Frook Plumbing & Mechanical

Zia Z.

I obtained an account for yelp to warn others. Worse experience twice. Hired them few years back and came to fix plumbing in my other home and cracked our pipes and we end having flooding in our basement. Recently hired them to fix a shower. Now we cannot use our shower and they billed us for the work that made the situation worse.
Mary claimed that it was because water was shut off during the work but the plumber told us that it was debris from old pipes that clogged the pipes and that he needs to switch the whole shower sets. When I hired them, I had a shower that was working but drips and a toilet that flushes but does not stop flushing. Now my shower is completely down and the toilet does not flush at and I still have a bill if $770 from them and Mary was very defensive when I called. Bad experience twice. Be very careful before hiring this company. The plumber tells you one thing and tells the company another story. The lies from the plumbers makes this company not trust worthy. Do not let them near your showers!

R Cole B.

Frook Plumbing is a smaller local plumbing company we have used on several previous occasions. They had always seemed responsive, knowledgeable, and we had been satisfied with their work. This review is an exception to that story.

I reached out to the business to discuss the following situation with them, and not only did they not apologize for their error, neither did they seem to appreciate my feedback or that I had brought it to their attention. A more genuine response that at least accepted responsibility might have avoided this post altogether.

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We have an older home, built in 1928 or 1929. It has been loved and well maintained. We decided to update the upstairs bathroom faucet to one more consistent with the age and style of the house. We had Frook plumbing install it.

Following the faucet installation, the hot water had very low pressure and made a whistling sound within a few seconds of the water coming out hot. I imagined the worst and put off having it looked at.

Recently, I finally had them come back to look at it. They determined that the hot water supply pipe to the faucet (behind the walls) had become too calcified and was restricting water flow. (Question: But why so suddenly after merely changing out the faucet?) They surmised this would be consistent throughout all the water supply lines for the second floor bathroom (shower, toilet, sink).

Their recommendation was to replace all water supply lines servicing the second floor bathroom, from the basement up. Since they would be cutting out large sections of the plaster walls anyway to do that, they also recommended replacing the house main cast iron stack from the basement up. Oh, and we should also replace the water heater (which wasn't new when I moved in 26 years ago).

Just replacing the water heater and all the water supply lines in the basement alone was going to cost a minimum of approx. $5,000. On top of that would be the costs of cutting floor to ceiling vertical sections of the plaster walls in the living room on the first floor and as needed upstairs for the bathroom, and replacing that piping. That could be another $5,000 or more. That pricing excluded the costs of repairing the plaster walls when they were finished (plaster and paint). The total job would almost certainly have exceeded $10,000, if not closer to $15,000 or more.

Given the size, scope and likely cost of the circumstances, I decided it would be wise to at least get a second opinion and estimate. I solicited recommendations on our neighborhood group Facebook page. One name was mentioned more than once with great accolades. I arranged for him to come and check it out.

All I mentioned to him was the symptom...that since another plumbing company had installed the new faucet the hot water pressure was low, and it whistled. I made no mention of who the other plumbing company was or their diagnosis.

TRUE STORY: He got down and looked underneath the sink and identified the REAL problem in less than 30 seconds.

New Diagnosis: In installing the flexible water supply lines from wall to the faucet, Frook Plumbing had twisted and wrapped them in such a way that they had become crimped/partially obstructed, perhaps in trying to hide them from view in the case of a pedestal sink.

Action: The second plumber replaced the two flexible supply lines.

Result: Back to normal water pressure and no whistling.

Cost: 30 minutes and $140! Oh... and he recommended NOT replacing the water heater because it is glass-lined! Instead, just install a leak sensing device around the base.

I had hoped Frook plumbing would at least be receptive to my constructive feedback on their error, if not also reimburse me for the added expense of fixing it. Had that happened, I would have considered using them again and would not have posted this review. I was sorry that did not happen.

Affirmation: When in doubt get a second opinion!

Bitsy B.

I could not be more disappointed with our experience with Frook Plumbing when they replaced our shower head and faucet in our master bathroom due to poor water pressure. They fixed the pressure but the next day when I turned the shower off the water continued to drip down in a fairly steady stream until it eventually stopped. I called and told them they said it's from the pressure that builds up in the shower head, but the water itself is off and that this is normal. I explained that I've never turned off a shower and not had the water stop immediately. They said we could pay more for them to install another shower head but there's no guarantee it wouldn't do the same thing. We will not be doing business with them again.

Shelbie Z.

Mary in the office is by far the worst person you could have answering the phones, terrible customer service and professionalism.

Liz D.

Our drain line from the washing machine to the main sewer was clogged rendering the washer unusable. Frook sent out two efficient and courteous plumbers who did a fantastic job. They explained clearly what needed to be done, and quickly and professionally repaired it.

I also had a dripping kitchen faucet, and asked if they had time to look at that, as well. They worked so quickly on the drain line from the washer that they did indeed have time, and repaired the faucet in just a few minutes.

I will DEFINITELY be calling them for any further plumbing or mechanical problems that arise, and I highly recommend you call them as well

Kevin C.

They gave me a quote and started work then tried to go 3000 over estimate...they are criminals who steal out of ur house...avoid at all costs..KEEP AWAY !!!!

Lisa R.

When I booked an appointment to get an estimate for repairs, I was never advised that there would be a fee. Their website did not indicate there would be a fee to give an estimate. To their credit, they arrived on time and did a seemingly thorough review of my issues. When the appointment concluded, I was asked to pay a $90 fee for the estimate and was advised that, should I hire Frook to complete the repairs, the $90 fee would be deducted from the overall cost. I asked for an estimate to be written up that day and was advised that I would be sent the estimate by email. I provided my email and proofed it to make sure it was correct. After 1 week, I had not received the estimate. I contacted Frook by phone and left a message asking for the estimate. Eleven days has now passed and I still do not have the estimate that I paid for. As a word of caution, I got estimates from other plumbers and I was never charged a single dime for their time and I got written and/or emailed estimates in a timely manner. I will make one last attempt to contact Frook and encourage them to do the right thing.

anonomous a.

Steve from Frock fixed a plumbing problem for me. I found them to be honest, reasonable, hardworking and on time. I would definitely hire them again!

Susan S.

I have dealt with a lot of different plumbers in the Lansing area and Steve was definitely the best. When no one else was willing to help my mom when her water heater started leaking he came to the rescue. So when I needed additional work on my own home done I gave him a call. His pricing was fair and he seemed very knowledgeable. He was even able to repair a faucet I thought needed to be replaced which was a relief. Highly recommended!