Malcolm Plumbing & Mechanical

Jennifer S.

I had a shower that was not regulating temperature properly - would randomly spew out scalding hot water. I tried working with a different plumber first, but he kept postponing and I was worried about scalding. Malcolm plumbing was able to fix within 2 days. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that they were definitely not cheap. I know I could have got the job done for a LOT less money. That said, they gave me a somewhat accurate quote before they showed up. I was just desperate for a fix.

Thomas B.

New 50 gallon water heater purchase & install

This was the third water heater I've purchased and installed from Malcolm Plumbing since 1995. The man who inspected my non-functional 15 year old heater was extremely thorough. He found that water was coming from the roof exhaust and went up on the roof to inspect the cap. He then discovered the angle of the exhaust pipe coming from the heater was causing the water problem. When I decided to buy a new heater he gave me an estimate and took pictures of the old set-up.

When the crew came the next morning to do the installation they were exceptionally attentive to details. One thing they did was bring my existing earthquake restraint up to current code by replacing the metal straps and adding two horizontal boards to prevent the heater from moving in that direction. They also cut the flu pipe and realigned it to fix the standing water problem.

The model of Rheem heater they installed was a ""Classic Series--Professional"" which comes with many quality features and a 6 year guarantee. Although the price was a bit more than I expected, it was well worth it given the extra work they did and the overall quality of their work and the heater itself. Plus they gave me a senior discount!

All three men showed up in masks and were friendly, well informed and professional. After installation, there was a minor technical problem in getting my copy of the signed invoice but it was resolved by a phone call.

Freestyle S.

Vadim came out to repair my boiler which feeds hot water to my radiators. He is very knowledgeable and had all the right tools, and did a great job. I would give 5 stars but they are quite expensive, and the job took longer than they estimated. However, they treat their workers well (union wages), so the extra expense is probably worth it.

Glenn O.

First, let me say that I had been a long time customer of Malcolm Plumbing. Second, I have never submitted a yelp review before, but felt that this company deserved a review. I had always thought that their pricing was high, but continued to use them because of a referral

Had a problem with our kitchen sink being clogged couple of weeks ago on a Saturday. When I called Malcolm, they wanted to charge me over $800 just to come out. Understand that it was on a Sat, but to charge me 3 times their normal rate, I thought was ridiculous.

Called another company and they charged me less than $200 to complete the job and they found out it was just a minor problem. I have found a new plumber moving forward. Maybe some of their customers don't care about high pricing, but if you do, I recommend finding another plumber cause Malcolm just lost a customer for good

Heather B.

I highly recommend using Malcolm Plumbing & Mechanical - very professional and responsive. Matt is the owner and he definitely makes customer service his top priority. His crew spent 3 days in our home replacing our boiler and they were amazing. His entire team is professional and very respectful, showed up on time and left our home clean and spotless. I would highly recommend using Malcolm Plumbing

David T.

I'm sure they are reasonably competent, but their prices are outrageous. $736 to clear a line that wasn't even clogged (so it should have been easy.) Charged for about double the time they were here. When we protested, they refused to adjust the bill and threatened to turn us over to a collection agency.

If you're desperate and don't mind being charged double what anyone else would charge, call these guys. You can be sure I won't call them again.

Cyndie P.

I can't say enough about this company & it's all good.
Called them to do a back flow inspection on my boiler which another company had me waiting over 3 weeks & never returned my calls. They had the request done in 3 days & so I need a new boiler because mine has only been running for 95years
The owner Matt I believe that's his name took the time out for me & answered all the ?'s my husband & I had re; a new one. The other company wouldn't even respond to numerous phone calls to them. Which I didn't need at the time believe me!!! & The receptionist is so helpful & professional & would call back when she said she would
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Michelle the admin. Manager is so pleasant to deal with & remembers their previous clients which add a personal touch to spending lots of $$$$
But a job done right is what I'm looking for & you get what you pay for. Ok enough!!!!!
This is not a sales pitch just a happy customer
So too 40,000$ for a. New boiler Sticker shock
Malcolm team has done a full estimate for me re; boiler
But again. I thank you because I know the job will be done correctly.

Caro C.

Overpriced, rude, dishonest, and not professional.

Received an email 10 min before they were scheduled to say the plumber was on his way, and that he is not yet a plumber, but currently in plumbing school. First, if the plumber is a student, you have a duty to tell me that before arrival. And then I called to ask if there was any other plumber available (naturally I wanted someone experienced, as we just expensive water damage), and was completely told off and scoffed at by the staff, saying it was ""just a disposal"" and I can't get someone else. Then I talked to the owner Matt, who accused me of being rude and offensive (literally the last adjectives anyone would use to describe me), and asked me if I was going to yell at the plumber when he came. I'm sorry, but WHAT?

Re dishonesty: When I set up the appointment, I had asked them around how much it should cost, and they said it was impossible to tell me (my sink disposal broke) until they came. When the plumber actually came, he quoted me $534 for 1.5 hrs of work, which is ridiculous, even for SF standards. He also told me that the sink disposal replacement was basically a flat fee. SO, Malcolm plumbing knew it would cost $534, and just refused to tell me beforehand because I'm sure they know it's overpriced. BUT, once you take off work and go through the effort to have the plumber there, they know you're just going to pay it, no matter how much it is and even if you know you're getting ripped off. I looked up other SF plumbing companies later and found out that replacing a disposal should cost far less.

So stay far away, unless you want to get ripped off, get yelled at, and have a plumbing student fix your pipes.
FYI, the one star is for the plumber, who was nice and seemed to have nothing to do with the actual pricing. Zero stars for everything else.

Nicole P.

We used Malcolm Plumbing to properly insulate our radiant floor heating in a new home. The seller hadn't properly completed the system and our plumbing inspection had given us a quote and scope of work that was almost double what we got from Malcolm Plumbing, who let us know we could achieve good results without completely revamping the work. Both times they came out, we received an email telling us exactly who was arriving (with a photo) and when, which is nice to get for security reasons. They arrived on time, gave great service, and always followed up via email. They are one of the few plumbers in the city who seem fully comfortable with radiant floor systems.

Dave L.

Just used Malcolm Plumbing for the first time after being referred to them by my next-door neighbor. The office is very organized. I left a message asking for a non-emergency service call with their answering service on the weekend. The office called me promptly at 8:30AM Monday morning. We set up an appointment with a time window of 10am-noon. At 10:15 I got an email saying the plumber was on his way, and he arrived a few minutes later. He was able to repair the problem (toilet bowl needed a new seal) quickly and without making a mess.

My only complaint was the price - $211 for less than a 1/2 hour visit to install a part that cost under $5. But prices are high in SF and its not clear than another plumber would have been any cheaper. I would gladly use Malcolm Plumbing again.