Marin Plumbing

Lisa F.

I should have listened to the other folks posting their displeasure with Marin Plumbing. The comments displayed compelled me to write my own post. I just bought a house and when we went to change out two toilets with new ones, we saw a lot of water under it and wanted advice before we proceeded. We called Marin Plumbing as our third choice after leaving messages for two others. They never called back so Brian answered the phone and I felt comfortable moving forward. Before meeting him in person, he explained his customer service policy, the importance of treating the customer with respect and dignity, and that he would waive the fee for coming to my house. He called prior to our scheduled day to postpone and reschedule. I didn't have an emergency so I agreed and it was fine. On the day of our appointment, he called me 10 minutes before and explained why he was going to be late - he was doing the billing in his office and needed time to get to me. It was 45 minutes later when he arrived. At this point, a red flag went up about said ""customer service"". He then pulled out marketing materials about joining his preferred club, and all the laminated pages about his knowledge of plumbing and that he was insured and bonded. This schpeel took about 20 minutes. He then put down the charge for the visit and I reminded him that he would waive that charge when we talked over the phone. He said he forgot but that he would honor that discount of $69. He then went over pricing and let's just say I was surprised....$299 for each toilet installation. Since I thought I had plumbing problems my husband couldn't fix, I agreed. The water department told me a toilet install should be $125 not including parts if needed. I thought I was having a problem wanted to do the right thing by getting an expert to look at the mess we had under one of the toilets. At this point, we talked about the sewer line and being insecure about it, I asked for the service to take a peek inside of it. An extra charge but I wanted to know for peace of mind. (I probably should have done it before I bought the house.) He started with the check of the sewer line and he had really updated equipment. It took two hours, where he marked outside where the intrusions were located (minor in my eyes but in his, it could fail any moment!) and a copy of the recorded video of the whole sewer line. It was $400 but again, worth it for peace of mind. He then got started on the toilets. Come to find out, there was nothing unusual and it was installed without issues. The water we found was due to a broken wax seal and didn't damage the floor as it was on a concrete slab. Whew! On the second toilet, it was pretty easy except when he removed the toilet, it needed another anchor bolted down as the previous one disintegrated. I watched him as he fixed it. He used a thin item which looked like a large round gasket with holes in it and then used a drill to drill two bolts into the pipe in the floor. I think it took all of 15 minutes. He then installed the toilet without issue. At this point, he was at my house from 10:45 am - 5 pm finishing the work. My husband came home at this point where Brian took him outside and explained the intrusions in the sewer line that he marked on the driveway. When Brian came back, we started to take care of billing. Guess what? He charged me $150 for that large round gasket thing and the drilling of the two bolts that took 15 minutes. I asked twice why that is an extra charge, and he underlined a word in the line item for a toilet install and said that was $150. There was no mention of this extra charge as I watched him do the whole thing. Also, the line item listed all the things he will do to install a toilet with one price, there was no $150 anywhere except on the bottom near the total. This was the final red flag that went up but I didn't start to get sick in my stomach until I went to bed and thought about my experience. So, for $1100, I got two toilets installed and my sewer looked at. I couldn't stop thinking about my husband and that look he gave me as I handed over my credit card for payment. Oh how dumb I feel. But it's my own fault. If I had only listened to Yelp and the Water Dept........Please take my word and do not hire Marin Plumbing. Seriously read and take into consideration my post here on Yelp. I don't post things unless I am really moved to warn others.

eric r.

I am a licensed landscape contractor here in Marin County.
I have worked with Brian on multiple jobs.
Brian is always professional.
Brian works hard and gets the job done.
Brian is very pleasant.
Brian is good person.
The last job we did we all passed inspection with flying colors.

Thank you Brian

Wendy L.

Brian came out promptly to deal with a water pipe leak and give an estimate for replacing a water heater in our newly-bought house. As we sorted out what scope of work we could afford, he gave us a few estimates covering a range of options and prices. The estimates incorporated a big picture view of fixes that needed to be done now, fixes that could wait, and pre-emptive improvements that, in the long run, would save us money and headaches and make our new place nicer to live in every day. In addition to a water heater replacement, we had him do a whole house re-pipe (2 bathrooms water only, water main from meter to house, kitchen sink, laundry sink, washing machine, 4 hose faucets) and lateral sewer line replacement.

Brian's estimates seemed high at first, but in the end he was absolutely worth it. He rolled with surprises that came up in the course of the work, which with other plumbers may well have cost us extra in money and hassle, and he threw in several little extras, like a new kitchen combination sprayer/faucet, that make our quality of life much better. (He gave us a discounted price for installing new appliances, too.) The hot water pipe leak was the initial problem. After a professional leak detection guy couldn't pinpoint where the leak was, Brian said he could replace just the hot water pipe, but that we should think about replacing the cold water pipe since it was old and might spring a leak too. Since we were having the walls opened for electrical work, doing a whole house repipe now would get the mess over with before we moved in. The lateral sewer replacement was another pre-emptive fix. The front yard was already a mess, but we had plans to have it landscaped during remodeling. When he showed us tree root intrusions on video from the camera he'd sent down the pipe, he said the short-term solution would be to have him roto-rooter the pipe every couple of years. Laying a new sewer pipe from the front of the house to the main line would, in the long run, minimize chances that we'd have to dig up the landscaping to deal with sewer problems. Brian communicated clearly throughout about what our options were and what we could expect for our money. He kept us informed about what stage of work he was completing or about to start, so that we were able to coordinate his work with that of other contractors. He took excellent care of us and our budget.

Victoria O.

I was wowed by the professionalism of Brian with Marin Plumbing. When he first called to make an appointment, he gave me a two hour window for his arrival. He even offered to come do the work on the weekend! He then called me as he was leaving his previous job to narrow down the time for my window. Unlike those cable companies who leave you hanging around all day, he was there the first minute of my window which was 11 to 1, he was there at 11. To be honest, when he called he was there waiting for me! Talk about being on time! Fantastic. I appreciate the fact that he considers my time valuable.

I also must mention that he entered the house in booties as to not track dirt into the house. To a clean freak like me, I knew that meant he would leave the apartment in a better shape then when he arrived. He was meticulous in his work laying down blankets and towels around the work area. He was able to assess the work needed and walks you through all the options and prices before beginning his work. I really appreciated knowing what the why behind the work needed and pricing. He is extremely fair with the pricing options. He makes sure that you are comfortable with the work he plans to do.

Now to the important stuff. He knows what he is doing. I know, I know that is expected with a plumber correct? Well, sadly a lot of plumbers go out and put a ""band-aid"" on the real issue. They may be cheaper at first, but you will pay for it in the long run. You know that saying, you get what you pay for? That is a wise adage to think of when you are choosing your plumber. Someone may give you a lower quote to get your business, but do you really want a quick fix when it comes to a toilet not working a pipe burst. I don't want to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Brian is from Marin County, and has worked in the business for 24 years. He is an expert in his field. As the owner of Marin Plumbing, he answers calls and arrives with a truck full needed parts and tools. Unlike plumbers, who need to leave a job for parts and come back, he is like a retail store on wheels. When your time is concerned, that makes a big difference.

Okay, so pricing. He is priced on par with his competitors. Sure, there may be plumbers who offer cheaper rates, but again how are they able to offer those prices? Brian is fantastic when walking you through the price options. I also appreciated knowing the how and why behind the quotes. He has you agree to the prices before he starts the work. Here is the best part, at the end he will walk you through the work he did and what that entailed.

I was delighted with Brian as a plumber. I would absolutely recommend him to friends and family. There are two things I will always defer to the experts for, car maintenance and house maintenance. I will certainly call Marin Plumbing the next time I'm in need of a professional plumber.

Paula P.

Even as one of his special customers who paid his membership price, he still would overcharge for items not on his list! Over $400 to install two basic toilets?! I felt taken advantage of...

T D.

Same deal, Brian gave us the talk on customer service and his tiered pricing model. He came to clean out our drain and fixed a broken elbo on our faucet. When I called him a month later to tell him the elbo was leaking he said he had no record of it and that it would cost the same again for him to come out and look at it. It took him a day to get back to me and told me it would take him a few days to get to our house since he was so busy and should use him as a secondary resource. So much for paying extra for customer service? Brian is more of a salesman than an plumber. Don't let his stick get the best of you!

Michael B.

Marin Plumbing, Brian, was very professional. Had options and costs for a no nonsense explanation. In my case, I do a lot of work around the house myself. But plumbing isn't high on my list of what I'm good at. On Time, Cleans Up. And We are planning a remodel next spring and our General Contractor will have to use Brian for our plumbing needs.

Carol G.

About a year ago, I called Brian because it was a Saturday, and I needed someone right away. I was exhausted and in a time crunch. That simple kitchen faucet cost me almost $600. I knew as soon as he got here what a rip off it was, but needed the work done.At that time,Brian, who spent more time talking and selling then working, told me the dishwasher valve was frozen, and wanted some rediculous amount to fix it.I said no. A year later,my handy man just told me that it is not frozen. I watched him turn it. DON'T FALL FOR BRIAN'S SCEEM. All of my neighbors asked about him, and I warned them all off.

Samantha H.

Brian Cooke is generous with his time and money! He donated a full filter system to Golden Poppy Preschool & Infant Center at no charge. This altruistic donation benefited the children and teachers alike!

Alana N.

Like the others, it seemed like a simple, basic job. When he came out to replace a kitchen faucet, Brian Cooke helped me feel better about plumbers --after some recent shocking incompetence and rudeness elsewhere. I am signing up for Marin Plumber's Diamond program because after the sting of prior experience I want to be able to make a habit of having service that listens well to my needs, anticipates my needs, clearly explains options, and follows through with an outcome I can feel good with. I appreciate Brian's attentiveness to the solidity of his business as well as to fulfilling his immediate task. He takes time to explain, yes he does --on HIS time, not MY meter. Bravo on an excellent job.