Gruber Plumbing

Crashtest D.

To bad there isn't negative stars.....
I was having trouble with a BRAND NEW Whirlpool water heater. I called Whirlpool's tech support number, obtained the required authorization code for warranty repairs, and a referral for a plumber in my area (Gruber Plumbing). Called their number and left a message. He called back and spoke with my wife. He was very rude and insulting to her ( NOT very professional in my opinion). A word of advice, DON'T buy Whirlpool! Because when it blows up and you call Whirlpool Technical Assistance, they will refer you to rude and insulting ""professionals.""

Jaina S.

Our water heater stopped working AGAIN, after another plumbing company (recommended by our HOA management company) had been out to fix it THREE times. The manufacturer doesn't make this model anymore, and it's weird, and has weird parts that need to be ordered, and no one seemed to be able to fix it.

I couldn't bear the idea of having the management company's recommended plumber come out a fourth time, so I called another plumber I'd used in the past, explained the problem, and they assured me someone would call me on Monday to set up a time to look at it and figure out what's going on. When I didn't get a call back from those people ... I figured if they're too busy to call me, they're probably too busy to come fix it right away, and I was getting tired of cold showers. I decided to call the manufacturer of the water heater to see if they could tell me someone who can actually work on this thing. They gave me Gruber Plumbing's name and I left a voice mail.

Phil called me back within a half hour, I explained the problem -- he said he could look at it that same day, he'd be there between 12 and 2 -- he arrived about 12:10 [I was expecting 1:55 at best, so that was Pleasant Surprise #1].

He wanted me to sign the estimate ($350 for the first hour, for diagnostics) before he could get started, and I got the impression that he, like many small business owners, has encountered people who don't think they should have to pay for someone's time -- this is how they make a living, people!! But also note that he's in Moss Beach, so depending on traffic, a 30-60 minute drive each way, and he did not charge me for driving time, as did the plumber who didn't fix it properly THREE times (paid for six driving hours for a local guy) [that was Pleasant Surprise #2].

Once he got in there, Phil patiently explained what he thought the problem was, and he had the part in his van! He got the part changed out -- the water heater restarted -- yay! Now this is where Management Company's plumber packed up his things and left. Phil said, ""I'm going to hang around here for a few minutes to make sure it STAYS lit ... "" [that was Pleasant Surprise #3] -- and sure enough, the silly thing went out AGAIN. So here's where Phil kicks into high gear and FIGURES OUT the problem. He worked through various possibilities, then landed on a possibility -- went back out to the van to get another piece of equipment -- made a couple phone calls (evidently to the factory?) -- identified another problem, and THE SOLUTION.

In the end, I paid him a non-trivial sum, however it was literally hundreds of dollars less than I had paid to the other plumber who had kept fixing the WRONG THING ... and I took a lovely hot shower that evening [and that is Pleasant Surprise #4 because i was SURE i had a week or two of cold showers while we waited for parts].

I would highly recommend Gruber Plumbing -- there's a certain truth to that old saying that ""you get what you pay for.""

Martin C.

0 Stars would be more correct!. Had a whirlpool water heater that stopped working had another plumber look at it and he said it was the thermo couple. Thjey said we should call Lowes. They recommended Gruber Plumbing. What a mistake. One of our roommates called and was quoted a price of $350 when Phil got there he looked at it and said he would charge $395 when roommates questioned why something that would take less than 1/2 hour and a $15 part would cost so much he said that was the charge. He was combative abusive and when as far as threatening them to call the police if he did not at least get $150 for the service call just to leave! Stay Far!!! Far!!! away from this company! There are way to many reputable companies in the San Francisco area. I will be contacting Lowes to be sure they are not on their referral list!

Sven S.

Gave me a $2500 quote for labor only. I am a contractor in Arizona and know the job is 4-6 hours. He agreed that it should take one person 4-6 hours.

I asked him, ""you charge $500 an hour?!?""
His response, ""no $2500 by 6 hours is not $500 an hour""

If I had no idea what I was doing im sure I would have went with him because he was the first to respond.

WATCH OUT!!!!!!

Btw- I waited a few hours and got the job done for $450 with someone else, and it was a 4 hour job. I paid for materials which cost another $100, so there is no way there was a miscommunication.

Steve

James P.

7/21/2014 Edit ""
Dishonest, deceptive, unethical and charges excessive for work not needed. I had a small drip/leak in my 4 yr old AO Smith water heater that was still under warranty. I called them and they referred me to Gruber Plumbing as their authorized repair in my area. I called and he came out the next day. He said the drain faucet was defective and it needed to be replaced. I asked if there was an alternative, a washer that might be the problem. Phil Gruber said, ""No, the faucet was defective."" He charged $370 for ten minutes of work to replace the faucet. Later I took that replaced faucet to plumbing expert who said, ""The faucet is not defective. It only needs a $1 washer. Gruber ripped you off big time!"" I contacted Gruber and he refused to address my issues, of misleading, false claim of defective faucet and not replacing the washer first. AO Smith said his charge was excessive and they would not reimburse me.
San Bruno, CA

Naz K.

The worst company to go with! I had problems with my Whirlpool water heater that i purchased June 9, 2013. I called Lowes they could not help me so I called Whirlpool. Whirlpool recommended to call Gruber Plumbing and worst technician named PHIL came. He is very cunning and a crook. He said there was no problem with the water heater but the problem was with the pipe fitting which he forcefully changed and wanted to make money of us. He said the problem will be resolved once he changes the fitting and charged us $325 for a 30 min job. He also wanted to make money from Whirlpool so he change the valve(why change the valve when there was no problem with water heater). The water heater still didn't work, we called him back but he said it will be $350 for him to come back. The water heater is still under warranty and Whirlpool knows about the situation and provided with a return material authorization to take it back to Lowes. Whirlpool apologized many times for Phil's actions. They even agreed there will be no exchange on the water heater but we could return after the complaint I made about the Gruber Plumbing. I am also taking this action to the media so people out there would know not to deal with this kind of crookie companies. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY OR THE TECHNICIAN PHIL!!!

Janice P.

I called Gruber Plumbing for a drain that needed cleaning. It was Saturday afternoon and they responded right away with this special machine that they had on the truck. Drain was cleared and I was able to use our kitchen right away. The one thing that impressed me was they cleaned up the area - no mess for me. And the guy was very nice. I recommend Gruber Plumbing!

Mike W.

I've had a number of issues come up with plumbing in my house in Moss Beach over the years and Phil of Gruber Plumbing has always been there to give me sage advice and come up with a right-on-the-money solution. He is very experienced and calm under pressure and absolutely will not suggest anything more than the job requires. We needed to replace a corroded out water heater and he was extremely helpful in acquiring a solid unit at a discounted price, and had it mounted and humming again in no time. No muss, no fuss.

He also encouraged us to replace a leaky toilet with a newer unit, rather than attempt to fix the leak, which would have cost more in the end. Sure enough, there turned out to be a hairline fracture in the tank and a replacement tank couldn't be found. If I'd followed his advice from the start I would have saved some time, trouble and money with a smooth install.

If you need a quick, professional and affordable plumbing service on the coast, Phil's your guy. He'll get you quickly back on track and singing his praises too.

Carrie Z.

12 hours ago, my drains weren't draining and i couldn't run any water for fear of bad things emerging from my kitchen sink. [Shudder.] Flash forward to this morning and a phone call to Gruber Plumbing and now I'm skipping throughout the house madly flushing toilets and turning on faucets. Well, that might be an over-statement, but I've been able to take a shower and I'm still darned giddy about being able to wash dishes again. Phil answered the phone and got to my house in under an hour first thing on a Monday morning. He accurately diagnosed the problem, fixed it, cleaned up his workspace and was done in under an hour . . . all for a very reasonable flat rate. He was nice to work with and listened to my concerns about my plumbing woes. Thanks, Phil! You are my new plumber!

Craig G.

A really good resource who I learned of as he was the 'go to' plumber I was referred to when our regular plumber was overbooked for the morning. Phil was prompt, attentive to keeping the worksite spotless and, above all, executed the repairs quickly and efficiently - just a great experience all around. As plumbing and plumbers go, what's not to like?