Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of North Austin

Linda F.

I like the plumber who showed up promptly, but not the company's business model. I got a postcard that said I could get a free service call on Wednesdays, when the truck is in my area. So I called and asked for a quote on toilet valve repair. The phone lady said she doesn't have pricing. Big red flag. But she said the service call is free, so the plumber could give me pricing and then I could decide. OK, the plumber told me it would cost a minimum of $223 to replace the valves. But he really wanted to sell me a service plan for $58, which would include discounts on work for a year. I said no, it's too expensive. Then I called around and found several lower quotes. I went with Blue Dragon Plumbing, and their plumber (Gilbert) just fixed the valves (a 5-minute job) and charged me ZERO! So I think Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is way overpriced. The "free" service call comes with highly inflated charges for any services.

Vincent C.

shameless and despicable! I had a leaking kitchen faucet and a bathtub dripping water. I fell for the free service call. the plumber was very nice, but the only two faucets they carried on the truck were a $400 and a $600 model. top quality with 100 year guarantee. okay, I took a deep breath and told him to install it. total installed $609. he looked at the tub but couldn't get the stems loose. he used a hammer and screwdriver to chip away around the stem. he finally said he couldn't get them loose and that he would have to cut out the whole valve box and cover the hole with a remodeling kit. he couldn't do it today because he would have to order the part. he left an estimate of $788! I guess he figured he had made enough on the faucet job for today. I paid him $609 and he was out of here.

I just couldn't believe this guy's estimate and I couldn't believe it required major demolition because he couldn't get the stems loose. I found a master plumber with 25 years experience and called him out to fix the tub. I said nothing about Benjamin Franklin. this master plumber got the stems loose, put in all new parts, including handles and spout, caulked, and fixed a toilet as well. total charge - parts & labor - $210.

Benjamin Franklin seems to work on the theory that there will always be another sucker. I was their sucker on the faucet, but will never use them again or recommend them. maybe they're killing the goose that lays golden eggs.

I am totally blown away! master plumber does the same work, that day, for 25% of Benjamin Franklin's bid. all of that said, I hope I can enjoy my probably $200 faucet. ugh!

Shan R.

Said the service charge was free. Hit me with a 152 bill for 3 mins of changing a garden faucet.I asked a another plumber after that and he said it was 30 USD to do the job.
I will not call Bejamin Frankklin again. Too bad I did not have the tools to do it myself.

Scott S.

The person who wrote a review stating that Benjamin Plumbing pulled out a price book, be ready to get ripped off is correct!! The plumber just left here. I had a piece of pipe that needed to be cut out and replaced with new pipe. A small piece from the water line. It was a repair leak in 3/4 inch copper. My price quote "$583.00!!! and to bury the small section of line was an additional $305.00!!! I had to pay them $59.00 for showing up. You want to know whats wrong with this country. This is it "GREED"!!!! No many people want to make an honest living anymore. They want to get rich from you. Disgusting, Dishonest company. The tech was very nice. OH BTW. They told me if I joined their club for $58 dollars I would get a 15% discount. Oh boy even with that discount. I'm still getting ripped off. My suggestion use craiglist plumbers. Most will give you an honest price.
Just an update I hired someone else to do the job. He exposed the pipe, cut off the damaged area and replaced it with "PEX" which is half the price of cooper, faster and easier to use. and then buried the line. He charged me $200 labor and parts were $25.00 So got the whole job done for $225.00 Not the $888.00Benjamin wanted. Of course Benjamin never even mentioned PEX to me. Also the guy I hired does all kind of work.
Shame on you Benjamin Plumbing. If you get a flyer in the mail from them. Run!!!!

Pete E.

Very friendly, showed up on time and initial visit was reasonable. He couldn't figure out how to fix faucet. Quoted $275 to $350 to fix the faucet and I had to order part. I ended up fixing it myself. He did fix my shower though so I'll give them 3 stars for that.

Jessica S.

OK, two stars because the plumber that came out was a really nice guy. But he pulled out his price book and wanted $450 to rebuild a bath/shower fixture that had a bad cartridge.

I called another plumber to get a 2nd estimate. Not only was his estimate less than half the cost, he convinced me that I could do the repair myself. I got everything I needed at Home Depot for $40, and the repair took me about 15 minutes.

When your plumbing company pulls out a pricing book, you know you are about to get ripped off. BEWARE.

Jay J.

Great service with a friendly repair man. Were there same day, had a fair price, and did good work on a difficult job.

BB F.

These guys overcharge for parts you don't need. Stay away. Not trustworthy in the least. Supposedly "no service call charges" are offset by absurdly high quotes for standard parts.

Heather F.

My mother for years now has sworn up and down that I'm going to marry a "bubba". That's right. Not some stuffy college professor, some high powered lawyer or slick businessman but a bubba. A down-to-earth, likeable, kind guy who likes to work with his hands and who knows how to fix stuff.

I couldn't agree more.

Hence you can imagine my excitement when my garbage disposal broke. Yes, I just had my house built 3 1/2 years ago but you know Texas builders, always trying to get by using the Cheap. It wasn't enough that my disposal just stopped working but it also stopped draining too meaning every time my dishwasher turned on it would back up into my sink. I needed help. I had just received a card in the mail from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and couldn't resist the discounted sales call, precious picture of America's Founding Father himself holding a plumbing wrench plus the possibility of meeting a soul mate. I called right away.

I not only got a courtesy call when my plumber was on his way but he also showed up early. After all these guys bill themselves the "Punctual Plumber" and they were right on. At my doorstep was not Mr. Right for me but truly was Mr. Right for the plumbing job. Good ole' Dave is long time married and had been doing plumbing work for about 30 years and really knew his stuff. Granted, this wasn't a complicated job but I always enjoy talking to people who know their trade. We chatted for a bit about his son who is my age and a Gunny DI in the USMC, and about the recruit depot in San Diego I too had spent time in (back when billeting was still available for $20 a night stay which alas is long gone). Dave was a very nice man and he also helped me with my drain issue in my master bathtub.

I felt very confident in the services and my brand, spanking new stainless steel higher-than-before horsepower garbage disposal. It now has a 5 year warranty on it from BF which is better than what I had before from the builder. The only downside is that being a brand and a franchise Benjamin Franklin is going to cost more $$$ than the average plumber: I paid over $300 for my disposal, install and service call fee. However I am confident in the communication and skill set of the company and would still use them again.

Steve L.

We had BF here for a leaking water meter yesterday. They started with a $59 trip charge and then $305 for digging to find out the problem. Then they needed a pump to get the water out, wanted another $118 for renting the pump and $423 for fixing the pipe, before I knew it, it was over $1000. They did not dig more than a foot, and the problem was right around the meter. I negotiated down to $728, but I checked with two local plumbers, both said they could do it for $250. This company may do the job right, but is very expensive, should be avoided by all consumers.