Gem Statewide Plumbing

J A.

Really, the experience, which cost me dearly as the homeowner (in terms of money and time), warrants a ZERO STAR. Why? Because a one-star suggests even the lowest of value provided. In my case, nothing was provided (but heartache and anger), and was valueless. I feel like I was taken for a ride. What an outfit. I can't blame the guys in the field. They're told what to do and show up with as many surprises (not knowing the scope) as I faced. They worked hard but ended up frustrated. So, I agreed to terms, and put a HEFTY (unlike any other plumber I've worked with here) 50% down! The scope was to do both cast iron sewer pipe lining, add hard pipe (PVC) additional sewer lines, and re-pipe the water lines. It was a big job, but the estimator was here for a couple of hours and gathered up the details (or so I thought). Alongside this was some light construction I had ongoing in the master bathroom which included demo work on an existing shower wall to create a slightly larger shower done by another professional (no permit required for this). The demo was required by this plumber in order for them to relocate the shower valve to another wall. We also had planned to move the laterals (two sinks) to another wall since the lateral cast iron piping also had to be changed. As a homeowner, I thought this could all be done by the plumber, and the plumbers quote/scope stated as much. Again, no general contractor (GC) was needed for the shower I was doing. The crew arrived, and work began on days one and two, including trenching outside for the re-pipe (water) work, and concrete removal in our bathroom (still not sure why this was done at this time). Presumably, all of this was done without a permit as no permit was hanging up or had been applied for. I get a call on day two from the operations manager stating that he will pull a permit (odd to have already done work and not done so already). I later get a visit from the operations manager then stating I need a GC on the jobsite. What? When was that ever made clear? Later on day two, the crew picks up and leaves, leaving me with a 30' trench of torn up sod (new sod I had installed recently) and a 4'X3' hole in my bathroom with a large pile of dirt. The toilet was removed and disconnected, and I sat without a bathroom for more than a day. The NEXT DAY, I get a call from the operations manager saying they are pulling out and ending the project. NO REASON was given despite multiple requests for such! The following day, a different crew arrived and would refill the hole (including concrete) and fix the outside trench and sod. All of this was done, and a full refund was provided. What this left me with, however, was an inoperable master bathroom (no shower), and the need to contact another plumber who will probably schedule this work a month or more from now. In my line of work in manufacturing, I would have been fired for handling the situation with a customer like this. FIRED. As a business, you hold onto to the terms agreed and finish the job, with losses or otherwise. Stay clear. From my experience, there are reputable contractors out there who will hold up their end of the deal. Nothing in this review was written to embellish or make larger than it was. If any details were left out, they were details or requirements which needed to be described (in writing) to me within their scope. They were not.

Lacey L.

A local pest company had determined that I had rats in my attic due to a hole in my old, (circa 1962) cast iron stack so I called a few plumbing companies in a bit of a panic. The people at Gem Plumbing not only had immediate availability but could not have been more sympathetic and understanding. Justin and Roy came right out and scoped my lines, found the hole in the stack as well as a problem with my sewer piping, which had been causing mysterious, ('mysterious' as that part of my house was fairly new, major reno in 2016) blockages on and off for a few years. Even though I was told it would likely be a few days until the pipes could be repaired / replaced after the scoping, Justin and Roy came out again the very next morning. They were SO efficient, knowledgeable, (& brave - there was NO way I was opening that bathroom wall to face possible rodent-residents) and they accomplished both jobs at the same time. My outdoor pipes and couplings were dug up neatly, (tarps on the lawn and all sod and dirt replaced once complete) replaced and re-seated properly. My indoor stack was cut out and replaced with pvc, all dust and debris were cleaned and removed, AND they went quite beyond and fitted / installed new wallboard in the gaping hole in my bathroom wall. A HUGE relief as without that, the still-likely 'residents' in my attic would have had no way to exit other than into my house via the bathroom. Yikes! Throughout this process, both of these gentlemen were unfailingly polite, considerate and very professional. Their pricing for this amount of work was quite fair and considering how quickly I had this all accomplished, it was a great value. Rodents are now banned from my house in Venice and I have better sewer piping in the bargain. Thank you Justin and Roy from Gem Plumbing!

Janice M.

Justin has been here a few times and is always courteous, polite, friendly and takes the time to explain what he is doing and what the problem appears to be. They have installed 2 water heaters for us ( in separate parts of the house) and have always come within a reasonable amount of time.

Sandra G.

Thanks Jimmy, you made my day by fixing an unexpected problem. Your professionalism and speed of getting the issue fixed was awesome. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and his associate was as well. I will use them again in the future if I have any plumbing issues. I also highly recommended this company.

Violeta U.

We recently had Gem Statewide Plumbing fix a clogged sink from the kitchen. They fixed that problem but they broke the bathroom sink pipe and did not even admit it. They removed the toilet in that bathroom to use their camera or whatever they said they did. We are very dissapointed by their cowardliness. Don't worry, this matter is gonna be pursued furthermore in front of the law. We are not that stupid to believe that that pipe just decided to broke after you kept jamming at all the pipes all morning trying to fix the original problem we had. The workers don't have any courtesy, kept coming inside with their shoes full of dirt. Our kitchen sink exploded everywhere with the dirt from the pipes. Same think happened with the shower from the bathroom. So much dirt backed up inside. The guy put a 2 by 2 plastic cover and put my shampoo bottle in top of it to protect from the drain to back up. Such a joke.

Christopher R.

I have a couple homes with old cast iron pipes and causing sewage back ups due to their diminishing state. Lou and his team are fantastic! Lou came out to inspect the first home and it was determined that it needed to be lined. He was very approachable and explained where the problem areas were while both looking at the camera. His team came back in a few days and they were the nicest pair of people, explaining what they were doing and how they were rectifying it (btw, the technology they used is remarkable). They basically turned my old cast iron into PVC pipe from the inside saving me thousands of dollars on demolition costs! They also installed a clear out for easy access. I've had zero blockages since and there's a lifetime warranty. For my second home, Lou came with his camera and determined that the cast iron was still in suitable shape and the blockages had been caused by user error. He cleaned it out free of charge and I haven't had a problem since. He's such an honest guy and I'll be sure to use his services again down the road if the situation worsens. Lou doesn't charge for the initial inspection like most do (take your own toilet off), and that really points to his integrity in my view. Chris

Ann G.

Clay from Gem was suppose to arrive between 10-12, I called Gem & they said he was running late. Clay called me at 1215 & said he had to pick up hot water heater at Home Depot. Clay arrive at 145 pm‼ the hot water heater was at a different Home Depot ‼ Clay did get the job done in an hour, so I made it to work on time.

Ellyn N.

Well here we go again. Another leak in the wall. Thank goodness for Mike from Gem who came down within four hours of my call. A quick diagnosis and the less than an hour later and the repair was fixed. Always on time, professional and extremely capable. Thank you again.

Scott Y.

GEM was called to fix a leaking hot water Heater in my Condo. They came over almost immediately and had a new hot water heater installed within hours. I highly recommend their services.

Maryann S.

They came and fixed our toilet, non emergency, the day after we spoke to them. Mike arrived 1st thing in AM and fixed the problem where another plumber had not done so. We will make Gem Plumbing our regular plumbing service. Of course, anyone can have a bad day, but this 1st visit by Gem was more than satisfactory. We plan on using their services when we remodel our bathroom.