Lacayo-Colt Plumbing & Heating

R C.

Re: Lacayo-Colt Plumbing & Heating, Oakland, California

To whom it may concern: July, 2015

Best plumber in the World? I can't say, but THE BEST PLUMBER IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA is my belief. Rey Lacayo replaced our water heater--one that had been installed by one of the best-known of Bay Area plumbing companies--and made the difficult-access replacement quickly, perfectly and with corrections of the not-to-code earlier work as a natural part of the job, all on budget and only one day after we first called him! Very impressive, high-quality work--after years with big-name companies, I now have a plumber whose work I believe in.

A month later, our toilet tank apparatus failed after many years, and Rey found time on his lunch hour to make the repair so that we would not be inconvenienced for more than a few hours. Working inside the house, he impressed me with his cleanliness (shoe covers!) and his pride of workmanship, and he left me feeling relieved that I now have a resource I can trust for our upcoming furnace replacement and inevitable trenchless sewer line work.

For all my admiration of Rey's work, however, this letter of commendation falls short: it cannot portray the cheerful, upbeat spirit that Rey brings to his work, a wonderful presence that makes you take him most naturally not only as your new plumber but as a friend. I no longer dread having to call the plumber, and Rey leaves me with the sense that I will not be left stranded if I have a plumbing or heating problem some Christmas Eve. Enjoy working with Rey if you have any plumbing or heating problem--it is honestly and positively a privilege.

Sincerely,

R. Chapman
Berkeley, California

UPDATE AS OF NOVEMBER, 2015


We have used Rey Locarno and his plumbing company for every plumbing need we have had for the past four years--and in an older Montclair property, that has been a good deal of work--and I can say only that he remains our plumber of choice by a long shot.

We have just replaced our 40-year-old furnace through his company as well, and we got spectacular work done at a very reasonable price. The project involved relocating previous piping, building a platform for the newer, shorter furnace, and upgrading all our furnace venting to code.

Anyone who needs a smart and efficient plumber or heating contractor should consider Rey first. He is the most knowledgeable and competent in his field from my forty years of homeowner experience, and a great pleasure to work with.

NE T.

Rey came the same day we called to replace our busted water heater, beat the other quotes we got for this service by a wide margin and gave us great, friendly service. Highly recommend him!

Barbara N.

Ray was my go-to plumber for a few years. He was generally available, his prices were reasonable, and he did good work. But then he started to grow and his prices went up. It seemed like his employees were just less adept at getting the job done quickly. Eventually, I experienced a serious sewer problem on a large building, and his bid was way out of line with the other bidders on a job of several thousand dollars. I'm not saying don't use Ray, but be sure to get other bids before you do!

leslie m.

Came right away, it ended up being a simple fix and he wouldn't charge us! Such a nice guy!

Joe Q.

He didn't make a dime off our transaction. Our garbage disposal leaked. Rey inspected it and said it needed to be replaced. We requested an inexpensive garbage disposal for $250. At the hardware store Rey bought items for several clients in bulk and didn't notice he got a disposal worth almost $500. He didn't realize his mistake until after he installed the disposal. He insisted he charge us only what we originally agreed. I objected that he visited us twice, shopped for us, and labored under our sink, so we should pay him a little more. He wouldn't accept any increase in price. Now that's what I call an honest businessman.

Dan A.

Rey did work for us on a couple occasions and his crew did a good job at a reasonable price.

Last time I called for two relatively minor issues, things went downhill.

Having a little experience with residential plumbing, I suggested what I thought was the problem and fix. Rey didnt agree with my diagnosis, tried and failed to fix one of the issues and tried to sell me on several thousand dollars in repairs and upgrades.

I ended up fixing one problem myself for $75 in parts (took me several hours, but I was right about the problem). The other problem was fixed by another plumber in less than a hour for a $150 service call.

I dont appreciate being ""sold"" on things I dont need. I just want my problem fixed. I need to be able to trust that my plumber (or any tradesman) is giving me good advice. For this reason, I wont be using Colt-Lacayo again.

Nadia P.

Had such a positive experience and wanted to share the recommendation - Lacayo Colt Plumbing should be the business you call for all your plumbing needs. Rey Lacayo quickly responded to my inquiry for help, offered to schedule an appointment for the next day, and provided exceptional service. He found it to be a small fix - didn't even charge me - and saved me from a much more costly and time consuming repair job. He will be my go-to for repairs, and I recommend him. Can't say enough about the fantastic experience I had with his business.

A R.

Rey saved us $1,500.00. Yes, $1,500.00!


We called Rey at 5:10 PM on a Wednesday where we advised that our water heater pilot continues to burn out. He refused to provide a quote for a new water heater over the phone but instead said he would like to come take a look at 8:30 the next morning to assess the situation. He arrived at 8:30 and at first look said, ""You do not need a water heater you only need to clear the dust from the vent."" Apparently, our laundry room has a vent that we never knew about as it is not easily visible (positioned behind a furnace pipe). The flow of air from this vent is required so that oxygen enters the room in which enables the pilot to stay lit.

Rey, reinforced the fact that our problem was no doubt the vent as he could, ""smell moisture in the air"" as the fresh air was not entering the area.


We immediately cleaned years of dust from this vent and our pilot has since remained lit. We also, notice the damp smell is gone! We tried for several years to get rid of this smell but did not have any luck.

Finally, we want to mention that we called three other highly rated Yelp water heater specialist. They all stated, that we needed a new water heater based on the age of the water heater and quoted between $1,300 and $1,800.00 even thought our water heater is only 6 years old. I made Rey aware of this and he said, ""It's a scam that so many others will sell you a new water heater when you do not need.""


Thanks Rey!

Ken T.

Great service. These guys were fast, upfront about pricing, and incredibly polite making a big effort to avoid leaving any mess. We had our toilet back up, they snaked the sewer line and inspected it for free. Seems we finally needed to replace it. Tons of plant root had invaded the line. It was a huge job but they came back the next morning digging outside working under the house. When they finished you couldn't tell they were ever there! Two days of work and we only needed to stop using the water for an hour and a half. Fantastic!

Matthew A.

Rey is solid. Everything he quoted was accurate. His workmanship is tops. He cares about his customers and communicates extremely well. After many other experiences with horrible contractors, I am pleased to say Rey is different from the rest!