J. Blanton Plumbing

Kenneth K.

I contacted them for a diagnosis of my water heater issue. There was excess water in the water tank tray. Two plumbers came out and did a ""visual inspection"" and immediately told me the tank is leaking and I would have to replace the whole water heater within 3 mins of just being there. Didn't even open or check the heater. The remainder of the time was going over the package deals they're offering, ranging from $2,400 (cheapest package quoted) to $6,000 to replace the heater. They also tried to sell me on an ""annual service agreement"" for like $200, promising some discount on the heater replacement. I was very disappointed with their inspection, and the fact they kept trying to up sell me. And they charged $79 for this visual inspection!!!! See attached estimate!

I went and got a second opinion, and the plumber was actually more professional. He actually open up the heater and found that the insulation to be dry, no water was leaking out. Stayed for over 30 minutes testing out the heating and cooling systems. No leakage. He noted the water was due to the drain backup, and not a water tank leak. Quick, easy and CHEAPER fix. I posted the notes from the second plumber for reference.

Called to complain to management, still no responses. Please avoid at all cost. They're just after the $$$ and will up sell you at all costs!!

T R.

Everyone I spoke with on the phone was very courteous and helpful. Drew came out to my house and was also great! He fixed my (simple to him but confusing to me) problem quickly and efficiently and explained things along the way without making me feel stupid. He looked at the water lines in the basement and gave me some good advice for the future in addition to the service he provided. Overall it was a good experience at a reasonable price, and I would definitely use them again!

Joe L.

J. Blanton Plumbing overcharged my daughter for a water heater replacement. Blanton Plumbing charged $4,700 (approximately) for a 40 gallon water heater with exhaust vent fan and warranty. Lowe's quoted me a price of $1,400 for the same original water heater with warranty and the same features. I discussed this pricing with other trade people who were shocked at Blanton's price. I talked to Jordan Blanton, owner, and he couldn't explain the price difference. I suggest everyone go and shop at Lowe's or Home Depot and save money.

Shaun C.

After receiving the recommendation from another resident in my building I called J Blanton to service my leaking kitchen hot water pipe. The office staff was very friendly and helpful. They called and updated me on when to except the plumber to arrive for both visits. Jake was very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly to work with. I will be calling J Blanton for future jobs.

Susan A.

This is a great company to work with starting with the office staff. Jane is so helpful in making sure everything is done well. They installed all new sewer pipes for us. Very large and messy job. They gave us a breakdown of how the work would be done and stuck to the schedule. Boomer was so helpful. All of the guys on the job were great especially Kyle and Chris. When the work was done they cleaned up the space nicely. A lot of work and we will continue to use them as we have for the past 10 years.

Kristy M.

I used J Blanton twice.
The first time was when I got water in the basement. They said I had a drain tile problem and recommended drilling into the floor, which I did. My fault I should have gottten another estimate. They didn't close off house or vents, whole house was covered in dust and unlivable. We had to check into hotel. They damaged our speakers by not covering them. When they relaid the cement it had to be done twice because it was so bad. And, to top it off, our Beamer today kept flooding. An actual water proofing company ended up fixing it. My mom also used them, and they were doing a root of a drain and the plumber lost two tips in the drain. He then wanted to drill into floor to try to get them out and said ""they may be a problem later"". When we called he office (the office manager is very nice and she's great), they said we'd get a call back, never did. I do not recommend this place.

Brandon W.

I called this company, based off reviews and their location, to resolve sewage going into my sink. Upon their technicians arrival, I was advised to take the bronze plan-1 step beyond the basic plan. In hindsight this was overkill. The job was a standard grease blockage that the techs were able to unclog in 30 min. And how much you asked to fix this issue, over $700. Buyer beware, their pricing seems predatory.

Mark B.

We are commercial, a restaurant. Let me say upfront that they are an acceptable plumber. I think they are or aspire to be a large plumbing outfit, so you might get different people on different days. Sometimes they are quite young who give questionable advice. Replace something that doesn't need replacing. My beef, though, with this company is that they are clearly following some modern model of maximizing revenue, so they are very expensive. As you read their reviews, you'll see that they won't give estimates over the phone. Imo, that's because you won't use them if they do. Once they are at your place, and the water is leaking, you are faced with the choice of them or calling another plumber and waiting more hours . . . . If they were above board, they would at least tell you their implicit hourly rate, and their travel charge to your site. I roughly calculate their hourly rate at $300-400 per hour, which they are not going to tell you over the phone. Two examples. We had drains backing up on the 4th of July. Ok, we know we are going pay. And kudos to them for answering the phone. So they warn that there is a $159 travel charge because it's the 4th. That is absolutely fine. What they don't tell you is that they are also going to nail you on the work. For ~30 minute visit, $1,000+. This is a ~$300 charge from a rooter on any other day. Second, another time, we have a ceiling leak. When they arrive and check it out, they say $475 which I ok. They then present a blank tablet screen with a big signature box which I sign. Later, after this dispute, they send me an contract copy showing I have signed off on ~$900. Sleazy. That's for ~2.5 hour visit, during which they didn't correctly diagnose the problem. Turns out the a/c unit in the ceiling is throwing off water. The plumber at the end of the visit says that he wants to have his hvac guys look at it. I say ok. When they come, they quote $450. What are you going to do? I'm gone by this time but my GM says ok. When done, they present a bill for an additional $900. Double because there are 2 a/c units in the ceiling, which they didn't bring up. What did they do? Basically replace the filters. Admittedly, they aren't easy to access, but they were there for ~2 hours. So, all totaled , ~$2,000 for 4-5 hours of work. Minimal supplies. Do the math. Avoid this company in favor of a plumber where you are dealing with one guy/gal who is upfront about how they charge. Blanton's needs to face up to whether they want to rake customers for one or two times before they drop them, or whether they want to develop repeat, loyal customers.

Danielle D.

Very nice over the phone. Would not give me a base quote of what the service would cost, so I could have an idea. Told me it was $159 charge to have someone come out and quote me (I live in Chicago)? Decided to head to Yelp and saw everyone else was told $79 for a quote...? Definitely cancelled my appointment. Go elsewhere.

Toby K.

Again, after coming out a 2nd time and telling me they would have an estimate report for me within a day I haven't gotten anything.

I have no idea what their issue is but they need to figure it out. I really can't believe this is a sustainable business model (charging people $79 for estimates and then not providing anything) so I don't know what's going on. It's very strange, but either way I'd say use a different plumbing company

Edit: After posting this review they called me and told me they had email problems. They sent out the estimate right away. I'm going to shop around and will report back if it's a good quote or not