Benjamin Franklin Plumbing - Novato

Emma B.

David Langdale and his team from Benjamin Franklin have been outstanding . He has talked us through all our options and kept us informed every step of the way. Professional and so thorough he went way above what was required - nothing was too much trouble. We had a hundred questions and he took the time to answer them all. He coordinated all the works as we had several issues at our home. He is very knowledgeable and put our minds at ease when we were so worried about all the issues facing us. He updated us regularly and managed our expectations so we knew the schedule and any problems as they happened. He paid a lot of attention to the details and we felt like he was working on his own home. We cannot thank him and his team enough - they were very respectful of us and our house clearing up and letting us know when we would or wouldn't have electricity and or water. They took on a huge task and handle it calmly even when many obstacles came up.

Grace L.

I had an appointment today between 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Rushed home from work to wait for them . Right now it's 7:30 PM still no one here yet. What kind of on time service that you are advertise on ??? I called them 3 times already. Their answer is some one is on the way. It's 7:30 PM. I have to miss pay from work just to wait here for nothing. This is making me so frustrated. I don't even know whether I should trust this company or not.

Jennifer H.

I am not really sure how many Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Companies there are, but Im pretty sure I have the right one. I would NEVER recommend this company to anyone I know. The complex I live at was supposed to be contracted with th is compnay yet anytime we call for work, they say they have NOBODY available for the day. I called around Christmas time and for 2 days- they had noone available. What kind of plumbing company has noone on call or working for 2 days straight? Holiday or not- this is unexceptable.

Susanne C.

I was giving four stars till the very next day my dishwasher started gushing water from under the sink. My husband and I live alone have no kids or family and usually turn the dishwasher on once a day or even every other day when it is full.
On Wednesday the plumber fixed our leaking kitchen faucet and installed a new one.
On thursday evening I turned on the dishwasher about three pm and went off to do something else. When I returned about twenty minutes later I found a veritable flood in my kitchen. I called and at first they weren't going to send anyone until today but I was adamant and someone showed up. After trying to blame me they did some tightening of things and left. I had meanwhile taken the dishes out of the dishwasher and done them by hand, Well after he left I reran the dishwasher and the same thing is going on. It doesn't seen to drain properly and doesn't seem to rinse anymore. I don't believe in coincidence and it worked one hour prior to
The plumber coming the first time. It's a Bosch and fairly new and works like a marvel. About three months ago the Martin and Harris guy was out about our stove and he checked the dishwasher out at that time.
Well what do I do. I've got a new faucet that works great but now I've got a non working dishwasher. Will they respond if I call them again. Maybe my husband should stop payment on the first check
Now back to four stars. They sent us a card and I filled it out saying how I'd had to go through the holidays without the dishwasher and had to pay 115 dollars to Martin and Harris to check our dishwasher out and fix the timing which was all messed up by the plumber. Well last week I received a call from Chad from the office and he offered to reimburse me for the repair and a free year of their special service that usually costs 14 a month and also some extra for my inconvenience. They did do good work originally and it was only when the second man came out and pushed every button on the dishwasher to try to fix it that it really messed up
So back to a happy customer and the four stars. Yes I'd use them again

George M.

Make your appointment online, they tout. No hassle. Friendly. Prompt. Uh huh. So much for that. Made an appointment for 24 hours later, was assured the plumber would appear. Two hours before schduled arrival.came the dreaded "" the guys are stuck on another job can we make it tomorrow"" call. Well, hell no. I scheduled it to get done today! Now I am stuck, and decidedly not happy. My tip? Avoid these guys

Barbara T.

Had a serious leak under my sink a year after they installed a new disposal unit. Called them and they were at my house within the hour. JJ did the work and he was great! By the way...the whole job was no charge!!

That was the best part. :-)

Mike K.

It took three visits to fix our issue. Bad attitude from the plumber after being called back the third time and that they even have the stomach to charge twice due to their incompetence. Stay away

Paul M.

Awful! Awful! Awful!. If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, that esteemed gentleman would be aghast that this company has so misappropriated his good name.

My experience was somewhat similar to Paige W.'s (and other reviewers) below. In summary, I had a simple job requiring the replacement of a mixer on a bath (the mixer is the knob/valve that mixes hot and cold water). The plumber -- after the usual prolonged charade of looking up prices and pretending to do multitudinous calculations -- quoted me $769 and said he could do a slight discount if I signed up for some insurance protection plan with an annual fee. I said I'd think about it and he left.

Since he'd given me his card, I followed up the next day and asked for a parts-and-labor breakdown of that fee. He said he'd provide one but of course never did, despite my several subsequent requests and reminders. Eventually, a secretary in the main office simply faxed me a piece of paper with the $769 total on it (no breakdown of parts and labor).

I think it's obvious what's going on here. The quote was indefensible, which is why neither the plumber nor the company office could or would attempt to tie it to parts and labor. Even if the part cost $200 or $300, the labor for fitting it would be no more than 5 minutes.

Lesson (1): Don't use Benjamin Franklin unless you enjoy being fleeced.

Lesson (2): Whichever company you use, demand a parts-and-labor breakdown of the job if it costs more than a nominal amount. It's your money and you're absolutely entitled to see what you're paying for. Only by demanding such transparency can we as homeowners protect ourselves from being exploited in this way.

Gator J.

I had a great experience with John M. at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. He arrived at the promised time and quickly gave me an estimate for the work that needed to be done. Quick execution of the job with satisfactory results.

Ron E.

On 7/26/12, I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing because I had water slowly dripping down a bathroom wall. I was told Daniel would be at my home between 10AM and 1 PM. Due to circumstances beyond his control he didn't get her until a bit after 2 PM. He apologized for the delay and told me that I was entitled to their policy of up to a $300 credit for their being late. He fixed the problem in short order and told me that the cost of the repair was less than the credit and I would have to pay nothing. I PAID NOTHING FOR A PLUMBING REPAIR(?). I'm extremely impressed with this company.They provide quality services/repairs and they are now MY PLUMBING COMPANY. How can you beat ""FREE"" for a good deal?