honestly, I just didn't see that any of it amounted to justifying what they charged me.

It's an insane amount of money to charge 68 dollar service fee for just coming to the house and another flat fee of ~170 dollars to snake a drain.

I accept that I put myself in that position, but any others out there considering calling them for a blocked drain, you'll be floored by what they will charge you. It's completely unreasonable amount to charge when it's regular business hours, during the day. I can see perhaps a weekend call or emergency after hours, it's reasonable to assume you are going pay a bit more.

So, I believe the work is good, but they will charge you a hell of a lot so just take warning. I think a business can do both, be good at what they do and charge fair prices. It's on me, I could have told them to move on but i needed the help. This is just caveat emptor that they will overcharge you.

I cannot recommend them.

Joyce S.

Save yourself some time and a whole lot of money, call someone else!!
Wish I could give minus stars!!!

Kelly N.

If i could give 0 stars i would. I had a water heater with a pilot light that wouldn't stay lit. I googled it and diagnosed as a bad thermocouple that would be about $15 to replace. I called BF plumbing to come and take a look for a $68 service charge(seemed a little high, but oh well) They showed up on time and the kid took 5 minutes to tell me that yes it was the thermocouple but it was a proprietary part and i would have to replace the entire thermostat assembly. They could do it for $600. $600!!! Or i could buy the part for $150 and do it myself. I said no thanks and ushered him out of my house and paid the service charge that went from $68 to $80. (I guess Iowa had 18% sales tax now)
I went to Menards found the part i need and fixed it myself for $8.
!!!NEVER CALL BEN FRANKLIN!!!

Alicia S.

These guys will rip you off! They quoted me over $30k for a job and that nobody could live in the house for a week. They lied about the work that was needed to be done. I got a quote from a different business for $1,128 and the job was completed in about 4 hours. Save yourself, get another quote!

Joe H.

Overall, I think that their service was ""ok"" but they are REALLY PRICEY. I needed to have a bathroom sink faucet (that I provided) installed and replace a shutoff valve. The time it took to complete a rather routine job for a plumber, it took him (2hrs) for the job.
My total bill was mainly all labor and was charged $500 !
That is $250 an hour for a plumber. YIKES !
My fault for letting them go ahead with the job !

Steven M. D.

Called Ben Franklin Plumbing with a water heater failure (needs to b replaced). They quoted me a price of $1799 for a 6 year 30 gal. water heater. Went to a local store bought a 40 gal one that was designed for my home for $500 and $200 to put it in place. They are Just a hair pricey for my taste.

Andy N.

Worst plumber ever, can I give zero stars? Had a sewer backup and called them for emergency service. They not only didn't get the blockage cleared, they left the house a mess ( no shoe covers). When I called the next morning to tell them they hadn't done the job, they said they would ""get"" to me, but it would likely cost MORE money. Never did show up and I finally called a real professional to help me.