Heise's Plumbing

Arnie - Patti G.

Some plumbing problems needing three visits:
(1) Installed new washers for the bathtub fixture.
(2) Installed new faucet and spout fixtures (which I bought on Amazon) for the bathroom sink. Some issues with the pedestal sink which required re-setting it. Cleaned out nasty very difficult gunk in the drain that backed up after installation.
(3) Cleaned out bathtub drain after #2 action above caused a backup.
Costs:
#1 & #2 - $486 labor which included some minor parts
#3 - $152 labor, no parts
Maybe if I had run the bathtub water after #2 and had seen the backup, I could have had it cleared out at that time and would not have needed #3 return visit for that $152 charge. Or, maybe not.
By the way, all the visits were promptly scheduled and the times adhered to.

E F.

Update: used ACME roofing and they subcontract these folks for roof drains. High quality work

-----

Honest good guy. Helped me identify problem over phone which was not plumbing related (oy, bigger problem!)

So I did not use this time but boy did his professionalism show through. Will use in future if needs arise.

Johnny T.

I can't imagine anyone better. Dave and his plumbers do great work. Dave has so much integrity, finding ways to defer them making a house call if there's a less expensive fix. Wow. Great!

Jessica C.

My neighbor recommended the company to me as he has used their service for over 20 years and has been always satisfied. I tried today and they are good: prompt, professional and fairly quoted. Thank you, Heise's!

William S.

My water heater blew up. After calls not returned, ridiculous quotes from Home Depot and other places, I looked at Yelp, bought a heater at H Depot and called Heise's to arrange a ""swap-out"". The receptionist put Dave on the line, he only tried, for a minute, to ""upsell""me, then scheduled me for the next morning at a great price, and offered a 10% discount for cash.
His two man staff showed up exactly on time; Tim (to the point and businesslike) and Jose (friendly, helpful and funny). They dealt with some mess and carrying that they probably didn't really need to, finished the job in record time, took the cash and gave me a receipt. I hope Dave pays them really well. He gives good phone, THEY give good work.
No reason to look elsewhere.

Larry T.

Had a plugged shower drain I couldn't unclog for the life of me. My drain snake wouldn't fit, and the old trick of baking soda + vinegar + boiling hot water didn't do a thing. Time for Heise's, who I've used in the past.

They came out and professionally snaked it for 45 min, got all the junk out and the water drains fine now. Their plumber was as friendly and professional as could be and the price was right--thanks again Heise's!

Linda T.

I called Heise's Plumbing when I had a leak in the gas line for my water heater. PG&E came out and closed the gas valve. Heise's was able to come out within a day and fix the problem. They were recommended by someone else in my neighborhood. They told me when I called that the hourly rate was $152 with a minimum 1-hour charge, plus parts. That's what they charged me. I was very happy with their work and quick response and would definitely recommend them.

Linda H.

SUMMARY:
I have worked with Heise's Plumbing twice and have found them to be honest, reliable and highly knowledgeable. The only drawback is that they charge a premium for parts and an hour minimum labor (currently $152) and they do not disclose that there will be a $152 minimum service charge at the time the appointment is made or during the appointment.

DETAILS:
I first contacted Heise's after the handle on my tub shower broke off and became unusable. At the time that I called, I had already known that the part needed (to fix the issue) was discontinued and therefore no longer available for purchase. I was further warned by several plumbers that I would have to replace the entire unit instead which would result in them having to cut a hole in the shower wall which would likely result in a need to replace the damaged slab (I have 1.5"" SOLID marble slabs serving as my shower wall) which would likely damage the tub which would damage my floors and . . . well . . . you get the picture. I only have ONE bathroom and couldn't afford a sudden remodel so I jimmy-rigged a handle using vice grip pliers and hoped it would last until I was able to afford a bathroom remodel. It lasted only a few weeks before finally breaking and I was suddenly no longer able to use my shower. Desperate, I called multiple plumbers, all of whom stated that they were booked up for several days. When I called Heise's Plumbing, they informed me that they were also booked up BUT referred me to a hardware store that often held discontinued parts and recommended that I check with them. To my amazement, the hardware store had the part and I was able to purchase and replace the part myself for less than $20. Heise's Plumbing saved me a ton of money and didn't charge me for that advice.

When the faucet broke again (for a different reason) almost a year later, I knew exactly who I'd call. I called Heise's Plumbing. They informed me that the soonest they could come out was about 4-5 hours later. Now, my tub was pouring water but, because of their great service prior, I knew I didn't want anyone else. So, being a cheap conservationist, I spent the next 4 hours busying myself, trying to use as much of the water as possible rather than waste it. I cleaned the car, scrubbed the garage, washed the floors, etc. The plumber (Mark) got to my house 4 hours later and I was relieved! I was exhausted from carrying buckets of water downstairs and was SO glad to see him!

Mark was very knowledgeable and efficient. He informed me that the part that needed to be replaced was a universal one and he had it with him. Less than 15 minutes later, the tub faucet was fixed. Not only was it fixed, but Mark adjusted the settings so that I could have better control of the water temperature and volume of water flow (I barely had any control before) and properly secured the unit (it used to jiggle before). I was impressed and immediately asked if they also do gas line work too (which they do) and whether I could get an estimate. Mark informed me that someone else gave estimates and recommended that I call and make an appointment to get an estimate when I'm ready to do the work. Mark then stated that a bill would be mailed to me later and left.

I was charged $260.50 for the repair ($100 for the part, $152 labor, and $8.50 tax). I was shocked and disappointed by the cost so researched it. There seemed to be a little bit of a markup on the cost of the part but not enough to become angry. I saw similar parts being sold online for around $50-80 (depending on the EXACT model which I did not know) so figured that whatever markup they charged was not enough to become angry about. But I was disappointed to learn that the labor cost was high because they charge an hour minimum labor. I was not made aware of that when I made the appointment or during the appointment. I don't find it unreasonable to have a minimum service charge but think that it should have been disclosed. If I knew I was being charged an hour's labor for a 15 minute appointment, I would have asked Mark to tighten my faucets before he left. My bathroom sink and kitchen sink faucet were both loose and I always found it annoying that the faucet would move every time I used them. Since, I couldn't figure out how to tighten them properly myself and didn't want to pay a plumber to come out to fix them, I have just been living with jiggly faucets. But, jeez, if I knew that I would be charged an hour's labor for 15 minutes of work, I would have asked them to quickly tightened those faucets. It probably would have taken them only 5 extra minutes and I would have gained a customer for life. But that's not what happened. I was surprised by a $260.50 bill a month later (it took them a long time to send it and, since I travel frequently, awhile for me to come home to receive it) and that was a bit disheartening. Overall, though, I am still thankful to Heise and would recommend them.

laurence c.

Great experience by first time customer. I found Heise's on yelp because my old plumber raised prices beyond reason. Dave returned my call in a few minutes and set up a service call for the next day. Meanwhile, I sent him a couple of pictures of the broken valve stem. He gave me a rough quote on the phone. Next day, right on time, Gilbert, one of Dave's staff plumbers, was at my door. He's a real pro with several years experience, and had the problem repaired quickly. Without batting an eye, he even did an additional frozen sink faucet replacement that I had forgotten to mention to Dave. The final invoice came in the mail, and I was very pleased with the amount charged, (including extra for the additional faucet). Heise's did a great job and I'll use them again.
Larry

LaVonne J.

I needed Heise's recently for two different plumbing jobs. I'd only used them one other time after my former plumber retired. I am so impressed. The jobs were scheduled in a timely fashion, the workmen show up on time, the work is done efficiently and they clean up afterwards! And the repair works and lasts. My father raised me to look to small local businesses and he is absolutely right. Thank you Heise's.