Goode Plumbing

Chas H.

So I'll give Goode three stars because the equipment they installed and the work was pretty good, or I assume it is--really, only time will tell, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt. But I have to knock off a couple stars because they are simply expensive as hell.

I called about a starting-to-fail ejector pump. They sent someone right over that day which, in retrospect, should have been my first clue.

Two guys showed up; only one spoke to me. What he went right off the bat into was more of a sales pitch than a description of the problem and the solution. He even talked about joining some VIP service they have even before talking about the specifics of the job at hand.

Uh huh. OK.

For replacing the ejector pump, valve, and some related items, the cost was on the order of $1,700. Mmmm, that's a lot, and I considered just paying the $60 for the visit and taking a chance on getting another vendor in to bid on the job. But, the pump was starting to fail, and knowing firsthand the pain and agony of a flooded basement, I decided to bite the bullet and go through with the job which, really, that's gotta be central to their business model, right? Get people at that sweet point they have to say yes to their services or else?

Now, again, the work seems to be acceptably good, but like I said, the price.

They installed a Metropolitan MHP-20160 which you can get online for something like $360 (sumpdirect.com/ion-techn...). You gotta figure, Goode ain't paying more than that for the piece. Maybe a couple hundred extra for some ancillary items they have to install along with it, like valves and the like.

So I would guess we're talking maybe $550 or so for materials. They charged $1,700 for the job. That would be a 200+% markup.

Now, I understand labor costs and the like as much as the next reasonably-educated lay person, so when I get the bill, and it says, basically, ""$1,700, pay me,"" I'm like ... hmmmmm.

I emailed the company and asked, can you send me a line item invoice breaking out labor, extra charges, etc.? I've hired a lot of companies to do repair stuff around my house, so that's pretty common.

Their reply? ""Hello, We do not itemize invoices.""

Well. You don't say.

Now, I will say once more, the work seemed pretty good, so far, and as far as I can tell, so no complaints about that out of the chute. So if you're someone for whom money is no object, then Goode Plumbing should be as good as any other company with a 4-star overall Yelp rating to satisfy your plumbing needs.

However, if you're like the rest of us, for whom money is decidedly an object, then if you have the luxury of a little time, you might want to shop around your plumbing business to some of the other majors to see whether you can get work as good as or better than Goode for less money. Because I'll bet you can.

Gregory H.

Refuse to provide estimates/quotes despite multiple requests and explaining the problem and just kept saying they need to send a person out where they can they charge a ""dispatch"" fee which is waived if you choose to use them. Refusing to provide online estimates only to charge a dispatch fee to get an in person estimate is a shady business practice

John B.

We found them on Yelp and they were the first to respond back to my inquiry. We talked on Tuesday to secure a Friday appointment and stayed home all day Friday and they never showed up then. At the end of the day Friday, we called to investigate where they were and they rescheduled us for Saturday morning saying they had a lot of emergencies that somehow took precedent over our existing and confirmed appointment. A plumber and his assistant did show up on Saturday mid-morning but their pricing was higher than other companies had quoted us via email to install new hardware and airgun a clog in our bathroom sink. Because we already waited two days, we had them perform the work. The actual work was fine but not the day we scheduled and definitely higher price (perhaps a weekend premium) than we had been told from another plumber who got back to us mid-week. I would shop around in the future.

Julie P.

Great service on the replacement of my 1958 toilet. Very complicated installation and it was done in under 3 hours. The lead plumber was Brian. He's a pro, so I'm sure he had many positive reviews. So, I'll focused on his assistant, Karly. She was outstanding - professional, polite and an excellent communicator. Full disclosure - I'm a senior citizen and live by my self, so this toilet replacement was a big deal to me. She put me at ease with her smile and calm manner. Take good care of her Goode Plumbing. She will have a bright future whenever she goes.

Charles H.

I have no problem with the quality of their work. I do have issues with their trustworthiness.

My wife engaged their services. They ended up replacing a working sump pump, a working back-up pump, a back-up power supply, and functional PVC pipes and check valves. They claimed that the sump pump was too old (12 years old, but working), that the back-up unit did not work (I regularly check the unit and checked it again after they left--It works fine) and they replaced working PVC, power supply or battery--I had recently replaced the battery myself.

If you do not feel confident about issues with your sump pump, these are not the trusted advisors for you.

Michael E.

I had an excellent experience with the Goode Plumbing Team. I had a water heater issue this weekend, whereas it failed and flooded my apartment. Further, the heater shut off valve was faulty and I had to completely shut off water to my unit. So, no water at all. They came the same day, and replaced the same day. Good and polite team, a little more than I would have wanted to pay, but it was worth it. Thanks to their entire team for their help.

Kim G.

My husband and I have been working with Goode plumbing for a few years (since moving to Chicago), they have been wonderful to work with and each time have a group of folks that are friendly and take the time to walk through what is needed and why. Over the years we have needed several items (pipe replacement, toilet fixes, etc.) and the service has been excellent. Recently had them out today to fix an outdoor faucet which the two gentlemen were very professional and courteous. They presented different options with pricing and fixed the faucet in a short period of time.

Raymond S.

They arrived promptly, gave a free assessment, were courteous and professional. But that doesn't change the fact that they quoted me almost a thousand dollars to move a toilet and rout out the drain/ remove sewage, $1000! They came with two people for a one person job, had fancy tablets, and said they use cameras to find the problem like that somehow added value? I already knew the problem was roots growing in my drainage line, it's a recurring problem I don't need a camera, regardless they refused to budge on the price. It all just seemed like a big corporate rip off! I told them I would think about it, then I found a nice family owned small plumbing service who offered to do it less than half the cost! Today I Learned: Find a family plumber is you're not an aristocrat.

Jillian E.

Excellent service both from the scheduler (Tiffany) and the plumber who came out (Alex). I've had not great experience with plumbers in the past and this was a totally different experience in the level of professionalism.
Got some great advice as to how to save money on our gas bill as well. On time, courteous, responsive to our needs.

Stephanie H.

We had a wonderful experience with the plumbers at Goode Plumbing. We were in desperate need of help as our new home seemed to be falling apart around us. We had been working with so many people on our house and were so impressed when, on the first day, I received a phone call from our crew to tell me exactly what time they would be arriving. It is really great to have people show up on time. Jonathan Delgado explained everything that he and his team, Nick and Adan, would do. Each evening, Jonathan would walk us around the house and explain everything that they had done. We asked so many questions and he patiently explained and re-explained to us until we understood. All of this after a LONG day of working. It was a great education for me and we appreciated all the knowledge that Jonathan had and shared with us. Brian and Chris were the next team and they did the same. Brian explained to me what had been causing some of the issues and then showed me what he did to fix it. Finally, Chris and Joey completed the job. At this point I was getting a bit frustrated with the lack of communication from the top (reason for only 4 stars), but Chris and Joey were so committed to making our house run perfectly and getting the job done I just couldn't stay frustrated. They told me they would stay as late as necessary to complete the job which they did. They were true professionals and really nice people who took the time to explain everything to me, share their opinions, and then ask how I wanted things to look. We were really impressed with the quality of plumbing and how respectful everyone was to us and our home. Thank you!!!