KENZ Plumbing

Victor V.

The work performed is 5-star. The business aspect pulls off 3 stars.

Called for an appointment and the receptionist says she will have a dispatcher call to schedule. Receptionist states that labor is $125.00 for the first hour. Dispatcher called and left a voicemail on my work phone for me to call her back. Before I could do that, the plumber calls and says they are on their way and for me to meet them at my residence. Some might think ""great!"" It just hit me a bit strange that no arrangements were made up front. Two men showed up for the job. I showed them the leak in the crawlspace under the house. They put down plastic sheeting to protect my floors and proceed to perform the repair. I verbally note the start time and the one guy confirms that. As they are working I ask to verify that it is $125 for the first hour. He says yes. I ask if there is a one-hour minimum, he says yes. I ask is that $125 for the job or per worker? He says it is per worker.
The job is completed in 35 minutes. I get the $250 payment together while they are cleaning up. He is writing up the details on an IPad. He says the amount due per his IPad is $375!
Then he asks to confirm I was told the labor fee was in fact $125.00. He says no problem; he will change the amount due to $250. Then he asks me to sign twice. I ask why twice? He says it is due to conversion from paperwork to electronic format (IPad). Payment is made and they leave.

It later turns out the first signature was to authorize the start of the work. (Even though he wrote all this up after the job was finished). The second signature confirms that the work was done to my satisfaction. Two invoices were emailed to me within the hour by Kenz.

Here are my concerns:
1. No call was made by the customer (me) to confirm an established time or window with the dispatcher. I fact I never spoke with the dispatcher.
2. Why was I quoted $125 per hour then they send two men which is now really $250 per hour?
3. Why was his IPad balance showing the amount due at $375? Where did $375 come from?
4. When the total was questioned by the customer, the employee simply and instantly changes it? This now makes me wonder about the $250 for a 35 minute job.
5. I was supposed to sign the authorization to proceed with the work BEFORE the job was started. (This would be an estimate) Instead, this was signed after the work was completed and signed on his IPad. (Since they started immediately with no estimate or paperwork)
6. No receipt was given for the cash payment. The workers have both my cash and signature. I have no proof of payment other than his form on the IPad. (This is HIS proof). I had to trust he would email me the receipt.
7. If I would have been quoted the actual labor rate of $250, I would have shopped for another plumber.
8. Why were two men send to the job when I never spoke with the dispatcher? (Only the receptionist). Who determines how many men are required?
9. The invoice shows no documented in and out time on the job, only 2 hours labor even though the job was only 35 minutes.
10. There is no documentation of who the second worker was. Was he a helper? Was he an apprentice? Was he a fully licensed plumber? The labor rates differ depending on who that second person is.
11. Since we were charged a full $125 per hour per employee, this would imply he was a full plumber. But that is not broken down or listed on the invoice.
12. The invoice does not state the labor rates or that the labor is a minimum of one hour.
13. In any business that deals with the public, if they tell you one thing, then charge you for something else, what would YOU call that?

I called Kenz two days after the repair to inquire about their labor rates. I was transferred to someone higher up. It took a fair bit of effort to get a straight answer. The company kept asking for the invoice, but I wanted general information, not to lodge a complaint or get special treatment. They insisted they were an honorable company with many 5-star reviews. Why defend your reputation when asked about standard business practices, a written contract for work beforehand, and labor rates?

Susan F.

After using Kenz Plumbing in the past, I called them in August of last year (2016) when we had an issue with the toilet in our Master bathroom. The tech installed a new fill valve and supply lines which had a warranty (per receipt) for one year. Recently that toilet started running every 20 minutes so I called Kenz Plumbing only because of the 1 year warranty. The tech came out and said that the flapper needed replacement, which he did at that time. No price was quoted, assuming that it was covered through the warranty. The tech called the office to confirm (after already replacing the flapper) and came back with a charge of $110 dollars for replacing it. REALLY??? To add insult to injury, you had to hold the lever down throughout the entire flush for the toilet to work properly. If we had been told ahead of time of this charge, we would've of said ""No"". The tech did the work first, then gave the quote. When I called the office to complain, I was told that the flapper wasn't covered by the warranty so I sent a text to Ken (the owner) hoping that he would look into the issue. He texted me back saying that he was out of town but he would look into it upon his return. I sent him a reminder text a few days later (since I had not heard from him) and have tried calling, but I always get his voice mail. I am very disappointed in all this and feel that I was taken advantage of by way of not having an option to decline service and being charged a big price for such an inexpensive part PLUS poor customer service by Kenz Plumbing. I will no longer use this company in the future.

Loren F.

Had a pipe leak in my attic, as you can imagine it caused quite a mess. My insurance company sent out a plumber to make the repair and all he did was the very minimum. Of course he told me I needed to re-pipe my house. It is almost 50 years old.
My neighbor told me about Kenz Plumbing, so I called him. His re-pipe estimate was very reasonable. My pipes were so bad, he recommended turning off my water ! YIKES ! I could tell that he was concerned. When I called him to start, he sent out his foreman Paco that same day. Paco told me exactly what needed to be done to get ready for the job, because they would be here the next day ! Sure enough @ 7 AM a crew arrived ! Each guy knew his job and they got right to it. Much to my surprise, they had the job finished in one day ! Paco and his crew really worked hard, they kept us informed of everything going on and were very professional. They left my house clean and tidy, and did a great job prepping, so messes were minimal. Thank you Ken, Paco and you're entire crew for an OUTSTANDING JOB ! 5 Stars all the way !

Daniel S.

I had a leak in the main water line coming to the house from the street, they gave me a great estimate on a total replacing of the line with a new valve and permitting, they were ready to start the next day and had the digging done, new line in and hooked up in one day! City inspector signed off in about 2 minutes and backfilling was completed after. All work was done in less than 3 days and for a very fair price. Payment was by email, communication was prompt and I felt like I was their most important customer the whole time. Very professional.

Ben K.

I called Kenz this morning after being stood up by another plumber for more than two days. Milo was dispatched to my business within a few hours and took care of the problem promptly and courteously. I will be using Kenz for any future plumbing needs.

Raymond R.

Tankless water heater was acting up. Kenz very professional technician Scott was in quickly, troubleshot, diagnosed and repaired with a followup when the manufacturer sent the replacement parts for the faulty ones. I am very pleased with the overall experience.

Joan D.

We've been using Kenz Plumbing for more than 15 years. Ken is a great guy, and he & his crew do a great job, and stand by their work. He's honest & prices are fair - he's the only plumber I use & recommend.

Willie S.

Awesome company. We had a major plumbing problem that required a hole house re-pipe. Got Kenz info from a friend. This company Knows their stuff. I'd hire them again in a minute. They weren't the cheapest but I can guarantee they are worth the extra money. Ken was on site with his crew of six for two days. This was a big job! Thanks Ken and staff!

Danielle C.

We needed to have a garbage disposal replaced at my friends place in Oxnard (long story short, I have a two year old). I called that afternoon, Scott was at her place an hour later. It took less than an hour to complete the work. Professional, polite and clean. Scott explained everything about the new garbage disposal and tested everything to make sure it worked correctly before leaving. I'm sure I'll be calling Kenz Plumbing for my future plumbing needs! Fast, convenient, efficient and friendly service! You cannot ask for more!

Peter B.

Pros: Kenz was the 2nd least expensive of four bids for a complete residential gas repipe. They were prompt, responsive and courteous. They got the whole job done in 2 days. Inspection passed and everything works. Cons: Man did they leave a mess! But on the other hand..
The representatives from the company presenting the most expensive bid had donned disposable booties before entering the house--implying they would be meticulously clean. Their bid was 3x Kenz. All said, I would probably use Kenz again.