Greenwall Plumbing

Steve C.

GET OTHER BIDS BEFORE hiring Greenwall Plumbing!!!!

Greenwall Plumbing started back in the 1950's in San Clemente when the town was almost a village. The founder and the company had a wonderful reputation for years and it was automatic to call them when you needed plumbing help.

Presently, the company is operated by the 2nd generation, Sara Chavez is the listed owner and her husband, Tom Chavez is the CEO/President.

We made a mistake this past week, by simply calling them and scheduling a new hot water tank to be installed in Capo Beach without getting other bids. That was our mistake and we must live by that mistake. But for those who read this review, please go on Yelp and select the highest rated 3-5 plumbing companies (many are well established plumbing contractors with years of experience and have earned very high ratings on Yelp).

The installation was installed by workman ""Zach"" and he is a nice guy, but he did not strap the tank as required by law and people on site have made claims he did not do other ""normal"" procedures. Outside of the straps we are not sure if the other observations from the people onsite is accurate, but we do plan to have another plumber come out and re-check the work in the coming weeks (We paid the invoice in full, but there is a 60-day warranty).

After Zach left the property never advised us the job was not completed. The invoice was received and it stated ""Job Completed."" My wife then called and spoke to company owner, Sara and asked her if ""Straps were required on hot water tanks to make them earthquake safe."" The owner (Sara) responded, she did not know if this was a requirement. It seems very strange that the business owner of a plumbing company would not know if hot water tanks required to be strapped.

She had Zach call my wife back and he said he knew the tank needed straps, but he did not have the correct materials when he first came out. Zach completely contradicted what the business owner told my wife (she did not know if straps were needed).

Keep in mind, that Zach did the work in less than two hours on the first visit and it was his mistake he could not strap the tank at the scheduled appointment.

Someone questioned my wife about paying $2,150 for installing a 40gal tank. As a result, I went on yelp and selected the five highest rated plumbing companies on Yelp and gave them the exact specs for this install. I gave them the model #, size and everything else.

Within eight hours we had five bids with the highest being $1299.00. Initially when the tank was not strapped and my wife called Sara and Zach she told them her brother who lived at the site wason a fixed income. As a result, they dropped the price by $100 to $2,050.

After receiving the five bids (all from highly rated firms) my wife sent an email to the owner, Sara Chavez and asked her to contact her. Instead of the owner calling back, she had workman Zach call. This is a very bad business practice. It makes you conclude that Greenwall is too big in their minds to call and talk to an upset customer.

My wife told Zach that the tank he installed is offered for sale from numerous vendors for $500-700 and the rest is labor. She told him that the other quality contractors would have charged $1050 to $1299. Zach said the job was complex, but remember he was only at the property for two hours. The difference of $750 ($1299 vs. $2050) could not be attributed to labor as he was only there for two hours.
He said their truck has costs and while we see other contractors charging a truck fee of $85, even if you throw that in we over paid by at least $700.

As a result, my wife decided to offer to Greenwall to split the difference of the $750 and asked for a $375 discount. She also asked to speak to the owner, but again the owner (Sara Chavez) refused to talk with her and through Zach decided to decline the offer.

My wife paid the invoice in full.

Our conclusion is that anyone who thinks this is the same company that existed for decades has got to understand it is not. The issues with quality mistakes were not acceptable (and honestly, the people on site still think there are other issues that were not done properly, but we have no way to verify this until we get another plumber out there to inspect). The biggest issue is that Greenwall charged an extra $700+ for labor on a two-hour job as compared to what the top-rated plumbers on yelp charge.

We strongly suggest that everyone thinking of hiring Greenwall should GET OTHER BIDS BEFORE HIRING GREENWALL. That was a costly mistake we made. We simply knew the company for decades and trusted them that their pricing was competitive and we were very wrong with that assessment.

Lori E.

Greenwall Plumbing came out on a Sunday to help me when a hose bib was sheared off. Max spent at least two hours trying to make it so I could at least take a shower. He came back the next day and fixed it ""the easy way"" and the cost was way less than I imagined it would be.

I would recommend them for any plumbing need.

Amy L.

5 star!! I have used Greenwall since I bought my home 2 years ago- I've used them on 3 different occasions and each time was a positive experience . I call and they come out the same day, professional and knowledgeable staff and the owners are wonderful to work with. They are honest and trustworthy and explain to me each step they do as they make repairs.
I highly recommend Greenwall and would call no one else but them to service my home!
A family owned business of wonderful people. Thank you Greenwall!

Laura K.

I had a home inspection in San Clemente and needed a plumber to evaluate a tricky booster pump system on a recent Saturday morning. I called Greenwall and the lady that answered the phone was helpful when I explained that I had several people at the inspection and could she help me to get someone over to help us. She obliged and we had Zac onsite within 20 minutes. He was very helpful and delivered an estimate for repairs when promised the following Monday. Then, Zac asked if he could have his boss, Tom, stop by to ensure they were recommending the proper solution. They both returned a couple days later and spent a long time continuing to evaluate the system. Both Tom and Zac were great and went above and beyond my expectation. I highly recommend Greenwall Plumbing.

Bill D.

I called and made an appointment to look at a heater exterior venting issue and a tankless water heating issue. After explaining what need to be done the owner said we don't do heating...Hummmm they advertise that and that the tankless water heater which was already installed needed proper venting which was me removing the old vent and them retro fitting stainless which I realize the material is expensive. I mentioned that I had had some other bids and I thought they were a bit high, having been in the trades myself for years...The quote from the owner was ""THEN YOU ARE NOT GONNA LIKE MINE ! "" Wow....and this is touted as a family run and operated business ? NEVER sent a quote or responded in any way...Who needs attitude....The trades are busy now, but they were begging for work 2 years ago. Scratch these guys of your list....they have bigger fish to poach.......

Scott B.

As a retired contractor with over 20 years experience, I can honestly say that experience creates excellence, neither are traits that the ""plumbers"" working for Greenwall possess. Nor are they willing to consider they made a mistake and take a look the problem at no cost. If you don't do the work right the first time.....you have to come back! IF you care about your reputation. Apparently, Greenwall plumbing is too busy to care...Some advice to the owner..(who was supposed to call me back, but did not) this false economy could collapse by the end of 2017....Better save your money

I called Greenwall plumbing out two times, the first was to replace the garbage disposal in the unit I live in. The disposal was at least 15 years old and the body of the disposal was cracked and leaking water. I prearranged a price for a new disposal including installation over the phone, it was pricey, but I was being reimbursed by my landlord and didn't want to do it. Greenwall sent a young plumber out the very next day, the guy came in, got right to work and got the job done....Hassle free, no additional charges.

The kitchen faucet was extremely corroded and would not pivot, so I did not hesitate to call Greenwall back, I was impressed by my previous experience. I had once again explained what work neede to be done and prearranged a price. I had purchased a faucet from Lowes and just needed it installed, as well as a couple of angle stops (small valves, hot and cold water ). The plumber (s) arrived in the promised time frame, but didn't seem motivated to do the work this time (two young guys this time). They even raised the price by 50% and then told me that the job couldn't even be done as I was missing parts to connect it to the supply side.....I've had lazy ""cherry picking"" employees before, these guys just really didn't want to do the job, it was easy to tell. He told me to call back when I had the part. They took off....Without the tools they had brought in, I called them back for the tools. I was sure they were wrong about the ""missing"" part, I couldn't find anything missing after reading the parts list, but I went back to Lowes just to be sure. Greenwall's ""plumbers"" were wrong, everything was there.

I called out Russel Fisher Plumbing, they sent out a real plumber for $100 less and had the job done in under 30 minutes.

Flash forward to December 13th 2016. My countertops around the kitchen sink were flooded by the dishwasher vent at the sink. I got under the the sink and found that the hose that connects the dishwasher to the disposal was kinked. It wasn't just kinked, it was basically flat, there was no way much water could pass through it, so it was pushing up through the air vent on top of the sink and running all over the cabinets and onto the kitchen floor. I called Greenwall and explained the situation, they said they could have someone over the next day to replace the hose. I let them know that if they were going to charge me, that I wasn't going to pay....That hose was so old it was crimped when their plumber put it back on the garbage disposal, it worked for 3 months, but it was easily clogged by sediment building up and causing it to flood out the vent....It SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED.

Green wall never showed up...the owner never called to see what the situation was from the customer's perspective. I'm going to drop the old hose off at their office...they can keep it as a souvenir.

I went to the local hardware store, bought a piece of hose for $3. I installed it under my sink in 5 minutes! It took waaaaaay longer to write this..but just thought people would like to know, that if you use Greenwall plumbing it's a roll of the dice.

Candice B.

Greenwall Plumbing is outstanding! Our town house shares a sewer line with three other attached homes. We contacted the other three owners, gained authorization to repair a portion of the shared line, and called Greenwall. Two of the other homes are rentals. Coordinating several days of work (which entailed asking all four homes' occupants to stop water and toilet usage while the sewer line was repaired and lined) was a logistical nightmare! Greenwall kept us constantly informed of arrival times, work time estimates, etc. Our neighbors appreciated the updates and all of us made it through the project with as little inconvenience as possible due to the circumstances. Greenwall Plumbing's staff made sure that the job was done correctly and they stuck to their estimate despite having to conduct some extensive work that popped up unexpectently due to some rather unusual plumbing work that was discovered at one of the other homes. What a relief for all of us knowing that our shared sewer is repaired and should stand the test of time! Thank you to all of the staff at Greenwall!

Timothy S.

The Greenwall team is absolutely incompetent. This review is a long time coming. Our development had a water leak that was collecting in a common area. Our HOA management company recommended Greenwall since they advertise as being ""leak detection experts"". After the initial consult, they sent obviously inexperienced workers with heavy equipment intent on digging where the water was collecting. We were relying on the ""leak detection experts"" but, once the driveway was dug up we asked if they checked the irrigation beds situated on HIGHER GROUND. The deer in the headlight look was priceless. They had no answer and promptly left, leaving the rented equipment on the street for several weeks. We were stuck with a bill of thousands of dollars and still the leak persisted. After our gardener examined the irrigation system and ultimately discovered the leak, we then had to hire an asphalt team to fill the giant hole left by Greenwall. It was also great to hear from the owner that it's really easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. Highly ethical guy and highly competent team. Still beyond me why we didn't sue these people.

Celeste S.

Great company and very friendly people. I had a leak a few years back so I called greenwall. I'm usually nervous when calling companies because you never know who's going to show up. Well safe to say Josh and Ryan showed up with big smiles on they're faces and ready to fix the problem, not to mention they were super handsome and polite. They cleaned up after fixing the leak and didn't charge me more then it was worth. Best plumbing company around. Thank You!!!!!

Sara H.

This company is so great! My husband and I were in need of an urgent repair and these guys came and fixed it right away! Not to mention the service we received from the entire staff was amazing. Quick to respond and got the job done!