Nelson Bros. Sewer & Plumbing

Devon B.

The Guy who came out was nice and professional but when it came time to fix the toilet, he either didn't know what he was doing or was trying to charge me for parts that I didn't need. Everything was professional when I was standing in the bathroom with him but as soon as I walked away and left him alone, that's when he tried to take advantage I feel like. He stayed for 1 hr, was wrong about what needed to be fixed and wanted more money. I told him no thank you!

Sandy S.

My March Madness! Closed on new home February 28, 2018, on Saturday evening of March 10th, water encircled basement drain about 12' wide, then receded. No 30 day grace period of new ownership for me!!! On Sunday morning, water came up again. Royal Oak resident (and painter) Dave K referred me to Nelson Brothers. Nelson Brothers' plumber who took my emergency call that Sunday morning is a saint. He made excellent suggestions to not using water; no shower nor flushing of toilet, etc., so I could avoid emergency costs, and to move items away from clean outs. I called back Monday morning and John came out in a few hours to troubleshoot, and snake out the problem. John was kind, professional and tidy. He offered further guidance to all my questions regarding home ownership in Royal Oak pertaining to all things plumbing. I will schedule a camera/home colonoscopy, and to snake out the main to the street, along with replacing plumbing under the laundry tub. Thank you Nelson Brothers Plumbing for your integrity, professionalism and looking out for customer costs. You are #1.

Rosie E.

I simply could not be more pleased with the service I receive from Nelson Brothers and the fair prices. Having had my kitchen sink dismantled for the installation of new solid surface counters, I needed the sink hooked back up and a new facet installed. Mark was not just an immensely skilled plumber, but he was delightful and generously tolerated my 11 mo puppy who insisted on ""helping"" after an overly excited welcome. The existing sink was reinstalled with disposal and dishwasher hookup, new trap, and he swapped out the faucet for $278.
BTW: Initially, I had T&G from Birmingham came out because Nelson Brothers had a couple day delay. There was no problem to discover--the work was predefined. T&G sends out a very polite professional plumber who takes a look, asks about poor drainage, and writes an estimate for $788. I declined that quote as well as the $69 ""service fee."" A supervisor tried to convince me how fair the price was because they have such a nice truck sitting in my driveway and they have ""book"" which defines how the plumber must do each job and the cost. $510 for T&B's truck and book? No thanks.

Kim G.

We have used Nelson Brothers Plumbing for years but are very disappointed in their customer service after a recent visit. We had some work done and right after the plumber had left, since it was after 5, we noticed a slight problem with the position of 2 small copper pipes. We called and he was scheduled to come back 2 work days later between 3 and 5. He called that afternoon but informed us that we would be charged the $100 initial fee again, after we had just paid it 2 work days before that. We were willing to pay the $25 for the 15 minutes of work it would have taken to fix the problem. We are both located in Royal Oak so not out of town. The owner said that he would take $25 off of that initial fee, but as far as we are concerned, that is bad business. They must have so much work that they don't care about customer service.

Alicia M.

We never got the opportunity to do business due to the multiple incidents of unprofessionalism. I asked if they could call when they're on their way and was told that's not a standard business practice, but they would call with ample notice if they were delayed or had to cancel. I got a call from Jeremy 30 minutes before the appointment time to cancel since Rick had to perform an emergency service. I asked if anyone else could come in his place but Rick, the owner, is the only one that provides estimates. I was disappointed that I did not get better notice as I already left work. I later get a call to say he will be on his way, followed by another call to say he won't due to an accident but they'd call tomorrow to schedule another time. That call never came, so I called back on Monday to say this has been a hassle and I'd like someone to prioritize the rescheduled appointment. Rick called back and before I answered I heard him say ""she's not going to like what I have to say"" and despite asking multiple times what they could do better (not rely on one person for estimates, call back when they say they will, give a better heads up for cancellations, etc.) which I was ready to provide honest feedback he had it go in one ear and out the other and instead of listening made me feel bad about his accident and said there are many other plumbers I can go with. That's what I'm going to do. I hope they learn to provide better customer service.

Wayne H.

Perhaps the workmanship is ok... but I was infuriated to learn that because they didn't get hold of me by phone, they bypassed our appointment and went to the next call. My wife took some expensive time off work in order to keep the appointment; she was there waiting for them...and waiting...and waiting.

Yes, it's true that they weren't able to get me by phone. But that's no excuse for not showing up at the address at the agreed time.
I was not informed that I would have to answer the phone before they would keep the appointment we had made...I thought they would honor their appointment, and only call me if/when there was a problem with showing up.

This is only our second time using Nelson Brothers; how they choose to resolve this matter will determine if we will use them again.

Katie S.

I got a quote for 1000.00 higher than other quotes, yikes I said thank you and good bye .

Ryan H.

I had Nelson Brothers come out and perform work earlier this year and on the phone they were clear that in order to send a Technician it was $100 (which includes 30 mins of work then it goes up from there based on time and materials) totally fair. I called again recently for a quick repair and on the phone the gentleman did not say that there was different cost structure for different calls. I was calling to have them swap a cartridge on a shower valve - figured it would take less than 30 mins so I'd be charged the $100 + parts.

Their Tech was in my house for 10 mins and says ""i'll have to order the cartridge"" and says I owe $244 + $100 when he comes back. Stupidly, I gave him my credit card and thought - its not this guys fault I'll call and talk with a Manager to clear up any confusion. Upon calling Nelson Brothers, I was told they'd discuss and get back with me. A week later - no return call. So I called back and they tell me they reviewed it and the price is what it is. $344 to swap out a shower valve cartridge. So at this point I've paid $244 for them to order me a $20 cartridge I could have ordered myself online.

Needless to say anyone who calls needs to ask on the phone what they will be charged for their expected service. Since I had worked with them previously, I thought if the pricing was different to come out for a simple plumbing fix they'd tell me when I was on the phone. I thought once I talked to them we could clear up the confusion (as it likely was that their person scheduling the appointment just forgot to tell me) or come to some sort of compromise. I figured, they'd value someone who was already a repeat customer who likely would be a long-term customer. Nope - they'd rather create an upset customer than to even bother to call me back. Sad.

Michael S.

If I could give them 0 (zero) stars I would. Had dealt with them multiple times out of necessity. Never felt like a paying customer but more like a burden. Last time I called the guy even hung up on me. If you want a more capable plumber at a more affordable rate, there's plenty on Yelp. Two thumbs down for this company.

Rick M.

Writing an update to my 5/15/2016 post. The sink that was slow-draining last year is slow-draining again. Just about a year for the 'fix' to crap-out. As I suspected, it appears the main drain needed to be cleaned up as well, not just the downspout immediately under the drain.

I don't know if Nelson Brothers still employs the plumber who did the hack-job on my sink, but I'm not going to take the chance and call them again. There are better outfits out there. Sorry NB, no return business from this dissatisfied customer.