Big Blue Plumbing

Ben S.

So this review would have been a 1 star review at 8:30am today. Big Blue called me to cancel my appointment that had been scheduled for a week and that they had confirmed just yesterday.

I told them that I wasn't willing to cancel my appointment and that a as a local business owner who had come back early from out of town, just for this appointment, that I would be upset.

Big Blue called me back and expressed that they understood and would be able to accommodate my appointment after all.

Their technician, RJ, arrived at the job (which is a homeless shelter & rehab facility which I am donating my time and finances towards remodeling.)

He inspected the plumbing and answered my questions. I told him to send me the bill and he said he wasn't going to charge me for his time.

This is a great way for small businesses to operate. A customer first approach and making amends when they were in the wrong. I look forward to using Big Blue in the future for any number of jobs for the many businesses I own.

Kevin C.

Big Blue
7/16: Hired Big Blue to install replacement water system booster pump. Failed to notice 220 voltage in home, pump 110 voltage - Big Blue had to send an electrician to resolve discrepancy between voltages. We also discovered that the pump could not be isolated form the main water supply. Thee was no valve on the water intake side of the pump. This should have been a red flag that the company has incompetent employees.
1/13/18: Notice leak from pump and contacted Big Blue, client emailed photos to assist Big Blue in diagnosis of the issue. Client wanted Big Blue an apt to resolve issue to prevent a larger problem. Original appointment was for a week from contact, however client insisted upon a sooner appointment as leak was continuing. (1/18) Big Blue sent out RJ and he turned off pump, said our pump was defective and we needed a new one. He also wanted to up-sell us with a $5,000 water purification system. Client checked other neighbors in the area, none recommended that as EBMUD water quality is good; one neighbor being a toxicologist. Big Blue processed a $745 credit card charge (deposit) even though we emailed that we decided not to order the $5,000 water purification system within 24 hours (Saturday); and found we had to reverse a charge when we called the credit card company Sunday noticing it had been charged. Emails were sent to document all of this to Big Blue.
2/2/18: As of today, we are with minimal water pressure (15psi) for a second story house.
From 1/18/18 - 2/2/18 two weeks: Big Blue has had to:
1. Look for the original invoice to prove to themselves the warranty issue
2. Numerous emails and phone call messages to Karla (Receptionist), Zack (Service Manager) and an email to Paul (Owner) were sent to resolve and understand when the pump would be ordered and when the warranty / refund situation would be resolved - as Big Blue is the original purchaser and the refund would be given to them for warranty.
3. Our latest understanding is that Big Blue wants the client (US) to order the pump and if/when the refund is given, they would receive it and in theory, pass it on to the client.
This isn't standard business practice and the customer service is non-existent. It is unacceptable that the client has had to pursue/follow up and request information without satisfaction. The client has now had to order more durable pump and contact an alternate plumber to resolve the issue that Big Blue should have taken care of promptly and without conflict. Obviously, Big Blue doesn't care.
We want them to compensate us what they paid for the pump ($874.67).

Chris K.

We unfortunately cannot recommend Big Blue Plumbing after a frustrating few weeks of trying to get them to keep appointments they made with us to diagnose and fix a leaking toilet and faucets. We have had three appointments with them, and each time they have called late to say they could not make it. Twice, we had made arrangements to take time off work to be home for these appointments. Further, the accumulated delays from our initial appointment has now been a couple weeks, and we now find ourselves still dealing with a leak and not having a plumber lined up. We found them on Home Advisor - not Yelp. We won't rely on Home Advisor in the future, as they obviously don't truly screen for customer service and reliability. Choose another plumber!

Doug S.

Big Blue might be a great plumbing service. But I didn't get the chance to find out. I made an appointment a week in advance. I scheduled the morning off from work. And the morning of the appointment they called to move the appointment to the afternoon. Since I only had the morning off the afternoon would not work for me. They could have called me the evening before and I could have moved my schedule around. But since they didn't I lose out on half a days pay and now I have to find another plumbing company and take additional time off.

Jay T.

Very courteous receptionist but this business charges $69.00 to just come out and look at what you might want done regardless of whether or not one hires them to do the work. A Non-starter for me.

Mykael M.

Excellent evaluation and execution. Wonderful plumbers who are experienced and do a fabulous job diagnosing and repairing only what needed to be done ( while other plumbers wanted to bilk us by doing much more needlessly). I respect their honestly and problem solving. Harris is delightful and took away our stress. Highly recommend, whether it is a little job or a major one!

Michelle S.

I called for an emergency service at 2:55am (water leak, broken handle, can't turn off what, flooding in him) after I found these guys on Yelp, which said they are a 24-7 service.

The woman on the phone was extremely unsure of herself. She said she would find me a plumber. Then asked me if I was a ""Big Blue Plumbing"" customer. I said it was my first time calling. She read out loud something that apparently popped up on the prompt-screen she was on. Then she said she couldn't help me: ""You have to call back at 7am. That's when we can send someone."" Great, I'll call back when I'm swimming in my flooded apartment. Totally useless.

Matthew Y.

Our hot water has been out so we scheduled service via big blue. My wife took time off from work to meet with the plumber but the plumber never showed. I had to call them to find out what the deal was and dispatch could not locate the plumber and so we had to reschedule. Over a week later, our second attempt to have service out has again been missed.

While their technicians are great (especially Zack), BB needs to better manage their scheduling as they're setting unrealistic expectations. If you're an appointment based company and charge a fee just for someone to come out, you need to make your commitments. Missing two appointments, used up a PTO day, and still no hot water.. inexcusable.

Elisabeth B.

I can't say enough good things about this company. They are professional, friendly, efficient, and hard working. We have a pretty serious plumbing situation that will require more work, but on day one the team came out and worked their you-know-whats off for about 8 hours. They explained everything to us clearly and gave us multiple options on how to proceed before starting anything. I have never had such a positive experience with any plumbing company before, and I would definitely recommend Big Blue to anyone who needs a plumber. Totally top notch.

Kelly B.

My friend recommended me to call Big Blue for a minor plumbing problem( toilet leaking) bc she had really good customer service.
I called twice and left messages with their service including giving my contact info including my address both times, only to be ignored:( for the past 3 days without even a phone message.
If you want a job done and need them to respond in a timely manner... This might not be the business to contact.
Reliability is key in a good business.
Really disappointing experience!