Real Plumbers

R R.

Please be cautious of this company. This review is regarding replacement of faucet and hose for my kitchen sink. I ordered the part from Moen and called Real Plumbers to install the part for back in November 2016. I chose them over Michael & Son because of pricing and the fact that I have used this company in the past. However, I stopped because they started charging for service call backs. The plumber installed the new faucet, but shortly there after I noticed that it was leaking. Real Plumbers sent out a new plumber who looked at the faucet (mind you Real Plumbers wanted to charge me for this visit even though they installed it). A new plumber said that the part needed to reorder. However, two weeks later another plumber came and said the faucet did not need to be replaced, just tightened; so he tightened. May 2017, the faucet is leaking lots of work that I had to turn it off. So I call Real Plumbers back, they will send someone but there will be a charge; REALLY. I am reminded that I stopped using them for a reason, but I was giving them another chance. To charge me for a problem that I identified with a service call the first TWO times, and to charge me a THIRD time for defective service is unacceptable to me. I called Michael & Sons.

Angela W.

The reviews on here are not great so I was hesitant, but this place came recommended by a friend so I figured I'd give it a shot. We had a leaky toilet (figured that due to water damage we found) and they came out the same morning I called. Dave was our technician and he knew immediately what was wrong and fixed it quickly. He was very friendly and straightforward with the pricing and options. I would definitely call again for any future plumbing problems.

Paul K.

This review of ""Real Plumbers"" does not reflect their technical proficiency, but rather their poor customer service (although I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the former is also far from stellar).

We called the company to fix a leaky kitchen faucet after relying on a review from ""Best Pick Reports Washington, DC""; a publication received for free in the mail (that mistake is on me). Real Plumbers agreed to come out the next day between 10am and 2pm, a reasonable time frame, and would charge $89 for a service call; also reasonable.

The next day, the window for the plumber's arrival closed without a peep from the company, nor the plumber. After calling the company, they informed us he was running behind schedule and would be at our house soon. When we asked the company if we should reschedule, they told us not to do so and that the plumber would arrive shortly. That shortly was 90 minutes.

The plumber arrived, looked at the leaky faucet, and told us that it would cost approximately $300 to fix. He could not fix it then and there because he did not have the part on this truck and it was too late to get the needed stem. Here's the great part...he'd also have to charge us another $89 for a service call to come out the next day and install the stem. We were dumbfounded. Where is the professionalism? He arrives and hour and a half late and still wants to charge us for a service call the next day? What? The $89 is more important than the work? When we protested, the plumber did not seem bothered, but reminded us that he needed to recoup the costs for , ""You know, gas."" There are better plumbers out there. They got their $89, we still have a leaky kitchen faucet. Stay away from these shysters.

Joe G.

This review is in regards to my overall experience with Real Plumbers. I had a new hot water installed by another company around a year ago and was throwing a code on my Honeywell gas valve that something was wrong with my venting for the water heater. After a few failed attempts at the first plumber that came out to my residence, I decided to call the manufacturer (A.O. Smith) to try to get a good plumber from them. They threw a few companies out at me that were factory trained. I did my research and decided to go with Real Plumbers. I called up and one of the technicians came out and I talked through what was wrong with the hot water heater and he wrote up an estimate for new flu piping and a new expansion tank.
I went and called other companies for a few estimates for the expansion tank and came back to Real Plumbers to see if they could do better on the pricing, which they did and I was happy about that. So after all that I decided to get them out and do those 2 things.
After that is when things got messy. The technician arrived on time but it was a different technician. I asked the technician where the other guy was that originally came out and he said he was sick. Okay, not a huge deal but the other guy sounded like he knew exactly what needed to happen to fix my flu piping. So after the technician came in I noticed he was holding a bucket and it had steel piping. Well, that was completely different than the original write up and my specific water heater was only approved for PVC/CPVC piping. The whole reason I went with this company was because they are factory trained for my hot water heater. After some talking (because I was not going to allow steel pipe on my hot water heater because I needed to send pictures to the manufacturer because the first plumber did that and they briefly took away my warranty because of it) the service technician looked at the manual and said I was correct. He then called up one of the other techs to come out to my residence and bring PVC piping. As time passed, he did read the manual so he could install it properly. He did take his time but after he was done my water heater still was not working properly. He then called up the manufacturer at my residence and they wanted me to send pics of the new piping. After he was off the phone he asked me if they stated anything else. I said yes they said something about it going to the outside (which this company did not do). He then went on to proceed and let me know that will be even more money. At this point I was not very happy because I just paid $330 to re-install incorrect piping thinking they will bring it up to manufacturer's specifications, which did not happen. Now, the technician is telling me it will cost a lot of money because I am located on a second floor condo and work needs to be done on the outside. Wish I would have known this beforehand instead of just installing piping to a certain point and then telling me this.
Frustrated with not getting an estimate when I requested one when he was at my residence I went with another plumbing company to extend the piping to the outside. This helped the problem but it is still there so I sent in pictures to the manufacturer and they stated that there are 2 elbows next to one another and that is installed incorrectly (and this was the Real Plumbers work). Now I am really furious because I paid $330 for an incorrect job. At this point, I decided to call Real Plumbers (because it was a few months later) and told them the situation. I was informed that I now have to pay a $89 service call fee, but was told they would re-do the piping if it was found that it was their fault.
I sat on this information for a few days and called back because a new problem propped up and I needed to install a new Honeywell Gas Valve on my hot water heater. I called up saying I had the part and need it put on. Again, I was told an $89 service fee and they need to 'diagnose' the problem. First, it happens intermittently, so the chance it happens when they are here is low. Plus, I tried again getting a quote and they want to come out and the representative would not give me an estimate.
I just find this weird because another company I am dealing with usually charges a service fee too but they said if I have the part and the manufacturer is saying that that is the problem, than they do not need to charge a service fee and are getting me a quote. It seems like it is like pulling teeth with these plumbers. They all were very nice to me (to include the plumbers and the phone reps) and actually seem customer-service oriented in their tone, but if you cannot back up your work and want tons of money to come out then I cannot trust a company like this.
A true professional that stands behind their product should come out with no service fee if they screwed up, not inform the customer that they need to charge because they need to see the set-up and how it was originally done. Will not be recommending them!

Kristin B.

This place came recommended by a picky friend of mine, and I was excited that they seemed so comfortable fitting me in for a same-day appointment, when I called this morning. They gave me a 12-4pm window, and I called at 3:30pm to make sure I was still on the schedule, and was told that they were running late but would be here.

It is now 5:30pm, and their office is closed. Can I leave my house to go pick up my kid from daycare or will I miss them? And even if they do come (at 5:30, at 6?), will they do any more than look at my broken A/C? It was supposed to be looked at AND fixed today!

I'll revise this review if any service changes, but this has so far been a very frustrating (and wasteful) experience. I'm optimistic that they will arrive at some point and the service will be excellent, so I look forward to updating this review in the near future.

Terry D.

I called Real Plumbers because the normal plumber I work with did not work on this type of gas hot water heater. I has to give them my credit card over the phone. They charged me $450 to diagnose the problem which involved a faulty valve that was under warranty. The quoted me $785 to install the valve. I had it installed for $150. This place is a total rip off. Call a different company unless you have money to throw away.

A D.

I had Real Plumbers install a new HVAC and replace my food disposal. The team came out on time and completed all work in one day. I had a few issues with the finished product, and I brought them up with the supervision team. David, the owner, responded and took care of all the outstanding issues in a professional and timely manner. David is a true professional and runs a tight shop to ensure the team delivers the work as promised. I would highly recommend Real Plumbers as they will go above and beyond to provide the highest level of customer service! Job well done!!!

Ben S.

I had a leaking pipe leading into my house, requiring a fairly extensive and complex fix. Dave and gang accurately diagnosed the problem, dug up my yard, threaded the new pipe, and then put everything back in order. I barely lost a shrub, and they kept everything scrupulously clean. They arranged everything with the DC inspectors too. I believe at some point they encountered some problems that were going to make the project more extensive and expensive, but they were able to work around this and kept to the original budget. Everything was on time, and just as promised.

M.R. H.

Real Plumbers has cancelled on me three times in a row. The first time, I had a scheduled appointment for preventative maintenance and they called and said the technician was given the day off and they did not have a back up. The second time, which was a reschedule, they cancelled 15 minutes into the four hour window because the inch of snow that had fallen was apparently too dangerous to drive in. The third time, which was the second reschedule, they just didn't show up at all. If I could give zero stars, I would.

Don S.

I had a small pinhole leak in a supply line going to a shower. The ""real plummer"" applied some solder, and without checking to see if the problem had been fixed, (by simply turning on the water) abruptly packed up his tools and headed out. He didn't care enough to see if it was still leaking. After running the water for less than 4 minutes, the leak reappeared before the repairman left, as he did not completely cover the hole. He reluctantly said he would ""give it another shot"", and ended up fixing the problem. The guy was so eager to get my money, it was obvious that he didn't care about the workmanship. Very shady company in my opinion. I will never hire them again.