Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Kansas City

Rhonda K.

I used to recommend Benjamin Franklin but can no longer do that in good conscience. We recently had a major blockage in our main kitchen line, and it was draining very slowly. We called Ben Franklin Plumbing because we had utilized their services a few times in the past at our other home in Blue Springs and had been happy with the service. The first plumber came and was not able to fix this problem. Fast forward several days later, they said they would have to charge nearly $6,000 to fix the issue which included drilling into our concrete basement floor, rerouting our kitchen line, and other major work. We of course were shocked by this and explained that we'd get a 2nd opinion. They then offered a different ""lower cost solution"", stating that it would cost ~$2,700, but they followed that up by saying they didn't really recommend it, claiming it would not work. There was another possible middle of the road solution they offered for $3,200. The supervisor said he would send us a quote via email explaining the services needed, but that never came. (I even checked my spam folder...) We decided to get that 2nd opinion. I'm so glad we did. The other plumbing company, well known to the area, came out and quoted a cost of $1,600. They said they were very extremely confident they could fix it for that amount and basically acknowledged that they didn't understand why Ben Franklin was raising such a fuss over our issue. They acknowledged that it was a bad clog and believed it would require a good day's worth of work, but they did not think the radical actions that Ben Franklin had claimed would be necessary. We decided to go with the other company. The other company was able the fix the problem on the same day they showed up to do the work. They did exactly what they said they were going to do and fixed the problem. They then billed us for less than their estimate of $1,600, I believe because it took less time than anticipated. It has been several weeks, and the drain is still working like new. I am sad to say that Ben Franklin, a company who we thought we could trust, has broken our trust. It seems they did not have our best interest at heart. They have lost our future business.

Mathew G.

Avoid this company at all costs. I have never used a plumber before but on this occasion i did not have the time to repair/replace a 3 inch section of 3in drain pipe that had a hole in it so my wife called Ben Franklin......That will not happen again. The plumber cut out a 3ft section of pvc pipe and replaced it, I had to help him to keep him from sawing thru my kitchen wall since he didnt seem to care about anything but replacing the pipe. He was here a total of 20 min and used $15.00 in materials for a charge of $1500. He puts on the invoice that he replaced a cast iron pipe. When calling the office to point out the error and get some money back, the receptionist stated that the charge was correct, the pipe material makes no difference in the price. Like a lot of other reviews on here....AVOID this company, with them its all about the money and nothing else. Plumber stated that they charge $2800 to install a hot water heater, amazing since they supply the water heater and probably 2 hour labor to install yet i get charged $1500 for $15 in parts and 20 minutes labor. Rip off, at those prices im kinda shocked they are still in business RUN RUN RUN.

Don H.

And They Show Up!

The Post COVID-19 economy has become a challenge to deal with. The service industry has been hit with the combined forces of supply chain shortages, labor shortages, inflation, and the fear of new variants on the horizon. Combined, these challenges have resulted in a general decline in customer service and higher consumer prices across the industry. Not a very good environment for business or consumers.

Noticing a ""slow leak"" at the base of our guest bathroom toilet, I took a chance on my historic experience with Ben Franklin Plumbing and gave them a call. Having family coming in just a couple days, increased its repair priority dramatically! Having them answer on the third ring at 4:30 pm was comforting to say the least. Explaining my predicament and assuring them that it was only a slight emergency, they offered a next day 1:00 pm show up appointment, which I accepted as acceptable. Before noon the next day I got a call asking if it would be all right if they showed up within the hour! ""Yep, please,"" was my answer. 30 minutes later the doorbell rang.

Telling the technician that I thought it might be a failure of the ""wax ring"" at the toilets base, he said, ""Let me check - it might be something easier."" Trusting his experienced opinion I said, ""Go for it!"" In about an hour he and his assistant isolated the true problem (failing seals at the base of the tank - a less labor intensive repair) and completed the work, including cleanup.

The final cost (including just over two combined man-hours), travel time for the 20 minute drive for the service truck, a two year warranty, and parts came to just over $400 including tax! A very reasonable charge considering the combined efforts and the fact that we were on the verge of a significant Holiday weekend. Considering that a less experienced technician might have gone with my initial guess at the problem and still not fixed it, I am more than satisfied.

Prompt service, friendly and knowledgeable attitude, professional work, and a reasonable cost considering the economics involved, Ben Franklin continues to be my ""go-to"" plumber! Thinking of other service providers I have dealt with over the past couple of year, the fact that they showed up prepared to fix my problem made this a win win.

C L.

The technician showed up on time. He didn't seem very knowledgeable. I needed the cartridge replaced in our shower handle which I purchased and he wanted $359 to replace it. Sent him packing. That is outrageous and was told they offer no service under $300. They claim to be affordable. Hardly. Don't waste your time with this company.

Brian T.

They charged me almost $1000 to determine why my driveway drain is backing up and resulting in water in the garage. They $750 of it was to hire another company to hydro jet the drain to clean it out then they would put a camera down it. They jetted it. Didn't work. It backed up. Still charged me. Then they put the camera down. Told me my pipe was smashed in one place and broken in another. But they got the camera thru and it was clear all the way to the creek. $15000, $9000, $4500 were their est. to fix it all. Once they left I dug up the pipe where they said it was smashed. Nope. Perfectly fine. First picture. Then I dug up where they said it was broken. It was. Not bad but broken. Second picture. Then I walked down to the creek to see if there was mud down there. THERE WAS NO PIPE EMPTYING TO THE CREEK! They lied about the camera. I just need to attach to the exsisting pipe where it's broken and put in a French drain. Once I dug up the broken part, no more water in the garage. The water had somewhere to go. So they charged me for a service that could never work, lied about the camera, and proposed 3 different solutions that would not have fixed the problem. It was just a buried pipe so the water just backed up. Thinking a professional should have figured that out before me.

Douglas S.

Bought new house with home warranty. They were the company used by the home warranty company. Faucet leaking and two shut off valves leaking. First thing I was told I needed a water pressure regulator without even checking how much the water pressure was currently at and they wanted 500 dollars to install one.They rebuilt the faucet and just tightened the two shutoff valves to make them stop leaking. Tried to charge the home warranty company 600 dollars for new shut valves they did not install. I called the home warranty company to inform them of the fraud that was happening to them.

C H.

Ben Franklin Plumbing told a woman in Lee's Summit it would be 1500 to repair two toilets that were simply running not leaking.

The woman unknowingly scraped together the money to pay them only to find after their repair they had cracked the porcelain on both toilets during their repairs and she now had a water leak.

When she inquired about having them make it right she was told that they fixed the issue they were tasked to fix and though their repair cause another issue they would not be fixing the leak.

This company is the bottom feeder of plumbing companies as they took advantage of the woman's inexperience on these issues by charging her $1500 for something that was a way cheaper fix than that.

She could have bought a brand new toilet for less than 200 a piece. I was very disturbed upon finding out about this incident and if I could give them less than one star I would!!!!

Legendary A.

Today, Ben Franklin's employee, Kyle, came to my home and fixed my shower leak into the basement, and snaked the drains in my basement. Kyle's work was better than efficient; he was quick and clean. Kyle left my basement very clean. I appreciate good work! Thank you Kyle.

Patrick R.

I needed two new shut off valves and needed my faucet replaced. Price quoted, $650 plus tax. Told them to get the!*#× out of my house. Still paid the $39 fee to show up. What a rip off this company is. Got everything done for $175 from a friend who does it on the side. This company will rob you blind.

Tracy B.

Used Ben Franklin plumbing today.... very pleased. Prompt same day appointment. Very courteous servicemen. Excellent repair of my plumbing problem. Wore booties to protect carpet. A pleasant experience and work guaranteed. Also able to use coupon. Can't say enough about the servicemen..very professional and competent.