Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of North Austin

Dan G.

Abusively priced. Leaking supply water line to water heater required one solder joint and a new flex line. I was not available, so they dealt with my wife. Cost was 50% of a complete new water heater. Same job by other plumber on a different house was hundreds of dollars less than Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. Unfortunately, other plumber was not available, and I had to get on a plane. They were on time and nice people. Quality of repair is fine. I needed to be there to baby sit apparently.

Nancy D.

My experience with Ben Franklin Plumbing was positive. I noticed my guest bathroom tub faucet was leaking on Thanksgiving. I used Angie's List to find a good plumber. I reached out to several, but a Ben Franklin rep contacted me within minutes and set up a "stand-by" (no charge) service appointment the following day. Dave Lambert, a Senior Service Plumber, was right on time. He gave me an honest assessment of what was going on, as well as making recommendations and offering options. He was professional and very considerate. I will definitely consider having BF do the job when the time comes.

Tammy C.

WHOA!! We have a regular plumbing company we use, unfortunately they were unavailable today. So, we tried Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. But... had we KNOWN how EXORBITANT the cost would be, we would have happily waited until tomorrow when our regular plumbing company would be available.

$79 + $58 is AUTOMATICALLY charged. $79 is the "trip charge" AND $58 is a "membership fee." So, be prepared to pay $137 BEFORE anything is done. This "membership fee" gives you 15% off your services... today and in the future. So... that means, with our 15% discount today (remember, it cost us $58) we saved $101.

Let me just point out that our regular plumbing company does not charge a "trip fee" or any other "fee" for driving to our home (BTW, we live about 2 miles out of Cedar Park and today's plumber with Benjamin Franklin was coming from Cedar Park). $79 buys a whole lot of gas.....

In the last 10 years, we have used the same plumbing company, but at least 4 different times we needed to use someone else because our regular plumbing company was unavailable. Those companies did not charge exorbitant prices like this! Today, we had a broken pipe on an outside faucet. The plumber needed to remove 2 bricks in order to access the pipe to fix it. All of the work was expected... the plumber did not do anything we thought was odd. The workmanship seems good. The plumber left here about 40 minutes ago and all seems to be fine, the outside faucet is not leaking.

BUT, just this summer, we had a different plumber come out (because our regular company was not available) to fix a leak on a different outside faucet. He removed 6-8 bricks to replace a leaking pipe that was further up inside the wall. So, today's services were very similar in complexity and time needed to fix. Although, added services today were including the new faucet and valve. So, sure. I'll even add another $100 for these VERY standard plumbing items. An appropriate price would have been $400 for today's services.

Our advice to anyone considering using Benjamin Franklin Plumbing... DO NOT unless you simply can not find ANYONE else. The quality seems good. Again, no complaints about the actual craftsmanship of fixing a broken pipe on an outside faucet. But the pricing for their services are DOUBLE (did I mention that they are DOUBLE?) what you can find with other local plumbing services. So, shop around before you commit to this company, because you'll be on the hook for way more than is appropriate for the services provided.

Wholly crap ---- even more!!!! I just read all the reviews on here and on Yelp! They've been GOUGING people for YEARS. I did not read any of those reviews before writing this one. Unfortunately, my older parents do not understand the value of reading reviews before contracting services. I agree with one of the previous reviewers that said, "I'M OUTRAGED" with these charges --- and I LOVE the review on Yelp that really said it like it is - they called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing "THIEVES". That hits the nail on the head.

Michael F.

Called Ben Franklin, when I discovered my 40 gallon water heater, was leaking. It was twelve years old. I knew it needed to be replaced. I also have a water softener that is running fine. Well, the plumber was courteous enough, and charged $59 Service charge, which is of course understandable. The issue was, when he told me how much installing one water heater would cost. I have lived in my home twent-four years, and have had two water heaters installed over the years, so I already had a rough idea how much it would cost, which I believe would be between $1000-$+1200. Well, this plumber said it would cost $2400. Twice the amount, which I knew was total BS. We told him to email us an itemized estimate so we could see exactly what work and what costs were involved. Guess what? He never did. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that I was being hosed. I wound up going to Home Depot with my son-in-law , who knew how to install it. I saved $2200. The water heater, a quality Rheem, 40 gallon water heater was $200 cheaper than the one Ben Franklin wanted to charge. Buyer BEWARE. Don't trust Ben Franklin. They are a complete ripoff.

Michelle B.

Paid $258 to fix a hose. I don't think a hose should cost that much and I'm not sure metal hoses should be used on drinking water / ice machines on fridge.

The house in question had a rat problem and I called ABC Pest Control and took care of it. Tried to shame me in front of my tenant about the rat problem and how copper would be better.

Total BS. Do NOT use. Huge rip off.

Most of what I see are one stars about prices. Read the yelp reviews before you get the job done! I made a mistake and will not make it again!

You should be ashamed, Ben Franklin Plumbing.

I don't know why but it says I live in CA. I don't. I live in Austin, TX.

Kelsey F.

Their estimate was over $1000 MORE than any competitor. They upcharge on every single thing and many other companies I called literally laughed when I mentioned this company had quoted me. They are scamming homeowners, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Deborah A.

I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a service window from 9am-12pm and I had asked for as early as possible. They told me the technician would call 30 minutes before arrival. I received a call at 8:30 that the tech would arrive at 9:00am. Right on time John arrived. He was friendly and professional, he wore shoe covers even though I told him he didn't need to. He did a thorough inspection and gave me tips on things like preventative measures to reduce drain clogging and how to fix those screws that come out of the bathtub faucets and make it hard to turn the handle.

John was great and I will be staying with this company as my plumber-of-choice because of him. thanks.

Nancy R.

I DID NOT MAKE THAT 5 STAR REVIEW! The serviceman came for a "free flush" of our water heaters. When it was done he came to the door with 3 different options to fix our (relatively new} water heaters.....1, 2, and 3 thousand dollars respectively. He said the thermostats were not working properly so the water could not recover (get hot) effectively. I said "show me what you're talking about." We went to the water heater and the freshly drained water heater drained scalding hot for 20+ minutes. Sounded fishy to me. I'm no expert but I don't think he drained them at all! There weren't any drainage lines and there wasn't evidence of any water. He came to the door and offered to do a "cost free" evaluation of our whole house. Of course I passed. I think consumers should be very careful of these folks.

Jason M.

Horrible service. Total rip off. The guy charged an atrociously huge amount for a trivial work (installing pressure valve) and left the job unfinished -- faucets are still leaking. And we were forced to pay membership fees for a future discount. We felt cheated. Would never recommend this plumber to anyone.

After the pressure valve was installed, all the pipes vibrate and make a huge noise whenever a faucet is turned on. When called again to take a look, they said they cannot come for 1 week; despite the urgency.

Sharon O.

The great thing about this company is their professionalism, right down from the first time you call them to the last moment they leave your home.
They stand behind their products and service, plus they always return after hour calls within minutes.
Thanks to Fred and Thomas, I am a customer for life!!