Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Michael B.

DISHONEST AND OVERPRICED!

I had a problem with the pilot light going out on my water heater. I attempted to relight, no success. This had happened once before and I called Reddi-Rooter who came out the same day, afterhours and I was only charged a standard $30 service charge. Well, Reddi-Rooter wasn't available, so Benjamin Franklin was the 3rd person I called. First of all, they said if the service took place after 5:00pm it was an ""after hours"" call and would be $50. OK, I agreed to that. The gentlemen show up at my house at 5:01pm. I take them downstairs where they try to relight my pilot. I show them the email of the service Reddi-Rooter had sent me last year stating the problem. After being in my house 2 minutes, they return to their truck - spent 5 min in their truck. Returned to my basement where he pulls out his clipboard and explains the fees if they have to do any work, the minimal was $128. While he was explaining the fees he tells his co-worker to try lighting the pilot again. It lights. Then proceeds to tell me that I owed them almost $200. They were leaving my house by 5:10 pm. $200 for probably 2 minutes of work - never used one tool or even knelt down on the floor. The receipt stated he performed a ""Minor Assessment."" No assessment was completed, he only knew what was wrong by the courtesy email from Reddi-Rooter. The majority of the 5 minutes spent in my house was him filling out the receipt and calling in my credit card payment.

Do NOT trust this company.

Shannon S.

Called and came a early, which I was thankful. Tim was upfront with all pricing and started with the cheapest fix. It ended up be a more expensive part, but he tried and was honest through the entire service call. He had to go to the office to get another part while it was raining cats and dogs. He was very clean and professional.

Linda C.

Just had Ken from Ben Franklin Plumbing. Excellent service. Explained everything gave us written proposals to think over for future potential projects. We've been with Ben Franklin for 2 years. Excellent service.

Carla P.

Their workmanship was ok but they were way over priced. My issue is they left 4 ft mounds of dirt in my yard and when I questioned this they assured me it would settle over the next year and if not leveled in a year to call them and they would finish the job. I called in a year because mounds are still at least 2 ft tall. They advised me they are not landscapers and called me a liar that they didn't tell me this. They blocked me from facebook page so I couldn't leave a review. Another lady that was on KAKE TV problem solvers for the same complaint.in 2014

Justin C.

Update - General Manager called and discussed the situation. I think the whole problem was a misunderstanding between the original call taker and myself. I was told the $49 fee was to diagnose the reverse osmosis system; however the $49 fee was a service call charge to look into diagnosis. After explanation the manager understood and made it right.

I have plumbers that I usually use, but they don't work on reverse osmosis (RO) systems. I bought a house as a foreclosure, so had no history on RO but it wasn't working - no water flowing from tap. I called around a few plumbers in Wichita, and Ben Franklin was the only one that said they work on RO and that they could do a $49 diagnosis fee to tell me what was wrong with it. I figured $49 was worth it to find out what was wrong and if it'd be worth repairing. They were very good with scheduling, set a 3 hour window and gave me a call 30 minutes prior to plumber showing up at house. Pretty much as soon as the plumber opened drawers underneath sink to look at RO he started telling me how there was no way to know what is causing problem - could be needle valve supply, could be RO filters, could be any number of other things. Then he proceeded to tell me that this would require a ""level 2"" diagnosis fee which was $300 to tell me anything at all about the system or if he could repair it!!! I asked why his front desk/dispatcher told me that they could diagnose RO for a $49 fee if it actually cost $300? He called the general manager to ask if they could waive the $49 diagnosis fee. He refused to waive the fee or talk to me. So, I feel as though they mislead me into thinking the RO system would be diagnosed for $49 when they knew from the beginning it would take $300 to diagnose; charged me $49 to tell me nothing and waste my time.

David W.

We had a pipe that burst in between the main floor and basement. We called Benjamin Franklin plumbing and they were here in a half an hour. Eddie the plumber was awesome! He had it fixed in no time even though he had to replace part of the pipe. Eddie made sure there was nothing for me to clean up after he was done. He was very courteous and helpful. The price was reasonable and we would recommend them to anyone.

Libby G.

The technician, Josh, was well trained and very courteous. He replaced my leaking water heater at midnight in 2.5 hours . So, instead mopping water all night and worrying, I was able to get some sleep and didn't have to take a day off from work to meet a plumber that only works ""banker's hours."" THANKS!!

Gerald C.

Was visiting my brother in Wichita on Thanksgiving Day 2014, when he had drain problems, and only Ben Franklin Plumbing said they could come out that day, when he spoke with them at approximately 11:45 AM. They said they would have someone call before coming out. We went to my niece's for Thanksgiving dinner, so called several times to ascertain when they would be coming out. We got home around 5:00 PM, and again called. Was told there were 2 customers ahead of us. Called a couple more times, spending excessive time on hold, and at 8:30 PM, decided to cancel the service. Couldn't get them to answer the phone, so contacted ""Chat Now"" online, who said they would send the request and someone would call to confirm. After 15 minutes or so with no phone call, called them back on the phone, successfully, and told them to cancel.

Bottom line, will never attempt to use this plumbing company again.

Steven E.

I called Benjamin Franklin today after my water heater shot craps yesterday and they caught my attention with a sticker on the front of my Wichita Eagle this morning. The two gentleman arrived on time and conducted themselves in a professional and courteous manner. However, I was stunned when after informing me that it was a fairly simple and routine installation they then proceeded to tell me that the cost of replacing my water tank was $1800!!! (I had asked the receptionist I spoke to on the phone what the cost might be, but she declined to give even a cursory estimate even though the plumbers who arrived had a laminated pricing chart with them.) I thought this sounded excessive and decided to check around before committing. After calling 3 other reputable plumbers I was quoted a total cost of product and installation ranging from $825 to $925. I'm sure Benjamin Franklin probably does good work, but I can't imagine that they are worth twice what everybody else is charging for the same job.

I would shop around before using their services.

Judy M.

Jay and Danny responded to our service call this morning. Both individuals were very friendly and outgoing as well as professional. We showed Jay and Danny the problems we were having with two outside faucets. Jay provided us 3 options and pricing for each option. We selected the options that we thought would correct our problems. The work was completed in an efficient manner and they had my wife check to make sure the repairs corrected her problems. Jay also sold us (another) Ben Franklin Club membership as we had let ours lapse several months ago. This saved us a few bucks. Very pleased with Jay and Danny's demeanor and knowledge. We have used Benjamin Franklin several time over the years and have always been satisfied with their work. My personal opinion is that ALL plumbing companies' pricing is too high but what can senior citizens do about it? Little frustrated with trouble getting this review posted.