Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating

Florence M.

The plumber who finally came was courteous, professional, and did a fine job in fixing my shower. However, the office's procedure for appointments needs repair. I got a window of 9am-2pm and was told that I would be called and the eta would be adjusted. However, I was never called. I called the office twice and was told the plumber ""was on his way."" He did show up at 2:30pm. It is unacceptable to keep customers waiting 5plus hours for service. F. S. needs to tighten up their appt. procedures and keep customers informed of eta's. Do not make customers a prisoner in their own apt. while they wait for service!

Robin R.

I wish I read the reviews before I asked my building super for a plumber. They must have an in with the building managers. If you are on YELP you have probably already been ripped off by this company. Beware this company!!! If your experience is anything like mine you will be very sorry you called them. They take your credit card before they show up and then they don't show and charge you!!!
I was charged for work that was no done bc they did not show up for the appointment! It was an active leak and if it wasn't for another plumber who fixed things in short order the apartment below me would have been flooded. Don't let your building manager let these people into your home for any reason. Not to give a bid and certainly not to do work!. Somehow they bill you through your building even after your credit card company credits you back for work not performed. I am furious!!!! Now I get to fight with my building manager and management company. This company is the worst! BEWARE!! They are crooks.

A M.

I used Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating at the recommendation of the Super of my building and I'm so glad I did. They removed an old bathroom vanity and installed a new one (and new fixtures). The job went faster than estimated and they did a top notch job. They even tighten a loose shower handle and kitchen faucet while they were there. Did I mention they did all of this during July 4th week?! I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for excellent plumbers in NYC.

Richard F.

Let me start off by saying if I could give zero stars I would. I am not too smart in that i did not check out YELP reviews prior to hiring Fred Smith Plumbing at the recommendation of my building resident manager. After calling multiple times to set up a visit to do my work they finally came after requiring a up front credit card . I reluctantly did so. My mistake again. They came first time and charge me $215 fee for 15 minute visit saying that they did not have the parts and they would have to come again. OK... I set up another appointment, wait an no show. No show after I called that morning to confirm that they would be here in the afternoon. They said YES they are coming. I take off work to be here. NO SHOW .. I call again and they claim they have NO record of my request. I say they are FIRED,

I put a claim into American Express and they investigate and say too bad I have to pay!! What??? DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!

I am off to write any reviews I can do to stop these CROOKS and Frauds. Calling Better Business now.
Good LUCK!

Carson M.

If i could give negative stars I would. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, they are hands down not only the worst plumbing company in all of manhattan, but the most unprofessional and unreliable company I have ever had to deal with in my life. The hot water from our shower was really low pressure for quite some time and while at first we just dealt with it, eventually the water just stopped coming out of the shower all together so we had to call this company recommended to us by our building. They were called on Wednesday and we were told that someone would be there to fix the shower on Friday between 10 and 2. On Thursday (the day before they were supposed to arrive) I called Fred's and told them the issue, I said that my Super had more details and knew all of the parts that they would need...they ensured me that ""they do this all the time"" and that they had all of the right parts to fix the shower. On Friday I took the day off work to make sure I was home for them, I called in the morning to ensure that they were coming and they told me that someone would be at my apartment shortly. At 1pm I called again since nobody had arrived and was told ""they would be there within an hour."" At 3pm I received a call from Fred's saying that unfortunately due to ""the nature of plumbing"" they were not able to come to my apartment on the day that they planned...after i had called 2 separate times. After expressing my displeasure with the way that the situation was handled I was promised that someone would be at my apartment on Monday morning. Monday rolls around, I call early in the morning and was told that they would be there soon. By 2pm they had still not arrived at my apartment. I called back asking what happened to the person who was supposed to come FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING and i was told he was ""finishing up a job""and he would be there soon. He showed up at 2:30 and could not fix my shower because ""he did not have the correct parts""...something that I had called to ask about on THURSDAY and that they would have to come back tomorrow (Tuesday). Obviously Tuesday rolls around and because this is a complete shit company that can't work in an efficient or professional manner they do not show up and do not bother to call or tell us that they couldn't come. I just received a call from my building at 3:30 on Wednesday telling me that the shower was fixed (I have little faith that it actually is) and I can finally post this review that I have been working on which unfortunately wont take back the hours of utter frustration and anger that this has caused, but I hope that anyone who is considering using this company reads this and uses any other plumber in New York City.

Elenie P.

I called Thursday morning before 10am as my Kitchen sink needed to be checked out. I told them it was urgent. They assured me someone would come today, or if not today then Friday latest. Called back to check Thursday 2pm when no one had arrived or called to say they were coming. They said it will definitely be Friday. Friday comes, again I sat at home all day waiting. At 1pm I called to confirm they would come today. THEY SAID YES DEFINITELY. Received a call at 3pm Friday saying no one would come until Monday. APPALLING!! NOW GOING 4 DAYS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO USE A KITCHEN SINK

Salim M.

Unfortunately, I had a negative experience with this provider. My super recommended this company to get a quote for some heating work. I called them up, made an appointment for them to come in on a Friday between 10-11am and they never showed up. I called them up after waiting at home for an hour, and they unapologetically told me that they could not come until after 3pm. Since I have a job, I couldn't just wait around all day for them so I rescheduled for the following Friday at 3pm. On Thursday, the night before my second scheduled appointment, I received a call from the company telling me that they do not service my building / area (I live in Chelsea) and they were canceling the appointment. When I asked them why they didn't tell me this the first time I called them, they had no response. Given that my super was the one that gave me their contact and has used them before, that reasoning doesn't make much sense. Perhaps they work well for others, but the customer service for me was awful: a no show followed by a canceled appointment. Best of luck.

Fred S.

Wish that I had read all the negative reviews.

Seemed like they sent their most novice plumbers for my 1st time job!!

They don't show up for hours and don't call to tell you delayed.

Finally show up late afternoon, start working, and then tell you they get overtime after 4pm,

so they clean up and return next day (they charge a transport charge of $92 for each day!!! plus $182/hr!!)

and waste more time setting up and cleaning up! Show No Concern for
working economically or efficiently!!!

Seemed like they sent their most novice plumbers for my 1st time job!!

Both days they ask you to sign a blank receipt at the bottom and say they will fill in afterwards!!

Would you sign a blank check????

My Super, who is very sharp, says that they they unnecessarily changed too many parts and broke open more of the wall than required!

At nearly $200/hr, they spent too much time talking and taking breaks.

Imagine they send their more experienced plumbers for their retainer customers, not for new one-time user!

Liza B.

Inept at follow through! Scheduled a visit w Freddie 2x, and he never showed up. If you have a serious need to be attended to by an expert, call someone else.

Jeff M.

UPDATE 10/27/2017 - It's not an anomaly. I've used them 3 times now (moved into old apt...everything has now been replaced or repaired)...and each time they have been professional and responsive. I just got off the phone with the owner...no, it's not Fred...it's Phil...to thank him for a great team. They are no fly by night. They have over 80 plumbers they dispatch every day and a team inside who help their field guys find and get the right part to you (HUGE - knowing that most of these old apt's have nothing but expired, hard to find parts everywhere). I can't tell you how much I appreciate knowing I have these in the hood when I need plumbing help. Thanks Phil...and Mike...and Steve...and Gustavo!

Original post: Wow! I was surprised to see how few stars these guys had when I logged on to type this...because I just had a GREAT experience. I just called Fred Smith at the recommendation of the concierge of our building (Astor Terrace) as I'm new to the neighborhood. They gave me a simple hourly quote and were available within a couple days, which was required to schedule an entire part of the building water shut off for the work. My only complaint was that they were 2 hrs late to the job without a call that they'd be late...and I had to call them twice. BUT, once Mike got here...he was great. He coordinated (and directed) the building maintenance guys telling them what to do and when (Mike was very professional and knowledgeable regarding exactly what needed to be done...more than the building guys). The job involved replacing 3 master valves and replacing a complex kitchen faucet and shower cartridge (mechanism controlling water flow). He did this all in less than 2 hours. PERFECT. I would call them back in a minute and highly recommend them (at least Mike, for sure).