Better Plumbing

David H.

*** UPDATE 1/11/16 ***
Bumping up review to '3 star' (average): got a message from Cameron @Better Plumbing. Explained that he's been tied up with a big contract job and didn't feel it fair to take time from a paying customer to respond to my problem. While I fully understand the situation he was in, I do think there were better ways to juggle current and potential new business.
The point is moot at this time as, while Cameron didn't resolve my issue (Allstate did that), the effort he made to explain at length what was keeping him from getting back to me at least shows some consideration and customer service. I can't rate him for his work, as we didn't manage to conduct business, but I can rate the effort.
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Sorry, got nothing positive to say about ""Better Plumbing"", and I don't like to write negative reviews.
I called 2 plumbers on New Year's Eve before noon. NYE is not a holiday, but many people knock off early. I get that. I got a sluggish-to-respond machine at 'Better Plumbing' and left a message. Never got a call back.
I figured they'd be closed New Years, so not too surprised they didn't call.
Called again on Saturday around 1:30p. Left another message. Never got a call back. The same with the 2nd plumber (leaving same review for them given the same poor performance).
The fact that I had a significant leak (about 0.5gal/hr) and requested in my message at least acknowledgement of my call didn't gain me anything.
I found another plumber (Allstate) who called me back within 15min of leaving a message and had guys at my house 1.5hrs later shows some plumbers understand business (and will get a great review).
Sorry 'Better Plumbing', but based on this experience, I think you should be ""can do much better"" plumbing.

Robert F.

Quick to answer the phone and my question. I requested a quote to run a line for an underground exterior drain for water off the roof. Rather than quote the job they suggested I contact a landscaping firm, as I'd likely get a better price.

I appreciate this direct and honest response.

Samantha A.

Cameron NEEDS A RAISE FOR HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICES. He helps as soon as he possibly can and gets straight to the point. Hes honest, and very clear in his explanations. Very friendly and always makes us laugh. He knows what he's doing and he's good at it. If I could rate 10 stars I would. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!! The world needs more people like Cameron!!

&& I must add one more thing. For the rude people. Get real. You do his job for 20 minutes and see how long you last. Ohh and prices? Quit being cheap, his prices are very reasonable. We had people telling us the complete opposite of what our problem actually was and then he had to fix our problem and the problem the other plumber created as well.

Point is , AMAZING JOB !!

Randy R.

Semi-emergency situation at our property in Milpitas on a Friday night. Consulting Yelp, of course, Better Plumbing was one of the two companies I called. I didn't really expect to get a return call on a Friday night and I didn't, but ... early Saturday morning, Cameron (owner of Better Plumbing) called me to let me know that he wasn't available (out of town for his 29th wedding anniversary). He recommended another company, I called them, got the work done quickly and efficiently.

I'm really impressed with this man caring enough about the problem of someone he's never even dealt with before to take the time to call and tell me about a competitor that he trusts. I'm as sure as possible that Cameron didn't make a penny on this and is simply a good guy. People like him are so rare that I've made a Big Note to call him the next time this problem comes up (tree roots in the sewer line).

Thank you, Cameron! And congratulations on your 29th wedding anniversary!

Suresh B.

Excellent. I recommend Cameron for all your plumbing needs. He is good at work and on time.

L P.

Cameron replaced a garbage disposal and charged us $375. He insisted on buying the replacement (said he could get it cheaper) and I trusted his judgment, only to find out after the replacement (and a little research) that the model he bought was a very basic one retailing for $80 at Home Depot!

So, charging ~$300 for 45 mins of labor + 10 mins of stopping by on the previous day for an estimate = grossly overpriced in my book!

Rajiv B.

Contacted them on Saturday for a leaky shower valve. Cameron called back on Monday morning as promised. Said he was on an urgent call, so would let me know when he could make it. Called back around noon and said he'd meet me at 12:45pm. When he didn't show by 1pm, I tried reaching him again. He called back right away and said he was 5 minutes away. Finally showed up another 15 minutes later (30 min behind schedule).

Not one word of apology for his tardiness (I had to take off from work).

Charged me $165 for replacing the shower valve seats and springs. He seemed thorough. Took him under 30 min, so it felt like a ripoff - my doctor charges less! Said his normal rate was $195 and he was giving me a break (wow, sure didn't feel like a break - what is that, like $400 per hour?!).

He was communicative but unfortunately, very overpriced.

There is better plumbing - out there.

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I saw Cameron's response below. attempting to justify his overpriced service.
IMHO, the menu-based pricing is just a trick to extract more. He should be charging for his time.

Lawyers who charge $400 an hour also have the same overhead issues he does, so I simply don't buy his reasons for the overpriced charges.

Monica C.

Alright so I had a clogged garbage disposal sink, and he was very nice to have walked me threw fixing it rather then changing me the hundred bucks. Very nice man. I appreciate him doing this because like many others money is tight. If I have any other plumbing issues I will be calling him based on this one phone encounter. Thank you better plumbing!

Malyssa G.

We came home at 6pm to no hot water pressure. We called Better Plumbing and Cameron walked us through how to fix it ourselves for over 30 min. We had to call him back several times. Each time we tried to repair it, we were unable to. We scheduled an appointment and he came out within an hour. He quickly diagnosed the problem and efficiently repaired it. Thankfully we can all take hot showers tonight, while he was here we asked him to looks at a toilet that was giving us problems. He looked at the toilet and replaced the part. The part that he installed was only part of the problem, turns out we had a defective pressure tank. Cameron replaced the pressure tank under warranty and got it all done in one evening. If you need a plumber that will help you when you need them, Cameron at Better Plumbing is the company to call first. His craftsmanship and quality parts make him able to tackle any problem that you have on your home. Next time we won't bother to call anyone else. Better Plumbing is the company to call first because their work lasts! I am happy with the results, and feel appreciated as a customer. Cameron really lives up to his total customer service guarantee!

Billy Q.

If you are going to hire someone to unclog a drain problem or to push a debris down further in the sewer line, call someone else, if you are going to hire a Plumber, then hire Cameron at Better Plumbing.

I had Cameron come out twice. If he's so good, why didn't he fix it the first time? First time was July 4th. I came home from work on July 3rd, amped about the long weekend. Get home, use the facilities, gurgle, blurp and poop. The toilet won't flush properly and water is starting to come up from the bathtub and shower drains as well. Most other Plumbers have away messages saying they're out of town or not working, leave a message, Cameron was the only Plumber to call me back in a couple hours, try to diagnose the problem over the phone, then said he would cover over after his other job on Independence Day. Seriously? Who wants to work on July 4th? Cameron came and walked through the premise to diagnose the problem. He explained every step, on what the approach was to see if the problem was temporary or persistent. His work ethic does not involve upselling services that I may not need, so he explained that he'll look at the problem, solve it (snake via roof vent access), and if that works, you never have to see him again (something he preferred oddly enough). However, after fixing the problem, he did mention that there was something funky that the previous owner did when adding a second clean out access that the pipes weren't mated properly. So chances are the problem may come up again, but if this cleaning solved the problem, great. If not let him know and he'll come out again to troubleshoot the problem with more fancy toys.

A month and a half later, I notice more slow drain problems, and have him come out again, this time on a Saturday. He remembers what he did last time and walked through what he had done, and intends to do. This time, since the problem was persistent, he snaked the problem, then sent a camera down there for a visual inspection. It was pretty close to what he (now I) was fearful of, and gave a full assessment of the problem and options to fixing it depending on how long I was planning to live at the house. It can be fixed with a band-aid or replaced entirely for another 20+ years of reliable usage.

His prices aren't as competitive as other uncloggers, but seriously, you're paying Cameron to do more, 1) FIX the problem, 2) educate you on residential plumbing, and most importantly, 3) do it CORRECTLY. Don't take plumbing for granted, you don't realize how important running water and how to get rid of that running water is until you starts filling up your toilet/tubs.

Oh, Plumbers that don't work weekends, unfortunately, do not care enough about their customers. You don't poop M-F only.

Lastly, thanks Cameron (and Eric)!