Mike Counsil Plumbing and Rooter

Marjorie Jane S.

Mike Counsil is the company that my landlord uses whenever we have any issues going on at the house.

One of their newest employees--Gustavo, was great! Gustavo was very smart and patient with my lack of knowledge. He walked me through the problem I had with our water heater and even showed me what I can try to do before calling if this happens next time!

Even though I didn't interact with the company myself, i recommend giving them a try.

Thanks Gustavo!

Atul V.

[UPDATE]
Mike Counsil did reach out to me as they said in their comment below, and also were able to schedule an appointment at a time convenient for me, which is Sunday morning. To make-up for the inconvenience they had caused earlier they also waived the trip fee. The person who visited was very professional, climbed down the crawl space to determine the cause, and explained everything to me very well. I appreciate that he was objective in his assessment and did not attempt to make any unwarranted sale at all. Really liked the experience. I might go with an optional repair he had mentioned.
Wish they had made it to the first appointment itself.


[ORIGINAL post, I gave them a 1-star rating at that time]
Experience so far is disappointing. Hoping for them to make amends so I can give a better rating.

Scheduled an appointment to check my bathroom drainage/sewage to diagnose the cause for strong odor. I was given a time for Friday afternoon. Got a call from Mike Counsil 24 hours before to re-confirm that I will be indeed be at home for the appointment.

I took time off from work and stayed home for the appointment, but then I get a call 3 hours before the scheduled time that the technician has an unforeseen emergency so will not be able to come. Basically, taking my day off from work was a total waste.

Kristin G.

They say they service everybody. But they will keep you on the phone forever and then screw you...

Estela T.

Very good plumbers: professional, knowledgeable, friendly, respectful and very efficient. They completed some plumbing work at my home last year, and since I signed up for a home service plan they have, and for a very affordable sum, they sent me an inspector to check on the work and all plumbing at my house free of charge. Very satisfied with their work. I highly recommend them.

Kathleen N.

Xavier and Henry were absolutely the best! They identified the problem and found solutions that worked. They are both so nice and it was a pleasure having them do the work! Also it doesn't hurt that Xavier could be Klay Thompson's twin!

Anil N.

Alex did a great job. He spent the time and got the necessary support to solve my problem. Friendly demeanor and very easy to work with.

Ted A.

A few nights ago I had a sewage back-up into my garage sink so I called Mike Counsil, a company I had used on one prior occasion. Kevin came out and checked under the house. The clog seemed to be on one end of the house so we could continue to use the bathrooms and they would come back the next day to do the repairs.

Kevin said that part of my original cast iron main sewage line (my house is 60-years old ) needed to be replaced and quoted $2701 for the job. This firm has a big book of fixed prices they use in a quote. Part of the old pipe had to be dug up (this is in the crawl space not the main line to the street which was replaced 4 years ago.) He said it would take most of the day and indicated that two guys would be there and he would come by later in the day after he finished an inspection. He told me that some of the waste lines under my house were unusual. We have had the kitchen and both bathrooms remodeled with the contractors installing new pipes during those jobs. Often times they work around the old stuff as they are not usually contracted to completely rip out the old and put in new. I later figured out this was the set-up.

The next day one younger plumber showed up and spent about 4 hours doing the repair job. The original guy never showed. I had assumed that this was a major project which required 2-3 plumbers working all day which would have somewhat justified the $2701 price. Most of the expense in rough plumbing is the labor as the pipes and valves are relatively inexpensive (as construction materials go.) The plumber told me he finished but there was still a problem which he couldn't describe but his supervisor was coming out. At this point he had not run any water through the system but somehow determined there was still a problem. Step 2 of the set up.

Glenn arrived and put his camera into the line to show me additional ""slow drainage."" Then he went under the house and emerged with pictures of numerous problems in my sewage lines. He got out the big book and crunched the numbers. He recommended that if I was staying in my house for more than a few years I should completely rebuild all of the sewer lines for both bathrooms and the remainer of the cast iron main line. One bathroom was remodeled in 2006 and the other earlier this year.

If I subscribed to their annual plumbing check program ($7.95/month), then he could take 11% off, bringing the estimate to $21,353.00! I told him that I would have to get a second estimate at which point he turned into a car salesman. He asked what could he do to get me to sign the contract today. I told him there was nothing that he could do as I don't spend $21,000 with due diligence and thought. While he was writing up the estimate he became the car dealer finance manager and offered a 15% discount if I would sign up today. I did not. Also it turns out the 11% discount for enrolling in their annual program would not apply to the work done today.

After Glenn left I looked at his business card and saw that he is the ""Business Development Manager."" Glenn is probably a journeyman plumber but on this day he was a sales guy. I don't want a sales guy telling me what is wrong with my plumbing. I expect a plumber or electrician to be honest in what needs to be repaired and to charge a reasonable fee.

I had my regular plumber come out today and do an inspection. He said there are no sewage leaks and no visible problems that need attention. He said that prior work had worked around the old plumbing which is not optimal, but quite common, and it does not mean that it was shoddy work. The prior jobs had passed the city inspections. He does not work for free so it cost me $250.00 to determine that I had no problems. He also said that the repair should have been around $1500, if it was even needed.

I am most disappointed in Mike Counsil Plumbing. I have seen their trucks all over town for many years and as this Yelp listing shows, they can do good work. On the other hand, I see that others have had a similar ""upselling"" experience. While it may not be illegal, I find it unethical. In hindsight it was a smooth operation starting with Kevin who found my plumbing to be less than perfect, the technician who is probably instructed to tell the homeowner there is something else still wrong and Glenn the Closer who makes the big sale.

I will never call Mike Counsil again so I hope they enjoy my $2701. I will keep the nice note pad though.

Jay S.

This company cancelled an appointment AFTER the scheduled time! They said they had no plumber available AFTER I had left my work to be at home for the appointment. They offered an other appt more than 2 days later - terrible customer service.

Jean C.

Mike Counsil was good from the start of the call and the person who answered. They sent SHANE out same day to help with my shower clog. SHANE was excellent. Very informative on pricing and recommended actions to solve my issue. The shower clog turned out to be more of a main line clog but SHANE methodically worked through it and solved the issue (retrieved the items causing the clog) with his super duper machine. All done while being so calm, even my dogs approved. :) Thank you SHANE!

Trevor S.

We called Mike Counsil Plumbing to fix a leaky copper hot water line under our house. First off, every interaction with MCP was personable, professional, and very courteous, from my initial call with the customer service rep (Jenny) to the dispatcher (Desiree) that kept me updated on the technicians' arrival time, to the technicians themselves (Henry and apprentice Xavier). Also, MCP follows up every interaction with text and/or email updates, so you always know what's going on.

A word about Henry and Xavier: these guys were very polite and courteous, and clearly explained what was happening during the repair (even capturing photos), which was taking place in an unpleasant environment. Both were tenacious in resolving the leak when it proved more difficult than originally thought. Great attitudes, hard workers, excellent technical skills, and great communication. Henry and Xavier are both first rate!

Summary: I was very impressed with the entire experience; Mike Counsil Plumbing really understands how to provide outstanding customer service! I would not hesitate to call them again.