Benjamin Franklin Plumbing - Novato

Kay R.

I just have to recognize what a Gem of a person the plumber, Craig, was today: He came out to replace our toilet this morning, but our landlord had made a mistake which prevented Craig from being able to do the job. I overheard our LL taking out his frustrations on Craig over the phone, but Craig handled that very difficult situation with grace, patience and professionalism. He stayed grounded and polite while helping our LL understand what happened. I wish our landlord would have rescheduled with BF Plumbing and that Craig could've come back to do the job, but he chose to go with another plumbing company. Still, KUDOS to Craig! Ask for him and you won't be disappointed.

Duraid A.

Stop - Don't Even Think About It.

I called to request a quote. When asked if I am the owner, I told them no and gave them the owner information. Then, they called back and stated that I told them I was the owner. I then gave them the owner information and they did not even call. Then they cancelled on me on the last minute. Now I don't have a toilet working.

Not Recommended. Very Expensive. Very Obnoxious .

Go Somewhere Else.

Paige D.

Thank you to Ray and Skyler for quickly and professionally fixing our broken pipe in our bathroom!

Within 48 hours we were able to use the bathtub and shower again!

Super professional, clean and polite- thank you!

Kevin B.

I called Benjamin Franklin plumbers Friday as we had two leaky faucets in our Condo bathroms here in Novato. They sent one of the experienced plumbers Nic out and he showed up on time at 830AM. He diagnosed the problem with his pressure gage which showed our pressure regulator was allowing 125% pressure into our home and it should always be about 75%. He installed new pressure regulator which he had to drive back to his Novato shop and get and did so fast, He also installed two new cartridges on faucets to upgrade them and since they were old. Job was done by Noon. Nic smart and took time to explain to me how and why the system failed and even showed me how to check the excels water flow tank once a year and how to keep the pressure at 75% using a regular bicycle pump. Recommend Ben Franklins strongly now and ask for NIc as he'll fix the problem and educate you too!

Mario A.

Be sure to get multiple companies to look at your problem. I had a broken gas line to an old grill outside of my home. Since I didn't work to much with gas pipes in the past, I thought I should have someone come out to look at it. All I wanted was to replace that line or possibly have it capped off since I have never used that grill since I have lived there. BFP came (charged $59) and wanted to replace the entire gas line, go under my house(charge close to $500), do a gas test ($432) that the gas company can do for free. Then he looked at my water heater which I dont know why and said that I had to have a part replaced on it ($470). Also said, he would have to reset my water heater or turn it off and on, I dont remember which one (charge close to $500). All together it was going to cost $2500. Had somebody else take a look at it, this guy told me all I had to do is dig up the line, remove the line and find the proper cap and thats it (no charge to come out). He said that he could do it but mentioned that I can do it myself and save myslef some money. He didn't try to sell me on why it would be better if he did it. Sure enough, he was right, all it took me was 30 minutes of digging and $4 for the cap. Problem solved and I saved A LOT of money

Jennifer J.

We use Benjamin Franklin plumbing exclusively. They are on time, offer a great service. They are reasonably priced. I had a household emergency and they managed to squeeze us in to the schedule. I have never been so greatful. It was my daughters birthday weekend and we had no time. Benjamin Franklin came to the rescue and got us all fixed up. I cried tears. I highly recommend this outfit for all of your plumbing needs. The guys are very respectful and the dispatcher is very reassuring. Thank you Benjamin Franklin. You have become our household hero. One more thing, I highly recommend getting the maintenance plan they will take care of you regularly and it helps cut the overall cost of repairs.

Vanessa S.

Called for an emergency call out. We are tenants who lease directly through the owner, a person friend, who lives in Fiji. The person who took my call refused to make any appointment until they spoke to the owner. Due to the time difference between USA and Fiji, I explained that they may not be able to get in immediate contact with the owner, but that we would pay the cost in cash upfront, and work it out with the owner (who is a friend) at a later date.
Not only did they, eventually, contact the owner, they misinterpreted the issue I described.
They never called me back. Total lack of courtesy and basic customer service.
Worst of all, other neighbours have advised that they charge $300 - $400 as a callout fee. That's before costs of manual labour and costs to rectify the problem. The person who took the call did not advise me of the call out fee.
Over priced and unprofessional customer service. Would never recommend this company.

Donna P.

Worthless! Had a sewer backup and called the toll free number for BFP. The person that took my call and information said I'll get a call back in short order. Never got the promised call. Takes many years to gain a customer and 10 seconds to lose one. You lost one!!

Andrew L.

Dusty Sanders came out to fix a few things at my house. He was fantastic and very professional. Highly recommended.

Update- Dusty came out to our house like a knight in shining armor on a white steed and fixer a leaking washing machine on 12/18/18 What great service!

Jim B.

Here's the thing to keep in mind when you call this company: it's a sales organization as well as a plumbing outfit. My wife and I belong to their Club, at $19.95 per month, a very good deal overall. For that price, they come out once a year (Ben Franklin), twice a year (One Hour Heating), and once a year (Mister Sparky Electric). Their routine maintenance is well worth the monthly dues.

But, here's the thing: they sell various upgrades when they come out for service. That's fine. I was a salesman for 30 years, so I don't mind seeing what's available. Over the years we've put in several improvements, such as a water filtration system and a NEST thermostat. It's here where we've seen an odd pattern: we have a problem (for example, changing the filters in the filtration system), and the technician tells us that the original gizmo was sub-par, but they've got an upgraded model that will do the job that the original system was supposed to do. We've seen this more than once. An ethical company might be expected to replace a sub-par unit at zero or reduced cost, but that's not the program.

Okay, we're not unhappy with these guys, but they seem to be the exception nationwide. A review of One Hour franchises elsewhere shows multiple horror stories of hard-sell tactics and unsatisfactory work.

Our experience is different: the company made a real effort to make good on some problems we had with our heating system last year. As a result, I recommend them, but (as I said above), remember that they're looking to sell you extra stuff. Make sure you want and can afford it.